DIY Beauty: Evening Primrose Oil for acne
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
I didn’t have much luck using evening primrose oil for my PMS but surprisingly, I have better luck applying them topically on my skin. In fact, I was so pleased with the effects that I have been using this oil almost every other night now.
Reduces inflammation and redness
Actually I had a very vague idea of what evening primrose oil could do for my skin when applied externally. I started using it because I was fed up over a couple of huge red inflammed acne on one side of my cheeks. Nothing I did or used could tame them. So I punctured a hole into one of the Sainsbury’s Evening Primrose Oil capsules which I have been consuming orally, squeezed out the oil and started applying to the inflammed acne. I also applied the rest of the oil on the dry scaly patches of my body.
I went to bed after that, actually worrying that the oil would aggravate the acne. But to my pleasant surprise, the acne subsided a lot the next morning! It didn’t get rid of the acne nor the scarring but it certainly kept them from flaring up again. In addition, the dry scaly patches on my body were also looking a lot better. They were not as red, and definitely not as dry and scaly.
Contains concentrated sources of Gamma Linoleic Acid
In my last entry, I wrote that evening primrose oil is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose flower and the purified oil is then made available in capsules as well as liquid form. The oil is one of the most concentrated sources of Gamma Linoleic Acid (GLA), which is an essential fatty acid of the omega 6 family with anti-inflammatory properties and plays an important role to maintain healthy skin.
Provides countless skin care benefits
Evening primrose oil is good in calming acne flare ups because of its ability to dilute sebum production. The oil has also been proven to treat dry, scaly, or itchy skin conditions, such as rosacea and atopic dermatitis. It also reportedly, has some modest benefits for eczema. Other benefits when it comes to skin care include:
- rejuvenating the skin,
- reducing skin blemishes and visible skin redness,
- smoothening rough skin and hydrating dry skin,
- reducing the wrinkles and fine lines on the skin gradually, and
- lightening the dark circles around the eyes.
Feels oily and goes rancid quickly
Because evening primrose oil goes rancid pretty quickly, so it’s best to use the capsules instead. I have been using evening primrose oil on alternate nights and applying the oil liberally on my body and my face, and even lightly around my eyes. One capsule can pretty much cover the areas I need. Evening primrose oil feels extremely greasy on contact and remains so for my hands but less so for my face. Somehow, the oil absorbs quite quickly into my face and what surprised me most is that my face looked a lot more nourished the morning after, giving me quite a healthy glow.
Smells peculiar
My only gripe is that the oil has a peculiar smell. Not unpleasant but nothing sweet either. So it needs getting used it. But inspite of that, I say evening primrose oil is something I would want to use from time to time in my skin care regime. It’s definitely a lovely oil for the skin!
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Posted in Homemade/DIY | 46 Comments »
previous post: Does your sunscreen contain nanoparticles?
next post: Do you do a skin patch test?
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November 12th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Nice tips here! Will be use to use them!
Lauren: I hope you’ll like it if you use them.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Oh I love Evening primrose oil and yes I completely agree with you, it smells really weird.
Leon: You think so too? But good thing is the smell is bearable. Definitely better than sea buckthorn oil!
November 13th, 2008 at 1:02 am
How does this compare to Vit E used in the same way?
Mag: I’ve never tried Vitamin E on my face. It feels too rich and I always mix it with a lotion for my neck and body. EPO is a lot lighter.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:25 am
my mom tried it on her face and got rashes. I think it was because the primrose oil capsule expired. But i would like to try them. Not expired ones of course.
Have been using jojoba oil and grapeseed oil for alost a week, And I can say that my blackheads have reduced. Lol. After the oil cleansing. I squeezed my nose lightly and the blackheads just shot out! After a follow up cleansing with a mild cleanser, and using the oils as moisturiser, I went to work the following day and my friends thought that I had put on makeup because my nose was smooth. Haha!
Ms Blackface: Ah, I heard from another reader that her blackheads reduced a lot with the use of jojoba oil. I haven’t been that consistent with the oil cleansing method cos I find it time consuming. I’m waiting for my grapeseed oil which I just ordered.
