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The best essential oils for dry skin

Last Updated: 04/03/2024

Learn more about essential oils for dry skin

For many of us, we are in that time of year where the weather is still playing games with our hearts; some of us are starting to see the first signs of springtime, some of us are still in a deep freeze and regardless of what the weather is like outside, we’re all experiencing the same thing: dry skin.

Dry skin can be caused by so many different factors: more exposure to cold temperatures and wind when outside, warmer, drier air inside and hotter water in our baths and showers are just a few of the possibilities when it comes to what causes our skin to feel dry.

A person scooping Saje body butter out of the container

People experience dry skin differently, too. For some of us, it shows up as flakiness, itching, redness or irritation. However you’re experiencing dry skin, we want to help you nip it in the bud by introducing you to some of our very favorite essential oils for dry skin and how we’ve incorporated them into a series of wellness products to support you every step of the way.

Skin care products with essential oils for dry skin 

One area in particular that dry skin seems to wreak havoc on the most is the delicate skin on our faces. Because our faces are typically more easily exposed to the elements (think: sun, rain, wind, snow), it’s more important than ever to take care of the skin you’re in with supportive, nourishing and deeply hydrating plant-based ingredients to help leave your skin feeling A+.

Skin care products we love:

Rose Mist: the queen of all flowers, one of the most precious essential oils, is the sweet and floral rose. Did you know that it takes up to 60 full size rose blooms, five full dozen roses, to produce one singular drop of essential oil? This rich and ritzy oil is a true labor of love, which is why we love our Rose Mist so much. Rose is known for its hydrating and deeply nourishing properties, which makes it so easy to reach for this refreshing and restoring mist whenever we need a pick-me-up. Simply shake the bottle before use and mist over hair, face and body to feel revitalized and comforted. Bonus tip: mist generously to the face after cleansing to restore balance.

Calm-O-Mile Moisturizer: nurture, protect and replenish sensitive skin while helping defend against the appearance of redness, due to dryness. This gentle and supportive hydrator helps nourish the skin's moisture barrier for visibly calmed, soothed and healthy-looking skin. This moisturizer has been created using fresh and sweet blue chamomile, hydrating and soothing apricot kernel oil and smoothing calendula.

Lip Nourish salve: some of the most delicate skin on the body, our lips, deserve the richest and most hydrating nourishment possible. This salve has been created using deeply moisturizing coconut and vitamin-rich shea butter to help soften and smooth the lips naturally. Essential oils that are renowned for their positive effects on dry skin like carrot, patchouli and palmarosa round out the blend; apply as often as desired to help relieve dry, sore or chapped lips.

Body care products with essential oils for dry skin 

Moving from the skin on your face to the skin on the rest of your body, it remains important to ensure you’re adding enough hydration each day to avoid feeling tight, cracked, chapped or sore, particularly on the arms and legs that tend to have the most exposure. Choosing the right products that will absorb easily, (a sign that you’ve chosen a product that is compatible with your skin type!) smell wonderful and support your wellness is simply a matter of learning more about each of them.

Body care products we love:

Carrot body butter: did you know that carrot is one of the most richly hydrating essential oils? Not only is it warming, calming and restorative, it can help to soothe and replenish dry skin, particularly after exposure to the elements like sun and wind. A fun fact about body butter: the main difference between body butter and lotion is water content. In short, lotion has more water, making it thinner and more easily spreadable, whereas body butter has less water and is therefore richer and thicker, making for a more nourishing application. Also included in the formula are base ingredients like shea, mango seed and cocoa seed butters with rejuvenating patchouli, geranium and roman chamomile. Apply generously after bathing or showering for soft, supple skin. 

Mother’s Wellness body oil: not just for moms or moms-to-be, this body oil has been formulated with some of the essential oils best known for their ability to relieve dry skin and help improve the texture and appearance of skin’s elasticity. Frankincense is used to help restore the skin’s vitality, neroli is smoothing and soothing and ho wood is both gentle and renewing. The base oils of grapeseed, jojoba, apricot kernel and vitamin e help create a moisture-rich barrier on the skin to support the look and feel of healthy, nourished skin.

A hand holding a bottle of mother's wellness body oil

Bath and shower products with essential oils for dry skin 

We know that a lot of our skin’s moisture is lost through the process of bathing and showering. Depending on how hot you set the water temperature, skin can become rapidly drier the longer it’s exposed. The simple solution is to use cleansing and exfoliating products in the bath or shower that have been formulated specifically for supporting the health and well-being of the skin, reducing damage and dryness from the get-go.

Bath and shower products we love:

Unwind bath salt soak: soak the day away with this calming and soothing blend of sweet, uplifting orange, floral and balancing lavender and warm, stimulating cinnamon. We use a combination of naturally sourced sea salt and epsom salt to help maintain skin’s natural moisture balance. Our favorite way to use these salts is to add 2-5 tablespoons once the bath is full so as to not lose the important aromatic benefit before you’ve entered the bath. Soak for 20-30 minutes and let your worries drift away.

Goddess Jute & Joy: what the heck is a Jute & Joy, you might be wondering? These little treasures are fan-favorite products here at Saje that not only cleanse and freshen the body, but provide gentle and stimulating exfoliation to help ward off dry, flaky skin while in the bath or shower. As the name suggests, the washpad is made of a vegetal fiber called jute and is filled with 100% natural soap pieces that froth and foam while you scrub the body. Depending on how often you use it, a Jute & Joy typically lasts 1-3 months and can help keep your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Essential oils for dry skin that we love

If you’re curious to learn more about what specific essential oils are best for dry skin, these are our top five recommended oils:

  1. Lavender: soothing, calming and balancing, lavender essential oil can be used for everything from calming irritated skin to easing the effects of too much sun exposure
  2. Frankincense: rejuvenating, meditative and harmonizing, frankincense essential oil can help to improve skin tone and restore dry or dehydrated skin
  3. Rose: gentle, nurturing and uplifting, rose essential oil can be used to soothe sore or dry skin and help balance and restore dehydrated or mature skin
  4. Geranium: balancing, softening and harmonizing, geranium essential oil can be used to help improve the appearance of the skin tone and ease irritation or redness caused by dryness
  5. Patchouli: earthy, grounding and herbaceous, patchouli essential oil can be used to hydrate and nourish dry, damaged, irritated or mature skin
Kristen Rondeau
Contributor & Editor
Kristen Rondeau
National Educator