I’ve been using essential oils everyday for the past year now and I believe that they have positively improved my day-to-day life. My mom is an avid essential oils user and so I have come to know quite a bit about them. In talking to my friends I realized that the many uses of essential oils may not be well-known, and some essential oil users may not be getting the best out of their oils. So I decided to write a simple ‘how to’ guide for essential oils. Here are my my top five must-have oils and different uses for them.
Note: I buy all of my oils from doTERRA.
Peppermint
Peppermint is perfect for stomach aches, neck and muscle pain, headaches, and can even be diffused and used to help prevent nosebleeds. It can also be added to a glass of water to aid digestion.
Topically: Peppermint can be used topically on sore muscles. You can put some on your temples for headaches, rub some on your neck, or even put some on your feet when you have a cold.
Internally: Peppermint is one of the essential oils that can be consumed. If you have a stomach ache you can put a drop on your tongue, you can put a drop in your water and drink it, or you can even add it to your tea.
Aromatically: Peppermint can be diffused into your room with a diffuser. This is good for nosebleeds and to keep the air moist. You can also do this just for the smell, as peppermint can be very calming. Diffusing it into your room can even clear up chest congestion and colds.
Lavender
Lavender is another one of my favorite essential oils. It is very calming and it can help you have a better sleep.
Topically: Lavender can be put on the inside of your wrist, on your neck as a natural perfume, or on your feet to relax. It can also be used to soothe skin irritations.
Internally: Lavender can be ingested to reduce anxiety and promote better sleep, as it helps reduce tension. You can also add it to your baking for a floral taste.
Aromatically: Lavender can be diffused to fill a room with a beautiful floral scent. It can also be mixed with water in a spray bottle and used as a room freshener, car freshener, or to freshen any other gross odors.
Other uses: A few drops of lavender can be added to your bath or dropped onto your pillow case/bedding for a nice scent as you sleep. It can also be used to soothe the pain of bee stings and other insect bites.
Tea Tree
I’ve been using tea tree oil as a spot treatment for almost a year now and I love it. Not only does it smell nice, it soothes my skin and helps with the redness of my blemishes. However, avoid putting tea tree oil on open wounds.
Topically: Tea tree oil can be used topically to help with blemishes and skin irritations.
Internally: You can add 1-2 drops of tea tree oil into your water to promote a healthy immune system.
Aromatically: Tea tree oil is great to diffuse into a room to help with colds and congestion.
Other uses: Add tea tree oil to a spray bottle with water and use on surfaces to protect against environmental threats. Tea tree oil can help prolong the life of flower bouquets when added to a vase of water. Tea tree oil can also be used to get rid of lice.
Lemon
Lemon is one of my favorite essential oils as it has so many uses. I love being able to cook with this essential oil if I am out of lemons. It is one of the top-selling doTERRA oils.
Topically: You can use lemon on pressure points of your body or you can mix with coconut oil and use it as a moisturizer.
Internally: You can add a bit of lemon essential oil to your veggies or drink it in some water. I love putting a few drops in my Perrier. It’s the perfect substitute for when you don’t have actual lemons or limes.
Aromatically: Lemon gives a nice clean citrus smell to the environment when diffused. Perfect to diffuse if you suffer from nosebleeds and you need to moisten the air. Lemon has been proven to help boost one’s mood and make one feel energized.
Other uses: You can use a cloth soaked in lemon oil to preserve and protect your leather furniture. You can also use lemon in a spray bottle with water to clean tabletops as an all natural non-toxic cleaner.
Wild Orange
Much like lemon, I love wild orange oil for its citrus scent and the comfort it gives. Wild orange is known to help with anxiety as it’s uplifting.
Topically: Mix wild orange oil with coconut oil and use as a moisturizer, or put a few drops onto pressure points such as the wrist to lift your mood. Wild orange can also be used on the neck as an all-natural perfume.
Internally: You can add a few drops to water for a healthy immune system, detox and for a burst of flavor.
Aromatically: Diffuse wild orange to relieve stress and anxiety and feel uplifted.
Other uses: For an energizing boost, dispense one to two drops in the palm of your hand, rub hands together and inhale deeply from your palms, then rub on the back of neck. You can also uses it as an all-purpose cleaner in a spray bottle.
Popular Essential Oils to Cook With
Source: Averie Severs
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Lemon
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Oregano
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Basil
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Cinnamon
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Thyme
Why cook with essential oils? It adds flavor, some have health benefits and they’re safe and natural. Citrus oils are great for drinks, baked goods and even salsa, where as spice and herb essential oils are great for vegetables, potatoes, pastas etc. Beware, some essential oils are not safe to ingest. If you are not sure, look it up on the doTERRA website.
The Best for Digestion/Tummy Pains
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Peppermint
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Ginger
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DigestZen
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Oregano
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Cumin
Simply ingest directly, drop into water, or add to your veggie caps. These oils aid in digestive health. Peppermint can also be rubbed directly on your belly for relief from bloating.
The Best Oils for Muscle Pain
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Past Tense
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Peppermint
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Wintergreen
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Chamomile
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Eucalyptus
All of these oils can be rubbed on sore muscles. Peppermint and wintergreen are perfect for headaches and eucalyptus is great when added to coconut oil as a soothing back rub.
The Best Oils for Immunity/Health
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Oregano
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Tea Tree
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On Guard
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Frankincense
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Lemon
Add lemon and tea tree into water for a detox and overall health boost. All oils also aid in immunity when diffused, and On Guard can be used topically on pressure points such as the bottom of your feet when you’re sick.
Essential oils have many benefits between digestive health, respiratory health, hormonal support, mental health, and even sleep improvement. They can be used to cook with, to clean with, and to heal. Essential oils are definitely something to invest in as they have so many uses and are a truly positive enhancement to daily life. Hopefully this encouraged you to look into adding essential oils into your life, and if you already have oils, hopefully this informed you of some different uses for them.