Essential oils have something of a strange reputation. They’re most often associated with the eco-conscious, the health-conscious, and those with. However, they also struggle with the association they share with people who are anti-science and snake oil saleswomen who prey on the financial insecurities of the poor for their own gain in the form of MLMs.
Despite their somewhat shaded reputation, essential oils can be beneficial for a wide variety of purposes. However, you have to know how to use them properly.
Are you looking for the best way to use essential oils? We have seven exceptional suggestions for you!
1. Use Essential Oils for Cleaning Products
If you’re looking for the best way to use essential oils in your home, one suggestion we can offer is to work them into your homemade cleaning products. Citrus essential oils can prove quite effective at cutting through all sorts of stubborn gunk. They can eat through glue, permanent marker stains, wax, and even gum.
Putting aside their efficacy at eating through difficult messes, some essential oils like peppermint and tea tree have antibacterial properties, adding more punch to your green cleaning solutions. Plus, they have the added benefit of scenting any cleaning solution you make, which can cut through any chemical or unpleasant odors.
2. Topical Solutions Can Use Essential Oils
If you need to know the best way to use essential oils for sleep, then working them into a topical solution is your best bet. The usual suspects for such a topical application include lavender, chamomile, and bergamot.
Essential oils can have a variety of effects on your body and mind. Some serve as muscle relaxants, while others can stimulate blood circulation. Others can improve your ability to breathe if you’re suffering from sinus congestion. Just make sure that you mix the essential oil with a carrier oil before you apply it to your skin, and avoid getting too close to the eyes, as the pure essences can cause irritation.
3. Using Essential Oils to Scent a Room
By far the most common usage of essential oils is making a room smell pleasant. Which particular concoction you use is dependent upon your personal tastes, as you can find pre-made mixtures to create a variety of moods in stores.
However, when it comes to how you wish to distribute the scent through the room, there’s a raging debate over which method is best between reeds, electric diffusers, and sprays. There are some key differences in how they work to scent a room, so make sure to do your research before choosing your preferred method.
4. Imbuing Your Spiritual Practice
Essential oils and incense have been part of religious and magical practices for many, many millennia. Some of this usage was rooted in practicality, as oils used to anoint the dead could combat the stench of decay and potentially stave off fungi, viruses, and bacteria. However, many religious beliefs that persist to this day believe these essential oils have strong magical properties.
From opening, balancing, and to their associations with certain deities, essential oils can serve a variety of spiritual purposes. There is little scientific evidence to support these claims, but as with most things spiritual, anecdotes abound about their effectiveness.
5. Create a Relaxing Spa Experience
What is the best way to use essential oils? If you ask someone who’s overworked, overtired, and completely stressed out, it’s to create a relaxing spa experience. Essential oils are key elements in massage oils, facial masks, and relaxing bath oils.
Essential oils have a long history with the beauty industry, offering solutions to relax muscles, tighten skin, help with hair growth, and reduce pain and tension. Thus, incorporating them into your spa day can have fantastic effects on your mood and overall well-being. Speaking of…
6. Using Essential Oils to Affect Your Mood
The best way to use essential oils from a psychologist’s perspective would be to adjust your mood. Our sense of smell is strongly connected with our memory and our mood regulation. So, the surest way to get your mood back on track is with a quick sniff of essential oils.
If you’re feeling sleepy and lethargic, a whiff of something bright and energetic like citrus can stimulate you. If you need rest, the calming waves of lavender can lull you to your rest. Or, if you’re looking for a more intimate and passionate atmosphere, a thick scent like frankincense or myrrh can help you craft the mood you’re looking for.
If you suffer from anxiety, essential oils can serve as a great augmentation to your medication. A small sniff of sandalwood essential oil can bring a sense of calm to a troubled mind in the midst of a rough day.
7. Be Careful Ingesting Essential Oils
Technically speaking, you can ingest certain essential oils. In fact, if you intend to treat nausea, ingestion might be the only way to get the effects. However, we would caution you against ingestion as your means of intake, as your dosage is critical.
You may be able to enjoy the benefits of the essential oil in small doses. However, certain essential oils can be toxic in larger doses. Still others are, by their very nature, poisonous and should never be ingested. The risk further grows when you consider the fact that essential oils are not regulated by government bodies.
That means there’s no guarantee the essential oil you purchased is the only ingredient in there.
Let’s Review the Best Way to Use Essential Oils
So, are you still curious about the best way to use essential oils? From topical solutions to cleaning, from disinfecting to relaxing, these oils can serve a wide variety of useful purposes. As long as you choose high-quality oils, there’s no “best way” to use these oils, only “different” ways to use them.
If you found this article helpful and are looking for more tips and tricks to use essential oils in your home, check out our blog. We update each day with more informative content like this.