Key findings: Essential oils and their volatile constituents can penetrate through the skin as well as enhance penetration of different drug from topical formulation into the lower skin layers using different mechanisms of action based on (1) disintegration of the highly ordered intercellular lipid structure between ...
Toxicologist Ron Kirschner, MD, also warns of their danger. "Ingesting essential oils like camphor, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil or pine oil has been associated with changes in mental states and seizures. Ingesting lavender oil can cause severe allergic reactions and pennyroyal oil can give you toxic liver damage."
Just because it's from a plant doesn't mean it's safe to rub on your skin, or breathe, or eat, even if it's “pure.” Natural substances can be irritating, toxic, or cause allergic reactions. Like anything else you put on your skin, it's best to test a little bit on a small area and see how your skin responds.
Some oils darken skin tone, Emu oil gives you one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone. But oils like coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil do not whiten or darken your skin complexion. But the regular use of these oils can help to restore your natural skin color and remove signs of skin darkening.
First, each essential oil will stay in the air for a different amount of time. Top notes, like peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus typically evaporate within an hour or two. Middle notes, like rosemary, geranium, and chamomile, often aromatically evaporate within two to four hours.
Many essential oils can cause rashes if used on the skin. Many can be poisonous if absorbed through the skin or swallowed. Few have been tested like medicines have, even though people put them in their mouths, on their skin, and in their children's vaporizers.
The short answer is that yes, lavender essential oil can be applied directly to the skin. However, as with all aromatherapy oils, we do not advise using lavender oil without consulting a qualified aromatherapist or getting a solid grounding in knowledge from one of the great Aromatherapy manuals available.
When essential oils are applied to the skin they are absorbed and travel around the body via the bloodstream. In this way they are able to deliver a range of benefits to the body's systems and organs. Absorption is increased by massage, as this increases the circulation in that area of the body.