Essential Oils Guide: Benefits, Uses and How to Selecting The Best Ones.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are the concentrated plant extract that carry natural scent and healing properties of herbs, flowers and roots. They have been used for many centuries as powerful tools for health wellness, cooking and beauty.

Essential oils are one of the easiest, most natural ways to make your home feel relaxing, refreshed and calm and can help set the mood of a space.

Here are some simple ways you can use essential oils in your home.

1. Diffusers

Diffusing essential oils is a very popular way to enjoy your favourite fragrances and enhance the mood of the room, without overwhelming the senses. Just 3-5 drops of your favourite essential oil (or a sometimes blend of multiple) into a water-based diffuser is a fantastic way to shift the atmosphere of a space.

2. Room & Linen Sprays

Room or linen sprays are a great way to refresh areas of your room such as bedding, curtains, couches and even just into the air. Simply put a few drops of your chosen oils into a glass bottle with distilled water.

3. Natural Cleaning Products

Essential oils are a game changer when it comes to creating natural, non-toxic cleaning products for your home. They are not only safer than harsher chemical products but smell amazing as well - especially when used for cleaning the floors! Lemon, tea tree and eucalyptus are naturally antimicrobial and make great choices for creating an all-purpose cleaning product. Just simply mix them in with white vinegar. This becomes a much cheaper alternative as well.

4. Scented Laundry with Wool Dryer Balls

A fantastic way to naturally scent your laundry is adding a few drops of essential oil to wool dryer balls. You’ll have lovely fresh and comforting clothes and bedding.

5. Wardrobe & Drawer Fresheners

Place wooden blocks or cotton balls with a few drops of your chosen essential oil on them in your wardrobes and clothing drawers to keep your clothing smelling fresh.

6. Bedtime Roll-On Blends

Get a roller bottle and add some calming essential oils with a carrier oil such as jojoba and coconut and apply to your wrists, behind your ears or bottoms of your feet. This can be implemented as a great bedtime routine ritual after a busy day and help ease everyone in the household into rest mode for the night.

How to choose essential oils

You can mix and match oils depending on the kind of atmosphere you want to create. Trust your instincts as you know best what different areas your home requires or people need at the time.

Here is a quick guide on some popular essential oils choices to guide you on what you can use them for:

1. Cedarwood: Grounds the room, helps anchor energy and promotes sleep.

2. Lavender: Promotes sleep, relieves stress, soothes irritated skin.Chamomile: Promotes sleep, reduces anxiety and soothes skin.

3. Frankincense: Grounding, soothing, acts as an anti-inflammatory and supports immune function.

4. Eucalyptus: Refreshingly improves digestion and clears sinuses.

5. Lemon: Antibacterial, Uplifting and detoxifying.

6. Tea Tree: Purifying, antibacterial and immune boosting.

7. Sage: Clears stagnant energy and has antimicrobial properties.

8. Ylang Ylang: Uplifting and skin balancing, is slightly sweet without being overpowering.

9. Bergamot: Stress relieving and mood enhancing.

10. Cinnamon: Helps with circulation and has antibacterial properties.

12. Clove: Antimicrobial and an analgesic.

13: Rosmary: Helps with muscle pain, enhances hair growth and helps sharpen your mind.

14: Peppermint: Relieves headaches, aids digestion and promotes sleep.

15: Lemongrass: Stress relief and acts as an insect repellent.

16: Ginger: Aids digestion, acts as an anti-inflammatory and reduces nausea.

17: Angelica Root: Aids digestion, promotes relaxation and supports circulation.

Safety Concerns

When applying an oil to the skin, always use a carrier oil in conjunction such as jojoba or coconut. Always Dilute the essential oil when applying it to your skin as well and perform a patch test before using a new oil topically. Always read the labels as particular essential oils need to be kept away from pets or children and cannot be ingested. Store in a dark place, away from heat and light and out of children’s reach.

Final thoughts…

The options are almost endless when it comes to benefit, use and choice of essential oils. They are a beautiful and natural way to connect with your home and meet your family’s needs. Whatever it is you are wanting to achieve through essential oils, there’s sure to be an option out there for you.