Essential Oil Benefits and Uses

Intuitive Living / By

Essential oil benefits are countless.

And though these plant oils are cool and popular to use nowadays, they’ve been around since the time of the Black Plague (and probably before that!)

If you’re an oil newbie, you may already have a diffuser in your home or office that you use to freshen the room.

But there are many essential oil benefits besides making the air smell nice!

essential oil benefits and uses

Why Use Essential Oils?

Not gonna lie.

I have a love affair with essential oils (and the way they work is fascinating!)

Besides the fact that they smell incredible, there are many essential oil benefits for your well being!

Disclaimer:

I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet. If you’re pregnant or have a health issue, check with your doctor before using essential oils, and don’t ingest them. If you have pets, ask your vet before diffusing oils.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the distilled compounds of plants. They are super concentrated, so you only need to use a few drops at a time.
what are essential oils

To illustrate: one drop of peppermint essential oil is compared to 28 mugs of peppermint tea!

I love peppermint tea as much as the next girl, but how much of it can you drink in a day? 28 cups? No way! I’d rather drink a cup of tea, and put peppermint oil in my diffuser to get the full benefits. (DON’T ingest peppermint oil!)

Tip:

To ensure the oils are really all natural and not synthetic chemicals, you must buy quality oils. I only use doTerra oils because they are 100% pure, undiluted and therapeutic grade. 

Essential Oil Benefits

1: They’re Natural

One of the best essential oil benefits is that you don’t have to worry that they are loaded with chemicals like commercial products.

For example, my family used to think I was crazy for spending money on organic products, but my response was always the same, “If I sprayed Windex on an apple and then rinsed it with water, would you eat it?”

Everyone had the same response, “No way, gross!”

I rest my case.

2. They Work on a Cellular Level

While over-the-counter medicine can alleviate symptoms when you’re sick, essential oils are said to help the root of the issue.

They work with your body to improve its natural response (instead of masking symptoms).

Though essential oils are NOT medicine and are NOT a cure, they are said to give our bodies’ natural healing abilities some extra oomph!

For example, a doctor can give you antibiotics to fight a bacterial illness, but they won’t help viral issues.

On the flip side, many essential oils are antiviral and antifungal.

Keep a kit of essential oils on hand. Next time you have a cold, put some eucalyptus oil in the diffuser… or diffuse lavender when you want to relax.

Here’s a list of things I use essential oils for:

This gives you an idea of the wide range of benefits you can get from a few splashes of essential oils, but there are many more!

3: Essential Oils are Cost Effective

Yes, a bottle of essential oil may cost a little bit of money up front, but it will last a long time.

To get the most bang for your buck, create an essential oil kit to keep in your home. It should include a diffuser, and the most popular oils.

Next time you feel a headache or sore throat coming on, you can reap their benefits immediately.

How to Use Essential Oils

There are several ways use essential oils and enjoy their benefits, such as:

  • Diffusers. You can inhale the oils (aromatherapy) using a diffuser. I love this method because it makes the room smell amazing, and my family benefits from the properties in the oils. (If you have pets, check with your vet before diffusing). You can also put a couple of drops of oil on a cotton ball or rub a drop on your hands. (Learn about my favorite diffuser.)
  • Use topically. Essential oils are great rubbed onto skin for things like headaches and sore muscles. Because they are concentrated, it’s important to use a carrier oil so your skin doesn’t get irritated. Mixing a few drops with a carrier oil will “carry them” into your skin where they can be absorbed. Carrier oils are vegetable oils like sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil or coconut oil.
  • Take internally. Some people take essential oils internally in the form of gel caps, though I NEVER recommend it. You must be very experienced using oils to use this method.

Specific Essential Oil Benefits

I’ve used essential oils for some of these common ailments:

  • Headaches – I ease headache pain using essential oils in a few different ways. For migraines, I put a few drops of lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus oils into a carrier oil. After mixing it well, I rub it into the bottoms of my feet, the crown of my head, behind my ears, at my temples, across my forehead, and behind my neck. Sometimes, I add the oils to a cool foot bath and soak my feet for 15 minutes. You can also add this oil blend to a diffuser.
  • Insomnia – A couple of drops of chamomile and lavender oil on your pillow (or in your diffuser) is soothing for insomniacs. I encourage you to try this if you want to sleep like a baby!
  • Cuts and scratches; colds, flu – Tea tree oil is great for anything that needs to be de-germified. Not only is it antiviral, it’s also antimicrobial, antifungal, and an antibiotic (and probably some other “anti’s” I’m forgetting). Just mix a few drops into a carrier oil, then rub it on the affected area. If you have a cold, a little tea tree oil mixed into a carrier oil is great to rub under your nose or onto your chest.
  • Sore Muscles – Sometimes, I get super painful fibromyalgia flare-ups. A simple recipe of eucalyptus, sage, and basil oils and Epsom’s salt in a bath does wonders. As an added essential oil benefit, you’ll also smell great! (Learn more about musculoskeletal oils.)

The Best Essential Oils

I have tried and researched many, many essential oils. My family and I have settled on Arome because they are 100% pure, undiluted and “therapeutic grade”. My personal favorites are:

  • Lavender oil – I diffuse this every day with eucalyptus in my living room.
  • Eucalyptus oil – Smells amazing! LOVE!
  • Peppermint oil – Sometimes, I mix it up and add 2 drops each of lavender oil, eucalyptus and peppermint. Divine!
  • Tea Tree oil – A “classic”. We use it for cuts and scrapes and in some of our homemade cleaning products.

Essential Oil Benefits Takeaways

As you can see, there are tons of essential oil benefits.

If you’re not sure where to start, pick up a bottle of a tea tree oil. Then, use it rubbed in a carrier oil under your nose when you feel a cold coming on or when you need an antibacterial.

I know you’ll fall in love with essential oils and add them to your bag of tricks!

Did you know? Another benefit of essential oils is that they can clear negative energy from your aura and home?