I hope the EPO won’t cause any rashes or reactions for you.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I take this when I remember, but have never tried it on my face. Will give it a shot!
ParisB: I hope you’ll like it if you do try.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Thanks for your feedback! I’ve ever used Vit E when my face was acting up. Seemed to help but yes, now that you’ve mentioned it…heavy.
Mag: I don’t like using vit E on my face…I won’t be surprised if I break out using it.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Yes Sesame, I don’t like the smell of EPO but I love to use it.
Leon: Yeah, I’m surprised it worked so well…
November 13th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Thank you Sesame! I am so going to buy the capsules today. I got very bad acne flare up from exam stress and they are concentrated around my mouth. So sad…
Faeryberry: I hope it’ll work for you girl! I had three popping out and it was only under control when I used this.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
You’re fab! I’ll try it tonight, give you feedback tomorrow alright? Oh, thanks :p
Natalie: Okay, I hope you’ll like using it!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I’m experiencing an inflammed patch of acne on my left cheek right now. I’ve been taking antibiotics for it and they are helping, yet the area could sure use some help.
I think I may give the EPO a try.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it on one of the pimples first before applying it to the entire area. I’m well aware that what works for others may not work for me.
I’ll let you know.
Elaine: Great! I hope it’ll work for you. But note it doesn’t get rid of the scarring. I’m currently using rosehip oil to heal the scarring.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I tried it on my face last night, it really works !! Tks a lot !!
Faye: Oooh! I’m so glad.
November 14th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I’m back:) Amazing@@ It dried up my pimple without leaving redness, but I’m hoping it works on scars too. What is rosehip oil?
Thanks much,Sesame!~
I’ll see whether it works on eczema. (I’m suffering from it during stressful days.)
Natalie: Wheee…I’m so glad it worked for you! ＼（＾ ＾）／ Nope, it doesn’t work well to reduce scarring. I tried it. It helps calm and subside the pimples but the scarring, you need other stuff. I use rosehip oil. Check my entry about it here. I hope it’ll work for your eczema.
November 15th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Great idea! I have this blemish on the side of my face for ages now, and I’m at my wits’ end on getting rid of it. I’m going to try this out and let you know if it works. Wish me luck!
Tine: Not sure if it’ll work for blemishes that have around for awhile but I hope it’ll work for you…keep me posted!
November 17th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I will try this one and look into rosehip oil, the scarring is my main concern for me. I had tried the honey and nutmeg method but that literally felt like fire on my face. I had to wash it off after 10 minutes of agony.
cowsandlemonade: Is it the nutmeg that burnt your skin? Never tried it as I think of it as a spice in food. Rosehip oil is good, but only for new scars.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:38 am
[...] get rid of the acne scars on my right cheek! They’ve been there for so long and while the evening primrose oil has helped to calm the inflammation and redness, the scars are still there! Although they have [...]
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 am
[...] Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
[...] Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
[...] Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
November 23rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
[...] Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
[...] Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
November 26th, 2008 at 12:21 am
[...] Posted by phantomgoddess on November 25, 2008 Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
November 29th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I had never thought of Primrose oil to clear acne. I am going to trial it to see if it removes some of the redness that old acne has left.
It will work if your acne is new. If it’s too old…I’m not so sure…
November 30th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
While at work yesterday I noticed and felt two pimples on my face, they were new, red and inflamed. I bought some evening primrose oil and applied it last night after washing my face, it really has cut down on the inflammation overnight. I’ll use it each evening until they’re gone. Thanks for the tip!
November 30th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Is the rose hip oil helping with your scarring?
If so, I’ll give that a try, too.
December 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I usually just pour some toner onto a piece of tissue or cotton & press it on my pimple. After one night, the pimple subsided although it doesn’t heal immediately.
December 26th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Thank goodness it’s Primrose Oil and nor Fish Oil _-_ Gah…I take those everyday.
Aika: Haha…we don’t want a fishy face do we?
