How To Get Essential Oil Off Skin: 5 Stupid Simple Ways

Have you ever tried to remove essential oil off your skin?

If you love aromatherapy, knowing how to get essential oil off the skin is very important.

Everything has its flipside. You enjoy soothing aromatherapy on one hand. On the other hand, you deal with spillages.

No matter how careful you are, you will get a few drops of your favorite essential on your skin, surfaces, and clothes.

But first:

Why should you even bother about getting essential oil off your skin? After all, you are inhaling it in the air you breathe from your diffuser.

The essential oil in the diffuser is diluted, so it is not as concentrated as the oil that would spill onto your skin directly from the bottle.

Secondly, it is possible to develop an allergic reaction to essential oils. This is why it’s paramount to clean the oil off as soon as possible.

Keep reading to see how to get essential oil off your Skin and the 5 Stupid Simple Ways you can do this

Also, did you know that essential oil or any other oil takes 20 to 30 minutes to penetrate the skin and get into your bloodstream? You should remove it within or less than 20 minutes of the spill.

How to get essential oil smell off the skin: Simplest most effective ways

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If you are sick of the smell of essential oil on your skin, there are a few ways to get rid of it. Here, I will share five stupid, simple, and effective methods on how to get essential oil off the skin. They are as follows:

1. Use soap and water—tested and proven

Soap and water work to clean essential oil off the skin all the time!

And there is no special technique used. You will just need water, soap, and cotton wool. But it is better to avoid soaps with harsh chemicals because they can ruin your hands.

Just use the usual mild dish soap you use at home.

Soak a cotton ball in warm, soapy water and pass it lightly over the part of your skin that has the oil. Rub firmly, but gently.

If you do not have cotton wool, just use a sponge or a clean piece of cloth. Scrub for two minutes and rinse using cool water. Repeat until essential oil residue clears

Water is not a carrier, so you will have to pass the cotton ball soaked in soapy water several times. 

If the oil was making your skin feel irritated, scrubbing at it might increase the irritation, but it should be bearable.

When the oil is gone, rinse the skin with clean water and wipe clean with a cotton towel or paper towel.

Please note: soap dries up the skin. Therefore, you might need to apply oil or petroleum jelly to the place you’ve just cleaned.

Warning: Water can spread the essential oil to other parts of your skin. It’s important to concentrate your efforts on the affected area only.

2. Using a carrier oil

This method is more efficient than using soap and water. However, it is also costly since you have to order carrier oil.

A carrier oil is a type of base oil, which is mostly vegetable oil. Just as the name suggests, carrier oils are used to dilute and carry essential oils into the skin.

When used alone, essential oils can be too harsh, sometimes even burning the skin. This is why you must buy carrier oil if you love aromatherapy.

Let’s say you have olive oil or jojoba oil. Just dip a cotton ball into the oil and rub the part of the skin that has essential oil. 

This “breaks” the oil molecules and makes them easier to remove. You should do a faster job than when using water.

After the essential oil is gone, clean out the carrier oil with soap and water, and dry your skin. You are done.

Some of the most common carrier oils are evening primrose oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, and black cumin.

To remove essential oils from your skin, apply your favorite carrier oil to a cotton ball and wipe it off. For example, use coconut oil and repeat several times until the essential oil residue clears.

You can order your favorite carrier oils from Amazon.com

3. Using baking soda

Baking soda is readily available in many homes, and it is an unsung hero for cleaning tasks. 

From removing mold to soaking stains off white sneakers and canvas shoes, you can use it to remove essential oils from your skin.

Using baking soda to clean essential oil off your skin is easy. First, you need to make a paste with equal parts of baking soda and water.

Place the paste on the area with essential oil and leave it for some time, approximately 15 minutes. It will have soaked up all of the essential oil. If there is some remaining, repeat the process.

The best thing about using baking soda is that it does not dry the skin. It leaves the natural skin oil intact.

4. Using white vinegar

Please only use this solution if you are not allergic to acidic solutions. White vinegar can also have a strong smell that could irritate the nostrils.

If you are okay with all of those, mix water and white vinegar in equal parts, and then soak a piece of clean cloth in it.

Place the cloth on the area of your body that was in contact with essential oil and leave it for 15 minutes.

When you remove it, the essential oil will be gone. You can then clean the part with soap and water.

5. Rubbing alcohol

Using rubbing alcohol to remove essential oil from the skin is only recommended if it is the only option. This method is best for removing essential oil from clothes. 

Soak a piece of cloth or cotton wool in alcohol and then rub gently on the affected part.

