A Girl’s Guide To Practical Uses For Essential Oils

Essential oils have become incredibly popular within the last few decades–everyone from your grandma to your Aunt Susan to that girl from your Calculus classes uses essential oils. And with so many smells and uses to choose from, it can be hard to know what to use and how to use it correctly. So here is an extensive list of practical uses for all your favorite essential oils so you’ll never be lost again on when to use peppermint and how much lavender oil is too much.

1. Skincare

One of the most popular uses (and my personal favorite) for essential oils is to help with skincare. Essential oils are great for regulating inflammation and redness or aiding with bad breakout (all the things we need help with during finals season).

For example, to unclog your pores, lemon and tea tree oil are a great go-to. It’s incredibly simple – just fill a bowl with steaming hot water and let the steam seep into your pores. Then rub diluted tea tree oil or lemon oil over your now open and warm skin. Be careful to dilute correctly to avoid any severe reactions–for tea tree and lemon, it’s best to do 1-2 drops of oil to 12 drops of carrier oil (coconut, jojoba, olive, argan, etc.).

Also, always do a small patch test before rubbing it onto your face. An allergic reaction to the oil would not be what you want from your essential oil experience.

2. Disinfectant

Essential oils make a great replacement for disinfectant sprays and their chemical smells. Sometimes Neosporin smells nice, and sometimes it just smells way too strong, so it’s nice to have a more natural alternative. Clove oil makes for a clean, powerful disinfectant that smells lovely and natural. You can use it to clean wounds or fungal infections. To dilute clove oil correctly, mix 15 drops of clove oil to an ounce of carrier oil. Once it’s diluted and you’ve done a patch test, you can apply directly to all your scrapes and scratches!

3. Deodorizer

I’m not going to lie, I’m a big fan of Lysol and its laundry fresh or lemony scents. But then I remember the chemical components of my favorite deodorizing spray and I have to wonder if there’s a more effective way to keep my house smelling nice and clean. This is where essential oils come to the rescue. Essential oils can rid you of even the most stinky smells, from pet odor to old tennis shoe stink.

You can use essential oils to get rid of kitchen stink by mixing citrus or clove oil in a pot of boiling water. To create a deodorizing spray, mix 10-15 drops of your essential oil of choice with apple cider vinegar and pour in a spray bottle.

4. Headaches

Did you know essential oils can help cure daily ailments, like tummy problems and stomach aches? Well, it definitely can! Peppermint oil is one of the best natural remedies to cure headaches. All you have to do is rub diluted peppermint oil on your temples and try to relax when you feel the beginnings of a headache.

To dilute peppermint oil, use a ratio of 1 drop of peppermint oil to 4-5 drops of carrier oil. Perform a patch test and when you know you’re good, rub on your temples to alleviate your headache pain.

5. Nausea

Headaches aren’t the only thing essential oils can help with–nausea can also be aided with the use of our favorite essential oil scents. For this one, you are actually going to ingest tangerine oil–but don’t worry, it won’t hurt you! Just add a few drops to your water and drink to help relieve tummy troubles–tangerine oil is great for helping with stomach acid, aiding in metabolic and digestive processes, and promoting a healthy immune system. Didn’t know you could drink essential oils for a healthy body, did you?

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6. Muscle Relief

So we know essential oils can help with headaches and nausea, but can they help with other common body problems? Yes, they can! Essential oils are a great way to aid in muscle relief. Looking to soothe stiff muscles? There are plenty of oils that help to relieve inflammation, so if you’re trying to help your aching muscles, try some tea tree oil or lavender oil. The best way to reap their full benefits is to add 5-10 drops of each oil to a warm bath and soak for about 30 minutes. If you want to get an even better effect, add a little Epsom salt to your bath.

7. Relaxation

Sometimes you just need to relax and can’t get your brain to let you–it’s time to turn to the healing properties of essential oils! There are plenty of lovely scents that help with relaxation and easing unnecessary stress, but the best are lavender, chamomile, and bergamot. Much like with muscle relief, adding a few drops of one of these oils to your bath water can be a great way to relax, but you can also pop a little bit into your diffuser and let the sweet smells wrap you up in their deep, relaxing properties.

8. Insomnia

Can’t sleep? Time to pull out the essential oils (I told you, they work for anything). This time you’re not adding the smells to your bath water or rubbing them on your skin–you’re actually going to drop some on your pillow to promote relaxation and lull your restless body to sleep. Which oils should you use for insomnia? Lavender and chamomile come to the rescue once again with their relaxing scents.

9. Hair Growth

Did you know that essential oils can help prevent hair loss? I sure didn’t. There are actually a number of essential oils that help with hair loss, from the peppermint oil to bergamot oil to jojoba, rosemary, and sage oil. To use, mix 2 or 3 drops of one of these oils with a tablespoon of carrier oil, then rub on your scalp for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you rub it all over the scalp, from the front to the back. You can either choose to leave the oil soaking into your hair overnight or rinse it out immediately.

10. Energy Booster

Essential oils provide a great energy boost for that midafternoon, post-lunch sleepy moments. Once again, peppermint oil is good for everything. Add a few drops to your diffuser and inhale the stimulating scent of peppermint to get your blood rushing again and add a little more pep in your step. What else can I say–essential oils are pretty much good for everything.