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Q: What can I do for rosacea?
A: Rosacea (named for rosy cheeks) is a red skin irritation on the face. It can be anywhere from light and mild to very noticeable and uncomfortable. A doctor must diagnose whether or not red skin on the face is actually rosacea or something else.
There are some really nice things we can do with essential oils for this condition, and they involve using the oils with acupressure on the arms and legs – not applying essential oils to the face which may irritate the condition even more.
In Chinese medicine, rosacea is often energetically related to too much heat in the stomach and the lungs rising up to the face. This can be from many different things, so be sure to talk with a qualified Acupuncturist to determine how this might apply to you.
Here are 5 essential oils to choose from that will help to clear heat:
- Lemon
- Peppermint
- Palmarosa
- Clary Sage
- German Chamomile
While there are more essential oils to choose from, I picked these five because they tend to be fairly common and easily available on the market. See if you have one or more of these oils on hand.
We’re going to blend between 1-3 of these oils together, dilute them into a carrier oil, and apply them to some acupressure points on the arm and also on the foot.
In the video, I chose to work with a nice blend of Lemon and Peppermint diluted in Avacado carrier oil, however you could use any plain carrier oil you have on hand.
For single use oil – meaning you’re going to mix a very small amount to use right now – use ½ tsp carrier oil. To this add 2 drops of Peppermint and 2 drops of Lemon for a total of 4 drops essential oil. Stir that together with your finger, then it’s ready to apply.
You can also make a 1-oz. size bottle if you plan to use this blend often over a period of time. For this, fill the bottle with carrier oil, then add up to 20-24 drops of the essential oils you are using.
For example, if I was going to use Lemon and Peppermint, I might split that in half and add 10 drops of Peppermint and 10 drops of Lemon to 1 oz carrier oil. Shake it well and place a label on it with the purpose, oils used, and date. Stored properly, this will keep for approximately 1 year.
APPLYING THE OILS – ACUPRESSURE TECHNIQUE (demonstrated in the video)
On the arm, we’re going to be using the Large Intestine and the Lung Meridians. The area we’ll focus on goes from the elbow crease down into the muscle on the thumb (thenar eminence).
Take some of the diluted essential oil blend and apply it to the whole top section of the lower arm. Use your fingers to glide along this area, going from the elbow towards the hand, ending between the thumb and the index finger, which is acupoint Large Intestine 4 on the outside and Lung 10 in the middle of the thenar eminence.
The acupoints to focus on at the elbow crease are Large Intestine 11 and Lung 5. Applying the oil to these areas is going to allow the acupoints and the meridians in the arm carry the cooling, clearing-heat energy of the oils through these meridians and into the face.
Because heat rises up, as in rising from the body up to the face, focus on using a downward stroke direction with an image of pulling heat down from the face to the hand and out. Be sure to lightly squeeze the acupoints and meridians along the edge of the arm.
Do this anywhere from 8 - 24 times, and if someone’s face is severely red and irritated, you could do this up to 50 times.
If, for any reason, the oil starts to get dry, it’s fine to apply a little bit more. When you’re done with one arm, repeat on the opposite arm. You can also do this to yourself.
Moving on to the foot, we’re going to apply these same oils focusing mainly on the inner foot and ankle area.
We’ll use a strong point for heat in the face, which is Stomach 44. It’s located in the webbing between the second and third toes. Apply some of the essential oil blend there, and also to the inside of the foot, right along the edge of the arch. Come up the foot, and then circle around the inner ankle. In this area, we’re using acupoints Spleen 4 and also Kidney 3, which can both be used for cooling the upper body.
The acupoints in the feet are helping to clear heat. The Stomach Meridian begins in the face and travels all the way down to end at the second toe. It is strongly associated with rosacea in the face so even working down at the foot, we’re affecting the upper body.
Stimulate Stomach 44 acupoint anywhere from 8 - 24, or even up to 50 times. You can also just leave your finger resting gently on the point until you feel a Qi sensation, which might feel like a magnetic pulsation or an energetic movement of some kind. Try this energetically for up to 2 minutes.
Next, focus on the inner side of the foot and glide along right in the middle of the arch. There’s a place where you’re going to just come to a nice, natural stop at the edge of a bone. This is acupoint Spleen 4. Finally, glide around to the inner ankle. Right in the middle between the ankle and the Achilles tendon is acupoints Kidney 3.
Glide along this area anywhere from 8 – 24, or up to 50 times. How I decide on the number is that is if someone has very mild red in their face, I would do this 8 to 24 times. The more severe the redness is, the higher number of times, going up to 50.
HOW OFTEN TO DO THIS
Repeat this treatment one time every day to both arms and both feet.
USING HYDROSOLS ON THE FACE
Make a hydrosol spritz. Get a little finger mister bottle and fill with hydrosols and Aloe. Hydrosols are the water by-product of essential oil distillation. There are some really nice companies out there that produce them. See the end for links to my favorites.
Some good choices for cooling are Melissa and Rose, and these are both very nice on facial skin. One of my favorite hydrosol companies, Oshadhi, has an Aloe 10:1 product that blends beautifully with hydrosols. You can also add any pure aloe gel as long as the consistency is thin.
Hydrosols smell beautiful, and they are much milder than essential oils. You really don’t want essential oils or carrier oil on your face when it is red and irritated. For the hydrosol and aloe blend, spray it lightly on our facial skin. It should feel nice and cooling. If for any reason it feels irritating, discontinue use.
QIGONG EXERCISE TO COMPLEMENT THE TREATMENT
After the acupressure treatment and hydrosol facial spritz, it’s time to end with QiGong. This exercise is called Two Hands Draw Down Cool Rain.
Connect with your breath.
As you inhale, bring your hands up over your head.
Exhale, and moving with your breath let your hands lower down. Imagine that you’re hands are gently guiding cool rain over your body. It’s taking all that heat and cooling it off.
Inhale up. Exhale down.
Repeat this exercise 8 - 24 times, or for up to about 5 minutes. You can use this for high blood pressure also. QiGong feels so nice and so relaxing. Just move with your breath.
Recommended Resources for Hydrosols (Hydrolats)
Oshadhi
White Sage Landing
(Enter Code CMCM when ordering from White Sage Landing.)
Featuring Essential Oil and Oriental Medicine Instructor Cynthia McMullen, LMT, MQT, SM
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