When I was first introduced to essential oils, I wasn’t sure what to expect. There was a LOT of talk about essential oil grades and safety concerns. Eventually, I met essential oil distributors from various brands who were kind, knowledgeable and provided great assistance to my essential oil enjoyment. If you’re new to using essential oils or want to make sure you’re using them correctly, this article is for you.

What is an essential oil

Essential oil refers to plant oil that is extracted from various parts of the plant including  roots, seeds, flowers, bark and stems. Essential oils are highly concentrated and is strongly recommended to use them according to usage guidelines.

Some brands are solely for aromatherapy enjoyment  while others target therapeutic and dietary purpose. If you don’t see usage guidelines on the bottle, the product is for aromatherapy only.

Ways to use essential oils

Aromatically: Enjoy adding a few drops in your diffuser or even by dropping oil in your palm or on a tissue and breathing in deeply. There are different types of diffusers (I talk about my favorite two here on my blog) and the benefits are numerous and amazing. You can change your mood, relieve tension and stress and create a therapeutic ambiance just by a few drops. This is a great alternative to incense burning.

Bathing: Essential oils are popular way to help turn your bath into a rewarding oasis. Its not a great idea to add essential oils directly to your bath water. Since oils and water naturally don’t mix the undiluted essential oils with cling to your skin and risk causing irritation to special parts. To safely enjoy essential oils during your bath soaks, here are the two best ways to use them.

1) Add desired essential oil to 1 cup of milk, mix well and add to your bath before stepping in. The milk provides a protective layer between the oils and your skin. (I like using milks since it helps to moisturize the skin and provides the most easiest clean up)

2) Add the essential oil or your essential oil blend to 1 TBSP of olive oil before adding to your bath.

When it comes to using essential oils for bathing purposes, make sure the brand is 100% pure and of therapeutic quality. Brands that do this very well is doTERRA and Young Living.

 

Topically

The most popular and safest method for therapeutic purposes is to apply the essential oils on the skin and bottom of feet. The bottom of your feet have the largest open pores. A foot massage is an awesome way to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.

The key areas for topical application (from head to feet):
Crown of head
Temples
Behind ears
Neck
Upper back
Wrists
Abdomen
Ankles
Soles and tops of feet

Since there are so many essential oils, here a few to start with if you’re new to this method.

• Neroli provides a restorative experience. Neroli is very calming and promotes a relaxing sleep.
• Rose helps to relieve tension and anxiety. The natural oil from roses adds moisture to dry and sensitive skin. Adding rose petals to your bath creates a beautiful look.
• Ylang Ylang doesn’t promote sleepiness but helps create a uplifting hydrotherapy.

Oil of ginger, black pepper, peppermint and cinnamon are ‘hot oils’ and shouldn’t be used for bathing.

 

Have you used essential oils? What is your preferred way to enjoy them?