While alcohol is very good at sucking the essential oil from your skin, it will also suck out the natural skin oil, leaving your skin dry and vulnerable. Clean the area with soapy water and apply petroleum jelly.

How To Neutralize Essential Oil Fragrance

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While essential oils have a relaxing and calming scent, they can also linger on your skin for a long period after you use them.

Some people enjoy the scent and others don’t, especially if they have children or pets. Keep reading to see some of the methods you can use to neutralize the scent of essential oils.

1. Use Baking Soda

Baking soda is great for getting essential oils off your skin and also for neutralizing the oil’s scent. To use it, make a paste of baking soda with water and apply it to your skin. Next, rinse with water and dry your skin. Apply a moisturizer.

2. Use Lemon Juice

Do you know lemon juice is a natural deodorizer? You can use it for cleaning, and even better, it can help you neutralize the fragrance of essential oils.  To use, squeeze fresh lemon juice on a piece of cloth or cotton ball and apply it to the area with essential oil.

Since it’s natural, you can leave it on your skin for several minutes. Next, rinse, pat dry, and apply a moisturizer.

3. Use Witch Hazel

Do you know you can add witch hazel to customize your essential oils? But that is not all; it is a natural astringent and gets rid of odors or scents first.

Even better, it doesn’t leave residue on your skin. To use it, add a small amount to a piece of cloth or cotton ball and apply it to the affected area. Let it sit for a few minutes, rinse, and apply a moisturizer.

4. Try Activated Charcoal

Do you know you can use activated charcoal to draw out impurities from your skin? Its detoxifying properties can help neutralize and absorb essential oil scents from your skin.

To use: Add and mix activated charcoal powder with water to create a paste. Apply it to your skin, massage and leave it for a few minutes. Rinse with water, dry, and apply a moisturizer.

Methods to Remove Essential Oil from Skin

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warm water and circular motions

Use warm water and gentle circular motions with a cloth to lift peppermint oil from your skin without causing additional irritation.

white vinegar

Use white vinegar to neutralize excess peppermint oil and aid in its removal.

olive oil for moisturizing and removal

Do you know you can use olive oil for your skin? Yes, you can use it to moisturize and remove peppermint oil residues. Apply a small amount of olive oil and wipe away the residue with a clean cloth.

How to get peppermint essential oil off the skin

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Peppermint oil can be applied topically to the skin. However, if you apply too much, it will cause skin irritation and rashes.

Thankfully, it should be easy to remove with water and soap. Just dip a piece of cloth in soapy water and rub the affected area gently.

You could also wash the affected part with water and soap, using your hands. If this method does not work, that is, if the peppermint oil spilled on your skin while it was not diluted, use the baking soda method.

You could also use the rubbing alcohol method. Dip a small piece of cloth in the oil and rub the skin gently. The alcohol will break the oil and make it easy to wash off. 

What removes essential oil from the skin?

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The best thing is to prevent the spilling of essential oil onto the skin. However, if it happens, use the following things to clean it out:

Start with the simplest things, such as water and soap. However, if you have carrier oils such as jojoba, grape seed, coconut, olive, or any other, use it.

Carrier oils are more effective, even more than soap and water. Besides, they can break the molecules of undiluted essential oils.

If you don’t have carrier oil but you have baking soda, it is also quite effective. Just make a paste with one part water and one part baking soda. Apply the paste to the area with the oil, and then give it some time to soak up the oil.

Other things you might try include rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, and makeup (as long as it is oil-based).

What Draws Oil Out of The Skin?

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The skin is porous!

Thus, it absorbs almost everything that it comes into contact with. Therefore, if you spill essential oil on your skin and leave it there for too long, it absorbs.

To draw out the oil from your skin, use the baking soda cleaning method.

Mix equal parts water and baking soda, and apply it to the area of your skin with essential oil. Leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes; longer is better!

Baking soda pulls the oil from the skin and absorbs it. Even better, baking soda doesn’t make the skin dry, and it leaves your natural skin oil intact.

If the essential oil is on your skin for a short period, you can use soap and water.

Remember to clean essential oil off the skin before 20 minutes pass because it takes this time for the oil to get into the bloodstream.

How Long Does the Essential Oil Scent Last on the Skin?

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One of the reasons for wanting to know how to remove essential oil from the skin is to remove the smell.

While you do enjoy your aromatherapy as well as the next guy, there is no way you want to go into the office with a cocktail of scents around you.

But how long does the smell of essential oil last on the skin?

It depends on the oil. Some oil smells last longer, and some don’t last so long. For instance, ginger, cedarwood, and myrrh scents last up to six hours!

Other lighter versions, such as geranium and chamomile, evaporate faster, so their smell on your skin dissipates faster.

