You may have a favorite essential oil, but do you know all of the ways that it can be used to benefit you? The most useful essential oils have several completely different impressive and practical uses. For example, Lemon Oil can be used as an air freshener, deodorizer, dissolver of chewing gum and other gunky messes, and can also be combined with other oils to dramatically improve memory and mental clarity!
Let’s take a look at the different ways we can use essential oils.
What Are Essential Oils Used For?
In general, essential oils can be used to help the skin recover from cuts or small wounds. They can assist in inducing a deep and restful sleep if inhaled before bed. Depending on the oil, they can provide a boost to concentration and make you feel more alert and awake. Basically, there is an essential oil for everything!
Essential oils are made by extracting the ‘essence’ from a plant and using it to make an aromatic compound. Each plant is unique and therefore all the oils are distinct from one another: some by just a few molecules. However, those molecules can make all the difference in how it’s used and how it smells.
What Do You Do With Essential Oils?
First and foremost is what not to do. Do not swallow essential oils. They shouldn’t be added to a drink or food. Essential oils are almost always inhaled, or diluted with a carrier oil and then applied to the skin.
We’ll discover 15 essential oil remedies below. Try them all out and let us know what you think for yourself!
15 Impressive and Practical Uses for Essential Oils
1. Air Freshener
Let’s start with the most obvious, shall we? Essential oils smell good; that’s their entire purpose! So why not use them to freshen your home with your favorite aroma? If placing around the house, you can pick whichever scent you prefer, however, Lemon Oil is highly recommended. This is because it provides an instant mental boost and revitalizes you with each inhalation.
Essential oil air fresheners can be used in the kitchen—to clear up that old-food smell, near trash—to deodorize your garbage, or for the fridge—to eliminate any lingering odors in there. For the fridge, add around 15 drops to baking soda and leave it inside. That should remain fresh for an entire month!
2. Relieve Anxiety
One of the best uses for essential oils is to calm anxiety, relaxing the mind and body. Use Lavender Oil, Rose Oil, and/or Ylang Ylang Oil. All 3 of these can be blended together to create your own unique anxiety-cleanser, or you can pick your favorite from the 3 and use that with a carrier oil. Experiment and see what works best for you!
3. Soothe Headaches
You can use Lavender Oil and Peppermint Oil to reduce the effects of headaches and migraines. Dilute with a carrier such as a coconut oil and massage it into your forehead, temples, and neck. You can experience the benefits within mere moments. Not only does your skin absorb the helpful oils, but it lingers on your face and you inhale it at the same time.
4. Stay Alert
One of the most practical essential oil uses is to keep you alert and awake. This is particularly helpful when you’re going through a drowsy patch or have worked for a long time and need a little boost to take you over the finish line. Use Rosemary Oil to provide an instant lift in your energy.
5. Youthful Skin
An under-talked-about benefit of essential oils is the almost magical effect they have on the skin. Add a few drops of Lavender Oil to your moisturizer to see the amazing difference it can make. Many reports that their skin is left glowing afterward.
In addition to this, to tighten your pores, try adding Geranium Oil to your favorite face cream. It eliminates dead skin cells and provides firmer, brighter skin.
6. Relax Muscles
This use of essential oils is most obviously beneficial. If you’re tired or achy after sports, or just after a build-up of tension, you can apply 2 drops of Marjoram Oil to a tablespoon of your favorite carrier, then rub it into your sore muscles. You’ll feel better in no time!
7. Memory Booster
For a great memory-boosting fragrance, combine Lavender Oil, Lemon Oil, Rosemary Oil, and Cinnamon Oil. Clove Oil and Black Pepper Oil have also been shown to improve memory. Choose a few of the above aromas that you like and blend them together. You can inhale the scent or let it linger around your home or workplace as a makeshift air freshener. As always, experiment and find out what works best for you.
8. Relieve Stress
Mix Wild Orange Oil with a carrier oil and apply it to your wrist to relieve the effects of stress. If ever you find the stress building, you can inhale the vibrant scent and calm down a little. Its natural effects work almost instantly. Relaxing is almost impossible to resist after smelling the oil.
9. Restful Sleep
For achieving a long and restful sleep, mix together Peppermint Oil, Lavender Oil, and Vetiver Oil. You can mix them with a carrier and apply it topically so that you absorb the relaxing oils as you drift off. Another option is to combine them and leave the mixture on your bedside table so that the room begins to absorb the aroma and you can reassociate your bed with sleep. Making a scented candle is also a fantastic idea.
10. Relieve Congestion
If you’re feeling clogged up, one of the most impressive essential oils uses is to be able to clear your airways. Use Eucalyptus Oil, Tea Tree Oil, and Peppermint Oil to instantly free you of stuffed up sinuses. These scents are powerful and can be overwhelming at first, but breathe them in deeply to feel the full effects. It’s similar to Vicks VapoRub which has the same effect, only essential oils are natural and organic and work just as easily.
11. Healthy Hair Growth
Add Rosemary Oil to a teaspoon of your chosen carrier oil and apply it to your scalp directly after shampooing. Let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing your hair again. This oil is great for giving hair the nutrients it needs to thrive.
12. Deodorize Smelly Shoes
One of the most useful essential oils benefits, especially for those who play a lot of sports, is their prowess in deodorizing smelly shoes. You can mix Tea Tree Oil with baking soda and leave it in the shoes overnight. Baking soda helps remove any awful smells by absorbing them, whereas Tea Tree Oil helps kill bacteria and leaves the shoes smelling much better.
13. Nice Car Smell
Everybody loves that nice car smell that comes from one of those dangly air fresheners. Well, with essential oils, you can make your own! Add your favorite smelling oil to a cotton ball and either let it dangle like the traditional air fresheners, or clip it to the front of the air vents.
14. Fatigue
If you’re tired from working too much or too hard, then there’s nothing quite like a natural fragrance to perk you up. Use Wild Orange Oil and Peppermint, two strong aromas that are instant mood boosters. They’re both vibrant and powerful scents so they empower you to overcome fatigue relatively easily. However, they should not be used as a permanent solution.
15. Improve Focus
What are essential oils used for if it isn’t to boost your energy and lift your spirits? Peppermint Oil and Spearmint Oil are brilliant at enhancing the ability to concentrate and are always perfect choices for keeping a wandering mind on track. Diffuse with a carrier oil and apply it topically to provide an instant energizing boost.
