If you’re like most people, you’ve probably heard about the essential oil movement by now. But what is it? What are essential oils? And why are they becoming so popular? In this blog post, we will answer all of those questions and more. We're discussing the history of the essential oil movement, their benefits, and how to get started with them yourself all in one essential oils beginners guide. So if you’re curious about essential oils, keep reading!
What Are Essential Oils + Their History
Essential oils are the naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants. They give each plant its distinctive smell, protect it from predators and disease, and play a role in plant pollination. For thousands of years, essential oils have treated all kinds of ailments including skin conditions, infections, headaches and more! The essential oil movement began around 2012 when people started using essential oils as part of their daily routine in pursuit of natural living.
Benefits of Essential Oils
Reducing Stress Levels, Boosting Relaxation
Essential oils offer many benefits such as reducing stress levels which helps with anxiety symptoms like insomnia; they also promote relaxation due to their calming effect on the nervous system while at work or school.
Allergies and Congestion
When inhaled through a diffuser or by a steam inhalation method, essential oils help with allergies and congestion by clearing out the lungs. Essential oils have anti-bacterial properties that make them ideal for cleaning surfaces such as countertops in kitchens where germs tend to spread easily!
Sleep Easier With Essential Oils
Essential oils can also help with sleep because of their relaxing properties. To help with insomnia, you can apply a few drops are topically (to the skin) before bedtime.
Essential Oils for Your Skin
The most popular essential oil used on your skin is tea tree oil, but there are many others that offer benefits too! Essential oils contain antioxidants which fight free radicals from UV rays and pollution while improving collagen production inside cells so they look younger longer by reducing wrinkles over time.
Why We Use Essential Oils Instead of Synthetic Fragrance
We love a good scent, but toxins? Not so much. That's why we opt for natural essential oils as opposed to synthetic fragrance when formulating our products.
A Word On Synthetic Fragrance
"Fragrance" stands in for any number of thousands of chemicals on ingredient labels. Due to loopholes in US laws, manufacturers don't have to list individual chemicals that provide fragrance to their products.
Why should you avoid it? If you use a product with fragrance, there's no way to really know what you're applying to you skin. You could be applying something completely harmless, or something extremely harmful. Read more in our blog post on some of the worst ingredients for your skin.
Essential Oils Beginners Guide
It can be hard to know where to start with essential oils, but don't let that deter your interest. The following are some of our suggestions and some ways they can be used. We'll also go over what forms there are and some other lingo you might see.
Where To Start
-Start by doing your research. (More on this further on in the post!) Learn about the different types of essential oils, their benefits, and how to use them.
-Find an Essential Oils Starter Kit. This will give you everything you need to start using essential oils right away.
-Join an Essential Oils Facebook Group
Where To Use
Use Essential Oils In The Home
You can use them as aromatherapy by diffusing into the air around your home (or office space) for a fresh scent that doesn't contain any harmful chemicals in its formula. Essential oils also have antibacterial properties that make them ideal for cleaning surfaces such as countertops in kitchens where germs tend to spread easily! This can be a much healthier fix than other chemical heavy cleaning products.
Use Essential Oils On The Skin
You can do a topical application of essential oils or you can receive their benefits via a product. As we mentioned, you should reach for products that contain essential oils instead of fragrance. The citrus lavender body scrub features a jolt of Vitamin C in the form of sweet smelling orange peel oil.
Consuming Essential Oils
You can also take Essential Oils internally. Essential oils are reportedly food grade and safe for human consumption. You can add them to water, tea or your favorite recipe! A note of caution is that essential oils should never be ingested straight from the bottle; always dilute them first before consuming any way you please (via drinks or recipes)! And, it's always a good idea to consult your physician before implementing a new component into your diet.
Essential Oil Forms
These oils can come in many forms, including liquid, powder or solid—all of which have different uses! Essential oil products usually contain essential oils as their main ingredient alone. As mentioned, essential oils in skin care and beauty products such as creams, lotions, soaps, makeup removers, etc. If you're on the go, reach for a roller bottle instead of individual oils. No need to take different full size essential oils around the town!
On Cold Pressing
In cold pressing, essential oil is extracted from the plant's material without any chemical solvents. Two metal plates are applied to the plant and then heat or pressure is applied.
Essential Oils Spotlight — Get Your Feet Wet
So those oils, they are aplenty. A few oils are actually a blend of several different oils. We're talking two oils or more. To make it easier, we'll go over the most basic oils in this essential oils beginners guide so you can feel confident in your first purchases when facing such a broad range.