Remember to clean it off as soon as the spill happens to prevent the oil from getting into your bloodstream.

Potential Risks of Leaving Essential Oils on the Skin

 

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas:

While essential oils are safe to use on your skin, they can damage the skin when you leave them on for a long time. Here are some of the potential risks:

• Skin Irritation: Since essential oils are potent and concentrated in nature in their undiluted form, they pose a risk to your skin. That being said, they may cause a burning sensation, an allergic reaction, rashes, and redness. So, when using essential oils, dilute them before applying them to your skin. Examples of potent essential oils to dilute include lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, and citronella.
• Lack of Dilution: Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts from plants. You dilute them with a carrier oil before applying them to your skin. Failure to dilute the essential oil can result in direct and strong contact with the skin, increasing the risk of irritation.
• Photosensitivity: Certain essential oils, for example, citrus oils like bergamot, lemon, orange, and lime, can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Prolonged exposure to sunlight after applying these oils can increase the risk of skin irritation, or sunburns and pigmentation.

 

• Dryness or excessive oiliness: Your skin might be more sensitive and react differently to substances. Some people have more sensitive skin than others, making them more susceptible to irritation. You see, essential oils, when undiluted, are harsh on the skin. This means they can strip your skin’s natural oil or make it more oily. Citrus, peppermint, and tea tree can cause skin dryness, and jojoba and ylang-ylang can lead to oily skin.

 

• Allergic Reactions: Essential oils contain various chemical compounds, including potent bioactive molecules. Some of these compounds can be irritating to your skin when you apply them in concentrated form. Prolonged contact can lead to skin irritation or allergic reactions. If you’re unsure about a type of essential oil, do a patch test before applying it widely to your skin. Patch testing can help you avoid swelling rashes and hives
• Evaporation and Residue: Essential oils are volatile substances, and over time, they can evaporate, leaving behind a higher concentration of the oil on the skin. This increased concentration can lead to irritation, especially if the oil can cause skin sensitivities.

To avoid skin irritation, follow proper dilution guidelines, perform patch tests before widespread application, and adhere to recommended usage instructions from manufacturers. If irritation occurs, discontinue use and seek medical advice if necessary

Remember, essential oils smell great and can help you relax, but be careful when using them on your skin.

Post-Removal Care and Tips

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So how do you take care of your skin after the oil cleansing techniques?

The first step to post-removal care is moisturizing with a gentle, fragrance-free product rich in ingredients such as aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, or ceramides.

These ingredients restore the skin’s natural moisture barrier while providing nourishment and hydration.

It can also be helpful to increase your water intake to give your skin an extra boost of hydration from within.

As for topical products, avoid overly fragranced or irritating exfoliants or overly drying ingredients.

In addition to these, protect your skin from excessive sunlight. Use sunscreen to protect your skin from sensitivity.

By following these tips and taking care of yourself both internally and externally, you can prevent potential issues from arising in the future.

Wrapping Up

If you enjoy a good session of aromatherapy in your home to help you relax and avoid stress and anxiety, you need to know how to wash essential oil off the skin.

Fortunately, this is not too hard. Of course, it’s best to prevent the spillage from happening in the first place.

But if it happens, follow these 5 stupid, simple ways to get essential oil off your skin: water and soap, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, and white vinegar.

FAQ

Can you wash off essential oils?

Yes, you can wash off essential oils from your skin. Use mild soap and water to gently cleanse the area. Remember to dilute essential oils before applying them to your skin. If irritation occurs, wash off the oil.

What to do if you get essential oil on skin?

If you get essential oil on your skin and experience irritation, rinse with plenty of water.

Use a mild soap to clean or apply a carrier oil. For example, coconut or jojoba oil can also help dilute the essential oil and soothe your skin. If irritation persists, consult a healthcare professional.

What removes essential oil?

To remove essential oil from surfaces or fabrics, blot the area with a clean cloth to absorb excess oil. You can also use a mixture of baking soda and water or gentle dish soap to help lift the oil stain.

For fabrics, check care labels and test a small, inconspicuous area first to avoid damage.

How are essential oils eliminated from the body?

Essential oils are metabolized and eliminated from the body through various processes. For example metabolism in the liver and excretion via urine, sweat, and exhalation.

The specific elimination time varies depending on the type of essential oil and factors such as metabolism and overall health.

How long do you leave essential oils on your skin?

The duration of leaving essential oils on your skin depends on the specific oil and its usage. It’s advisable to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before applying them to your skin.

Follow the guidelines for the specific essential oil. As a general rule, leave them on your skin for 15–30 minutes. If you experience discomfort or irritation, remove the oil immediately.