Essential oils are a significant part of caring for myself, my family, and my home. These magical oils are sourced from plants; pure essential oils are natural and safe. They contain antioxidants, antiseptic and soothing properties, and can relax your mind or energize your body. They have so much power and versatility to offer.
Today, I want to show you some easy ways to incorporate essential oils into your daily routine. I am passionate about helping moms learn about essential oils because they can ease some of the struggles of motherhood and are especially handy when little ones are not feeling well. Let us dive deeper into the top 4 amazing uses of essential oils.
Top 4 Amazing Uses Of Essential Oils
#1. Essential Oils for Aromatherapy
As moms, our days are often filled with many emotions, from frustration and agitation to happiness, reassurance, restlessness, and stress.
At times, your and your children’s emotions can become overwhelming. When you allow thoughts and feelings to take over, your body stays in a constant state of “fight or flight mode”; this puts undue stress on your body, and you must find a way to relax and reset your stress response. Essential oils have therapeutic effects that help relieve stress and calm your nerves.
This is how aromatherapy works: the olfactory nerve controls our sense of smell, which begins from our nose and ends at the cortex of our temporal lobe, the part of our brain responsible for emotions. When you inhale the aroma of an essential oil, your olfactory nerve brings the aromatic compounds directly to the part of your brain that controls emotions. Therefore, your whole body is instantly impacted.
Now, use that power to impact your emotions. Here are 3 ways to use essential oils to support your emotional wellness.
1. Diffuse. Diffusing essential oils allows the aromatic compounds to be released into the air for inhaling. As we just discussed, this is an easy way to impact your brain directly and quickly.
2. Apply to the bottom of the feet. Applying oils topically to the bottoms of your feet releases the aroma for you to smell and penetrates your skin and bloodstream. The pores in the bottom of your feet are bigger, and there are different reflexology and acupuncture points on the bottoms of your feet that the oils can impact with this application.
3. Use as a personal aroma. Making a roller bottle with essential oils mixed with fractional coconut oil is an easy way to create a unique personal aroma to support your mood and emotions. Once you decide on a blend, apply it to your pulse points, behind your ears and wrists throughout the day, or as needed for an emotional boost.
Using essential emotional support can help you relax when life has you stressed out. They can also help you with sleep when your mind is racing and help give you a boost of physical and emotional energy when you hit the afternoon slump.
#2. Essential Oils + Non-toxic Cleaning
Replacing harsh chemical cleaners with natural alternatives is essential for non-toxic living. All-purpose cleaners can be easily mixed using household staples like vinegar, baking soda, Castile soap, and essential oils with antibacterial and disinfectant properties to create an eco-friendly and effective cleaning routine. Ditch the synthetic fragrances in your laundry using dryer balls with drops of essential oils and a diffuser to replace artificial air fresheners.
See my previous blog post for more information about these harmful chemicals and the havoc they cause. (Insert Link)
Essential oils and other natural ingredients will create a clean and fresh home, just as the store-bought chemical cleaners do, if not better. Non-toxic cleaning is far superior because it is safe, healthy, and toxin-free.
In my e-book, “Simply Clean,” (Insert Link) I share my trusted DIY recipes that can replace all the toxic cleaning products you currently use. This complete guide will help you transform your toxic home into a non-toxic, safe place for your children.
Using essential oils in your cleaning routine will help eliminate the nasty germs in your house and do so without chemicals. Essential oils like Lemongrass, Orange, and Peppermint were found to be great restrictors against bacteria. [2] There are many other essential oils with antibacterial, antifungal, and other powerful properties when it comes to cleaning.
After you decide to switch to non-toxic cleaning, pick the item you use most and find a replacement. Purchase and test the replacement before you finish your current bottle. Once confident, the replacement cleans how you want it to, toss the chemical, and never look back. I recommend starting with your all-purpose cleaner or dish soap. You will reach for one or both of these in most homes multiple times daily. When you replace the most used item first, you eliminate the most chemical exposure.
#3. Essential Oils + Personal Care
Essential oils can transform your personal care, offering a natural solution to your beauty routine. Many personal care products have numerous chemicals damaging your body systems and frequently causing health problems. Combining essential oils and other natural ingredients allows you to make your own serums, moisturizers, and masks that will cater to your unique skin needs, bypass the chemicals, and often save you tons of money. You can make similar replacements for hair care or add oils to enhance your existing products. Creating unique personal fragrances using essential oils can be a fun and mood-boosting way to incorporate oils into your personal care.
#4. Essential Oils for Health + Wellness
Essential oils have multiple ways they can be used to support the health and wellness of your family. Each oil has different properties; many are powerful for healing and staying healthy.
Immune Support
Essential oils, like Lemon, Rosemary, Clove, Tea Tree, and Eucalyptus, have immune-boosting properties. They can be applied with a roller bottle to help you stay healthy, diffused during the change of season and when threats are high, or used in chest rubs or other natural remedies to support your immune system.
Digestive Health
Essential oils like Peppermint, Cardamon, Fennel, and Ginger can help alleviate digestive discomfort when diluted and applied topically. They offer a natural solution for common digestive issues and will help ease occasional tummy discomfort.
Healthy Sleep
After spending a busy day multi-tasking and managing your home and kids, you want and need a good night’s rest. But unfortunately, so many of us struggle after our head hits the pillow. There can be many factors preventing you from sleeping at night.
Some moms struggle with thoughts and undone to-do’s floating in their heads. Others have had too much caffeine too close to bedtime. Whichever is keeping you awake, essential oils can help make your transition from a busy day to sound asleep smooth. Essential oils can help release the tension and make you calmer so you can slow down and get the sleep of your dreams. Look at my previous blog (Insert Link – Blog 8) for more information on essential oils for sleep.
Lavender, Cedarwood, Vetiver, and Chamomile are renowned for their sleep-inducing qualities. Use them to create a calming bedtime routine and improve your sleep quality. My favorite for calming my mind before closing my eyes is DoTERRA Balance.
The Bottom Line
From safe, non-toxic cleaning to better sleep and emotional health, there are so many things essential oils can do to improve your life.
A few drops of essential oils can transform your daily routine. Start your day by adding a few drops of oil to your diffuser to boost your mood and calm your kids in the diffuser while having breakfast. Clean your kitchen and dishes with the refreshing smell of Wild Orange, Lemon, and Lime. End your day with a relaxing bath with Lavender and Chamomile so your body and mind are ready to sleep when your head hits the pillow.
Download my guide, Unlock the Power of Essential Oils, to learn the six essential insights you need to know before you buy and use essential oils.
