Anyone use essential oils? And if so..... (225 views)

I have used them.
I've got various scents that I add to my Sal Suds for cleaning.
I've carried rosemary oil and euculyptus (sp?) oil when we travel to "refresh" toilets/bathroom.
I've used lavender to scent pillows to sleep better.
I had a horrific Calendula oil experience applying it directly to my face and had my skin peel/blister for a week......who knew about carrier oils **blush**

I use essential oils.

I started about 10 years ago with homemade cleaning products (like my own "softscrub", floor cleaner, furniture polish/dusting). I use lavender, tea tree (melaluca), lemon, and grapefruit. I use lemon or grapefruit EO to sanitize my cutting boards, and it's great to use with unscented dish soap (i really dislike artificial scents) when I need some extra grease cutting power. I add some EO to a squirt bottle with water for a "air freshener" mix in the bathroom.

About two years ago I moved into very basic personal care, such as adding oils to almond/coconut oil for face and skin. I have a co-worker who went all out and makes soap, lotions, beard balms, chapstick and more. I buy my soap from her.

I use coconut oil on my face because it's a slightly drying oil and almond oil on the rest of me. I add frankincense and geranium to both.

A surprising number of people have reactions to tea tree oil, but, with anything that can be applied to the skin, you should do a little test spot first on the inside of the arm.
And a surprising number of people are allergic to coconut oil, soy oil, avocado oil, and almond oil (like my sister)...so, there too, test first if you are prone to skin reactions.

I have started using a diffuser - I started with one for the bedroom, more because the hum of the diffuser helps me fall asleep than the scent itself, but also because I use a blend of EO called Breathe to help with, well, allergies and respiratory wellness. I now have one at work (made sure my co-workers were okay with it) because the humidity is so low in the office. I've grown to like the gentle scents and I do think there is a correlation between smells and stress/attention/etc.

The hardest thing for me has been learning the ratio of EO to carrier product, because a little bit WILL go a long way!

I use Peppermint Oil when I feel a migraine attack is beginning. I boil up a kettle of water and fill a coffee mug with boiling water, and then add 4 drops of really good quality peppermint oil. Then I sit with that mug and breathe in the vapors. Carefully- as the peppermint fumes are a bit irritating to my eyes. So I'll take a few breaths over the mug, then move it away, then move it back again. I do this for five minutes or until the vapors stop coming off the cup. Sometimes I will repeat this process with a fresh cup.

It doesn't completely eliminate the migraine experience, but if I'm fast enough this will completely ward off the awful parts of a migraine attack. I am able to take motrin and get the migraine backed down to just a headache- it lasts for a day or so, but I will take "just a headache" over an actual migraine that sends me to bed for 24 hours completely unable to function.

As an added bonus, I also use the peppermint oil in brownies at Christmas time. SO much better than using extract.

I also use tea tree oil dribbled in olive oil as a daily treatment for intertrigo and it seems to help a lot there. Overall, I have a collection of EO's, but I'm really leery about using them. I am allergic to several different plant families and I worry about having reactions to EO's. I'm also much more minded to try and use a "whole plant" as a treatment over using a more potent oil. Someday I'll have that apothecary garden growing properly and then I'll be better able to do that. But in the meantime, I have the oils on hand if they are called for, I just haven't spent too much time actually learning about them and their uses.

There are different grades of essential oils. Some of them can be taken internally and have been approved as a "food grade" oil. The companies that have not gone that far in the process label theirs as "not for internal use".

I don't know... I have several friends who are reps for different companies and they sure do LOVE their oils. They're frequently talking about using EO's in cooking, and while I happily use the peppermint oil, I am very leery about others. I would be okay with citrus oils IN something- and I definitely know plenty of people who add a couple of drops of lemon or orange oil to their water. One time I tried using basil oil in a marinara because I didn't know I was out of basil of any kind. It smelled like basil, but it sure didn't make my marinara taste great.

Completely agree with your rambling! But the oil and water not mixing made me laugh, because that was my very first thought the first time someone said they put their oils in their water. I just pictured tipping a glass back and getting a gob of oil. Blech.