Essential oils have tons of different benefits, and many people start using them for different reasons. Some people use them to enhance their mood, while some use them medicinally, and others just like the way they smell.
I started using essential oils about a year and a half ago to try to help reduce my anxiety. My therapist recommended that I try them, and specifically suggested that I carry around Peppermint or Lavender essential oil with me so I can smell it when I’m anxious. I was very skeptical at first, but let me tell you, it ended up being a life-saver. For me, the Peppermint smell was a great distraction from my racing thoughts and helped recenter my mind, while the Lavender was helpful to calm me down. After carrying these little bottles in my backpack for a few weeks, my boyfriend got me a diffuser to use in my room, and the rest is history!
Now, my diffuser is almost always running with a blend of essential oils in it, and my mood has been easier to control with the aid of essential oils.
The key to blending oils is to pick ones that are similar in scent (fruity, flowery, earthy, etc.), as well as similar in effects. The easiest part to match is the smell – I like to just open a bunch of bottles of oils that have similar effects and smell them all until I like the way a small group of them smell together. Once you know the effects and uses of different oils, you’re good to go!
To help you, I’ve compiled a table of some of the effects/uses for different essential oils here:
| If you’re feeling… | Then diffuse… |
| Refreshed | Lemongrass, Tea tree, Oregano |
| Stressed | Bergamot, Clary Sage, Lemon, Cedarwood |
| Sick/flu | Rosemary, Eucalyptus (inhaling Eucalyptus oil can immediately un-stuff even the most stuffed-up noses), Peppermint |
| Depressed | Geranium, Patchouli, Clary sage, Frankincense, Bergamot, Orange |
| Nauseous | Peppermint, Ginger, Chamomile |
| Headache/Achy | Peppermint, Rosemary, Lavender |
| Sleepy | Lavender, Clary Sage, Bergamot, Cedarwood |
| Anxious | Lavender, Bergamot, Peppermint, Chamomile, Geranium, Cedarwood, Ylang ylang, Rose |
| A Pick-Me-Up | Orange, Pink grapefruit, Peppermint, Cedarwood, Lemon, Bergamot |
| Need to Focus | Peppermint, Cinnamon, Frankincense |
I’ve also learned along the way that you can do more than just inhale essential oils to receive the benefits. Additional ways they can be used include:
- If you have a headache (or any aches on your body) you can rub peppermint oil on your temples (or the sore body part) for some instant relief.
- If you’re in need if a cheap air freshener for your car, you can put a few drops of essential oils on a cotton ball and leave it under the seat of your car – just replace it every few days!
- Drop some Chamomile oil onto irritated skin to soothe it.
- I like to put a few drops on wool dryer balls so my clothes always smell amazing after they come out of the dryer!
- Rub some Ylang Ylang and Lavender on your neck and lower abdomen for some menstrual symptom relief.
- One final tip (and in my opinion, the most important tip) is that spiders hate the smell of eucalyptus, so you can to diffuse it and spray it around the entrances to your home in the springtime to keep them away!
Now that you know what they can be used for, you’re ready to get started! It also important to note, that some brands of essential oils are not made to be used on the skin, so read the bottles carefully before applying them to your body. Let me know in the comments if you know of any other uses for essential oils!
Thanks for reading! Xoxo, Lauren