5 Best Essential Oils For Scars

One of the top skin care conundrums of all time: how to diminish scars. Whether it’s from pregnancy, surgery, or normal growth, scars can be an unavoidable part of your body’s healing process.

However, those who wish to diminish the look of scars do have a few options for lessening their appearance. We’ll take a closer look at scars, and explore how essential oils can support long-term scar management.

Scars form as part of the body's natural healing process. Scars are damage caused to the inner layers of the skin. The body responds by repairing the damaged tissue, which creates scar tissue.

Scar tissue is a collection of cells and collagen that covers the area of the injury. This tissue can form in a variety of ways, including:

#1. Keloid Scar
A keloid is a raised, red-skin colored plaque of scar tissue that can form where the skin is damaged. Common causes are an incision, a piercing, a burn, chickenpox, or acne. Keloids can rub against your clothes and become irritated. When exposed to the sun, they may turn darker than the rest of your skin.

#2. Hypertrophic Scar
A hypertrophic scar is a raised, pink-skin colored scar that forms more commonly in taut skin areas like your back, chest, and shoulders. Unlike keloids, which can grow beyond the original wound area, hypertrophic scars stay within the damaged area. They can be itchy and painful, but more often are simply a cosmetic issue.

#3. Contracture Scar
If your skin has been burned, you may have a contracture scar. Contractures occur when the burn scar matures, thickens, and tightens. This tightened skin can impair the movement of the affected area, especially if it occurs over a joint.

#4. Depressed (Atrophic) Scar
These sunken scars often result from chickenpox or acne. They look like rounded pits or small indentations (sometimes called ice pick scars) in the skin.

#5. Stretch Marks
Stretch marks often develop during pregnancy, puberty, or after gaining or losing weight. They usually appear on the breasts, stomach, thighs, and upper arms. They may appear red or purple at first, and usually lighten over time.

The answer depends on two things: type of scar and cause of scar. Surgery scars, large keloids, contractures, and scars over areas of movement may require medical treatment. Scars caused by minor cuts, scrapes, and lesions can become less noticeable with proper treatment of the wound at home.

The sooner you start caring for your scar, the better your chance for healing success. Timing is also important; give your wound TLC while it’s healing to help minimize the appearance of a scar, rather than allowing the passage of time.

Although no scar can be completely erased, at-home options like scar management and skin support may be a more realistic goal for the treatment of your scar. Hastening the healing and fading process with natural, botanically derived ingredients – like essential oils – is a great option!

While some scars can fade over time, others can’t always be avoided. There isn’t conclusive research that proves topical treatment can make scars disappear completely. Yet for those experiencing less obtrusive scars or stretch marks, it has been suggested that essential oils may be able to help reduce their appearance.

Since certain essential oils have anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial characteristics – sometimes both – these properties can help wounds heal and improve skin health overall. Let’s take a closer look at the potential benefits of using popular essential oils as effective options for promoting wound healing and lessening the appearance of scars.

#1. Helichrysum
Also called the Everlasting flower or curry plant, helichrysum has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that keep bacteria at bay. This could prevent infection and encourage wound healing, potentially resulting in less scarring.

If there’s one thing our skin doesn’t need from scar management, it’s harsh ingredients. Our Green Tea Cloud Foam Cleanser is free of artificial dyes and perfumes, and features helichrysum flower to help decrease inflammation while gently toning the complexion.

#2. Lavender
Its delicate purple flowers and divine fragrance are key giveaways for unlocking the beautiful properties of lavender essential oil, which has been primarily used to promote calmness and encourage healing. Lavender is beloved for its antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it ideal for fighting acne & refreshing tired skin in our Lavender Oat Milk Soothing Cleanser.

If lavender oil can promote calmness and healing, imagine the power it can have for your body. Our Lavender Body Scrub features a happy marriage of scar-healing Vitamin E and lavender essential oil that work to lighten the appearance of scarring, while banishing acne-causing bacteria.

#3. Tea Tree
Tea tree is one of the most widely used essential oils, and most recognized for antimicrobial and antifungal benefits that prevent infection in healing skin. Our Tea Tree Deep Detox Mask is a concentrated, clarifying mask made with natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients. This mask soothes inflammation and reduces the appearance of acne scars with active herbs and gentle acids.

If you need a spot treatment, our Tea Tree Concentrated Spot Treatment Powerful spot is made with detoxifying herbs to calm and clarify active blemishes. It rapidly reduces inflammation and lessens the appearance of acne scars.

#4. Geranium
This flowering shrub has been traditionally used to treat skin disorders such as eczema. Since geranium oil has antibacterial properties, it may help keep wounds clean and encourage healing, which can help prevent or reduce scarring.

The gentle properties associated with using calendula for skin is the main reason why it’s featured in one of our favorite cleansers: the Calendula Flower Cleansing Milk. It benefits healing skin by supporting hydration and removing impurities, without leaving your skin feeling stripped or irritated.

#5. Chamomile
For most of us, “chamomile” just brings to mind soothing cups of chamomile tea. But chamomile has much more to offer: chamomile essential oil has can benefit your skin by helping to diminish the appearance of dark spots and scars.

In terms of scar management, our Rose Water Gel Cleanser is made with calming calendula flowers, and employs balancing rose hydrosol to restore and protect the moisture barrier. Pair this with our skin-plumping Rose Hyaluronic Acid Serum for deeper skin soothing benefits.

The bottom line: essential oils are capable of promoting wound healing, and are excellent for helping to lessen the appearance of scars. Above all, don’t forget: scars and stretch marks don’t need to be erased. They should be supported and nurtured just like the rest of our precious skin!