What is an essential oil?
Essential oil is an oil that captures a plant scent or flavour but differs from cooking oils - such as vegetable and olive oils. Essential oils are extracted from plant leaves, bark and roots by either using distillation or cold pressing.
Once extracted, they are then combined with a carrier oil creating a product that's ready for us to use. Carrier or base oils are oils that are taken from a plant's nuts, kernels or seeds and used to dilute the powerfulness of essential oils. Given the fact essential oils contain pure plant extracts, they are almost too pure to use neat.
Doing this can potentially result in skin irritation, such as redness or even burning.
How to use essential oils
In a wax melt/oil burner
This is a great way for you to feel the therapeutic benefits of essential oils in the environment around you. What's more you only need to use 3-5 drops in water at a time. Remember to add your water first, drops second!
In a bath
Adding essential oils to your bath can help boost their therapeutic and relaxing qualities because they affect the limbic system or the emotional brain.
Inhale them
Put a few drops of your chosen essential oil on a muslin cloth and take 3 deep breaths.
On your skin
It is really important to remember that you should not have essential oils directly onto your skin.
Pure essential oil maybe too strong for your skin and cause some sort of reaction, to use on your skin mix essential oil with a carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or jojoba oil before applying.
Once combined, you can apply essential oils to your face and the rest of your body.
Don't forget about your feet! Your feet contain key absorption points for essential oils so it's a great idea to massage essential oil into the soles of your feet.