Lavender Essential Oil
The most versatile and popular essential oil is probably lavender oil because of its therapeutic properties which help reduce stress levels, making it perfect for use before bedtime. Lavender can also be topically applied to help with skin conditions like acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
Products Featuring Lavender Essential Oil:
- Lavender Citrus Face Bar
- Foaming Face Wash Lavender Citrus
- Balance and Restore Luxury Oil
- Glowing & Radiant Luxury Face Oil
- Body Wash Lavender Citrus
- Lavender Deodorant
- Shaving Soap Bar
- Anti Aging Face Cream
- After Sun Cooling Spray
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree essential oil is well-known for its anti-bacterial properties, which make it ideal for use on surfaces as well as in products designed to cleanse and clear congested pores. The oil is also great for soothing irritated skin. We recommend our peppermint tea tree body wash as a go to for all kinds of skin issues.
Products Featuring Tea Tree Essential Oil:
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Eucalyptus oil is known for relieving congestion especially when used in steam inhalations and diffusers. It can also soothe sore muscles or joints when diluted with a carrier such as fractionated coconut oil.
Products Featuring Eucalyptus Essential Oil:
Peppermint Essential Oil
Because of the menthol content, peppermint oil is widely used in products that soothe nausea and upset stomach.
A few drops of essential oil can also help clear up sinuses by promoting circulation through massage application on chest area where congestion often occurs during cold season months! That cooling sensation is just divine.
Products Featuring Peppermint Oil:
- Hand Sanitizer
- Hydrating Face Mask
- Facial Scrub
- Charcoal Face Bar
- Mint Lip Scrub
- Oil Control Moisturizer
- Peppermint Foaming Face Wash
Citrus Essential Oils (Lemon Oil, Orange)
Citrus oils like lemon essential oil and orange oil are great at bringing some sun into your day and boosting your mood! They are also a natural disinfectant which makes them great when you're cleaning out those hard-to-reach places around the house.
Products Featuring Citrus Oil:
- Lavender Citrus Body Scrub
- Nail and Cuticle Oil
- Glowing & Radiant Luxury Face Oil
- Foaming Face Wash Peppermint Tea Tree
- Facial Scrub
- Makeup Remover
- Lavender Citrus Face Bar
- Charcoal Face Bar
- Foaming Face Wash Lavender Citrus
- AntiBacterial Body Wash Peppermint Tea Tree
- Body Wash Lavender Citrus
Rose Essential Oil
The power of rose essential oils is undeniable. Found in many products from bath salts to body lotions to promote relaxation, this gentle scent helps you unwind after a long day at work or school.
Rose has even been shown to relieve symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) due its ability reduce inflammation!
Frankincense Essential Oil
Frankincense Essential Oil is a great choice to use before bedtime because it promotes feelings of peace and relaxation. Additionally, frankincense has shown to help improve skin health.
Jojoba Carrier Oil
As we mentioned earlier, carrier oils are essential for diluting essential oils before applying them topically - jojoba oil is one of the most popular due to its ability to mimic the natural sebum produced by our skin.
Jojoba oil can help deal with conditions like eczema or psoriasis due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Products Featuring Jojoba Oil:
- Self Tanner
- Face Self Tanner
- Glowing & Radiant Luxury Face Oil
- Anti Aging Face Cream
- Balance and Restore Luxury Oil
- Berry Lip Scrub
- Body Wash Lavender Citrus
- Lavender Citrus Face Bar
- Pina Colada Lip Balm SPF
- Tinted Facial Sunscreen (ALL)
- Nail and Cuticle Oil
Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet Almond Oil is a great carrier oil because it has a high concentration of vitamin E and A, both known for their anti-aging properties. This oil can be used on its own or in conjunction with other essential oils such as lavender to promote relaxation.
Our Favorite Essential Oil Brands
Essential oils aren't created equal.
Many essential oils can parade as pure, are actually the opposite. It's important to seek out good quality, highly concentrated oils so that you may use essential oils safely.
So, in this essential oils beginners guide, we're throwing out some brands for you to explore and have a starting place for your own research.
- Public Goods - An Affordable, No-Frills Option
Public Goods offers a wide variety of unisex products made of natural ingredients—including essential oils—at an affordable price point.
- Vitruvi - Design Forward Diffusers
Vitruvi offers a full line of essential oils and home goods. Their diffusers contain absolutely gorg, high-quality porcelain.
- NOW Essential Oils - 'Ol Trusty
NOW Essential Oils have been around for decades. They offer a wide variety of essential oils at an affordable price point.
- Beauty By Earth - Benefits of Essential Oils + Our Other Skincare Positive Ingredients
O.K. so we're not technically an essential oils company. But honestly, going all in on the oily lifestyle can be daunting. Instead of making the leap right away, why not start by replacing your fragrance-filled products with those containing natural essential oils? Think of us as your entry point into the essential oils movement.
The Essential Oil Movement is a great way to improve your overall health and well-being. By using essential oils, you can enjoy a variety of benefits for both for yourself and your home. And, with such a wide variety of essential oils available, there's sure to be one that's perfect for you!
So what are you waiting for? Save this essential oils beginners guide and start your essential oil journey today.
With love (and oil),
Camille 🌿
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