If you love gin, then you must have heard of juniper berry! If you haven’t, then this little product is commonly used as a base ingredient to make gin and other alcoholic beverages. However, it turns out that juniper berry offers more than just bitter spice for your drink! With lots of beneficial health and beauty properties, this little buddy can also be transformed into essential oil which is helpful to treat acne and skin or body problems! If you would like to find out more about Juniper Berry Essential Oil what it can do to your body and skin, check this article out!
A Bit About Juniper Berry
This fruit is not really the common berries we know because it is actually the female seed cones from juniper plant which is a cone-bearing plant. In order to get the therapeutic benefits such as natural antiseptic, antimicrobial and antioxidant, it is important to get the ripe juniper berry. This process can take almost 3 years. Therefore, this berry has been used for centuries as a home remedy to treat skin disease and other illness.
In modern days, people can get the health and beauty benefits of juniper seeds through essential oil. The process to make one is usually by steam-distilling solely only the ripe juniper berry. The result comes in pale-coloured oil with water consistency, and a fresh, woody, sweet fruity scent to it.
Benefits and Uses of Juniper Berries Essential Oil
As mentioned before, folk medicine discovered the antiseptic and antioxidant properties from juniper berry. Present-day researchers have found that this spice can do more than that! We have listed a few from ton of other benefits of this product and some recipes for you to try depending on your needs!
- Improves skin’s condition such as eczema, rash and vitiligo
Due to its anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties, researchers have found that juniper berry essential oil can be used to treat skin issues as mentioned above. If you are suffering from one of these skin issues, you can add a few drops of this oil and mix it with jojoba oil as a carrier. Blend these oils together and apply to the problematic area. The mix of these two ingredients creates both amazing natural healing abilities and soothes the skin.
- Prevent cellulite formation
If you want to prevent cellulite, you can try dry brushing. Using hand-sized brush with the right brush density (depending on your skin’s sensitivity), add some drops of juniper berry essential oil and a carrier (jojoba oil) to the area that might develop cellulite such as inner thighs. Lightly brush your skin with these oils regularly and you’ll notice the difference!
- Natural relaxant and sleep remedy
Juniper berry has that calming and relaxing scent to reduce the stress and provides a therapeutic emotional support. It can help to reduce anxiety, insomnia, and improves brain response to become more relaxed and positive. You can use juniper berry essential oil on its own or mix it with other oils such as sandalwood, eucalyptus, lavender, or bergamot depending on your preferences.
You can add 5-6 drops of this oil with a carrier oil into your own diffuser, on your wrist, on your tired muscles (and give a little massage), to your warm bath, even make your mixed roll-on aromatherapy oil which you can use when insomnia hits you. Other option is to make your own freshening spray by mixing this oil with water and vegetable glycerin, and spray it to your bed linen. These combinations will give you calming effect and reduces the stress after a long day!
Improves hair and scalp healthiness
Juniper berry has astringent properties to give extra strength to hair follicles, reduces hair loss and dandruff. Simply use 3-5 drops of juniper oil to either your shampoo or conditioner. Blend all ingredients together and massage your scalp for 5-10 minutes to make sure you get the most of the oil’s benefit.
- Boost digestion and help menstrual cycle
This oil can also be used internally. With diuretics properties, juniper seeds can help you with digestive issues since it breaks down and absorbs protein and vitamin from food. Other than that, adding 1-2 drops of juniper berry essential oil to your drink or food relieves bloating and relaxes your stomach from menstrual cramps. However, adding this oil to diet is not safe during pregnancy since it can stimulate uterine muscles and affect the hormones. Therefore, you have to be in the right health condition and make sure that the oil you’re using is safe to eat and 100% therapeutically-grade before consuming.
Juniper Berry Essential Oil for Acne
For some of us who constantly suffer from acne, the last thing we want to put on our skin is oil, correct? Because commonly acne-prone skin has some issues with oil-based skin care product that might only add more grease to the skin hence clogging the pore and create more acnes (nope nope!).
However, when oily or acne-prone skin is treated with natural and organic oil, such thing would be minimized! If you suffer from acne, don’t worry about using juniper berry essential oil to your face! It is loaded with anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties which helps skin to fight any bacteria that causes the acne. It also contains soothing benefits to calm down any inflammation. Also, when used regularly, this essential oil will slowly diminish the look of the acne scars! Again, you can always incorporate any of your current skin care routine with juniper berry essential oil any day and night because this oil has watery viscosity to it! Don’t worry about looking all greasy and oily!
DIY Juniper Berry Essential Oil Based Products for Acne Treatment
A great confidence comes from great and healthy skin; don’t you think? We have several ideas where you can incorporate the benefits of juniper berry essential into your skin care regime on its own or mixed with other natural ingredients to treat and protect skin from acne. Check these recipes out!
- For acne spot
You can definitely use juniper berry essential oil for acne spot as another alternative! Simply take 2-3 drop of this oil and dab it onto the spot and leave it overnight.
- Incorporate the oil to your moisturiser
Simply add 1-2 drops of juniper berry oil to you face lotion or moisturiser. Mix it well and use it for the day and night!
Acne scar treatment
Sometimes acne scars are unavoidable! This juniper seed–based face mask will progressively and naturally diminish the look of post-acne scar look!
2 tsp of organic honey
2-3 drops of natural lavender oil
3 drops of natural juniper berry essential oil
2-3 drops of frankincense oil
Mix all ingredients together until it reaches the consistency of a paste. Spread it all over your face and leave it for 30 minutes before rinsing it off.
Skin toner
For a poreless and breakout-free skin, follow this recipe to create your own natural organic toner!
6 drops of juniper berry oil
8 drops of geranium essential oil
6 drops of bergamot oil
100ml of your preference of rose water
Mix all ingredients together and put it in a sterilized bottle. Use cotton pad and swipe it all over your face day and night to prevent and treat skin from breaking out!
Have fun trying and share us what you think about this essential oil and how it has helped you in curing any body or skin issues! XX
