FIVE ESSENTIAL OILS

FIVE ESSENTIAL OILS THIER BENEFIT

Five Essential Oils and Their Benefits

Often, when people hear the words ‘essential oils’, their first thought is that they offer a nice fragrance or they think of some eccentric aromatherapy practitioner. The truth is that essential oils offer many different benefits from health care to home and garden maintenance.

There are a huge amount of great aromatherapy oils available, but if you only want to keep a few in the house, here are five that may be your best bet.

Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is one of the most versatile essential oils available. It is well known for its calming effects and most people enjoy its heavenly floral scent. It offers many other benefits as well!

You can use it topically to treat minor burns and wounds, insect bites and stings, earache, acne and skin rashes.

It is also great to treat anxiety and soothe frayed nerves. Simply add a few drops to your bath.

To relief a stuffy nose or congestion, add a few drops to your humidifier.

Rub the oil on your temples and forehead to relieve headaches.

A few drops on your pillow will help with insomnia and stress.

Add a few drops to olive oil and apply it to your body to repel mosquitoes.

Dried lavender sachets with extra drops of oil on them can also help to keep moths away.

Adding a few drops of oil to your water when you mop your floor will freshen up your house, and a few drops on the inside of a toilet paper role will give a lovely scent to the bathroom.

Tea Tree Oil

Due to its antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral, insecticide and stimulant properties, tea tree oil is a very useful essential oil to have in your home. You will however never consume this oil and never use it for small babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women. Instead, you can use it topically for the following:

Treat toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, warts, eczema, acne, cold sores and insect bites by adding a few drops of tea tree oil to olive oil (or another carrier oil) and rubbing it onto the affected area.

Add a few drops to your shampoo (preferably unscented) to help with dandruff and psoriasis. This will also help to treat head lice.

It can also help fight vaginal infections, improve oral health and clear chest congestion.

Use it around the house as an effective insect repellent and a few drops of oil around your pet’s bed will also help to keep fleas away.

Create a disinfectant for your kitchen counter tops by adding a teaspoon to water.

Eucalyptus Oil

This essential oil has a strong, refreshing scent and is often used in various products like vapour rubs, inhalers and mouthwashes. Here are a few ways to use it at home.

You can use it topically to treat burns, wounds, boils and insect bites.

Add a few drops to an unscented cream to ease asthma by rubbing it on the throat and chest. Inhaling the scent of this oil is also a great treatment for asthma, bronchitis and sinus pain.

It is also a great oil to use to help with chest congestion.

Treat shingles by applying a few drops of the oil to a compress and place it on the affected area.

It even boosts the immune system and relieves muscle aches.

Another benefit is that it increases alertness and helps you to concentrate better.

Use it around the house for its disinfectant properties and to eliminate germs

and odors.

Grapefruit Oil

The aroma of this oil is uplifting and will certainly lift your mood. It can be used for a variety of purposes.

Use it topically to help with swollen lymph nodes and cellulite.

It can also be used to treat oily skin and hair, as well as acne. If, however, you use it on your skin, it is best used at night since you need to stay out of the sun for at least 12-24 hours after applying it.

Massage the oil into the temples and forehead to treat tension headaches or migraines.

You can use it around the house as an anti-bacterial cleansing spray, by adding a few drops to water.

Add a few drops around your dog’s bed to keep fleas at bay, but do not use it around cats.

To add this uplifting fresh citrus scent to your laundry, simply put a few drops on a sock and add it to your tumble dryer. This is a great way to add scent without using chemicals.

Lemon Oil

The citrus scent of this oil is refreshing and soothing. It offers antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, antihistamine, antidepressant, detoxifying and astringent properties, to mention just a few. Here are a few reasons to always keep lemon essential oil close by.

It helps to relief a sore throat and also helps for bacterial and viral infections in the mouth. Add a few drops of this oil to a glass of water and gargle it to relieve bad breath.

The refreshing scent helps to improve your mood. It also helps to fight anxiety and stress. Simply add a few drops to your bath or diffuser.

Other great benefits include treating headaches, insect bites and stings, skin issues as well as respiratory issues. As with grapefruit oil, remember to stay out of the sun if you use it on your skin.

Add a few drops to your shampoo to relieve dandruff. It also helps with hair loss.

The citrus scent is an effective treatment for morning sickness for pregnant women.

Also use this oil around your house. Mix it with olive oil to make a chemical-free furniture polish. Also add a few drops to coarse salt and baking soda to use as a great antibacterial scour for your wooden cutting boards.