Looking to find out what everyone is talking about? If your lifestyle is about health and wellness, then it seems that everywhere you go, the spa, gym, or health store, almost everyone is talking about the benefits of essential oils. But if all you know is that people are raving about them and nothing more, you’re probably not sure where to start.
Essential oils have been used in various cultures for more than a thousand of years for medicinal and health purposes. Essential oil uses range from aromatherapy, organic household cleaning products, all-natural beauty care and natural medicine treatments.
Essential oils, which are natural and highly concentrated oils that have been extracted directly from a plant-based materials. The molecules in essential oils come from distilling or extracting the different parts of plants, including the flowers, leaves, bark, seeds, roots, resin and peels of fruit.
The benefits of essential oils come from their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. In recent time healing oils are rapidly becoming popular because they act as natural medicine without any of the side effects to your seeing in modern medicines.
Now you know some of the benefits derived from using essential oils, they offer scientifically proven benefits to your health and well-being, you probably really want to take advantage of them.
Here are some of the four favorite ways people use these amazing essential oils.
Essential Oil Uses for Cleaning and Home:
As an all-purpose cleaner: Add three drops each of lemon oil and tea tree oil to a few ounces of warm water, then spray countertops to disinfect naturally.
Washing machine: Add 10-20 drops of your favorite scent per load.
Eliminate mold: Add tea tree oil to your diffuser to kill mold and other pathogens in the air.
Mint tea: Use 1-2 drops of peppermint essential oil in your favorite tea for a hint of mint.
First Aid Kit: Makeover your medicine cabinet and create a family physician kit with essential oils of lavender, lemon, peppermint, tea tree, oregano, and frankincense.
Essential Oil Uses For Spa and Relaxation
Body butter lotion: Mix coconut oil, shea butter, magnesium oil and essential oils for moisturizing body lotion.
Massage therapy: Use a few drops of cedarwood or lavender oil, mixed with an unscented lotion during a relaxation massage.
Improve depression: To boost mood and relieve depression, add rose oil to baths, inhalations, and diffusers to improve mood.
Foot bath: Add a few drops of lemon or eucalyptus oil to a large bowl of warm water to help soothe the feet.
Yoga and Pilates: To relax during yoga or meditation, inhale lavender or sandalwood before class. Also, mix clove and citrus essential oil to clean yoga mats.
Essential Oil Uses for Skin and Beauty
Acne face wash: To get rid of acne, make a homemade face wash by mixing tea tree oil (melaleuca) with raw honey and rub on your face. Then rinse off with water.
Homemade shampoo: To make homemade shampoo, mix lavender oil, rosemary oil, aloe vera gel and coconut milk. Use as you would regular shampoo. It lasts 2-4 weeks.
Teeth whitener: Combine lemon essential oil, coconut oil, and fresh strawberries, then rub on your teeth. Rinse after two minutes.
Facial scrub: Mix one-fourth cup yogurt, one-fourth cup cornmeal, and five drops of patchouli, grapefruit and lavender oil. Apply to face and wash off.
Reduce age spots: Put on frankincense essential oil three times daily directly on the skin to improve sun spots and age spots.
Essential Oil Remedies and Natural Medicine:
Reduce a cough or sinusitis: Eucalyptus oil is known for its powerful ability to fight coughs and open airways. Add a few drops into steaming hot water or diffuser. Inhale to help clear nasal passage.
Improve concentration: Inhale bergamot, grapefruit or peppermint oil to increase focus during the day.
Relieve PMS: Mix two drops of sage, basil, and rosemary, then apply to a warm, moist hand towel and apply to abdomen.
Arthritis relief: Mix two drops of wintergreen, cypress, and lemongrass into an unscented lotion. Massage into affected areas.
Treat poison oak or poison ivy: Mix three drops of peppermint oil with unscented oil and apply to affected area.
Tips for First-Time Buyers of Essential Oils
Keep in mind that perfume oils (*Note: Perfume Oils, Body Oils, Fragrance Oils and Cologne Oils all refer to the same product.) are not the same as essential oils and do not offer any therapeutic benefits.
