Essential Oils – Uses as Nature’s Medicine and for Beauty, Hygiene and Cleansing

1. What are essential oils?

• Nature’s defense mechanism for plants and cells!
• Pure extracts from plants
• Highly concentrated (50-70 times more powerful than herbs)
• 1 drop of peppermint essential oil = 28 cups of peppermint tea

2. Why explore nature’s solutions for your health vs. synthetics

• Addresses root problems vs. masking symptoms
• Cost effective, pennies per drop
• Available at home immediately
• No side effects (when recommended doses are used) or addictions vs. known/ unknown side effects and addictions

3. Essential Oils are effective

• Essential oils work at the cellular level and protect cells
• Impurities and threats reside on the inside and outside of cells
• Essential oils are nutrients that penetrate (diffuse into) the cell membranes and fight against threats

6 Popular Essential Oils: Uses and Benefits

Lemon  

Laundry– In case you leave your laundry sitting in the washer too long, just add a few drop of lemon EO and your clothes won’t get that nasty smell.

• Teeth Whitener– Mix lemon essential oil, baking soda and coconut oil and rub on your teeth for 2 minutes and then dense as a natural teeth whitener.
• Clean Hands– Got greasy hands from working on your car or bike and regular soap isn’t doing the trick? No worries, just add a couple drops of lemon EO with your soap and get your clean hands back!
• Natural Disinfectant– Want to steer away from alcohol and bleach to disinfect your counter tops and clean your moldy shower? Add 40 drops lemon oil and 20 drops tea tree oil to a 16-oz spray bottle fill with pure water (and a little bit of white vinegar) for a traditional cleaning favorite.
• Face-wash– Lemon essential oil uses for skin can can improve your complexion and leave your skin soft and supple.  Lemon oil benefits skin by deeply nourishing.  You can make lemon oil with baking soda and honey for a natural acne free face wash.
• Wood and Silver Polish– A lemon oil-soaked cloth will also help spruce up your tarnished silver and jewelry!  Lemon oil for wood cleaning is also great.
• Goo-Be-Gone– Un-stick the sticky goo your kids leave behind with stickers and gum with lemon oil.
• Promotes Fat-Loss and Detoxification– Putting 2 drops of lemon oil in your water 3x daily can support metabolism, weight loss and detoxification.
• Improves Mood– Diffusing lemon essential oil in the air can lift mood and fight depression.
• Immune Support– Lemon oil can support lymphatic drainage and help your overcome a cold fast, mix it with coconut oil and rub it on your neck.

Lavender                        

• Relaxes body and reduces anxiety
• Heals wounds and burns
• Reduces high blood pressure and cholesterol
• Relieves insomnia
• Heals skin disorders
• Supports hormone balance

Uses

• Rub on neck in evening to relax body and improve sleep
• Detox and relaxing bath – add lavender essential oils and Epsom salts to restore body after a challenging day
• Put on your kids cuts, scrapes, rashes, burns and wounds
• Diffuse in the air to relax and improve mood
• Take as supplement or use topically on neck to lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• Use as a natural anti-histamine to treat an allergic reaction by taking internally via capsules or a few drops on tongue

Wild Orange     

Anxiety: The aromatic use of orange can calm the nervous system and the mind. Try rubbing a drop between your hands and cupping to your nose in times of stress.

• Calming: Promote a sense of well-being by diffusing through the room or inhalation
• Confidence: Use topically over the solar plexus and lower abdomen each day, or before situations that cause self-doubt.
• Constipation: Massage 2 drops of wild orange essential oil with 2 drops of coconut oil in a clockwise rotation over the entire abdomen 2-3 times a day.
• Cooking: Add a drop to a smoothie, Chai tea or try a drop in a frosting for flavoring.
• Diarrhea: Massage into the belly counter-clockwise 2-3 times a day to ease an upset tummy
• Digestion: Add a drop to a glass of water or massage into the upper abdomen to kick start a sluggish digestive system.
• Fear: Add a drop to a shirt collar, rub through the hair, or inhale from cupped hands in times of fear, doubt, or anxiety
• Immune Support: It’s the consistent use, especially through cold season, helps to increase your immune system response. Topical or aromatic can be useful.
• Uplifting: Diffuse throughout the room or place a cotton ball with several drops in a vent for an uplifting effect, add to lotion at night, or inhale from cupped hands

Peppermint  

Pleasantly suitable for an abundance of oral and topical uses, peppermint may be the most versatile essential oil in the world. Literally, there are few issues that it can’t help.

