How To Use Essential Oils- Essential Oils Guide

Essential oils ain’t just for sniffin’! Although smelling (inhaling) essential oils is an extremely effective way to get all the benefits of essential oils there are two other ways they can be used.

1. Inhale (aka sniff)-

Most people are familiar with essential oils in reference to aromatherapy and for good reason. Aromatherapy has been proven to be a highly effective treatment for many issues and has been extensively researched so there are a lot of statistics to support it. When inhaling, essential oil molecules deliver their benefits by entering directly into the blood stream through the lungs and affecting the brain through the olfactory nerves in the nasal cavity. This means that essential oils hit the brain and go to work fast (within 22 seconds)!

There are several ways to inhale an essential oil (always remember to breathe in slowly to inhale as much of the oil as possible no matter which method you use)!

• Simply smell the essential oil directly from the bottle (start off slowly with the bottle held away from the nose then move it closer)

• place a few drops of oil in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together in a clockwise motion, then place both hands over your mouth and nose to inhale (just make sure not to cover your eyes because the essential oils are highly concentrated and may cause eye irritation)

• Breathe in through the use of a no heat ultrasonic diffuser (This is a great way to disperse the oils into the air to cover a large area, just make sure to get the correct kind of diffuser. The heat from some diffusers can cause the oils to change chemically and thus make them ineffective).

2. Apply Topically (aka on the skin)

You can apply essential oils directly to the skin on any areas that are of concern.
Your feet are the best place to start when you first begin using essential oils topically because they have large pores, which means the body will absorb them more quickly and do their job healing your body. Behind the ears or on your wrists are other places that have a quick absorption rate. But, you can also apply essential oils to any area. (Note: if an oil is hot feeling or causes any itching, apply coconut oil or vegetable to the area to dilute it.) When using this method it takes the oil 2-3 minutes to enter the blood stream.

3. Take Internally (aka swallow)

Many people don’t realize that pure essential oils can be ingested (taken by mouth). (Caution- never ingest an oil that isn’t 100% pure therapeutic grade!) Placing one drop of oil on or under your tongue gets the oil into your body system quickly. Some oils are a bit spicy or are strong in taste so another great way to ingest them is by placing the oil in a vegetable capsule with a bit of coconut oil or any vegetable oil. Placing a few drops of an essential oil in your food or drink is another way to ingest but will cause a change in the taste of whatever you add it to.

Any way you choose to use them… smelling, applying directly to the skin or ingesting, pure quality essential oils are a great natural way to support a healthy body.