A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils

Amber RandhawaHomeowner and Homebuyer Tips, Interior Decorating

Essential oils and their use around the home has been growing in popularity in recent years. They can be found in everything from diffusers to roll-on toiletries to cleaning products. But what if you haven’t jumped into the trend yet? You might not know where to start when it comes to knowing which oils to use when and where. Some oils are meant to wake you up and energize you while others are meant to help you wind down and relax. Some oils are used in natural cleaning products while others are used commonly in alternative medicine. Here’s some quick information for anyone new to essential oils but curious about how to use them.


So What Are Essential Oils Anyway?

Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. They are usually distilled from the most aromatic part of any plant, such as the petals for rose oil or the rind for the oil of a citrus fruit. Depending on the type of oil, they may even be extracted from the seeds, roots and twigs of a plant. People have been using these oils for thousands of years, for medicinal and religious purposes, and with the rise in holistic medicine’s popularity, more people have become interested in the trend. There are literally thousands of known oils that have been used throughout history, and about 300 that are widely commercially available.

An important thing to keep in mind is that even though essential oils are all natural, they are incredibly potent – only a small amount is sufficient for most household uses, and they are not meant to be taken internally. In fact, some oils are not meant to come into contact with your skin either. Some oils are meant only for inhalation purposes, such as through a diffuser or diluted into cleaning and beauty products.


Carrier Oils

Essential oils must be blended with a carrier oil to be both safe and effective. Their healing scents can evaporate quickly, and a carrier oil will help them maintain potency even in small, concentrated amounts. Common carrier oils include olive oil, coconut oil and grapeseed oil, which can all be found at either your local grocery store or health food market. The importance of a carrier oil will depend on how you will be using the essential oils. If you are putting a few drops of lavender into a relaxing bath or using a diffuser, additional blending is not necessary. However, if you are using an oil topically, such as to relieve the itchiness of a bug bit, you will need to blend the oil with a carrier oil first to avoid further irritating your skin.

Lavender and Chamomile

Perhaps the most popular essential oil is lavender, which is used by many people who wouldn’t consider themselves essential oil experts. Lavender has a subtle floral scent that is almost universally considered pleasant. It is primarily used for relaxation and as a sleep aid, and is often either applied as a roll-on directly to the skin, or diffused in bedrooms. Lavender essential oil is also used by many people to alleviate headaches and reduce the itching and swelling from insect bites. For these uses, the properly diluted oil is rubbed directly on the skin of the temples for headaches, or onto any bug bite to calm the itch.

Chamomile is another essential oil that has sleep-inducing and relaxation properties, but it has a more herbal smell than lavender. Running a diffuser with chamomile in your bedroom may help you clear your mind of the day’s stress and fall asleep faster. Other uses for chamomile essential oil include soothing skin irritations and eczema, when applied in its diluted form directly to the affected places on the skin. However, if you are allergic to daisies, marigolds or ragweed, you should avoid chamomile as it may cause a similar allergic reaction.


Ylang Ylang and Vetiver

The spicy and sweet smell of ylang ylang essential oil can aid in relaxation much like lavender and chamomile, so it is a great choice for a bedroom diffuser. Ylang ylang is a very versatile oil with several other uses as well. A diffuser in any room can be filled with ylang ylang for a natural mood lifter, and can even be used as an insect repellant, either by applying it to the skin instead of bug spray, or by running your diffuser wherever you are gathering outdoors.

Vetiver is a plant that many people in the southern United States are unfamiliar with, but it is a wild grass that grows in large bunches, native to India. With a smoky and dark scent that is reminiscent of cedar, vetiver essential oil can be used to boost your mood and calm anxiety, making it an ideal oil for diffusers in any room of your house. Vetiver can also be applied topically to the skin once diluted, to diminish scarring and improve skin health.


Rose and Hyssop

When inhaled, the scent of rose has been shown to decrease anxiety. Rose essential oil also has antioxidant properties which can be used to treat acne and improve overall skin complexion. Hyssop is a small aromatic bush that is part of the mint family. It has been used for thousands of years in traditional herbal medicine as an antiseptic and cough suppressant. In oil form, hyssop can be used on the skin to minimize scarring and decrease inflammation.


Peppermint and Spearmint

Peppermint essential oil is a versatile medicinal extract that can be used to treat a wide variety of ailments. When peppermint is inhaled, it has been shown to relieve the symptoms of IBS, along with aiding headaches and indigestion. Also, you know the cooling feeling you feel when you pop a peppermint into your mouth? That same property is present in the essential oil, so when it is applied topically, it can relieve muscle pain and sunburns, and provide itch relief after an insect bite. Be careful though – it might seem like peppermint would be the ideal essential oil to use as a breath freshener, but you’ll need to stick to actual mints for that. Even diluted with a carrier oil, peppermint can cause heartburn, headaches and an inflamed esophagus if taken internally.

Spearmint has similar properties to peppermint, and for essential oil purposes they can be used interchangeably. Spearmint has a sweeter smell than peppermint, but it’s cooling effect is the same, so it can also be used on achy muscles and itchy insect bites and stings.


Lemon and Eucalyptus

The clean and refreshing scent of lemon has been added to household cleaning products for years, both to disguise more unpleasant chemical smells and because it is commonly considered cheerful and uplifting. That same idea is behind the popularity of lemon essential oil. You can add it to any of your cleaning products to boost the scent, or if you are interested in green cleaning alternatives, there are recipes online that you can find for making your own cleaning products, many of which incorporate lemon essential oil.

Eucalyptus is also used in homemade cleaning products, but it has many medicinal uses as well. Use it in a diffuser whenever you are experiencing a cold or sinus infection and it will help with congestion and sinus pressure. Mixed with a carrier oil it can also be rubbed on the chest of a cold sufferer, or on achy muscles. Because eucalyptus is known to be invigorating and energizing, you might want to do this during the day only, and not at night when you’re wanting to get to sleep easily.


Blending Essential Oils

We’ve just looked at the benefits of a few particular oils, but many people like to blend several oils together to make mixtures to suit specific needs. The following blends work great mixed together in equal parts to create blends that work even better than the oils would on their own.

Allergy Relief Blend – If you’re suffering from a combination of sinus congestion and an inability to sleep, a blend of peppermint, lavender and lemon could be the perfect oil blend to help you get a little more rest. The peppermint and lemon go to work on your sinus congestion and headaches while the lavender can help lull you to sleep. Use in a diffuser, or in a carrier oil applied to the bottoms of your feet.

Good Morning Blend – Along with your morning coffee, you can use an essential oil blend of wild orange and peppermint in your diffuser each day to help awaken your senses and energize you.

Headache Relief Blend – Tough headaches that don’t respond to over the counter medications can really interrupt your day. Try a mixture of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, peppermint and lavender in your diffuser to help your head heal. Diluted in a carrier oil, this mixture can also be rubbed onto your temples.

Silent Night Blend – To help your kids unwind and prepare for bed, run a diffuser in their bedroom or bathroom with a mixture of lavender, wild orange and roman chamomile. This blend is great at setting the tone for bedtime and relaxation.