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Using Essential Oils

Updated on September 24, 2007

You can find essential oils just about everywhere these days. Tea tree oil is found just about everywhere. You can get some essential oils that grandma never heard of in most natural foods sections of your local market.

You may have even purchased one or more of these oils. They are tremendously tempting aren't they? Yet upon getting them home, many are puzzled by what to do with them, other than that obvious use of opening the vial occasionally, and giving them a deep and satisfying inhale.

Wonderful as that may be, wouldn't you love to do more? I have on more than one occasion suffered from buyer's remorse. Otherwise known as "what the heck what I thinking?"

Essential oils (E/O's from here on out) have properties that range from being antibacterial to invigorating. The fun is learning what they are and finding ways to use them.

One of the easiest ways to use any essential oil or blend of essential oils is to use a mini crock pot. Fill at least two thirds full with water and add a few drops of your E/O, let it fill the room with aromatherapy goodness. The blend possibilities here are almost endless. During cold and flu season I like to have a blend of Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, and Sweet Orange going almost all the time. It does seem to clear the air this time of the year. I feel better anyway.

Another fun blend to use in this way is Sweet Orange, Cinnamon Leaf, and Clove, all to your nose. I use a heavier hand on the Sweet Orange. It smells just like the pomander balls. I like this one for Christmas. A side note here is that Cinnamon Leaf and Clove are not skin friendly E/O's, so these are pretty much left for diffusers for beginners.

One thing to remember here is don't, I repeat don't, forget that little crock pot on....could mean disaster, but that my friends, is a no brainer right?

Another wonderful use for those E/O's is making a SALVE. Here is an easy recipe to start with.

Basic Salve or Not-Petroleum Jelly

2 ounces Beeswax

8 ounces Carrier Oil (Olive, Safflower, Sweet Almond, Rice Bran, Grapeseed etc.)

45- 90 drops E/O

Melt the Beeswax and the Carrier Oil together. Let them cool until just lukewarm. Stir in your E/O of choice and allow to cool. One note, some essential oils have quite low flashpoints and will vaporize if you have this too warm. So the cooler the better, just not so cool that it starts to solidify.

A number of skin loving E/O's or combination thereof would be wonderful here, depending on what use you had in mind. Lavender, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus (a light hand with the Eucalyptus here but a blend of these three would be nice for a sports rub), Chamomile, Rosemary, Palmarosa, Geranium, Rosewood, Patchouli, Frankincense, and so many more. Just do some research. It is so much fun.

Lately my family has been using essential oil to repel insects outdoors. I don't like to use DEET on my children. I also don't like to have them exposed to West Nile Virus. So we have been using soybean oil (generally marketed in the US as simply, vegetable oil) to which I have added a blend of Lemon Tea Tree, Lemon Eucalyptus, Cedarwood Virginiana and a bit of Patchouli E/O. No exact science but I have given the order of most to least. I use a rate of 1 to at most 1.5 percent E/O to the Soybean Oil. So for one ounce of Soy Oil, you would add a total of 6 to 9 drops of your E/O blend. We have found it very effective so far this year. One note, I would not use Essential Oils on infants or very young children. The same goes for pregnant or lactating women.

This gives you a couple of ideas for Essential Oils. I will be back with more quite soon. Essential Oils the sequel. Once you start to use this wonderful gift from nature, I doubt that you will want to stop. It may however, start you on an aromatic journey. One that leads you closer to the earth.

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