How I Use My Essential Oils
By Julie B Yoga, Max Benjamin Wellness Ambassador
I have been using essential oils for years to add scent to a room and also to help with sleep, anxiety and keeping me calm. There are so many different essential oils to choose from and this can cause confusion but the most important thing when choosing an essential oil is to find a scent you love. Different oils carry different associated benefits but for me if I don’t like the smell I’m not likely to use them very often anyway and it defeats the purpose of the oil.
As with any scent it is a very personal choice- different scents evoke different feelings, emotions and memories in us all – which I find fascinating. As with choosing a candle to light or a perfume it is often determined by the setting or the mood we are in. The same is true for essential oils.
Before we look at some of the ways to use essential oils it’s important to remember… A little goes a long way.
Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants- they carry the plants scent or ‘essence’ and with that the natural properties of the plant. They can smell quite strong and intense when smelling them from the bottle so I highly recommend dropping a drop or two onto your skin or into water to get a better sense of the scent. When using your essential oils you can dilute them down by adding a few drops to water or carrier oil such as coconut oil or olive oil.
I use my essential oils in a number of ways:
To Fragrance A Room
We all know that feeling of walking into a room that smells divine- it has an instant calming and mood lifting effect. I use essential oils to fragrance various rooms in my house and also when I’m teaching in studios or clients houses to really help create a welcoming and relaxing space.
You can add a few drops of your chosen oil:
- to your Happy Pod diffuser
- to an oil burner
- to some water in a spray bottle to make a room spray
- some radiators have a little valves at the top where you can add a few drops so that when the radiator is on the heat diffuses the scent in the room.
On Your Body
Remember to dilute with water or add to a carrier oil
- In the bath: Add 5 drops into a warm bath this works any time of the day but I particularly love doing this before bed and choose a relaxing scent of lavender or chamomile to help me wind down before settling in for the evening.
- Temples: massage around your temples at any time of the day to help you relax and de-stress, lavender or chamomile are wonderful choices. It can be particularly nice just before bed to help you wind down before getting into bed.
- Chest: rub your oil of choice on your chest to work wonders if you have congestion or a stubborn cough, eucalyptus or juniper are really good for this.
- Stomach: if you are having digestive issues apply the essential oil onto your stomach and gently massage in. Peppermint or chamomile are wonderful for this and can really help to calm a nervous tummy, ease nausea and aid with digestion.
- Feet: if you are into reflexology you will know the feet represent different areas of the body but you don’t have to be an expert or reflexologist to use essential oils on your feet. Rub your oil of onto your feet to sooth and heal throughout the body. Some very popular scents for this are lavender, bergamot and tea tree.
- Hands: add some of your essential oil onto your hands and rub your hands together for about 30seconds then place them just under your nose, close your eyes and take some long slow deep breaths. I often do this with lavender or my new favourite is the Max Benjamin bergamot & lime.
Essential oils are a key part of my daily self care routine – but as with anything new it’s important to find what works best for you. Whether it’s letting them diffuse through a room in a burner or diffuser whilst you take 5minutes to find some headspace and check in on you or using them for some self massage on your temples to help you unwind after a busy day what matters is it makes you feel good.