Essential Oil Quality: This is one of the most important things you need know about essential oils: Not all essential oils are created equal. In fact, most of them are worthless to your health and often synthetic. You will typically find these from mass-produced brands you see at your local retail/online companies, not including your premium health stores. Therefore, when buying essential oils, make sure they are “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” oils.
Purchasing your essential oils from a reputable supplier, this will help ensure that you’ll be getting the highest quality product, and therefore, the highest level of beneficial oils.
Avoid buying essential oils from companies that prices all the different types of oils at the same price. It could be a sign that the oils are synthetically made and/or of lesser quality. The prices of “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” essential oils should vary greatly in price according to how much of the raw material is needed to produce the oil. Look for “pure essential oil” or “100% essential oil” on the label.
Avoid buying essential oils from companies that prices all the different types of oils at the same price. It could be a sign that the oils are synthetically made and/or of lesser quality. The prices of “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” essential oils should vary significantly in price according to how much of the raw material is needed to produce the oil.
Essential oils should be sold in dark amber or cobalt/blue glass bottles with a hard cap, avoid any with a rubber dropper top. Also, stay away from clear glass bottles as they can allow light to cause the oil to spoil. It is recommended you store your oils in a cool, dark place.
Don’t buy any essential oils in plastic bottles; essential oils can dissolve plastic and in turn contaminate the essential oil.
What are the Best Essential Oils for Beginners?
There are roughly 100’s if not 1000’s different types of essential oils out in the market, many of them have a custom blend to them so the company can market them as such. But, every essential oil contains base compounds that have a unique healing and therapeutic benefits to them, this makes it a little difficult to know where to start when first building your collection.
Selecting several from this list, and adding a few more as you go, is an excellent way to begin and have fun exploring the benefits of essential oils.
12Clove (Binomial name: Syzygium aromaticum):
Clove essential oil (Eugenia caryophyllata) is a spicy, warming oil, steam distilled from the buds and stems of the plant. It smells spicy and rich like actual cloves, but much stronger in its oil form. Its strength makes it one to use with care and can dilute with your favorite carrier oil like coconut oil.
Clove Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Eliminates acne
- Kills parasites
- Improves blood circulation
- Reduces gum disease
- Boosts energy
- Natural anti-inflammatory
- Kills mold and fungus
Proven to be an anti-inflammatory, clove oil is commonly used as an antiseptic for oral infections and as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial to keep a wide range of disease-causing bacteria at bay. Also, great if you develop a toothache in the middle of the night or any another time you can’t get to the dentist right away, clove oil can be a real lifesaver.
11Chamomile (Binomial name: Chamaemelum Nobile):
There are two common types of chamomile used medicinally today: German chamomile (Chamomilla Recutita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile). It is considered to be one of the oldest and versatile medicinal herbs known to mankind. Chamomile is commonly used for improving many different types of health conditions, including:
Chamomile Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Fighting anxiety and depression
- Natural allergy fighter or hay fever
- Anti-inflammatory
- Muscle spasms treatment
- PMS natural remedy and other menstrual disorders
- Insomnia Cure
- Skin disorders
- Ulcers
- Wounds
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Natural arthritis cure and rheumatic pain reliever
- Hemorrhoids home remedy
As you can see Chamomile is indeed a very versatile natural herb, one of the most common ways it is sold worldwide is Chamomile tea or herbal extracts. Other popular all-natural chamomile remedies are: diffusing it in the house to help with falling asleep, applying its oil form to the skin to heal bug bites, itching skin and it acts as a natural eczema remedy. Adding it to toothpaste or mouthwash to kill toothaches and inflammation in the mouth. Also, ingesting chamomile as a liver cleanse and heal digestive issues. With so many different benefits chamomile oil is a must-have for anyone’s medicine cabinet.
