Bath : The most relaxing way to use essential oils is to add them to your bath - you only need to use a few drop of oil. The steam and warmth Evaporate the oils and intensify the aroma, while the water softens the skin and speeds up the oil absorption.
Beauty Treatments : Some essential oils have properties that can soothe and heal skin, rejuvenate complexions, reduce oiliness, and some just have a good smell. They make effective cleansers, masks, and moisturizers, which make you look and feel good.
Body Moisturizers : Essential oils penetrate the skin so quickly and deeply that they make excellent and inexpensive body moisturizer. You can make your own by adding a few drops to a rich carrier oil, or to any simple unscented body moisturizing lotion.
Hot Poultices : Essential oils applied with heat are a great way to relieve muscular pains and reduce chest congestion. Add a few drops of essential oil to bowl of very hot water. Wearing rubber gloves, dip flannel or small towel into the bowl, squeeze out the excess water and place it over the affected area until it has cooled. Repeat the process.
Massage : Massage combines the senses of touch and smell, as the essential oils are diluted in a carrier oil and rubbed directly onto the skin. Massage has the added benefit of stimulating the circulation, enabling the oils to disperse rapidly around the body.
Oil Burners : Oil burners provide a way to warm essential oils so that their aroma diffuses across a room. They are little ceramic pots with a candle at the bottom and saucer on top holding water in which a few drops of essential oil are added. The candle heats the water and the oil vaporises into the air.
Potpourri : To make your own potpourri, mix a few drops of essential oils and add to a bowl of dried flowers, herbs, leaves or seed pods. Cover the bowl for a while, then toss and stir the mixture so that it absorbs the aromas. The potpourri will scent your room for a few weeks.
Room Sprays : You can make your own therapeutic air fresheners using your favorite fragrances by mixing a few drops of essential oil with water in a pump spray. Shake well, then spray the room.
Sleep Treatments : A few drops of your favorite oil on a tissue by your bed will not only help lull you to a relaxing sleep, but you will continue to benefit from the effects as you inhale it while you sleep.
Steam Inhalation : Inhaling essential oils is one of the best treatments for coughs or colds. Add a few drops of oil to a bowl of boiling water, cover your head with a towel, then bend over the bowl and inhale deeply.