Essential Information You Need To Know About Essential Oils
Essential oils are considered essential because you can use them for various reasons
Self Care | September 13, 2021
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Most people love essential oils. After all, they are multi-purposeful. With the ability to be used four different ways, how can you not love them? They can be used for your hair and skin, aromatherapy, cleaning, and used as a home remedy.
Using these oils is great, but do you know the methods used to create them, which oils are best for solving a certain issue, and how to buy the right type? If not, expect to use the following information to guide you in understanding more about essential oils.
How Essential Oils Are Made
Authentic essential oils are compounds that are extracted from plants by mainly one of these two methods:
- Distillation: which is the action of purifying a liquid with the use of heat or steam or both
- Mechanical Expression: used to extract from rinds of fruits in a large drum mechanical device
If you want full details about the extraction of essential oils, read A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils Part 1: Essential Oil Extraction. These oils can be processed chemically, but these are not authentic, so keep in mind that all essential oils are not the same. You want your oils to have the true essence of that plant.
Ways to Use Essential Oils
Skin or Hair
You can use the wide variety of essential oils to create your creams, face mist, and hair treatments or use them to add to other products you use on your skin and hair.
As you can see, these oils should not be used on your skin and hair by themselves. You need to dilute the oil before using it and you can do this by mixing essential oils with a carrier oil (such as avocado, coconut, olive, jojoba, and grapeseed oils).
One method is adding about three to five drops of essential oil per one tablespoon of the carrier oil. If there is a full-product you want to add oil to, then 10-15 drops. When adding oil to a full product, you should add 10-15 drops which should be enough but factor in how large your product is.
When deep conditioning, I prefer to add a tablespoon of oil and about five drops of essential oil to my favorite deep conditioner Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque.
For your skin:
Using essential oils can be great for shrinking blemishes, curing sunburn, rosacea, and various skin issues. In my current skincare routine, I like to incorporate tea tree oil. I would put some of my toner in a spray bottle and add about ten drops of tea tree oil. With this mixture, I would spray it over my face and pat in the products.
If you want to apply the oils to other parts of your body, adding a few drops to your bath will be great. If there is a specific area you want to target, then I recommend you soak a cloth in water and add essential oils to it. You can also use a cotton ball or pads.
Tip: To keep the pesky mosquitoes away, you can create a bug spray repellent. All you need is water, citronella oil, and for extended use vanillin oil (optional). In your spray bottle, add the water and 10 to 15 drops of citronella oil and vanillin oil per ounce of water. Shake the combination before applying
You should be protected for 2 hours if you only used citronella. If you used vanillin with citronella, you could gain an extra hour of protection.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is considered the most preferred way to use essential oils. It is often done with an essential oil diffuser for aromatherapy, but there are cheaper and simple alternatives if you don’t have one.
The easiest of them all is just sniffing the bottle or creating a DIY diffuser blend. You can also drop a few drops of an oil on your hand, and bring your hand to your nose and breathe in deeply.
If you have a car, consider adding a couple of drops of oil to a cotton ball and place it in the vents.
Your smell receptors absorb essential oils quickly. When you inhale the aromas from essential oils, they can stimulate areas of your limbic system: That is part of your brain that plays a role in your sense of smell, behaviors, emotions, and long-term memory.
Remember that some oils induce uplift effects, while others are more calming.
Cleaning
Using essential oils on your furniture and clothes is a great way to extend the aromatherapy all-around your house. You can add a few drops of your favorite oil to your cleaner and use it to clean any surfaces.
Another great way to add essential oils when cleaning is by creating a spray. All you need to do is mix some oils and water into a spray bottle. You can spray the mixture to various areas in the house, such as furniture, linens, or carpets.
You can also use them when doing laundry. Just add a few drops of oil to the laundry or the dryer sheets.
Ingesting
Another use of essential oils is by ingesting them. When you digest them, they enter your bloodstream through the gastrointestinal tract.
