Health
Top 10 Essential Oils For A Healthy Mind & Body
If you’re someone who follows the trends, you probably know by now that essential oils (EO) have risen in popularity a great deal over the last few years. Brands like Young Living, doTERRA, and Edens Garden dominate the market with their high-quality products that serve an array of fantastic purposes from relieving bodily pain to keeping your home clean.
If you haven’t jumped on the EO bandwagon yet, they’re definitely worth checking out. With an incredible number of them to choose from, it can be a bit confusing to figure out where to begin. Here are the top 10 essential oils to start out your collection.
10. Sandalwood
Derived from the sandalwood tree, sandalwood is a unique and versatile essential oil, primarily known for its ability to diminish skin imperfections and enhance moods. The composition is another wonderful oil to implement in a bodily care routine because of its history in reducing irritation and creating the appearance of smooth and healthy skin.
In addition to this, sandalwood oil is known for being a fantastic way to balance conflicting emotions by inhaling the aromatic scent. This can relieve pressure and reduce tension in both the mind and body. Alongside the benefits that Sandalwood presents for the skin and mental state, the oil is useful for restoring lushness and health to hair.
Its moisturizing properties are perfect for adding to shampoos and conditioners as they lock onto hair follicles and strands to promote lustrous shine and growth. Sandalwood is also fantastic for gardening. Unlike Cedar oil, which repels bugs from eating plants, sandalwood oil works directly on plant-life to protect it from the stress of its environment.
Just like people, plants require a specific climate, soil, and atmosphere to survive and thrive. In some cases, they are subjected to an environment that doesn’t quite sustain them. Spraying sandalwood directly onto plants can help prevent them from wilting due to these circumstances.
Lastly, sandalwood oil doesn’t just promote healthy skin, it can also be combined with other oils to create the perfect shaving mixture. For both men and women, sensitive skin can be difficult to shave because of razor bumps and general irritation caused by razors and the wrong soaps.
Sandalwood oil is all-natural and harmless to the body, and with its silky feel and moisturizing properties, it makes for the perfect shaving “cream.”
9. Patchouli
From the plant Pogostemon cablin, Patchouli oil has a myriad of healing properties that make it a great addition to your typical skin care regimen. The perfect way to treat problems of the hair and skin, patchouli is a remedial oil for issues such as acne, dermatitis, eczema, dandruff, and oily hair follicles.
Similarly, just a few drops of the popular serum can help reduce the visual elements of scars. Patchouli is a relative to several other derivations on our list, with the potent plant originating in parts of Southeast Asia.
Primarily raised in places like China, India, and the Philippines, the oil is also cultivated in tropical regions such as Hawaii. Its unique aroma is often associated with hippies, since the distinguished scent is reminiscent of the wild child ways in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Despite presenting an array of health benefits, patchouli is considered to be an acquired taste because of its distinct fragrance. Nonetheless, the compound is full of antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agents that score it a spot as one of the top essential oils to add to your inventory.
A few ways to utilize its natural properties are to apply it directly onto acne prone skin, wrinkles, and scars; use a small amount for minor wounds, itchy insect bites, and sores; and mix into a bottle of shampoo or conditioner to treat annoying hair conditions.
Additionally, patchouli is an excellent combatant for irritated or tense areas of the body, common colds and flus, and abrupt rises in body temperature.
8. Cedarwood
For most people, when they smell the scent of cedarwood, they are immediately transported into a forest surrounded by the wood aroma. In fact, the homey fragrance is beneficial in itself by promoting prosperous feelings of wellness. Its grounding elements are just the tip of the iceberg, however, as it offers many different benefits topically and aromatically.
For starters, because of its unique, balancing scent, Cedar oil is a common and fantastic choice to use in a diffuser. A diffuser breaks down the oil and pushes it into a given space through the air, infusing the body with its relaxing properties. This is perfect for calming down after a long day or using during a workout session.
Like many other essential oils, cedar oil is a fantastic addition to a skin care regimen. With near immediate results against skin imperfections, it is commonly used as a moisturizer before the day begins. Its purifying properties are part of what makes it so well-liked, however it also provides qualities that other EO’s lack.
Cedar oil is an excellent insect repellant that can safely be used in the fertilizer surrounding a garden. Special formulas are available for purchase, or can be created easily at home, utilizing the oil to keep pesky bugs away from plant-life. Note that, although you may not want to apply the oil directly onto your plants, dispersing it throughout the top soil is a rather effective method.
Similarly, cedar oil can also be used inside the home when small, annoying insects like spiders and ants crawl inside. Instead of applying directly to surfaces, a few drops on a cotton ball in affected areas can make a world of difference.