10Lavender (Binomial name: Lavandula angustifolia)
Lavender is the most used essential oil in the world. Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. There are different types of lavender essential oils; English varieties (Lavandula Angustifolia), French (Lavandula dentate) and Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia), which grows in the lower elevation areas of France and Spain. Bulgarian (Lavandula Angustifolia) is considered to be the best pick as it’s lower in cost than the others but offers the same benefits. Bulgaria is also the world’s biggest producer of lavender oil.
Lavender Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Diabetes Treatment
- Reduces anxiety and emotional stress
- Heals burns and wounds
- Improves sleep
- Restores skin complexion and reduces acne
- Slows aging with powerful antioxidants
- Improves eczema and psoriasis
- Alleviates headaches
Lavender known for its antimicrobial properties, lavender oil speeds the healing of burns, cuts, scrapes, and wounds. Improves mood and supports brain, it is used to treat neurological issues like migraines, stress, anxiety, and depression. Mix lavender with aloe or coconut oil has profound benefits on your skin, due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant characteristics.
Headaches; millions of people around the world who struggle with both tension headaches and migraine heartaches, a study published in the European Journal of Neurology, showed a significant reduction in pain when they inhaled lavender oil for 15 minutes.
Using the lavender oil can improve your overall quality of sleep by 60% a study has shown. This included the length of rest, the time it took to fall asleep, restfulness and reduced symptoms of insomnia.Put a few drops on your pillow just before going to bed, and odds are, you’ll get a much better night’s rest.
9Ginger (Binomial name: Zingiber officinale)
Ginger is a flowering plant in the family Zingiberaceae; its root is commonly used as a spice but has been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. Due to its digestive properties, ginger is an integral part of Asian cuisines. Most commonly, it’s added to meals because of its ability to aid digestion. The benefits of ginger essential oil are nearly identical to that of fresh ginger.
Ginger Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Supports Digestion
- Heals Infections
- Aids Respiratory Problems
- Reduces Inflammation
- Strengthens Heart Health
- Relieves Anxiety
- Alleviates Muscle and Menstrual Pain
- Improves Liver Function
Today, ginger essential oils are used to treat nausea, upset stomach, menstrual disorders, inflammation and respiratory conditions. When used as aromatherapy, it’s also known to bring on feelings of courageousness and self-assurance, which is why it’s widely known as “the oil of empowerment.”
8Peppermint (Botanical Name: Mentha X Piperita)
Desirably suited for an abundance of oral and topical uses and antimicrobial properties, peppermint may be the most versatile essential oil worldwide along with lavender. There are few body, health, and mind issues that it cannot help. Peppermint essential oil gives a cooling sensation and has a calming effect on the body & mind, and can relieve sore muscles when used topically. It also has antimicrobial properties so it can help freshen bad breath and soothe digestive issues.
Peppermint Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Reduces stomach aches
- Soothe digestive issues
- Freshens bad breath
- Relieves headaches
- Antimicrobial properties
- Improves mental focus
- Clears respiratory tract
- Boosts energy
- Releases tight muscles
Cost-effective natural solution to replace pharmaceutical drugs
Peppermint essential oil is an effective natural painkiller and muscle relaxant. By inhaling diffused peppermint oil, it can often immediately unclog your sinuses and give relief to your scratchy throat. Natural Bug Repellant; ticks are not the only bugs that hate peppermint oil. In fact, ants, spiders, cockroaches, mosquitos, mice, and even lice will be repelled by Peppermint. Peppermint oil can be found in many of the high-end hair care products because it can naturally thicken and nourishment to damaged hair.
I cannot honestly think of one reason why anyone on the planet would choose not to have peppermint oil in his or her medicine cabinet at home!
7Eucalyptus (Botanical Name: Eucalyptus globulus)
Eucalyptus oil contains some important properties, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic and serving as a decongestant.
