Best Essential Oils For Your Health ⋆ Holistic Lifestyle Guide

Using essential oils for your health, which is called aromatherapy, is a great natural way to pamper your body, mind, and soul. It’s nice to have something to turn to from nature rather than medications and chemicals.

In this article, I’ll go over what essential oils are, why they are important for health, how you can use them, and I will also give you a list of 10 of the best essential oils for your health.

If you prefer to listen, here’s the audio/podcast version of this article:

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are exactly what they sound like; they are the essence of a plant, extracted and made into an oil. They can be used in a variety of ways, for health, air purification, and cleaning.

You can buy them at almost any store, but it’s hard to tell if these are good quality. Make sure the oils you are buying a therapeutic grade. I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for all my herbs, essential oils, and organic ingredients for making natural health products.

Why Are They Important?

When you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, having allies such as herbs and oils can help you to alleviate symptoms of chronic illness naturally. The benefits of essential oils are almost too many to mention. Using essential oils for aromatherapy is therapeutic and using them in cleansers is great for the environment and the air quality inside your home. There is no end to the ways that essential oils can be used to enjoy the wonderful effect they have to offer.

“I believe that for every illness or ailment known to man, that God has a plant out here that will heal it. We just need to keep discovering the properties for natural healing.”

― Vannoy Gentles Fite, Essential Oils for Healing: Over 400 All-Natural Recipes for Everyday Ailments

Each essential oil has its own characteristic aroma and set of therapeutic properties. Oils can be invigorating, soothing, relaxing, or stimulating. Many oils have positive effects on your mental state, alleviating depression, anxiety, and focus. Many oils have antibacterial, antiseptic, or anti-inflammatory properties. These can be effective in relieving symptoms of the cold and flu, as well as preventing infections.

Note: This information is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice!

Essential oils can even be blended together to create a synergistic effect. These blends tend to be more expensive, but worth it since they provide more benefits than using single oils alone.

10 of the Best Essential Oils For Your Health

Rose

Rose oil has some exceptional healing benefits. Rose is good for many things, but especially if you have emotional or mental health issues, particularly stress. Rose essential oil for aromatherapy can help to de-stress you, relax you, and help you sleep.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the most common essential oils, so it is found nearly anywhere you can buy oils. Lavender is excellent for the skin, helping to heal wounds and irritation. It was discovered by a scientist who burned himself in the lab; he stuck his hand in the nearest liquid he could find, which happened to be lavender oil. He noticed that his burns healed quickly and there was no scarring. Lavender is also relaxing so it is commonly used for anxiety or to help people sleep.

Chamomile

Chamomile oil, like chamomile tea, is calming. It is used for relieving premenstrual pain, indigestion, acne, eczema, and skin conditions.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is used to help clear the sinuses, as well as alleviate pain. It is also commonly used in natural cleaners and as an insect repellant.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a mild stimulant that is used to alleviate respiratory problems, improve focus, and soothe aches and pains.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood is an antiseptic that is used for dry skin and acne. It also has a relaxation effect that can be great for meditation.

Jasmine

Jasmine is an antidepressant that can be used for depression. It is also an aphrodisiac.

Peppermint

Peppermint is a stimulant that has many benefits, including relieving pain. It is often used in toothpaste because of it’s antimicrobial properties. Another helpful tip; peppermint oil can keep spiders away when you spray it around your home.

Lemon

Lemon is often used in cleaning products, so it makes an excellent oil to have on hand all the time. It is also great for the skin, and it uplifts your mood.

Tea Tree Oil

This is an oil everyone should always have on hand, if you have nothing else! The number of benefits you can get from this oil are many. It is great for coughs, gingivitis, colds, and acne. It kills mold and viruses. It has even been shown to slow tumor growth in mice!

How to Use Essential Oils

Using the oils in a massage is commonly used by aromatherapists. It is the most effective way of using essential oils. It stimulates the skin and helps it absorb the oil. The friction generated by rubbing oil on the body makes the oils smell stronger as well.

Essential oils are very potent so never use them undiluted. For massage, they should be blended with a carrier oil, since they are very potent and can be irritating to the skin if used alone. However, lavender oil is one exception to this rule. For a good carrier oil, you can use almost any vegetable oil. Jojoba and almond oil are common choices for this. The recommended ratio varies. You can find a chart as well as a dilution calculator on Mountain Rose Herb’s blog.

Another common way of using essential oils is in the bath. Just add a few drops of oil before you get in and stir up the water a bit. This method works best for an oil that is calming and relaxing, especially if done before bed.

Another great way of using essential oils is in a diffuser. The scent is slowly dispersed into the air and you are benefiting from it the whole time. I run my diffuser every night. You can buy these almost anywhere, as well, even in grocery stores.

Inhaling right out of the bottle works too. Another way to inhale the oil, particularly if you are suffering from a cold or congested sinuses, is to fill a bowl with hot water, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, cover your head with a towel, and inhale deeply.

“It doesn’t get much greener than essential oils: when used correctly, they are among Mother Nature’s most potent remedies.”

― Amy Leigh Mercree, Essential Oils Handbook: Recipes for Natural Living

You can relieve the pain of headaches and rashes with a cold compress. These are also good for reducing inflammation and fever. Pour cold water into a bowl, add a few ice cubes, and add a few drops of oil. Then soak a clean cloth in the mixture, wring it out, and place it over the affected area.

A hot poultice works the same way for relieving muscular pain, earaches, and backaches. Fill a bowl with hot water and add several drops of oil. Wring out a cloth, making sure it isn’t too hot when applying to the skin. When the cloth is cooled to body temperature, wring it out in the hot water and repeat.

As I mentioned above, Mountain Rose Herbs is my go-to website for essential oils because they have only the best quality products. The image below will take you to their essential oil section. (I am an affiliate for Mountain Rose Herbs so full disclosure here, I will get a small commission if you purchase through my link- thank you!)