7. Chamomile
Extracted from the well-known chamomile plant, the health benefits of this essential oil are plentiful. Its antibiotic and antiseptic composition make it a wonderful way to combat infections caused by harmful fungi and bacteria. It also works to eliminate infestations of lice, which are common in children who attend to school, and are often difficult to get rid of.
Chamomile oils can also have a direct effect on the mental state and mood of a person by calming down feelings of panic, anger, and irritation. This has been particularly helpful in reducing these emotions in small children who are more vulnerable to the onset of these symptoms. In general, chamomile is a wonderful way to improve nearly all aspects of the body.
For example, it is a great way to expel excess gas that can often get trapped inside the body, creating sources of pain, and can also lower blood pressure in some cases. Chamomile oil can heavily reduce and combat aches and pains in muscles and joints, toothaches, and headaches.
Its ability to relieve pressure in the majority of the body makes it one of the most prominent essential oils to date. Overall, chamomile oil contains important healing properties that make it an ideal composition for almost any physical or mental ailment.
Its ability to calm down nerves while simultaneously boosting immunity against common issues makes it one of the most unique essential oils available. Even better, the compound specifically targets toxins in the body and works rapidly to remove them, showing nearly instant results.
6. Eucalyptus
The eucalyptus tree is a plant native to Australia, often used as a source of food for herbivores like the koala bear. In addition to that, the leaves of the eucalyptus are infused with incredibly potent medicinal qualities that make it an excellent and well-used essential oil. Considered to be one of the most healthy and powerful EO’s, eucalyptus is as multi-use as they come.
The popular extraction is known primarily for its ability to reduce allergies, combat sinus issues, and reduce symptoms of common colds and flus. Eucalyptus is so effective that a study was conducted by an NYU Medical School that actually proved how well its properties worked to treat sinusitis.
The test subjects noted that their symptoms improved much more rapidly than when using prescribed medications. Because of its medicinal properties, Eucalyptus oil can also be incredibly beneficial for home cleaning.
While the fragrance itself is remedial, the anti-microbial elements that make up eucalyptus are perfect for adding to pre-existing cleaning agents, or for simply using on its own to fight off germs and bacteria that exist in most households. This includes hand soaps, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, and even plain water used to wipe down surfaces.
Similarly, eucalyptus oil is incredibly refreshing and can leave any room smelling pleasant – even where previous odors may have disrupted the space. Its cleansing, anti-bacterial composition is able to topically and aromatically clean areas that are prone to unwanted smells and dust. For this reason, eucalyptus is one of the best additions to home cleaning agents available.
5. Jasmine
Jasmine is an incredibly fragrant and often pricey essential oil that requires the use of absolute extraction, a method of oil extraction that keeps the content from becoming damaged in the process. This is because jasmine oil is incredibly fragile, however its benefits make its development and price point far worth it.
One of the most common uses for jasmine oil is in massage therapy. Its therapeutic properties allow it to soothe stiff muscles and tense joints. Paired with a beautiful aroma, Jasmine is also able to stimulate feelings of vitality. This is especially useful for people with bodily aches and pains as the 2-in-1 oil targets uncomfortable areas.
The physical benefits combined with its emotionally centering affects rank Jasmine as one of the most helpful and supportive essential oils on the market. The fragrance is used primarily for its ability to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
This works by inhalation of the diffused oil, which sends signals to the brain that can directly influence the body’s nervous system and emotions. Although jasmine should not be taken in place of doctor-prescribed medications, the aroma has been said to positively affect the mental status of its users so well that it is comparable to anti-anxiety and depression pills.
Similarly, jasmine also contains properties that help with insomnia, a common side effect of anxiety. Its sleepy-time scent aids people who breathe in the scent via a diffuser or by simply smelling the aroma during symptoms of the panic-inducing mental states.
4. Lemon
Lemon is a universally used citrus fruit that is well-known for its purifying components. Because of this, the scent and elements of a lemon are used throughout a variety of home cleaning agents due to their freshness. Similarly, Lemon oil is a fantastic and all-natural alternative that ditches the chemicals and gets right to the source of the lemon’s beneficial properties.
Unlike many essential oils, Lemon oil is fully consumable. It can be added to drinks or taken naturally to detox the body of harmful toxins and promote healthy digestion rates. Not only that, but the flavor of lemon is appreciated by many for its sour-meets-sweet citrus taste and is often included in liquids as well as pastries and other baked good.
Lemon oil can also be an efficient mood booster via its naturally energetic aroma. The fragrance has been tested and proven to promote positive vibes due to its composition. In addition to being the ultimate way to uplift an atmosphere, Lemon oil is one of the easiest natural remedies for grease.