Eucalyptus Oil improves respiratory issues such as sinusitis, bronchitis, and allergies. Eucalyptus works as an expectorant and helps cleanse your body of toxins and harmful microorganisms that can make you feel sick. Adding few drops eucalyptus oil to some coconut or olive oil gives your hair will provide you with an excellent moisturizing pick-me-up.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Hair Nourishment
- Colds & Flu
- Hand Cleaner
- Sinus and Allergies
- Natural Home Care
- Odor Remover
- Air Cleanser
- Spot Remover
- Respiratory Problems
- Wound Treatment
Try putting a few drops into your vacuum or clothes dryer filters to freshen them up and also sanitize them a little. Like lemon essential oil, eucalyptus oil is highly effective at removing spots on your carpet, clothes and any fabric you may have in the home.
As you can see, eucalyptus oil uses and benefits are hard to believe. This is an essential oil to keep ready in your natural first aid kit or home medicine cabinet.
6Frankincense (Botanical Name: Boswellia Carterii or Boswellia Sacara)
Frankincense, also known as olibanum, is a common type of essential oil that is used in aromatherapy that can offer a wide variety of health benefits, including helping relieve chronic stress and anxiety, reducing pain and inflammation, boosting your immunity and even potentially helps fighting cancer.
Frankincense oil can be used by either inhaling the oil or absorbing it through your skin. Usually, it is mixed with a carrier oil, such as an unscented lotion or jojoba oil.
Frankincense Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Anti-Aging and Wrinkle Fighter
- Natural Cold or Flu Medicine
- Helps Reduce Stress Reactions and Negative Emotions
- Boost Immune System
- May Help Fight Cancer or Deal with Chemotherapy Side Effects
- Kills Harmful Germs and Bacteria
- Heals Skin and Prevents Signs of Aging
- Balances Hormone Levels
Frankincense oil is excellent for a stress-relieving bath-soak, a natural household cleaner, a natural hygiene product, and it helps relieve the symptoms of indigestion, used for stretch marks and as a natural acne remedy, and relieve inflammation and pain.
Frankincense is a versatile oil that can be combined with several other essential oils and carrier oils, and since frankincense has no known adverse side effects, it’s safe to use and effective.
5Lemon: (Botanical Name: Eucalyptus citriodora)
Lemon is best known for its ability to cleanse away toxins from any part of the body and is widely used to stimulate Lymphatic massage, to rejuvenate energy, purify skin treatments and also acts as a natural bug repellant.
Lemon oil is one of the most “essential” oils to have on hand, and it can be used as a teeth whitener, laundry freshener, cellulite cream, face wash and a natural household cleaner.
Lemon Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Cleansing and purification
- Oral health and remedy for halitosis (bad breath)
- Digestion
- Thirst quencher
- Treatment for abdominal colic pain
- Cough relief
- Calms stomach and relieves nausea
- Prevents malabsorption
- Improves digestion
- Nourishes the skin
- Promotes Weight loss
Lemon and lemon essential oil are also used to decrease cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels and prevent heart disease!
4Tea tree: (Binomial name: Melaleuca Alternifolia)
Tea tree oil uses are extensive: making natural homemade cleaning products, diffusing it in the air to kill mold, applying it topically to heal skin problems and using it to treat viral infections.
It’s it increasingly becoming a favorite active ingredient in a variety of household and cosmetic products, like face wash, shampoos, massage oils, skin and nail creams, also laundry detergents.
Tea tree Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Acne
- Bacterial infections
- Chickenpox
- Cold sores
- Congestion and respiratory tract infections
- Earaches
- Fungal infections (especially Candida, jock itch, athlete’s foot and toenail fungus)
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Head lice
- MRSA
- Psoriasis
- Dry cuticles
- Itchy insect bites, sores, and sunburns
- Boils from staph infections
And this list doesn’t even include the many natural household uses that tea tree oil can replace branded store-bought products.
- Anti-microbial laundry freshener
- Insect repellant
- Natural deodorant
- Acne face wash
- Removes foot order
- Removes mold
- Household cleaner
Today, one of the most common uses for tea tree oil is in skin care products, and It’s thought to be one of the most effective home remedies for acne.
