Earlier this year I started using essential oils because I began to get restless right before bed and wanted some aromatherapy to help me fall asleep. I bought a diffuser and a nighttime blend, and began to feel less fidgety.
This post is not sponsored! After my sleep experiment worked, I became interested in how to use essential oils and wanted to learn more about them. So, I emailed Saje Wellness to give me the 411 on all things essential oils. I learned so much that I decided I wanted to share my knowledge to anyone who might be newer, like me, to the essential oil game. In this post I’ll talk about how to use essential oils and ingredients to look for based on your concern. Think of this as Essential Oils 101.
The Rundown
There are a couple of basics on how to use essential oils. Nature is pretty cool, and different ingredients and scents help with different things. You can buy essential oils in single notes and play scientist on your own by mixing and matching based on your concern. Or, you can let the pros take out the guesswork and buy pre-made blends.
There is also actually a difference in the type of essential oil you buy. Diffusing is the most common use for essential oils. These oils are more sensory and help to calm, rejuvenate, etc. Diffuser oils are more potent and not made to go on the body because they do not have base oils.
Base oils are what make essential oils safe to go on skin. These of course, can’t go in the diffuser. They help with more physical things such as a headache, upset stomach, and even muscle tension, and absorb into the body upon contact.
Diffuser Uses
Diffuser scents and blends contribute to different things, but I found the best way to diffuse and not get overwhelmed is to think about what your want out of your day. We wake up, we go to work, and then we go to bed.
I like to have 3 scents at any time that help to: wake up or revitalize, focus, and calm down or relax.
Once you narrow down what you’re looking for, then you can select different scents based on the above. Want to wake up with a woodsy scent? There’s an essential oil for that. Hate woodsy smells and would rather wake up to bright citrus? Done.
BONUS: You can also use a diffuser without any oils, as it acts much like a purifier. The water released from a diffuser contains negatively charged ions, which basically acts as a magnet to attract dirt, dropping it to the ground to clean your air.
How to Use Essential Oils for Health Uses
I was equally surprised and delighted to find that you can use essential oils beyond aromatherapy. If you are looking for plant-based alternatives for common health issues, here are my favorite use cases:
Cough suppressant – Menthol (think Vick’s VapoRub) helps to temporarily stop coughs in a more natural way.
Gut health – Instead of reaching for Tums, try fennel, peppermint, and chamomile oils, then rub on your belly. Fun fact: our digestive system moves in a clockwise motion, so rub the oils in the same direction to work with your body rather than against it.
Stress and headaches – While peppermint aids in digestive issues, it’s also great for headaches. When applied around your hairline and on shoulders, it can have an IcyHot sensation that goes on room temperature, then cools for relief.
A really cool thing Saje Wellness has (again, not sponsored) is a little thing called Pocket Farmacy. It contains 5 little rollers that aid in every day issues such as the above. I thought this was so cool, and great for travel (or if you’re just sick of pounding Advil with every headache).
Common Ingredients
If you’re looking at single notes and not sure where to begin, try starting with these common scents. Use a single note at first, then try experimenting my mixing complementary ones as you see fit.
Revitalizing and uplifting – Bergamot, eucalyptus, tea tree, lemongrass, peppermint, and/or citrus
Calming and soothing – Lavender, rose, geranium, chamomile, frankincense, sandalwood, ylang ylang, and/or sage