Grease is an annoyingly difficult substance to cleanse, no matter how many soaps you try or how frequently you scrub at it. Thankfully, lemon oil provides the boost you need to rid nearly any surface of the tough and grimy material. Furthermore, Lemon oil has been proven to be a great furniture preservation tool.
The cleansing properties are interchangeable between promoting healthy bodily functions and upkeep on everything from wood cabinetry to leather chairs. Its replenishing components allow it to rehydrate and polish just about any furnishings and equipment imaginable, making it one of the best home care essential oils.
3. Tea Tree
Tea tree oil is an incredibly potent serum that works in a variety of unique ways that span from protecting against skin issues to amplifying home care.
There are over 327 scientific cases that have surrounded the usefulness of the essential oil, with many of them promoting it so much that tea tree is used in a combination of products today, including body washes, shampoos and conditioners, and lotions and creams.
The most common uses for tea tree oil when it comes to utilizing its restorative properties are: acne, fungal and bacterial infections, cold sores, psoriasis, dry nailbeds, insect bites, sunburns, and warts. Tea tree oil works to dry out parts of the body, such as with acne, which then kills the moisture-loving bacteria within.
In addition to these medicinal purposes, Tea tree is favorable because of its anti-microbial tendencies. The diligent oil can remove mold, repel insects, work as a safe and all-natural deodorant, and be included in household cleaners. Perhaps the most unique thing about tea tree oil is its large following in real medicine.
Doctors around the world prescribe the use of tea tree oil as opposed to certain medications because of its uncanny ability to perform in similar ways. Although Tea tree should not replace anything already prescribed by a medical professional, the healing properties within the oil are worth looking into and discussing with your doctor.
The only true side effect that comes with tea tree oil, in comparison to the multitude of problems that regular medication can present, is its drying properties. Despite this, re-moisturizing with any number of other oils on this list is the perfect way to naturally cure common ailments.
2. Lavender
Whether you choose to embark on the journey of using essential oils permanently or not, lavender is a true necessity. As one of the leading EO’s in the market, lavender can easily be incorporated into almost any aspect of your life to assist in ways that will leave you feeling refreshed and re-energized.
The rejuvenating oil is widely popular for its calming entities. Rubbing it on key points around the body, including your wrists, temples, feet, and neck, can almost instantly calm down the body. Similarly, lavender is an excellent means to combat insomnia, as the sleep aid’s aroma instantly soothes and relaxes your mind and muscles.
Because of this combination of easing both the physical and mental aspects of a person, lavender is one of the most diverse essential oils around. Lavender oil also works fantastically for nausea and motion sickness. No one likes to feel an oncoming flu, and lavender can help keep those nasty reactions at bay.
In addition to that, long car trips can often leave your stomach tying in knots. Although there are a variety of medications that can be taken to help this, there’s no reason not to try out this natural alternative. It works just as well and is almost more effective because of the ability to continually apply it as needed.
Finally, lavender oil is the perfect remedy for dry, chapped, or sunburned skin. Applied directly to the source, unlike many other remedies, lavender doesn’t additionally irritate the damaged skin, but instead works quickly to heal it.
1. Peppermint
Peppermint is possibly the most well-recognized oil available, mainly because of its roots in a variety of other things such as foods, soaps, and perfumes. What many don’t know about peppermint is its wealth of benefits. Documented all the way back to 1,000 BC, peppermint oil was used by the ancient Egyptians and even promoted in many of the pyramids from that era. If it’s good enough for Cleopatra, it’s good enough to be added to your EO collection.
Peppermint oil is used traditionally to soothe stomachaches and digestion issues, relieve tense muscles and alleviate headaches, and even freshen bad breath. It is a prominent ingredient in many toothpastes, which can easily be supplemented by the all-natural oil. In addition to this, peppermint has been proven to increase focus, improve energy levels, and be an excellent alternative to pharmaceuticals that are pricey and often contain negative elements to them.
Medically, peppermint has proven itself to be an incredibly versatile substance. Studies have found that it can protect good cells from dying during aggressive cancer treatments. The oil can also help with hormonal imbalances, respiratory infections, nausea induced by the flu or motion sickness, and even treat irritable bowel syndrome. Its multipurpose benefits don’t just affect adults, however. In small amounts, peppermint can also be used to reduce the pain of teething, treat colic, and soothe growing pains in children.
In general, peppermint oil takes number one on our list because of its ability to combine nearly every essential oil’s positive elements and put it into a singular form. While some oils work better for others and all should be tried to find out what works best for you personally, peppermint is potentially the best oil to keep on hand.