Imagine, it’s early on an autumn Saturday morning and you find yourself surrounded by stillness and quiet. It’s perfection. You grab a cozy blanket, walk over to your diffuser, put in a few drops of an oil you picked up somewhere, walk to your couch, wrap yourself up in your blanket, and inhale the calming scent of lavender. Mmmmmm.

… but why are you doing this? Why did you buy those tiny bottles of oil? And is the oil actually DOING anything?

Let’s dive deep into Essential Oils.

An Essential oil, also known as a volatile oil, is a concentrated liquid extracted from a plant. It’s called “essential” because it contains the essence of the plant’s scent. These oils have been used in cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, candles, and much more. Essential oils are the mainstay in aromatherapy, which is a complementary medicine practice that has become mainstream. At it’s purest form, the practice of aromatherapy is said to produce healing effects by inhaling the essence of certain plant oils.

Some popular oil extracts are lavender, eucalyptus, bergamot, ginger, rosemary, tea tree, peppermint, rose geranium, clary sage, and frankincense. Each of these extracts are used to induce different responses. For example, Bergamot has an uplifting citrusy scent that can be energizing, and there is data that says it is an antinociceptive (modulates the perception of pain) and also has antimicrobial properties. Ginger is popular as an anti-inflammatory spice, and the oil extract has also been shown to carry the same properties when used topically. It also works well as an anti-emetic (anti-nausea) and is used frequently by people undergoing chemotherapy who have nausea as a side effect. Geranium is frequently used topically to treat bites, acne, and burns.

As great as it is that essential oils are seemingly available everywhere, where you buy and what you buy matters, because not all essential oils are created equally. If you want the studied results, you need pure extracts but the bottom line is that pure essential oils can be expensive because the extracting process isn’t simple or easy. Many affordable oils you see in stores contain synthetic oils, fillers, and other chemicals, so be sure to read the label and look out for the words “100% Pure Essential Oil” or similar.

Some online resources for good essential oils are Dōterra, Young Living, Eden’s Garden, Plant Therapy, and Mountain Rose Herbs. I have no professional connection with any of the aforementioned companies, and my recommendation is simply as a consumer.

#LTIL