How To Use Essential Oils: Basics

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Here we are going to dive into the application or how to use essential oils, the where and why. This is mainly focused on topical application but we will touch on other applications.

Caution before starting with essential oils

You are the only one that knows what is going on with your body, so trust your judgement. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. I love the guidelines outlined by Sustainable Baby Steps:

Personal Judgement first

Safe doesn’t mean foolproof: be aware and caution when introducing something new, follow the precautions and listen to your body

Follow precautions wisely

Sustainable Baby Steps

You can find the details to each here.

Sooooo, you are into essential oils or maybe you are just interested… let’s talk application

Application

Well… there are several ways to incorporate them into your day, three specifically: topical, aromatic, and/or internal.

Internal:

A HUGE note here!! Not all essential oils are made for internal use! Assume they are not safe for internal use UNLESS you have looked into the particular oil you want to use. If you have The Essential Life, then you can just flip to oils section and find out quickly whether the oil has a green light for internal use. The book will also list the cautions for that particular oil. Or check online, doterra.com

You can add a few drops of essential oils to a cup of water, juice, or tea. A shot is very popular, meaning that you put the oils in a shot glass of water and just kick it back. It is not the most pleasant thing but not worse than some cough syrups.

There are even recipes to add essential oils to yogurt, smoothies, salads, basically incorporating them in your cooking. There is a huge section in the The Essential Life book on adding oils to your kitchen.

Aromatic or better known as diffusing

I love diffusing oils; it makes my home smell fabulous and makes me feel good all over. You can diffuse a variety of ways through your Scentsy warmer or humidifier. Personally I stick to diffusers; they were made specifically for that purpose and they have different settings for diffusing times. I have this one and this one.

I may or may not be a weirdo and have four different diffusers. Yes I might have a problem, and no I do not regret it!

You can diffuse almost any oils but again check first! During flu season, you can diffuse On-Guard to help prevent sickness and give your immune system a boost. Diffuse a bedtime blend to help you and your kids have a restful night’s sleep.

Stressed? There’s a blend for that.

Topical

Topical application is applying the oil directly to the skin. Where you apply the essential oils can depend on what you are using the oils for. For example, you have an ear infection and/or an ear ache then you would put the oil behind that ear or put a few drops on a cotton ball and fix the cotton ball on the ear covering the ear canal.

Have a headache? A great place would be over your sinus cavities and back of the neck. Joint pain would require application over the specific joint. When applying oils topically, you should dilute with a carrier oil.

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The benefit to diluting is that you can make the oils last without diminishing the oils fragrance or properties as well as increasing topical oil distribution (doterra.com). Oils applied undiluted can evaporate too quickly before it is properly absorbed therefore you could potentially diminish the benefits. Just a tidbit for you I use this brand of carrier oil. It’s great because it comes with a pump and a squirt lid.

I am partial to putting my essential oil/carrier oil mixture in a roll-on bottle like this one or a spray bottle like this. Dilute with fractionated coconut oil, see dilution chart. Fractionated coconut oil is a great carrier oil it hydrates the skin, odorless, colorless and best of all doesn’t leave behind that greasy feeling because who likes that? Not this lady!

How often should you use essential oils?

“Frequency trumps quantity” (The Essential Life, p.421) Why is this worth mentioning? Oils do not operate like drugs in the sense that increasing the dose increases the benefits. While oils can be fast acting in order to reap the full benefit of the oil you must use it regularly preferably in small doses.

Using the oil regularly increases its potency, essential oils were not designed for a “take it once and BAM! you are cured” model. If you have chronic headaches, adding the corresponding oils to your regime can keep them away. Arthritis? Daily use can significantly reduce the pain.

Keep in mind that it is the frequency of your use in small doses that maximize your results not and I repeat NOT quantity. Increases the quantity over a period of time can actually have harmful side effects instead of helping. Remember too much of a good thing can have a turn for the worse.

Reflexology

Another way would be to apply over reflex points. You might see the word reflexology float around. Reflexology is based on the premise that we can access different body systems through the nervous system via our hands, feet, and ears. We apply oils on these areas or zones and allow the oils to work their magic.

Applying oils to the ears are not as common as applying to the feet, hands or even back of the neck. The back of the neck allows access to the spinal cord. They stress to not put oils in the ears only along the outside but it is said that young children tend to be receptive to application of oils on the ears because they can find the effect calming (Essential Life, pg 432).

Again, your method of application is depended on what you want to accomplish and what oils you want to use.

I know this might be quite a bit of information. When I started learning it was all overwhelming trying to absorb all that info. Just take it slow before you know it you will have this down pat.

Any thoughts? I would love to hear from you, drop me a comment or message!

Resources

How to Use Essential Oils with Four Applications – Sustainable Baby Steps. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/how-to-use-essential-oils.html

The Essential Life(2nd ed.). (n.d.). Total Wellness Publishing.