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Essential Oils Uses For Wellness, Beauty, Home Remedies, Hygiene And a Toxin-Free Home And Household
If you’re new to the world of essential oils, you probably have a lot of questions. The first thing most people want to know is what are essential oils? These are the highest concentrations of natural oils found in plants.
In order to extract those essential oils, a process called distillation is used. Typically, this means the plants including the roots, stems, leaves, flowers or bark are steamed to extract these essential oils.
Once distilled, the essential oil remains which contains the absolute essence of the plant it is from. It will smell like the plant, as you may have expected, but what you might not know is that this potent extraction contains all the healing properties and healthful benefits of the plant itself.
Thanks to essential oils, we can use them for many different purposes, surely there are even people with an automatic capsule filling machine to continue making their herbal remedies for home use to keep healthy and well without having to spend money on medication or hospital visits. They have the power to give us additional nutrition, heal us, and provide a wide array of benefits to our mind, body, and spirit.
What Are Some Uses For Essential Oils?
Essential oils are used in a variety of ways. The most common way to use them is for aromatherapy. Diffusing these oils into the air can have incredibly positive impacts on our physical and mental state. Essential oils can also be applied to the skin topically. And in some cases, they may be consumed orally.
However you use them – for fragrance, on the skin, or ingesting them, these potent plant concentrations can be used to inspire a positive way of thinking and uplift the spirit. Certain fragrances have the power to completely shift our thinking from negative to positive almost instantly.
Other essential oils are used to help your wellness. These are a huge blessing when you haven’t been caring for yourself as you should and help you to get back on track with your health.
There are also essential oils that can help bring spiritual awareness which are wonderful during meditations, cleanse the air in your home for a better vibe and better health, and there are many that are ideal for promoting your most gloriously beautiful skin ever.
Here are 101 everyday uses for essential oils to get you started incorporating these oils into your lifestyle.
Uses For Essential Oils In The Home
Essential oils can be put to use in many places in your home. They have the power to cleanse with antibacterial properties while releasing healing fragrances into the home for a clean that will never fill your home with dangerous chemicals.
Plus, when you’re done with these amazing cleaning hacks with essential oils, your home will smell incredible! From the bathroom to the kitchen and even to your outdoor furniture, essential oils can help your home be cleaner and healthier.
1. Eliminate Shower Scum – Add 4 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, 4 drops of tea tree oil and 1/2 cup of baking soda to warm water in a spray bottle. Spray around your shower to eliminate shower scum.
2. Purify Air – Cinnamon essential oil contains anti-microbial properties making it a great choice to use in a diffuser to clean the air in your home.
3. Outdoor Furniture Scrub – In a spray bottle, combine 20 drops of juniper berry, 20 drops of lemon essential oil, and 20 drops of pine essential oil. Mix with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and top off with water.
Shake well and spray liberally onto patio furniture.
4. Eliminate Lingering Cooking Odors – Place a pan of water on the stove, cook to a simmer and then add 4 to 5 drops of citrus, lemongrass or clove essential oil to the water.
5. Window Wash – Combine twelve drops of lemon essential oil with one ounce of white vinegar, and one ounce of water. Use in a spray bottle to clean windows and mirrors.
6. All Purpose Cleaner – Lemongrass and tea tree oil are natural disinfectants. Make your own natural cleaning solution by adding a few drops of these oils to warm water, works great for kitchen and bathroom counters.
7. Clean Sports Gear – Use 3 drops of tea tree oil and 2 drops of lemon essential oil mixed with one quart of warm water and 5 tablespoons of baking soda to wash foul smelling sports gear.
8. Better Smelling Laundry – Add 15 to 20 drops of your preferred essential oil into each load for fresh smelling laundry.
9. Refresh Your Vacuum Cleaner – Put 5 to 10 drops of your favorite essential oil into your vacuum’s bag or dust container.
10. Bathtub Scrub – Combine 5 drops of bergamot oil or lime oil with one-half of a cup of baking soda and one-half cup of vinegar. Use this mixture to scrub your bathroom sink, toilet, or bathtub.
11. Wash produce – Lemon oil is an antiseptic so you use 2 drops per large bowl of warm water to wash insecticide and dirt off your produce.