To ingest essential oils, you can add a few drops to your water, tea, milk, smoothie, or any other drink of your choosing. You can also add them to your food. You can use them in your snacks like yogurt or use them to replace dried herbs and spices.
It is important to know that essential oils are much more potent than dried herbs and spices, so a little goes a long way. Another way to consume these oils is by taking a veggie capsule or put a drop under your tongue if you don’t mind the taste.
Benefits of Essential Oils
Treats Stress and Anxiety
If you are trying to reduce your stress levels and find ways to relax your mind, body, and soul, then incorporating essential oils would be perfect for you.
Aromatherapy pairs well with traditional therapy, a massage, or when you want to cleanse and purify the air. Certain smells can help the body and the mind relax a little more.
Relieves Pain From Headaches and Migraines
If you are looking for another supplement or alternative to taking pain reliever pills when you have a headache, you can use essential oils. There are two methods you can try:
- Use peppermint and lavender oil on your skin.
- Try the traditional Persian headache remedy. All you have to do is mix chamomile and sesame oil, then apply the mixture to your temples.
Improve Sleep Quality
There have been studies that smelling lavender oil can improve your quality of sleep. So, before going to bed, try adding some drops of lavender oil to your diffuser and test it out for yourself. We all need quality sleep, and many of us can relate to the struggle of trying to get seven to eight hours of restful sleep.
Improve the Health of Your Body
Certain essential oils have anti-inflammatory effects. That is why some people ingest specific oils to promote healthy digestion and reduce bloating.
Provides Antibiotic and Antimicrobial
Using essential oils is a good remedy for those pesky pimples or certain skin infections. Peppermint oil and tea tree oil are known for being used as an at-home remedy for these issues.
Which Essential Oil Is Best For A Certain Issue?
If there is a specific issue you want to treat, then you will need the right essential oil for that problem. There are over 90 different types of essential oils, so it is best to know which ones you should use for your issue.
Boost Your Energy
Peppermint, orange grapefruit, eucalyptus, cinnamon, peppermint, ginger, rosemary, spearmint, black pepper, jasmine
Help You Fall Asleep and Wake Up Refreshed
Lavender, frankincense, vetiver, patchouli, ylang-ylang, chamomile, neroli, cedar, bergamot, clary sage, rose, sandalwood, marjoram
For Relieving Stress and Anxiety
Lavender, sandalwood, bergamot, rose, chamomile, lemon, clary sage, frankincense, marjoram, ylang-ylang, geranium, orange, vetiver, lemongrass, neroli, yuzu
Soothe Inflammation and Skin Problems
- Acne and skin irritations: tea tree oil, lavender, oregano, bergamot, rosemary, helichrysum
- Muscle inflammation: peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen, chamomile, nutmeg, ginger, cayenne, rosemary, black pepper
- Sore throat: eucalyptus, peppermint, ginger, lemon, tea tree, sage, rosemary
Buying the Right Essential Oils
When buying essential oils, you need to be aware of the purity and quality of the oil. In doing so, you want to look at the ingredients of the oil.
The oil should only contain aromatic plant compounds, no additives or synthetic oils. The ingredients should say, for example, “Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil.” You should see the plant’s botanical name (Melaleuca Alternifolia). You also want an essential oil that has been extracted through distillation or mechanical cold pressing. So, make sure you purchase from a brand that is known for producing high-quality products. The brand I enjoy using is Difeel.
Safety Guidelines
For your safety, these oils can irritate the skin when applied directly without adding any carrier oil or product. Be careful with what you put on or in your body. Also, take safety precautions by testing the blend on a small area first.
Here are some safety tips for your essential oils.
- Avoid using on sensitive areas (ears, eyes, or broken skin)
- Dilute before applying
- Consider talking to a healthcare professional first for specific health concerns
Considering that there are over 90 different essential oils, which oils are you thinking about trying? Let me know in the comments below to continue the conversation.
