Essential oils are used for their healing powers for centuries. They can help you sleep better, manage stress and anxiety, ease headaches and other aches and pains, alleviate coughs and colds, and even fix skin conditions. Think of a problem and there will probably be an essential oil that can help treat it.

But if your experience of essential oils has only been limited to inhaling the scent of a lavender sachet or indulging in an aromatherapy massage at a spa, how can you best use them yourself?

Essential oils enter the body primarily in three ways – applied to the skin, inhaled, or ingested. Within each of these, there are many different kinds of application methods. For example, you can apply essential oils topically using compresses, sprays, baths, or massaging them into the skin.

So, if you’re undecided how best you would like to experience the many health benefits, here’s a beginners guide to all the best ways you can use essential oils for aromatherapy, on your skin and body, and in food.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There are more than 200 different molecules in essential oils. All their effectiveness of essential oils lies in the ease with which they penetrate the body. When they are used in massage or orally, the fine molecules that compose them easily pass the barrier of the skin or tissues to reach the blood circulation and then the target organs. When inhaled, the volatile molecules contained in the oils reach the olfactory receptors of the brain in a few seconds to transmit the information to them.

According to the principles of aromatherapy, this is how they work:

by informational activity: the scent of essential oils acts on the brain by triggering psychological and physiological reactions.

by biochemical activity: the biochemical receptors of our body capture the molecules of essential oils, which leads to a therapeutic action;

by energy activity: essential oils exchange electrons with the environment in which they are found, which modifies energy flows;

AROMATHERAPY: HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS BY INHALING

By far the most common way people use an essential oil is just by breathing it in. It’s a simple and straightforward method for the oil to be quickly absorbed into your system and become effective almost immediately.

When you breathe in an essential oil, the evaporating micro particles very quickly reach the part of your brain that controls your emotions and behavior.

So, no matter whether you’re using an essential oil for calming and inducing sleep, or to refresh and revive your body and mind, inhaling it is one of the most powerful ways to get results.

USING ESSENTIAL OIL IN A DIFFUSER

A diffuser is a safe and very effective way to use essential oils to scent a room and create a harmonious and relaxing aura anywhere in your home. But it can also be used to disperse stale odours, clear a blocked nose and ease an irritating cough. Its uses are only limited by your needs and imagination.

The general recommendation is to diffuse roughly 3 to 5 drops of essential oil per 1 cup of water. It’s best to limit your diffusing to 15-20 minutes a time which more than enough to time to saturate a standard size room with scent molecules.

USE TIPS

Anxious or feeling down? The soothing scent of lavender can help lower your stress levels. Or try peppermint or rosemary in a diffuser to help improve your focus and sharpen your mind during the day.

INHALE FOR QUICK RELIEF

The most immediate way to experience the many benefits of essential oils is to breathe them in directly, without the need for anything extra like a diffuser.

Place an open essential oil bottle directly under your nose, and take a deep breath to inhale and enjoy. Or rub a couple of drops between your palms, cup over your nose and inhale, breathing in deeply for as long as you need. Otherwise apply a little to your temples, behind your ears or on the back of your neck for all-embracing aromatic relief.

A quick and easy way to use essential oils is to put a drop or two on a Kleenex or handkerchief to take whiff of whenever you feel like it during the day. Or you can opt for a decorative essential oil diffuser necklace or Necklace roller bottle with stone and enjoy the aroma wherever you are.

USE TIPS

Struggling to fall sleep? Inhale the relaxing scent of lavender essential oil into each nostril to quickly slip into dreamland. If you have the sniffles from a cold or hay fever, apply 2 or 3 drops of eucalyptus essential oil onto a Kleenex and inhale directly for instant relief.