12. Freshen The Trash Can – Place 4 drops of lemon essential oil and 5 drops of tea tree oil onto a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball at the bottom of the trashcan to help eliminate odors and detoxify.
13. Grout Scrub – Combine ten drops of eucalyptus oil with one part castile soap, one part water, and four parts baking soda. Use to clean grout from anywhere.
14. Neutralize Pet Odor – Use 10 to 20 drops of either geranium, lavender, or lemon oil with apple cider vinegar. Shake well and spray around the room that you wish to eliminate pet odor.
15. Fridge Purifier – To keep your fridge smelling clean after you wash it, add a few drops of lime or grapefruit oil to warm water and wipe all parts of fridge. Do this regularly to enjoy the fresh smell all the time.
16. Cleaner Dishes – Place a few drops of lemon essential oil in your dishwasher before running to ensure a spot-free rinse.
17. Eliminate Mold – Place tea tree oil in your diffuser to kill mold and other pathogens in the air. You can also mix tea tree oil with water and spray on any mold spots around your home to kill the spores.
18. Remove Mites From Bedding – Place a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil to your washing machine when you are washing your bedding.
19. Remove Cigarette Smoke Odor – Place four drops each of rosemary essential oil, tea tree oil, and eucalyptus essential oil to a spray bottle filled with water and spray around the house.
20. Air-Freshener – Add your favorite oils to an aromatherapy diffuser to freshen the air at your home and also enjoy the benefits of the therapeutic value of aromatherapy.
21. Mosquito Repellent – Add 1 drop of citronella oil, 1 drop of lemongrass oil and 1 drop of eucalyptus oil to 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and apply to skin.
22. Homemade Sunscreen – Combine coconut oil, Shea butter, helichrysum oil, zinc oxide and lavender oil, and store in a squeeze bottle.
23. Deter Flying Insects – Place two cups of potpourri in a decorative bowl. Place ten to fifteen drops of citronella essential oil in the potpourri and place in an area you want to deter flying insects.
24. Mouse Repellent – Mix two tablespoons of peppermint essential oil with one cup of water in a spray bottle. Spritz the mixture anywhere you have seen mouse droppings and especially behind appliances.
25. Deodorize Upholstery – Place a few drops of your choice of essential oil into one cup of baking soda. Sprinkle onto your upholstery and let set for fifteen minutes. Vacuum off.
26. Furniture Dusting Spray – Place one and three quarters of a cup of filtered water into a spray bottle. Add two teaspoons of olive oil, one-half of a teaspoon of lemon essential oil and one quarter of a cup of vinegar.
Mix well and use to remove dust from furniture.
27. Flavored Water – Put two to three drops of lemon essential oil to your drinking water for a delicious citrus flavor.
28. Natural Dryer Sheets – Mix one cup of pure distilled vinegar with 15 drops of lavender or rose essential oil. Place cloth scraps into the mixture until they are moistened but not soaked. Add one cloth per dryer load.
Essential Oils And Their Uses For Health And Wellness
If you want to improve your health and wellness, these tips will help you get the most out of essential oils to live a better and fuller life. Turn tossing and turning all night into a thing of the past with essential oil sleep remedies, let tension and headaches melt away, and be sure to soak up all the essence of these potent oils in a detoxing bath that will help you feel completely revived.
There are so many uses of essential oils for your health so get started making yourself feel amazing with these great tips!
29. Improve Sleep – Place a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow to help you fall asleep and sleep better throughout the night. Lavender is known for helping to alleviate insomnia.
30. Relieve Stress and Tension – Use lavender and chamomile oils in a diffuser, or place a few drops on a tissue and inhale regularly. Adding a few drops to a hot bath is wonderful for alleviating stress, tension and related body aches.
31. Massage Oil – Add a few drops of Cedarwood essential oil to an unscented lotion or massage oil and use for a relaxing massage. You could even if you wanted involve cbd in your massages. If this is something that interests you then you can learn more here.
32. Detox Bath – Adding lavender essential oil, Epsom salts, and sea salts to a warm bath will cleanse and rejuvenate the body.
33. Headaches – For migraines and headaches, mix rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint, and/or sandalwood oils with a carrier oil, like Jojoba and rub into your temples or scalp.
34. Improve Depression – Adding rose essential oils to a bath, inhalations, and diffusers will boost mood and relieve depression.
