- Essential Oil
- Botanical name: Thymus vulgaris
- Plant part: Leaves and flowering shoot tips
- Manufacturing process: Steam distillation
- Scent: Hot, spicy, herbaceous
- Cosmetic use: Acne
- Goes with: Bergamot, clove, eucalyptus, lavender, mandarin, lemon, pine.
Essential Thyme Oil
Plant
Thyme is a low creeping herb which has been used as a medicinal and spice herb for centuries. Native to the Mediterranean, thyme is cultivated almost everywhere nowadays. The stems of thyme are rather narrow or even wiry. The leaves of most species are evergreen, arranged in pairs, oval, 4 – 20 mm long and usually aromatic. The thyme blossoms are yellow, white or purple.
Extraction of essential thyme oil
The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the leaves and flowering shoots. It has a clear to light yellow color. 100 – 150 kilograms of the plant make one litre of oil.
Cosmetic use of essential thyme oil
Essential thyme oil is able to fight acne. Numerous creams and ointments for acne treatment contain the active ingredient benzoyl peroxide, which kills the acne pathogen propionibacterium. Studies show that the active ingredients contained in essential thyme oil are equivalent to this chemical substance.
Buying & using essential thyme oil – what to consider?
The essential oil should not be used under the following conditions: Epilepsy, pregnancy, hyperthyroidism and high blood pressure. Thyme oil is highly irritating to the skin, therefore only small doses should be used.
