Essential oils can be incredibly powerful tools for natural healing.
I wanted to share a story of how they helped my son with a skin infection and wound. I couldn’t believe the results!
One evening, I was giving my son his usual bath before bed when I noticed his toe was a mess!
The colour of his skin was a mixture of black, red, yellow and white. The skin had begun to fall off.
I took him out of the bath and noticed his skin was still moist even after drying it off in the area it was white. I could even smell his toe and I knew right away it was infected.
The next morning, I took him to the doctors to have it looked at to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. She assured me it was not serious but he did have a skin infection. She said it looked like he had cut his toe somehow and it became infected.
The doctor prescribed a topical antibiotic for the toe and said it would clear it up for him.
As I am a gut health nutritionist and have struggled with my digestive system for a number of years, I was very hesitant to use the antibiotic.
Antibiotics can be lifesaving but I knew that it wasn’t necessary for my son’s infected toe. Even though the antibiotic was topical, it can still be absorbed into the skin and alter the human microbiome (bacteria). These bacteria can make a huge impact on our health.
Truth is, you need the good bacteria in your system to help combat the bad bacteria. The good bacteria also aid digestion and help to keep your digestive tract healthy.
Unfortunately, antibiotics tend to kill both the good and the bad bugs!
Remember the antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers we are told to use to keep germs away? Turned out they are NOT good either.
This is because they also cause bacteria overkill and leads to more drug-resistant bacteria (superbugs).
As soon as we arrived home, I decided to create my own ointment for his skin infection.
The recipe is as follows:
5 drops of Lavender essential oil
5 drops of Francensence essential oil
2 Tbs. Coconut Oil
For the first three days, I applied the ointment every three hours to his toe and kept a sock on it while he played during the day to prevent more infection.
I also washed his toe 1-2 times a day to ensure it was kept clean.
By the third day, I noticed his toe was starting to heal!
I continued to use the ointment just to make sure the infection was gone but it appeared to be gone by day three.
Within a week of using the ointment, my son’s toe was healed and the skin was starting to grow back again!
Let’s look at the oils in detail:
Lavender:
Lavender has so many amazing uses to helping with anxiety, sleep and even as a natural perfume however, it isn’t just a lovely smell.
Lavender’s potent antimicrobial activity is due to its high content of active phenolic compounds such as linalool and linalyl acetate.
Aside from helping to keep bacteria and infections at bay, lavender can also be helpful for respiratory support, sinus congestion, stress relief, insomnia, and pain relief.
Lavender is gentle and safe for most users to use.
Frankincense
Frankincense has the capacity to increase oxygenation of the blood going to the brain, which in turn helps with the absorption of oxygen. It also possesses key properties that work on critical areas of the brain that facilitate healing (it contains something called sesquiterpenes that are particularly effective in combatting hard-to-heal brain injuries and have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, penetrating deeply into the brain tissues. It also stimulates the limbic system of the brain and glands that promote memory and help release emotions!
Frankincense is a powerhouse when it comes to all things skincare. It can remove skin tags to ganglion cysts! One of the most visible and frequently used applications of frank is for wart removal and it’s especially effective for kids who have been running around barefoot.
Combine a few drops of oil with coconut oil and rub directly on scars, stretch marks, or any other skin wounds to help promote faster healing.
If you want to get your hands on these oils, you can find them by clicking the link here.