Uses for Essential Oils
Essential Oils
have been used for thousands of years in various cultures for medicinal and health purposes. Essential oil uses range from aromatherapy, household cleaning products, personal beauty care and natural medicine treatments.
The particles in Essential Oils
come from distilling or extracting the different parts of plants, including the flowers, leaves, bark, roots, resin and peels. In ancient times, essential oils were made by soaking the plants in oil and then filtering the oil through a linen bag.
Essential oil benefits come from their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. These healing oils are rapidly growing in popularity because they act as natural medicine with no, or few, side effects.
WORDS OF CAUTION: While Essential Oils have many health and therapeutic uses, benefits, qualities and properties, caution should be taken before their use. They can cause harm to the body (externally and internally) if used improperly or by those sensitive to their affects (allergic reactions). Do your own, personal, research before using them (or not). Cautions will be advised throughout this document.
What You Need to Know About Allergic Reaction to Essential Oils
Essential Oil Safety as Flavorings
See Also:
101 Essential Oil Uses & Benefits
Essential Oil Blend for Varicose & Spider Vein Treatment [Link 1] [Link 2]
My Personal Recipes
Survival Uses For Peppermint Oil
Essential Oil Daily Use Guide - The Kings Medicine Cabinet
Essential Oils To Instantly Relieve Pain & How To Use Them
Essential Oil Use Chart for Aromatherapy
Dental Care
Deodorant
Insect & Pest Repellent
Shaving
Search for other uses of Essential Oils
Flavoring Water & Foods:
Baking flavors can be enhanced using Essential Oils (EOs). Keep Essential Oils safety in mind and that they should be fully dispersed and distributed in the recipe because, as a general rule, oils tend to separate from other liquids (especially water).Water is the essential element of life but it's a bit bland to drink. And sugary drinks or flavored water (even large quantities of carbonated/seltzer/sparkling water) can have negative impact on the body.
CAUTIONS: There are mixed opinions about using Essential oils in drinking water, or taking internally, so do your research (including links below) before you partake. This flavoring method may be OK for some and not for others. As mentioned above, EOs do not mix with water and create a film or droplets of pure oil on top of the water bringing your lips in direct contact with the oil which may cause discomfort or an allergic reaction.
For those who are not affected by allergic reactions to EOs, adding 1-2 drops of your favorite Essential oil(s) (and, maybe, some real fruit) may be a great way to flavor a glass of water, giving it a crisp and refreshing flavor or a floral, herbal flavor that you would get from tea. Essential oils can also provide health benefits in the correct dose and application. You may also save some money and trips to the store to buy bottled flavored water. Here are some of the most popular water Essential Oil flavorings:
Grapefruit
Lemon
Lime
Orange (or Wild Orange)
Ginger
Peppermint
Spearmint
Basil
Tangerine
Lavender
Suggested Readings:
5 Best Essential Oils to Flavor Water
TOP 5 ESSENTIAL OILS FOR DRESSING UP YOUR WATER
Best Essential Oils for Internal Use with Water
Designing Fragrances
From: https://doterrablog.com/whats-in-your-perfume-or-cologne/ and https://www.deancoleman.org/commonoils.htmIf you are interested in making your own cologne/perfume blend, here are a few basics of perfumery to get you started:
There are top, middle, and base notes (or scent characteristics) to perfumes. Below explains what each note is and essential oils that can be classified in each category.
Top Note: Essential Oils
that are classified as top notes normally evaporate very fast and typically have anti-viral properties. They tend to be light, fresh and uplifting in nature and are usually inexpensive. Top notes are highly volatile, fast acting, and give the first impression of the blend. However, they are not very long lasting.
Middle Note: The bulk of Essential Oils
are considered middle notes and normally give body to the blend and have a balancing effect. The aroma of middle notes are not always immediately evident and may take a couple of minutes to establish their scent. They are normally warm and soft fragrances.
Base Note: Essential Oils
that are classified as base notes are normally very heavy and their fragrance is very solid. It will be present for a long time and slows down the evaporation of the other oils. These fragrances are normally intense and heady. They are normally rich and relaxing in nature and are typically the most expensive of all oils.
Fixatives: Commercial perfumes contain fixatives, intended to reduce the evaporation rate of the more volatile ingredients. Natural fixatives include ambergris
, civet (civetone)
and musk,
all of which have an odor of their own, and may be included in the base notes of the perfume.
This chart shows the typical classification and can be used in combining scents.
