The Essentials To Essential Oils
With the new craze in the world being the turn towards “organic” and “all-natural,” I am fully behind the movement towards a preservative-free lifestyle! It just makes me feel good knowing exactly what I’m putting into and on my body, you know? One of my favorite alternatives that I use for my health is essential oils. After I received a lavender and tea tree rollerball blend in my Christmas stocking from my mom last year, I was hooked! There are just so many types and combinations that you can make, with each bringing enormous benefits to your health.
Even though I’m in love with them, I realised that essential oils can be overwhelming at first glance. Questions like “which ones are the best?”, how do I use them?”, and “do they really work?” get asked all the time, and with good reason. So sit back, relax, and get ready to explore some oils!
What are they?
Essential oils are made by distilling plants, fruit, and herbs into a condensed oil, making these drops extremely powerful. We can use them in many different ways, such as aromatherapy, perfume and even flavoring. These oils are very versatile, so one of their perks is that they can be used in a lot of different ways.
How do I use them?
I make my own facial toner using the essential oils lavender, tea tree and frankincense. Lavender, on the other hand, can also be found in the kitchen cleaning supplies that I use. Tea tree helps take the sting or ich out of rashes and bug bites. If you inhale the scent of frankincense, it will increase your focus for studying.
If you Google any essential oil, more than one benefit will show up in the description, which truly makes purchasing them a real bang for your buck. Also, THEY WON’T BREAK THE BANK! You can literally purchase essential oils at your local grocery store (I’ve bought some at both Kroger and Heinen’s) and they are less than $10!
Which ones are the best?
In terms of which brand to buy, they are basically all the same. I’ve used brands such as Natrogix Bliss, Aura Caria, and Nature’s Sunshine, and they are all great. Just make sure that the ones you buy are certified organic (especially if you plan on ingesting them) and you should be good to go!
What are the types?
Certain oils do have more benefits in certain areas than others. Lavender is great in getting you to relax. For those nights where I have to wake up at 4:40 AM for my job, I just put some lavender under my nose before I go to bed and I have such a better time falling asleep.
Peppermint is great for treating headaches by applying topically to the temples. It also is the only known cure for motion sickness that I have come across. Just put a drop or two in your water bottle, shake, and enjoy! No nausea for you!
Thieves, which is a combination of rosemary, eucalyptus, clove, lemon, and cinnamon bark oils, is an insane immune system booster due to its antibacterial properties. I have a neighbor back home who is a nurse practitioner, and she swears that rubbing thieves on her feet every night before bed is the reason she never gets sick. I could go on forever explaining all of the oils, but I’ll just leave you with my top three favorites for now.
Do they really work?
I lastly want to address the skeptics because, I admit, things like essential oils can seem all too good to be true. Even though there is great success in using essential oils, every body is different. This means that the oils might not have the same effects on others as it does for me. My advice would be to just try it because you have nothing to lose! Even if the benefits don’t seem to be taking effect, you are still nourishing your body by putting good substances into it. Either way, give it a try because you might enter a skeptic but leave pleasantly surprised!
