If you intend to start using essential oils, you may need an article or a guide to reference. This is why we have written out this short and concise essential oil guide. This will serve as a good guide for starters. To start with, you must understand what essential oils are. That is the proper starting point. You cannot properly use something that you don’t understand.
Essential Oils come from plant extracts, usually from the bark, flowers, leaves, fruit, and so on. They are organic compounds that have amazing healing properties. They help to promote and harmonize a positive mental and physical balance. There are many ways to use essential oils, and there are many purposes they serve too.
People call the use of essential oils for health purposes as essential oil therapy or aromatherapy. People use essential oils to make sprays, inhalers, and many more. Many of these oils contain certain compounds that help in natural healing, as well as in treating and managing certain health conditions. We do not intend to give medical advice. But our opinions are well-informed.
Essential Oils: What Are They?
If you had an herb garden while growing up, you may have loved playing there. Nut little would you have known that there were great oils locked up in those gardens.
You may remember pulling off the pretty leaves of peppermint, thyme, basil, dill, and so on. Why were you pulling them off? You just wanted to sniff the amazing aroma these leaves left behind when you crush them.
As we said earlier, you may not have known you were taking baby steps into the practice of aromatherapy. Take certain plants like peppermint, for instance. When you crush the leaf, it gives off a distinctive scent that bursts through.
There are special glands and cells in these plants that hold essential oils. So when you crush the leaves, what you inadvertently do is that you release the oil in them. This is the reason for this scent.
You may want to ask if every plant has essential oil. Well, the answer is “No”. However, thousands of plants have essential oils. More so, we can process hundreds of these oils commercially. You may have heard about many of these oils. But there may be some that you have never heard of.
Well, while we have cited leaves as an example, essential oils do not come from leaves all the time. Sometimes, it comes from the flowers, fresh rind, resin, thin roots, or wood of the plant.
So to give a very basic definition, essential oils are aromatic substances that you can find in some plants. And thankfully, these days, we can process these oils, bottle them, and purchase them pretty easily. So we should make the best of them and not take them for granted.
Mother Nature is producing enough materials for us. There are so many essential oils that we can extract. They are very precious supplies of nature and we should use them thoughtfully.
Essential oil Guide For Starters
We should start with popular oils that starters must know about. Let’s share ten of them with you and what they can do. They are as follows:
Peppermint oil – This oil boosts energy, as well as gives relief from tight muscles. Peppermint oil also freshens up bad breath and relieves headaches.
Rosemary oil – This oil helps improve memory, as well as relieves digestive uses. It also relieves muscle pains and aches.
Chamomile oil – This oil has active agents with cancer prevention properties. More so, it helps to calm stomach ulcers and lowers anxiety.
Clove oil – This can boost your immune system, control diabetes, and fight against different forms of oral diseases
Oregano oil – This is a natural remedy for colds. It helps to relieve sore muscles, as well as treat fungal infections.
Lavender oil – This is one essential oil you can use to alleviate headaches, heal wounds and burns, as well as reduce emotional stress and anxiety.
Eucalyptus oil – This oil stimulates immunity. It also provides protection from antioxidants, as well as improves blood circulation and respiration.
Lemon oil – This is an essential oil to nourish your skin. What’s more, it promotes digestive function and supports weight loss.
Frankincense oil – This oil can relieve the pain of arthritis. It can also alleviate nasal congestion and boosts immunity.
Tea Tree Oil – This has the ability to help treat wounds. When diffused into the air, it can help kill mold. Another great use of this oil is the healing of earaches. Both tea tree and frankincense oils have promising effects for preventing and treating cancer.
3 ways to make use of essential oils
Aromatic use
This refers to using essential oils through smell. This definition covers any form of essential oil application that uses the oil’s aroma. Aromatic uses of essential oils include:
- Using a diffuser to diffuse the oil into the air
- Apply a drop of oil on your hands for you to inhale
- Wear the oil as a fragrance
Topical use
This refers to using essential oils on the skin. The topical use of these oils would allow your skin to absorb the oil and deliver diverse benefits. Topical uses of essential oils include the following:
Internal use
This refers to ingesting essential oils. This way, the oil would be transported through your body. But then, not oils are safe for ingestion and internal use. A few methods for the internal use of essential oils include the following:
- Add the oil to a cup/glass of water
- You can also take the oil in a vegetable capsule
- Another method is to put one drop beneath your tongue
Make the Best of Carrier Oils
Carrier oils originate naturally from vegetable sources. They have a very neutral smell and are not as volatile as essential oils. This makes them excellent media for diluting and applying essential oils.
But before using any essential oil, please try them out first. For aromatic use, make sure that you are not sensitive to the smell. And for topical use, carry out a patch test. Apply the oil on the inner part of your elbow and wait for 24 hours. This is just to be sure that your skin would not react to it. And for internal use, consult with your doctor first.
This essential oil guide is very basic. It covers the basic things you should know as you begin to make use of essential oil. While you pay attention to the tips and information in this guide, you should make sure to find a reputable source that sells 100%-pure essential oils.