Notes |
Notes |
Notes |
| Basil
(Top to Middle) |
Bay | Balsam Peru |
| Bergamot (Top to Middle) |
Black Pepper | Cassia
(Base to Middle) |
| Cajuput | Cardamom | Cedarwood |
| Cinnamon | Chamomile | Cinnamon
(Base to Middle) |
| Clary
Sage (Top to Middle) |
Cypress | Clove |
| Coriander (Top to Middle) |
Fennel (Middle to Top) |
Frankincense |
| Eucalyptus | Geranium | Ginger
(Base to Middle) |
| Grapefruit | Ho Leaf | Jasmine |
| Hyssop
(Top to Middle) |
Ho Wood | Myrrh |
| Lemon | Hyssop
(Middle to Top) |
Neroli
(Base to Middle) |
| Lemongrass (Top to Middle) |
Juniper | Oakmoss |
| Lime | Lavender
(Middle to Top) |
Patchouli |
| Mandarin
/ Tangerine |
Marjoram | Rose |
| Neroli
(Top to Middle) |
Melissa (Middle to Top) |
Rosewood
(Base to Middle) |
| Verbena | Myrtle | Sandalwood |
| Niaouli | Nutmeg | Valerian |
| Orange | Palma Rosa | Vanilla |
| Peppermint | Pine | Vetiver |
| Petitgrain | Rosemary | Ylang
Ylang (Base to Middle) |
| Ravensara | Spikenard | |
| Sage | Yarrow | |
| Spearmint | ||
| Tagetes | ||
| Tangerine | ||
| Tea
Tree (Top to Middle) |
||
| Thyme
(Top to Middle) |
Materials Needed:
- Top, middle, and base note essential oils of your choice.
- Glass bottle to hold perfume mixture. (You can find different bottle choices at online retailers. Some bottle options include a spray bottle, glass vial, or roll-on vial).
- Carrier oil (dōTERRA fractionated coconut oil is recommended for best results but you could also use jojoba oil or a high proof alcohol).
- Dropper for carrier oil. (Here is one option).
- Pen and paper to record drop amounts.
Instructions:
- Starting with your base note essential oil, put a few drops in the glass bottle. Record number of drops on paper.
- Next use your middle note essential oil and put desired drops in the glass bottle. Smell as you go along and add more if you want the middle note to be stronger. Record number of drops on paper.
- Drop your top note essential oils into the glass bottle. Smell and adjust your perfume to your desired fragrance, add more base or middle notes if needed. Record number of drops on paper.
- Once you have the essential oil blend as you would like it, multiply the drops in the glass bottle by 4 to calculate the total amount of carrier oil drops (or alcohol) to add next. For example, if you did 10 base note drops, 10 middle note drops, and 10 high note drops then you have 30 drops of essential oil. Multiply the 30 drops by 4 to get the amount of drops of carrier oil you need to add. In this case it would be 120 drops (30 x 4 = 120). Use your dropper for the carrier oil and put the correct amount of drops into the glass bottle.
- Let the blend mature for 2-4 days before using. You can still adjust and add oils to your perfume after this “perfume maturing” stage to get your desired results.
Tips:
- Start with a small sample of your fragrance first so you can use it as a sample. If you like it, take your recorded drop amounts and multiply them to produce a larger amount of the fragrance.
- There are no exact recipes when it comes to perfumes because you can add more or less of whatever note to get your desired fragrance. This is where you can have fun and experiment with your own unique scent.
- You can have more than one type of note in your mixture. For example, your mixture could include 3 different top notes, 2 different middle notes, and 2 different base notes. Do what smells right to you.
- Apply perfume to skin rather than clothes. For best results, apply on wrists.
- For a body mist, add 5-10 drops of essential oil to 4 ounces of water and shake well.
Have fun! Experiment and find the mixture that belongs to you.
Broken Capillaries and Varicose Veins: Certain essential oils such as chamomile, cypress, geranium, lemon, neroli, palmarosa, peppermint, rose and rosemary help restore elasticity to blood vessels and diminish the redness on the surface of the skin.
Facial Oil for Broken Capillaries:
•1 ounce jojoba oil (as a base)
•½ ounce rose hip seed oil
•10 drops borage oil
•4 drops cypress oil
•3 drops lemon oil
•2 drops palmarosa oil
Mix the jojoba and rose hip see oils together in a clean container, add the essential oils and gently turn the container upside down a few times or roll it between your hands to blend. Apply the mixture to the affected area once or twice a day.
Other options:
Witch Hazel (as a base)
Rosemary oil
Lavender oil
Carrot oil
Spinach oil
Geranium oil
Grapefuit oil
Sandalwood oil
Parsley oil
Fragrance Ideas:
Mix #1: peppermint, lavender, sandalwood.
This scent is fresh, refreshing, clean, and has a hint of musk.
Mix #2: Citrus Bliss, fennel, vetiver.
This scent is woodsy, sweet, and citrusy.
Mix #3: cassia, cypress, vetiver.
This is a very sweet and spicy scent.
Mix #4: basil, lavender, ylang ylang.
This is a fresh and floral scent.
Mix #5: Orange
and Clove
.
For Men. A woman's reaction to what might have been the same after trying their first bite of chocolate.
Mix #6: Cedarwood
(10 drops), Sweet Orange
(10 drops), Cade
or Birch Tar
(5 drops) for the camp fire like scent.
For Men. This scent is a mix of camp fire and orange. The Cade (or Birch Tar) is very strong and smells similar to liquid smoke. The Cedar brings the Cade a more wood smell and the orange lightly sweetens it.
See Also:
Personal Care Alternatives
Survival Medicine