Top 11 Essential Oils

What is essential oil?

An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetherolea, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is “essential” in the sense that it contains the “essence of” the plant’s fragrance . 

Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often by using steam. Other processes include expression, solvent extraction, absolute oil extraction, resin tapping, and cold pressing. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and other products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding scents to incense and household cleaning products.

An essential oil is a liquid that is generally distilled (most frequently by steam or water) from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. Essential oils, contrary to the use of the word “oil” are not really oily-feeling at all. Most essential oils are clear, but some oils such as patchouli, orange and lemongrass are amber or yellow in color.

Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant it was derived from. Essential oils are highly concentrated and a little goes a long way.

Just adding some of the most common essential oils like lavender, frankincense, lemon, peppermint and tea tree oil to your natural medicine cabinet can:

• Fight cold and flu symptoms
• Relax your body and soothe sore muscles
• Heal skin conditions
• Alleviate pain
• Balance hormones
• Improve digestion
• Reduce cellulite and wrinkles
• Clean your home
• Used in homemade personal care products

Top 11 Essential Oils 

Each and every essential oil contains compounds with unique healing and therapeutic benefits. Here are some of my favorite essential oils and how to use them.

1. Eucalyptus: Improves respiratory issues like bronchitis, sinusitis and allergies. Also invigorating and purifies the body.  You can make own air freshener spray adding few drops of eucalyptus and lavender to water.
   

   Air freshener; bottle filled with water,  10 drops of lavender and 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oils.

2. Frankincense: Builds immunity, reduces inflammation, heals age spots, supports brain and may help fight cancer.
3. Grapefruit: Supports metabolism and cellulite reduction. Mix with coconut oil and rub on areas of cellulite or take a few drops internally with water.
4. Lavender: Helps with relaxation, improves mood and heals burns and cuts. Add to shampoo or body lotion, or make your own. Lavender is most used essential oil, you can put one drop directly to skin.
5. Lemon: Great to use in homemade cleaning products, improves lymph drainage and cleanses the body.  Mix lemon, peppermint and tea tree oil, and you get great antiseptic spray.
6. Oregano: Powerful anti-microbial properties, can kill fungus and help you kick a cold fast.  For nail fungus, spread oregano oil directly to nail every day, but first disinfect the nail. Oregano oil internally for gut health, two drops with glass of water. (Need to be food supplement).
7. Peppermint: Supports digestion, improves focus, boosts energy, fever reducer, headache and muscle pain relief.
8. Rose: Incredible for reducing skin inflammation and great for creating glowing skin. Add a few drops to your facial moisturizer.
9. Rosemary: Can naturally thicken hair so it is great to add to homemade shampoos. Also, it improves brain function and memory so it’s great to used when working, reading or studying.  I use rosemary oil to improve brain function and memory.
10. Tea tree oil: natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, reduces bad odors and can help stimulate the immune system. Good for toe fungus also, spread every day few times a day directly to nail with cotton pad.
11. Sandalwood: Calm, brighten your day, or both.

Essential oils I use are rosemary, eucalyptus, sage, oregano, patchouli, tea tree and lavender so far. Oregano oil I use is food supplement because I use it internally. I bought my first essential oil bottle about year ago so this is quite new sphere for me.

How to balanace chakras with essential oils. 1. Root chakra (Muladhara) – patchouli,  2. Sacral chakra (Svadistahana)  – Ylang ylang & sandalwood,  3. Solar plexus chakra (Manipura)  –  cinnamon & peppermint,  4. Heart chakra (Anahata)  – rose, 5. Throat chakra (Vishudha)  – eucalyptus, 6. Third eye chakra (Ajna) – lavender, 7. Crown chakra (Shashara)  – frankincense.

Essential oils – How to use them? 

I put few drops of essential oil to glass of water, and keep them around the home. Or caterpillar seashells on glass jar and drop on them some essential oil.  Lavender on bedside table and sage e.g. in living room. Best solution is to use ultrasonic diffuser, which make essential oil steam. I don´t have this diffuser, yet. Different oils can be blended together to enhance each’s energy or can be blended with a base oil to be used for massage, shower gels or body lotions. For example lavender oil you can put one drop on the skin if you don´t have sensitive skin. Tea tree oil I have used directly to face with cotton pad.

Essential Oil Bug Spray

You can make your own bug spray with essential oils. Bugs and mosquitos can cause big problems in certain areas of the world, and they spread diseases also.  Most chemical sprays are highly toxic to the body.

Ingredients;

• Essential oils: choose clove, lemongrass, rosemary, tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, mint
• Natural Witch Hazel
• Distilled or boiled Water

Instructions;

1. Fill spray bottle (0,2 l) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
2. Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top
3. Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be.

Spray all over body to keep bugs away. More about essential oils as natural preservatives.

What is your favorite essential oil?

Health, Love & Peace ♡

-Sari

Sources: aromaweb.com, draxe.com, info.achs.edu, mindbodygreen.com