35. Calm Children – Placing a couple drops of lavender of chamomile essential oils on stuffed animals can help to soothe and calm an upset child.
36. Lighten The Mood – Placing lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, chamomile, or orange essential oil in a diffuser brightens mood and improves positive energy in any room.
37. Stay Alert – To help you stay alert, inhale the scent of lavender, sage, frankincense, lemon, peppermint, lemongrass, and basil essential oils in any combination.
38. Foot Soak – To help ease sore and tired feet, place your feet in warm water that contains peppermint essential oil and Epsom salts.
39. Bolster Your Immune System – Rubbing oregano essential oil to the bottoms of your feet can help to bolster your immune system.
40. Relax Tired Muscles – A warm bath with eucalyptus, sage, and basil essential oils will help to relax your tired muscles.
41. Improve Circulation – Adding 8 to 10 drops of grapefruit essential oils to a warm bath will help to improve your circulation.
42. Lose Weight – To aid in weight loss, inhale peppermint, and cinnamon essential oils to reduce your appetite and balance your blood sugars.
43. Reduce Anxiety – Diffusing lavender essential oil around your house can help to combat feelings of stress and tension.
44. Control Anger – Diffuse jasmine, patchouli, bergamot, or rose essential oils around your home to help with anger management.
45. Increase Confidence – To help increase your confidence, diffuse cypress, grapefruit, or rosemary essential oils around your home.
46. Control Fear – To help with feelings of fear, diffuse frankincense, neroli, or sandalwood essential oils.
47. Cope With Grief – To help with the grieving process, diffuse Helichrysum, neroli, or vetiver essential oils. You can also include these oils in a warm bath to aid relaxation as you grieve.
48. Increase Memory And Concentration – To help aid memory and concentration while you are studying, diffuse black pepper, hyssop, or peppermint essential oils.
Essential Oils Uses in Skin Care and Beauty
There is no reason to spend a fortune on skincare products with chemicals that may or may not work to make your skin look younger, clearer, or better. Essential oils have the largest concentration of plant oils in them, making them the only thing you’ll ever need to look your most beautiful of all.
You can make your own beauty products from makeup to lip balm and have people asking you what your beauty secret is. Plus, the lovely natural fragrances from essential oils are better and longer lasting than any perfume!
49. Body Butter – Make a body butter by combining Shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and thirty drops of your choice of essential oils. This combination will leave your skin moisturized for days.
50. Lip Balm – A combination of coconut oil, beeswax, and lavender essential oil will help to heal chapped and dry lips.
51. Face Toner – For a natural face toner, combine eight ounces of water with two drops each of lavender, geranium, and frankincense essential oils. Apply daily.
52. Body Mist – Combine about ten drops of your choice of essential oils to fifty milliliters of water in a small spray bottle. Mix well before using.
53. Fight Acne – Combine aloe vera gel with a few drops of tea tree essential oil and apply to acne-prone areas twice a day.
54. Hair Growth Oil – Placing one to two drops of carrot essential oil to your hairbrush daily before brushing will help promote healthy hair growth.
55. Anti-Aging – Mix one to two drops of either almond, rosemary or lavender essential oils to your night cream and apply daily.
56. Perfume – Use one to two drops of jasmine, lavender, or vanilla essential oils on your wrist for a natural perfume. Cypress and clove essential oils are good options for men.
57. Shampoo – Combine lavender and rosemary essential oils to coconut milk and aloe vera gel to make a homemade shampoo that will last for two to four week. Use as a regular shampoo.
58. Freshen Breath – A single drop of peppermint essential oil works as a natural way to freshen your breath.
59. Deodorant – Coconut oil combined with beeswax and your choice of essential oil can be used as a natural deodorant.
60. Wrinkle Reducer – Add 4 to 6 drops each of geranium, sandalwood, lavender and frankincense essential oils to an unscented facial cream. Apply to face daily, avoiding the eyes.
61. Prevent Hair Loss – Combining your choice of burdock root, ginger, lavender, rosemary, thyme or yarrow essential oils can be mixed with a carrier oil and applied to your hair to reduce thinning.