Research has found peppermint can improve antibiotic resistance and help heal your body from the overuse of prescription antibiotics and other chemicals that effect your body.

Peppermint essential oil gives a cooling sensation and has a calming effect on the body which can relieve sore muscles when used topically. It also has antimicrobial properties so it can help freshen bad breath and soothe digestive issues.

Uses

• Mix with coconut oil and rub topically on sore muscles
• Diffuse in air to improve focus and energy
• Use on bottom of feet and chest to improve breathing and fight flu or infections
• Mix with coconut oil and baking soda for homemade toothpaste
• Put 1 drop in water to freshen breath and improve energy or add to water with lemon oil in the morning for daily detoxification.
• Take 1 drop in water to improve digestion and reduce nausea
• Improves focus, energy and concentration
• Supports digestion
• Relieves muscle aches and pain
• Fights bad breath and odor
• Improves breathing by fighting respiratory and sinus infections
• Anti-viral to fight the flu
• Reduces nausea, acid reflux and bloating

Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil)    

Well known throughout Australia for it’s ability to treat wounds, melaleuca also known as tea tree oil has powerful antiseptic properties. Melaleuca has been documented to kill many bacteria, viruses and fungi and is an essential part to anyone’s natural medicine cabinet.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found that melaleuca is “a powerful disinfectant and is non-poisonous and gentle” to the body. In 1923 Dr. A.R. Penfold found that tea tree oil was 12 times more effective at healing infections than the conventional antiseptic at that time carbolic acid.

Uses

• Mix 5 drops with 1 tbsp of raw honey and use as acne free face wash
• Apply to fungal infections such as candida, ringworm or athletes foot
• Add 5 drops to shampoo to reduce dandruff and improve scalp health
• Diffuse in the air to purify air of mold and allergens
• Gargle melaleuca essential oil and water to kick a cold or flu
• Put directly on bug, mosquito or spider bites to detox poison
• Mix 2 tsp melaleuca and water in spray bottle for all purpose cleaner (excellent for workout mats)
• Kills fungus and yeast
• Eliminates parasitic infections
• Heals gum disease
• Improves acne
• Reduces dandruff
• Cleanses poison

Eucalyptus  

Colds & Flu : Eucalyptus works as an expectorant and helps cleanse your body of toxins and harmful microorganisms that can make you feel sick. One of the most effective ways to utilize eucalyptus for colds is to drop several drops of the essential oil into your diffuser before going to sleep so you can take advantage of the healing benefits all night long.

• Hair Nourishment : A few drops eucalyptus oil with some coconut or olive oil gives your hair a nice moisturizing pick-me-up. This is especially great to ward off dandruff and an itchy scalp. Also, eucalyptus is used as a natural remedy for lice in replacement of chemical treatments.
• Sinus and Allergies : A study from NYU Medical School found that using eucalyptus was effective at treating sinusitis. Patients experienced faster improvement when supplementing with eucalyptus oil for allergies and sinus issues. The study had participants take eucalyptus oil internally, and it’s also recommended to gargle with it to clear the throat.
• Natural Home Care  : Not only does eucalyptus give a nice, fresh fragrance to your home products, but it adds vital anti-microbial properties as well. You can’t go wrong putting several drops into soap, laundry detergent, mop water and toilet cleaner.
• Air Cleanser: Try putting a few drops into your vacuum and clothes dryer filters to freshen them up and sanitize them a little. Also, it’s great for killing mold in your home, and you can mix eucalyptus with other oils like clove and tea tree oil to cleanse the air and maintain a mold-free home.
• Respiratory Problems : Eucalyptus essential oil is highly effective for treating respiratory problems, such as asthma, bronchitis, COPD, pneumonia and even tuberculosis. Using eucalyptus for asthma is a proven treatment that dilates the blood vessels and allows more oxygen into the lungs. Simply mix eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and coconut oil and put on upper chest as a home made vapor rub.

 Essential Oil Quality

This is one of the most vital things you must know about essential oils: Not all essential oils are created equal. In fact, most of them are worthless to your health and are often synthetic. Therefore, when buying essential oils, make sure they are pure therapeutic grade.