4 Essential Oil Must-Haves For Your Home

Let's talk more about essential oils today. If you missed Part 1 - How To Use Essential Oils, make sure to check it out first. Before I tell you about some of my favorite oils and their uses, let me just say that it is important to make sure you are using high quality, therapeutic-grade oils that are in a dark glass container to keep the light from affecting them. Also, as I said in Part 1, use caution when applying oils.

Alrighty, with that said, here are some of my favorites:

Lavender - Lavender is so versatile and so very gentle that it can be used by almost anyone. It is especially great for supporting healing skin irritations or cuts. I really love the smell too. It has a sweet and calming scent, and I love it to put a little on my neck as a natural fragrance. Here are some more uses:

• rub a drop on your palms, bottoms of feet, or smooth on your pillow to support sleep

• add a few drops to a dryer ball to make clean clothes smell amazing

• rub on dry or chapped skin

• use 2-4 drops as deodorant

• put a few drops on a wet cloth and throw it into the dryer to scent clothes, deodorize and freshen the laundry

• apply 2-3 drops to a rash to support healthy skin 

• diffuse in a room or put a drop on a diffuser necklace to support calmness in stressful situations

Lemon - Lemon is so fresh and energizing. I love even just opening my bottle and taking a deep breath of it for a pick me up! The one thing you do have to be careful about with lemon is that you don't want to put it on any skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight within 72 hours. Here are my fave uses:

• Add 1 drop to your glass of water to give it a nice zing

• Rub a drop on a cutting board to cleanse bacteria

• Add 2-3 drops to water and spray counters to disinfect

• Diffuse it to give you a great mood boost

• add to a drop of honey to soothe a cough or sore throat

• apply directly to cold sores for relief

• remove gum, label stickers, and greasy messes from fabric

Peppermint - Peppermint is well known for soothing digestive problems. It has also been studied for it's ability to improve concentration and trigger your sense of fullness after meals. We like the sound of that, right? Here are more uses:

• Rub a drop on temples, forehead or back of neck for headache relief (this is my favorite remedy for headaches)

• Place a drop on the tongue and inhale into the nose and sinuses to relieve congestion from a cold

• Place a couple drops in a cup of hot water and enjoy in place of coffee

• Mix in footbath to relieve sore feet  

• Rub on your stomach or feet to calm upset stomach

• Diffuse during a meal to help you feel full

• Add to shampoo or conditioner for a stimulating hair and scalp massage

Tea Tree - This is another favorite of mine, which we use a lot in my household. Tea Tree is another good one for skin conditions. Here's more:

• put a couple drops in your shampoo to help with dandruff

• put a little on a cut, burn, or insect bites to support healthy skin

• add 2 drops to a bit of carrier oil and spread on eczema

• dab a drop on skin blemishes to support healthy skin 

• combine a few drops with a carrier oil and use to support healthy skin for athlete's foot and eczema

• use combined with salt to scrub your bath or bathroom tiles

These are just four of my favorite essential oils. There are many more out there, and they are a great way to clean, disinfect, and help heal our body naturally, while being safe for our families and the environment! I would love to hear how you use essential oils and which are your favorite. Share, share, share!!

Also, check out:

Essential Oil Q+A: How and Why to Use Them

What is Aromatherapy

The Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils

Let me know if I can answer more of your questions or guide you in your essential oil journey. I am here to help! If you would like to be added to a free, educational resource full of people sharing how they use oils, ask to join the Apothecary Society. It is one of my favorite places to go to get ideas about how others are using their oils and what they love about them. Everyone is so positive and helpful. I just love it! (And no, nobody will be trying to sell you anything!) You can tell them that I (Cara Nitz) sent you over.