Three Ways To Use Essential Oils At Home

Essential oils are like a natural treasure chest of mood balancers, skin healers, sleep aids, immunity boosters… the list goes on. As a clinical aromatherapist, I specialise in using oils to support mental wellbeing, specifically as tools to help manage stress and anxiety.

I’m going to take you through three easy ways you can use oils at home to support your own wellbeing and find a sense of balance. I hope you enjoy them,

Jennie x

DIFFUSER

The easiest way to start using essential oils at home is in a diffuser. If you’re not familiar, they are electric versions of an oil burner but much better at dispersing oils in the air. They also have an auto-off switch so you can set them running and fall asleep without fear of burning the house down! Ideal for creating a certain atmosphere in a given space and gently shifting your mood.

How to

All you do is add a little water and then a few drops of your chosen oil/s, turn it on and that’s it.

A couple of blends you can try:

Home office – energising, mentally clearing blend
Lemon | Rosemary | Basil

Evening wind-down – relaxing pre-bed blend
Roman Chamomile | Mandarin | Lavender

I haven’t given drops for these blends because you’ll want to add more or less depending on the room size and your scent preference.

ROLLER BLEND

A more therapeutic way of using essential oils, roller blends are ideal for combining with a word / phrase of intention or adding into a daily yoga practice. Here’s a grounding blend you can try, one to reach for when you feel overwhelmed.

What you’ll need:

• 10ml rollerball bottle
• carrier oil (as the name suggests, this is to ‘carry’ the essential oils creating a safe dilution to use on the skin. I’m using sunflower oil in this blend because it’s light and absorbs well but you could use any cooking oils as long as they aren’t too strong smelling)
• essential oils (vetiver | neroli | frankincense)
• optional: vitamin e

Step 1

Add 10ml of your chosen carrier oil to the bottle

Step 2

Add up to 10 drops of your chosen oils. For this blend I suggest 3 vetiver, 3 frankincense, 4 neroli
Plus 2 drops of vitamin e if using

This is a 5% blend which is safe for small areas of skin. ALWAYS check the safety guidance for each oil before using and drop this right down to 3 drops (roughly 1%) if you have sensitive skin / are pregnant / or have other health concerns.

Step 3

Push the roller top on and you’re done. See, I told you it was easy!

 

BATH / BODY OIL BLEND

Going a bit deeper with this final option, the bath / body oil blend is a whole body sensory treat. It combines inhalation with oil absorption via the skin so makes for a beautiful relaxation ritual.

Here’s a balancing blend to try when your mood / hormones feel particularly volatile.

What you’ll need:

• container for mixing
• 25ml of carrier oil (plenty for the whole body)
  again, I’m using sunflower oil in this blend but another great option is coconut oil. You’ll probably just need to melt it a little first before you add the essential oils depending on where you live, it solidifies at colder temperatures
• essential oils (geranium | bergamot (bergaptene-free) | sandalwood (sustainably sourced)
• optional: vitamin e

Step 1

Add 25ml of your chosen carrier oil to a container

Step 2

Add up to 12 drops of your essential oils. For this blend I suggest 4 geranium, 5 bergamot, 3 sandalwood
plus 3 drops of vitamin e if using

Mix well

This is roughly a 2.5% blend. ALWAYS check the safety guidance for each oil before using and drop this down to 5 drops (1%) if you have sensitive skin / are pregnant / or any other health concerns.

Step 3

Starting at your feet, massage the blend into your skin in long sweeping upward strokes, avoiding your face. Sink into a warm bath, take some deep breaths and let go.

Vitamin E (tocopherol)

There is an optional inclusion of vitamin e in the roller and body oil blend. Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant which means it slows the damaging effect oxygen can have on the oils so helping extend the shelf life. If you plan to keep the blend for longer than say a month, I would recommend adding it in. Especially good for the body oil as it’s also an antioxidant for your skin.