January 1st, 2009 at 3:31 pm
[...] routine and am amazed with the benefits they can deliver. My favorite oil right now has to be the evening primrose oil which miraculously, always give me a very radiant glow the morning after using it. I love this [...]
January 19th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
if i take it orally, is it work to reduce my pimple?
zee: Some say it helps with acne but I don’t think it’s instantly even so…
February 17th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Hi
I use EPO for sciatica and my condition has improved 100%!.
Thanks for having a place to discuss my fave supplement!
XOXO
Cheryl “the Mompreneur” Coldiron
Cheryl: You’re welcome!
February 25th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
i want 2 ask one question.my mom menoupose ready.mom can take this EPO.And now i got use for my skin prob.that’s good for me!tnq.
Vani: No problem. EPO can be taken even during menopause or after. It alleviates the hot flushes and promote better sleep for some women.
March 5th, 2009 at 11:02 am
i want 2 know who can used EPO n can used for children appl in skin.tnq
Vani: EPO can be used for most but from what I found out, some pple could be allergic to consuming it. There is no study to suggest that application can cause allergy but you might want to note this – “those with allergies to plants in the Onagraceae family or allergic to gamma-linolenic acid or any other ingredients in evening primrose oil should avoid its use. Contact dermatitis or skin rash is possible.” The best is to do a patch test prior to using.
June 7th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I just tried this last night and it made my skin very soft without looking oily. The smell is YUK! Next time I might add a tiny bit of essential oil to that! :p
I also like using black seed oil for my extremely dry skin. Just like EPO, black seed oil smells amazing(ly bad).
I enjoy reading your blog very much.
Greetings from Belgium,
Carla
xoxoxoxoxo
sesame Reply:
June 7th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Hey Carla: I’m glad you had some luck with the EPO. It’s nice but the smell is erm not great. Haha…
Come back often. I’ve laid off with DIY beauty but hope to be back with the series very soon.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Hi, got a lot of useful info n tips here. Thanks a lot
Just wanted to ask about grapeseed n jojoba oil. Where do i get them and which brand? Are they for consumption or only for application to face?
And for acne-prone/blemished skin, may i know which of these oils are good? epo, grapeseed, jojobo, rosehip?
Thank you
sesame Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Jasmine: Where are you based? The oils are obtained from DIY ingredient supplier. For acne skin, rosehip can be too rich if the texture is not fine. You can use either grapeseed or jojoba but I find jojoba a tad oily.
June 16th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Sesame,
Thanks for your advice. I’m based in Singapore. What are DIY ingredient suppliers?
sesame Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
They sell oils and ingredients – not the end products. Check out http://www.yoursessentially.com. That’s where I get most of my supplies of oils.
June 16th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
thank you very much sesame
sesame Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
You’re welcome!
I forgot to mention that you can ask Jess of Yours Essentially to recommend suitable oils for your skin condition. Btw, the Healing Herbal Clay Masque is great to try.
June 21st, 2009 at 4:58 pm
What’s the “oil cleansing method”?
Sounds actually good…
Vitamin E is sticky, but i read something written by a doctor in the US that it prevents sun damage when worn topically, and prevents wrinkes. But the texture is quite sticky and kind of shinny…
I have combo skin and haven’t broken out from it which is diffrent!
sesame Reply:
June 21st, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I would not advice you to wear it in the day. It’s really very thick! Okay when used at night as part of your night time regime.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:12 am
[...] Viva Woman tells you how you can use evening primrose oil to calm your acne flare ups. [...]
October 11th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I used to take Vitamin E pills and now take Evening Primrose, It has helped me so much with pimples and redness. My cheeks often has realy bad pimples and now they are almost gone..
Tip: when you pop a pimple use detol which will dry it and leave less marks.
sesame Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Never tried detol…will bear that in mind. Thanks for the tip!
January 12th, 2010 at 5:10 am
Hey! I have to try the primerose oil directly on my acne and dry spots on my face. I just stopped taking birth control about 4 months ago and my face is going nuts from all the hormonal changes. I will buy it today! Thanks for the tip!
sesame Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Hope it’ll work for you.