In many cases, doctors of alternative medicine will prescribe essential oils like tea tree oil and oregano oil in replacement of conventional medications because they’re just as effective and without the adverse side effects.
Tea tree’s natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions make it an essential oil that should truly be part of everyone’s natural medicine cabinet.
3Grapefruit: (Binomial name: Citrus paradisi)
It has been known for decades that grapefruit can be beneficial for weight loss. Having been used for centuries to help reduce inflammation, weight gain, sugar cravings and even hangovers, it’s considered a natural stress-fighter, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant food and anticarcinogenic. Grapefruit essential oil actually comes from the peel of the fruit, which holds a range of beneficial volatile compounds.
Grapefruit Essential Oil Benefits Include:
Disinfecting surfaces
Cleansing the body
Reducing depression
Stimulating the immune system
Decreasing fluid retention
Curbing sugar cravings
Helping with weight loss
Many of the grapefruit essential oil’s benefits come from one of its main constituents called limonene (which makes up about 88% to 95% of the oil). Limonene is known to be a tumor-fighting, cancer-preventative phytochemical that protects the DNA and cells from being damaged.
2Rosemary: (Binomial name: Rosmarinus Officinalis)
Rosemary has a powerful, fresh, woody-herbaceous scent and is part of the mint family. In recent research, it’s been shown to boost nerve growth factor, supports the healing of neurological tissue, and brain function.
Rosemary Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Stimulated hair growth
- Improves Memory
- Liver Detoxification
- Improve Gallbladder Function
- Heal Prostate
- Lowers Cortisol
- Heal Neuropathy and Neuralgia
Today, it has become a popular ingredient in many of today’s skin and hair care products due to its antiseptic properties and researchers are starting to dive deeper into its medicinal characteristics.
1Sandalwood: (Binomial name: Santalum album)
Sandalwood oil is generally known for its woodsy, sweet smell and is ofttimes used as a base for products such as incense, perfumes, cosmetics, and aftershave. It can easily be blended with other oils, making it desirable as a mixer with other fragrances.
The highest quality of sandalwood is that of the Indian variety, known as Santalum album. Hawaii and Australia also produce sandalwood, but its Sandalwood is not considered to be of the same quality and purity as that of the Indian variety. There is such an increasing demand for Indian sandalwood that the price has been continuing to increase, making it one of the most expensive essential oil available on today’s market.
Sandalwood Essential Oil Benefits Include:
- Mental clarity
- Relaxing and calming
- A Memory booster
- Natural aphrodisiac
- Astringent
- Anti-viral and antiseptic
- Anti-inflammatory
- Expectorant
- Helps with endometriosis
- Anti-aging
- Cleaning & Home Use
Sandalwood essential oil can help you with achieving more clarity and calmness due to its extensive therapeutic benefits. This extraordinary essential oil doesn’t just have an amazing scent, sandalwood can also have an effect on your overall well-being, mental health, and along with many other surprising healing properties.
Product Related Questions
Again, This is one of the most important things you must know remember about essential oils: Not all essential oils are created equal. In fact, most of them are worthless to your health and often made synthetically. Therefore, when buying essential oils, you want to look for 100% Pure, that is free from any additives, adulterants or dilutions. They are of the absolute highest quality and are ideal for use in aromatherapy. Also, make sure they are “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” or even “USDA Organic”.
Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade:
Since there is no organization to oversee the quality of essential oils, “Therapeutic Grade” is simply a marketing term. Any company can say their oils are therapeutic grade. Some companies even use other therapeutic grade terms, or other grading or certifying terms, for internal quality standards. However, these terms are often trademarked by the company. “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” are the absolute highest quality oils on the market and are ideal for use in aromatherapy.
USDA Certified Organic Seal:
Today, you may see some essential oil with the USDA certified organic seal on them, they adhering to the strictest of standards to bring you quality organic ingredients. Some of these standards include; No GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), Clean soil, No harmful pesticides, and all organic, all the way through the processing.
