Now that you have learned what essential oils are, it’s time to learn how we can use them!
When you start using essential oils, it is easy to get overwhelmed learning about what all can be done with them. They are SO versatile and have SO many uses ranging from relieving symptoms of illness to being ingredients in home cleaning products, bath and body products, and some of them can even be used in cooking!
Before we dive into the details, let’s talk a little about the many ways we can use essential oils.
There are 3 different methods for using essential oils:
1. Aromatically
- Affect mood (uplift/stabilize/balance/relieve stress & anxiety/etc.)
- Kill germs in the air (bacteria/viruses/mold/mildew)
- Open airways (respiratory)
2. Topically
- Systemic/localized effect (apply directly to area of discomfort)
- Massage
- Immune support (application to the bottom of your feet is great for absorption!)
3. Internally
- For systemic results: under the tongue/swallow gel capsule/dilute in water
- Relieve digestive system symptoms
- Direct application for mouth/throat symptoms
SAFETY WARNINGS:
– Essential oils should never be applied directly into the eyes, ears, nose, or on eyelids- “Hot oils” such as peppermint, oregano, basil, etc. should always be diluted into a carrier oil before application
– Always use your oils per directions on the bottle. Not all essential oils are safe for internal use. For example, wintergreen is toxic and would be very dangerous to use internally.
What are carrier oils?
A carrier oil is a “real” oil (or vegetable oil) such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, apricot oil, sesame oil that an essential oil can be diluted into to “carry” it for usage. A carrier oil dilutes the essential oil, making the powerful essential oil it less potent and expands the usage of each drop.
Tell me some ways I can use essential oils!
I sat down for about 5 minutes and made a list of how I personally use essential oils in my own home. This is by no means the extent of how essential oils can be used:
Everyday Uses
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Bath salts
- Lotions
- Hand sanitizer
- Hand soap
- Air freshener
- Diffusers
- Candle warmers
- Cooking/Baking
- Laundry
- Stain removal
- Disinfecting
- Furniture polish
- Carpet cleaner/freshener
- Cloth diapering
- Teething oil
- Baby lotion & oil
- Massage oil
All sorts of medical symptoms & remedies
- Pain
- Fever
- Cough
- Congestion
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Respiratory discomfort
- Upset stomach
- Muscle tension
- Numbing
- Antiseptic
- Dandruff
- Acne
- Inflammation
- Allergies
- Depression
- Mood
- Insect repellent
- Bites/stings
Are you getting an idea of how versatile essential oils can be?
Next we will talk about why I like to use essential oils as my first line of defense for illness. I like to keep my bag of essential oils handy to use before I turn to pharmaceuticals. Read my next post in this series to find out why!
DISCLAIMER:
– No statements made here are meant to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Although many people have found great relief from ailments with use of essential oils and products containing them, we legally cannot claim to heal or cure disease with essential oils because they not FDA regulated.
Whole Sweet Health 
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Hi Holly, I love the list you made. I use oils in many of the ways you mentioned, but your list challenged me to keep pressing on to incorporated them in more ways in our home. One of the ways you mentioned that I have been considering is in making our toothpaste. I plan to start doing this immediately. Thank you for the encouragement!!
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