62. Sugar Scrub – Make a homemade sugar scrub, which is economical and effective. Simply add 4 drops of your favorite essential oils and 4 drops of vitamin E or jojoba oil to ½ a cup of sugar and mix together.
Use as an exfoliant for the face and body to scrub away dead skin cells.
63. Thicken Hair – Adding a few drops of rosemary to your favorite shampoo with help to naturally add volume to your hair and thicken it.
64. Relieve Dry Scalp – Place a few drops of lavender, Cedarwood or basil essential oils to your shampoo to moisturize your scalp and reduce itching.
65. Treat Dandruff – Add 5 drops of rosemary and lavender essential oils to 3 tablespoons of jojoba oil. Blend well, and massage into the scalp, let sit for 10 minutes, then shampoo as usual.
Repeat weekly.
66. Reduce Age Spots – Massage frankincense oil directly on sunspots and age spots three times a day to lighten them.
67. Reduce Stretch Marks – Combine 5 drops each of myrrh, grapefruit, and frankincense essential oils into coconut oil and apply to stretch marks daily to reduce their appearance.
68. Hair Detangling Spray – In a spray bottle, combine eight ounces of distilled water, one teaspoon of aloe vera gel, two drops of glycerin, and five drops each of lavender and rosemary essential oils. Spray onto hair as needed.
69. Baby Shampoo – Combine two ounces of Castile baby soap, one-teaspoon jojoba oil, and 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice. Use as a gentle option to wash baby’s hair and skin.
70. Deep Hair Conditioner – Combine 8 drops of an essential oil of your choice, lavender has a great scent, with three tablespoons of coconut oil and one tablespoon of olive oil. Allow to sit on your hair for fifteen minutes. Rinse, shampoo, and style as desired.
71. Toothpaste – Make a homemade toothpaste with a mixture of sea salt, coconut oil, baking soda, and peppermint essential oil.
72. Goodbye Cellulite – To help reduce the appearance of cellulite, combine 7 drops of grapefruit essential oil with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and massage into affected areas.
73. Eczema Relief – A mixture of lavender oil and Shea butter is an effective treatment for eczema, psoriasis, and red dry skin.
74. Tinted Lip Balm – Combine 25 drops of your favorite essential oil with three tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of beeswax, one tablespoon each of jojoba oil and beetroot powder and you will have a naturally tinted lip balm.
75. Serum For Firmer Skin – Combine one and a half tablespoons of aloe vera gel, one teaspoon of strong coffee, two drops of cypress essential oil and one teaspoon of witch hazel. Apply this treatment to your face every morning.
76. Hand Soap – Combine a few drops of your favorite essential oil with five parts water and one part liquid castile soap and place in a foaming hand dispenser.
77. Homemade Hand Sanitizer – Combine 6 drops of lavender and 25 drops of tea tree essential oils with 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil and 8 ounces of aloe vera gel, it’s fine to use gel directly from the plant.
78. Herbal Bath Salts – Add 20 to 30 drops of your favorite essential oils to one cup of Epsom salts and ½ cup of natural sea salt. Place in a glass container with a tight fitting lid. Add ½ cup to each warm bath.
Homemade Remedies With Essential Oils
Because essential oils come from plants, they are one of the most natural ways to treat common ailments. If you don’t like taking chemical cocktails for remedies to treat things like stuffy nose, nausea, or menstrual cramps, trying essential oils might be right up your alley.
There’s so much they can do so try these out and you just might find your new go-to solution when you’ve been chomped by too many mosquitoes or have a hangover.
79. Homemade Vapor Rub – Combine 1/2 a cup of coconut oil with about ten drops of eucalyptus oil and fifteen drops of peppermint essential oil. Apply to the chest as needed.
80. Get Rid Of Head Lice – Mix 3 drops each of lavender, thyme, and eucalyptus essential oils with a carrier oil, like jojoba or avocado oil and message into the scalp.
Put on a shower cap and let sit for thirty minutes. Shampoo out, and comb out nits and bugs from hair with a fine toothcomb.
81. Cure Nausea – To ease nausea, breath in peppermint oil through your nose. You can also apply peppermint oil to your neck and upper chest to alleviate nausea.
82. Relieve Menstrual Cramps – Combine 2 drops each of clary sage, basil, or rosemary essential oil with ½ cup of jojoba or avocado carrier oil.
