84.28 kilotons of essential oils were sold in the United States in 2018.
Essential oils have grown in popularity in recent years, and that is no surprise. Man has been using essential oils as far back as 4500BC.
The Egyptians were the first people on record to use these oils in making perfumes, incense, and medicine.
As more people today rediscover the benefits of these essential oils, it’s important they know how to use them properly.
Here is a comprehensive essential oil guide to help you get started.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are highly concentrated and volatile plant extracts obtained through various extraction methods.
The part of the plant where the oil comes from varies depending on what kind of oil you are looking for. For example, rose oil will be extracted from rose petals, while citrus oils will come from the rind.
Dilution of Essential Oils
Since essential oils are all-natural, many people make the mistake of assuming that they are unreactive and therefore gentle. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Essential oils are plant extracts and therefore highly concentrated. In fact, essential oils are up to 75 times more powerful than dried herbs.
Due to this potency, they have to be diluted properly before one can use them. To dilute an essential oil, you need to mix it with a carrier oil such as coconut oil.
If you are unsure of how much you should dilute a particular oil look for dilution charts online that can guide you for best results.
How Can You Tell If an Essential Oil Is Safe for the Desired Use?
No essential oils guide worth its salt will avoid talking about the safety of the product.
Essential oils aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore there are many low-quality products in the market. With a lack of regulatory oversight, it is up to you to conduct due diligence.
As a rule of thumb, the only essential oils you should use are the ones that are safe enough for internal use.
Before you buy look at the product’s bottle or the producer’s website. Companies whose products are safe and of high quality usually declare it being safe to use internally.
Another way to assess whether the brand you want to buy from is legitimate is to check if it operates its own farm for fresh raw materials.
A company with this kind of operation will be able to control the product’s quality and avoid using synthetic oils.
How to Use Essential Oils
There is a large variety of essential oils with up to 300 being commercially available. For you to get the maximum benefit out of them, you need to know which oil to use and for what purpose.
Here is a guide to essential oils and their uses.
1. Managing Your Sleep
If you struggle to fall (or stay) asleep, then you should consider using aromatherapy. Inhaling essential oil scents can help you rest through the night, even in stressful circumstances.
While taking a whiff before bed can be helpful, it is when you leave an open jar of diluted essential oil by your bedside that will help all night.
Some of the essential oil scents that can help you stop counting sheep include:
● Lavender
● Frankincense
● Sandalwood
● Ylang-ylang
● Cedar
● Chamomile
If you don’t like the idea of leaving a jar of oil open all night, there is another option. You can use a pillow spray so that the dilution keeps working on you all night long.
2. Relieving Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety can have pernicious effects on your daily outlook. When you feel stressed or anxious, using some essential oil can help restore calm and balance.
The essential oil types you can use to beat back stress include:
● Chamomile
● Rose
● Bergamot
● Ylang-ylang
● Vetiver
● Clary sage
● Lavender
● Frankincense
● Marjoram
● Geranium
● Orange
● Sandalwood
One way to get the relief you need is to rub an oil blend of calming scents into your temple. Since your temples are pressure points, the essential oils will help relieve any tension and thereby calm you.
3. Reducing Inflammation and Other Skin Issues
Many plants have genetic properties that aid healing in different ways. In concentrated doses, these properties can help remedy acne, sore throat, muscle soreness, among other skin issues.
Examples of essential oils that help resolve skin irritation are lavender, bergamot, helichrysum, tea tree oil, oregano, and rosemary.
If you have a sore throat, you need to use essential oils that can take the edge off the irritation.
Peppermint is the most popular option due to its antimicrobial properties. Other essential oils you can consider using are ginger, lemon, rosemary, tea tree, sage, and eucalyptus.
Muscle inflammation can be painful, and you need to relieve it quickly. The essential oils known to help relax your muscles include peppermint, ginger, cayenne, eucalyptus, chamomile, nutmeg, and wintergreen.
4. Energy Boosts
When you need a quick pick-me-up, you don’t have to reach for an unhealthy energy drink. Instead, you can keep essential oils handy by your side for a natural spark of energy when you need it.
Studies show that peppermint oil will help energize your exercise performance.
Other essential oils that can give a quick energy shot include lemon, orange, ginger, black pepper, and jasmine. Spearmint, eucalyptus, and rosemary are also known to contain properties that help with increasing your energy.
5. Mental Focus
Essential oils not only work to heal your body physically, but they also sharpen your mental performance.
When you need to refresh your mind to focus on a task at hand, sniffing an oil blend or using a face-mist can get you back in the game.
Besides aiding metal focus, essential oils also help with memory recall, burnout, and mental fatigue.
Some essential oils to help your mental acuity are peppermint, rosemary, helichrysum, grapefruit, juniper, and basil.
Start off Essential Oil Guide
Health and wellness are fast growing to be a critical concern for many people. In a bid to stay healthy, Americans are looking to essential oils to help supplement tradition medical solutions.
With so many options in an unregulated market, you need a thorough essential oil guide that will point you in the right direction. When you know the right essential oils to use, you will get the best results.
Are you concerned about preventing diseases before they strike? Try out some essential oils to see the difference.
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