4 Ways to Use Oils in Your Daily Routine

One of the reasons that Aromatherapy has become so popular is that essential oils are easy to use and can have instant benefits. 

Take Rosemary for example, this invigorating herbal essential oil can instantaneously wake you up, and stimulate your mind allowing you to focus on the task at hand. Peppermint has a similar ability to invigorate, while it also can ease headaches and calm and upset stomach. 

Then there’s Lavender, with its wide range of healing benefits from its propensity to relieve headaches, calm nerves, aid with sleep, to its power to heal bruised muscles, aches, pains, burns, and the list goes on with this aromatic king of versatility. 

So you see, with just these 3 examples, you can reach for essential oils and start to work them into your daily routine to help cope with life's challenges.  Now, how exactly do you work with essential oils?  

Below we’ll explore a few different methods, tips and practical applications to get you started.  

Methods 

While there are many different ways to work with essential oils the methods listed below are practical, simple and effective examples of how you can easily use essential oils everyday.  

Diffuse

• A common and effective practice, diffusing essential oils in an aromatherapy burner, electric or car diffuser can help to enhance any space. 
• Diffusing essential oils is very popular because it’s so easy to do! 
• You can get in the habit of diffusing oils alongside your morning meditation or yoga practice, on your morning commute to set the tone for the day ahead. 
• In your office throughout the day you can diffuse a blend to keep you motivated, focused and clear headed.  
• Around the house diffusing oils is a natural way to scent your home and can help get ready for some entertaining - diffusing orange, lemon and/or lime citrus oils is a sure to be a party pleaser and will elevate everyone’s mood. 
• Essential Oils like Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Lavender have disinfectant and antibacterial properties that are perfect for clearing the air if anyone in your home has been sick or if it’s flu season. 

Direct Inhalation

• The direct inhalation method is discreet and a wonderful alternative to diffusing in you are in a public place or if you aren’t able to diffuse oils due to office rules or co-worker allergies.  This is also perfect while traveling.  
• Have you ever been on a plane or a train or in any confined space that just smelled awful? Or maybe out of nowhere you got a stubborn headache!  Just whip out your bottle of essential oil, you can directly inhale it from the bottle and instantly change the experience. (Keep in mind though, due to the volatility of essential oils, you might not want to have the oil exposed to air for too long or too often … so you can add a drop of EO to a clean tissue and just hold it up to your nose and inhale). Simple and Effective.  

Indirect Inhalation

• Similar to the diffuser but more localized you can add essential oils to a clean cotton ball and drop it into a baggie that you carry around with you or stash in your purse or desk.  
• This is also a great method for times when you need a good night sleep. Place a drop of Lavender, Ylang Ylang or Petitgrain to a cotton ball and slip it into your pillowcase to help bring on the sweet dreams.  Plus this method works equally well when traveling.  

Aromatherapy Spray

A natural byproduct of essential oil distillation is the hydrosol - that’s the water that is distilled from the plant material and naturally separates from the oil.  You might already be familiar with hydrosols, but did you know that you can also make an aromatherapy spray with essential oils?  

• You can make a simple spray with distilled water, a few drops of lavender or another of your favorite essential oils (you may also want to add a small amount of alcohol or witch hazel as a preservant). Then you lightly shake or gently swirl the bottle to mix up the blend before each use. The amount of essential oils you add will depend on how strong you want the aroma to be.  It’s a good idea to start with less and add more if needed. You can mix almost any blend of essential oils into an aromatherapy spray and keep several bottles scattered throughout your home or office for easy use. It’s also a good idea to label the bottle for future reference. Labelling is super helpful when for when you want to recreate the perfect spray again later. 

Now if you are considering topical application, while this method is excellent and also highly effective it’s not as simple as the others listed above.  In order to safely work with essential oils on your skin there are factors that should be considered.

For example, there are many oils that should be avoided during pregnancy, with high blood pressure or epilepsy.

It’s recommended that you consult a trusted essential oil advisor or learn more about the oil before applying it directly to your body. 

The goal is to avoid skin irritation by following guidelines for dilution rates, consider any allergies, safety concerns and contraindications. 

Remember there are endless possibilities and creative ways that you can work essential oils into your daily routine.  Getting creative with the aromas that you like is part of the fun of aromatherapy!