Hello my friends!
I hope you have all been finding effective and unique ways to use your oils this winter to help keep your body cleansed of germs and sickness!
I was feeling inspired to throw together a quick list of tips for you on some different ways to use your oils. To begin, as I’m sure you all know, there are three main ways that we use essential oils. We either use them topically on our skin, aromatically in the air through a diffuser or breathing them in, and the third way is internally. Keeping this in mind, I want to give you a few tools for using oils these three ways!
1. Aromatically
Balance Grounding Blend is one of my favorite oils to use aromatically, I always keep it in my purse! It’s a mixture of frankincense and some relaxing “tree” oils. I put it in my hands, rub them together, and breathe it in. When using a diffuser, I start with one or two drops depending on how big the room is and how much you love the smell. Sometimes I do as many as five to six drops! If I’m combining multiple oils in a diffuser, for example, I might do two drops of Wild Orange, two drops of Citrus Bliss, two drops of Peppermint (an equal amount of each). Aromatic is the recommended way to go if you’re looking to use oils for things like balancing your moods and emotions.
2. Topically
Although doTERRA offers many of their essential oils in Touch form, meaning they come in a roller bottle, I love to make my own!
I take an empty 10 mL roller bottle that comes with the roller-ball top piece (they kind of remind me of old school lip balms), then using the essential oils of my choice, I combine anywhere from five to twenty drops of each oil.
A 5 mL roller bottle takes about 80 drops to fill all the way up, so a 10 mL bottle needs about 160 drops. (Yes, I know… that is quite a bit!) Now, because we are using this to roll the oils onto our skin, the important step is to top off the mixture with a fixed carrier oil to dilute it, and I personally recommend using Fractionated Coconut Oil.
Fractionated coconut oil is different than the coconut oil we cook with. Fractionated means that the molecules have been broken up so that they are liquid at room temperature. You can also use olive oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, or pretty much any nut oil or vegetable oil you have around the house!
Roller bottles are great for spreading your oils over a larger area of skin. I also love this method because it helps extend the life of your oils to last for a longer period of time!
I want to take a moment to touch on the important of diluting oils that we use topically. Essential oils don’t have any fat in them, which means they are not lipohilic. When mixing them with a lipid-based substance (such as fractionated coconut oil or another type of oil) the substance will actually extend the distribution time and hold the essential oil onto your skin longer without evaporating super quickly.
It’s also an important step for those of us with sensitive skin. When using on children, on aged, mature skin, or when using oils that contain spices, like On Guard, Cinnamon Bark, or even Peppermint, some people find those spices to cause sensitivity issues if applied directly to the skin.
3. Internally
One great way to utilize essential oils internally is by using a tool called veggie capsules. All you have to do is buy some empty veggie capsules, which doTERRA sells, open them up, and drop your oils inside! For example, I might place a few drops of On Guard, Oregano, and Lemon, and I might even add a little bit of honey as well to dilute it. Then you simply close it up and it’s ready for taking! Keep in mind, these are designed to be taken immediately after you make them. You don’t want to store them in your purse or throw them into a bag, they will leak! Also, make sure to check the labels on the essential oils that you are using to confirm that they can be used internally. I like to use this method if I feel like I might be coming down with something!
Of course another common way to use essential oils internally is to add them to your tea, water, or recipes! Check out my blog on Cooking with Essential Oils, where I talk more about this!
Lastly, I want to take a moment to highlight a really great family of products.
Deep Blue (or the roll-on version Deep Blue Touch) is for pain relief in your muscles and joints. If you work out a lot or if you are an athlete and you experience a lot of inflammation, it comes in a Rub Form! If you are interested in using something for pain internally, there is Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex. It has ingredients like frankincense, ginger, and tumeric, all in a little capsule. I like to take these for headaches, joint pain, broken bones, and for strenuous exercise. They are safe to consume daily or else just as needed!
My rule of thumb for these three uses of essential oils (Aromatically, Topically, and Internally): Apply the oil as close to the source as possible! Click To Tweet
What questions do you have for me? Are you using your oils yet? What have been your favorites? I can’t wait to hear from you!
Kathi