Massage the oil mixture into your abdomen, then cover with a towel soaked in warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. Repeat as needed throughout the day.
83. Insomnia – Diffuse chamomile or lavender oil in your bedroom, add a few drops to a hot pre-sleep bath, or place a few drops on your pillow.
84. Open Airways – Inhale the vapor of lavender and eucalyptus oils mixed with hot water to open the airways when you have congestion, a cold, or flu or really, anytime you wish to open airway passages and breathe better.
85. Disinfect Cuts – Dilute lavender or tea tree essential oils one to one in a carrier oil and use to disinfect cuts and scrapes.
86. Reduce Fever – Add equal parts of frankincense, peppermint, and sage to a warm bath. As an alternative, mix the same oils into lukewarm water and sponge onto feverish skin to reduce the fever.
87. Loosen Stiff Joints – Gently massage one teaspoon of a carrier oil mixed with a couple of drops of vetiver essential oil into stiff joints to encourage movement.
88. Cough Reducer – Mix three drops of eucalyptus and two drops of rosemary essential oil with one teaspoon of a carrier oil. Massage the mixture over the chest, back, throat and sinus area to relieve a cough.
89. Help Health Broken Bones – Apply fir and cypress essential oils to the area of a broken bone to support healing.
90. Heal Burns – Combine lavender essential oil and aloe vera to treat minor burns. Apply liberally to burned area.
91. Reduce Bug Bite Itch – Apply lavender essential oil to bug bites to help reduce the itch.
92. Boost Digestive Health – Clove oil taken with meals helps reduce digestive discomfort as it contains 95% eugenol that fights various fungal over growths that can disrupt healthy digestive function.
It also helps relax the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract to prevent gas, bloating, nausea and diarrhea, bloating, and gas.
Clove oil is antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial so it can help kill pathogens that play a key role in digestive problems.
93. Treat Bruises – Add five drops each of lavender and frankincense to four ounces of hot water and soak a cloth in the mixture. Apply the cloth to the bruised area.
94. Teeth Grinding – Massage 1 to 3 drops of lavender oil to the bottom of the feet and behind the ears before bed to reduce teeth grinding in your sleep.
95. Hangovers – To alleviate the symptoms of a hangover, take a warm bath with 5 drops each of Cedarwood, lavender, rosemary, juniper berry, and lemon essential oils.
96. Treat Cold Sores – Lavender is antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal as well as a natural pain reliever and an anti-itch remedy. Apply one drop to a cold sore as soon as you notice it forming to help heal the cold sore. Apply as needed.
97. Treat Ear Aches – Add 1 drop of lavender and chamomile essential oils to warmed olive oil and blend well, drop some of the mixture to a cotton ball and place on the outer ear canal.
Add the rest of the mixture to another cotton ball and rub the external area behind the ear.
98. Treat Tendonitis – To help ease the pain from tendonitis, massage in a mixture of 3 tablespoons of a carrier oil, 5 drops of peppermint oil, 4 drops each of rosemary and eucalyptus oils, 8 drops of chamomile oil, and 3 drops of lavender oil.
99. Relieve Arthritis Pain – Add 2 drops of rosemary oil, 1 drop of lavender oil and 2 drops of chamomile oil to 1 to 2 tablespoons of Jojoba oil or any one of your favorite carrier oils. Or you could use CBD oil. Click this link to look into “What is CBD Oil?”
Massage the oil onto the area that hurts, and then place a warm towel over the area for 10 minutes.
100. Treat Neuralgia – First, apply an ice pack to numb the pain. Then massage the following mixture into the affected area: two drops of rosemary oil, one drop each of peppermint, chamomile, and lavender oils and one teaspoon of a carrier oil.
101. Allergy Relief – Rub one drop each of frankincense and lavender on your palms and inhale deeply. This will relieve itchy eyes and throat.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know all the amazing things essential oils can do for you and so many ways you can use them, you can try them out to better your life. From cleaning your home to cleansing your spirit, and from beauty products to home remedies, you’ll find you can enrich your life with the calming, invigorating and revitalizing properties that essential oils can bring.
Wow, so many great ideas, I want to try them all. I use them mainly for fun but this looks useful. I did try it for the laundry, works great with patchouli, the scent stays for at least a week!