Your First Oil and How to Use It

Now that you know what aromatherapy is, where should we start? A good place to begin is with how to use essential oils (which I will refer as EO's) and which EO is the first to have in your medicine cabinet.
There are three schools of application:

The English model uses EO's topically, diluting them with vegetable oils and using them for massage. Using them enhances your massage experience in numerous ways.

The French model uses EO's undiluted (neat) and prescribes ingestion. A common way to do this is to place a drop or two on a spoon of agave, honey, or vegetable oil, or on a piece of bread. Hey, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

The German model is where we get the name "aroma" therapy from as they support the inhalation of EO's. Smells affect the brain. Think about it, when you smell something bad, like the long forgotten milk in the fridge, you turn up your nose. When you smell something good, like lilacs in spring or a freshly peeled orange, it lifts your spirits.

The EO I believe every home should have is:
Lavender! It's been called the "Swiss army knife" of EO's because it is one of the most versatile of all essential oils. Lavender has so many uses I won't overwhelm you with all of them now. However I'll give you a good start.

Lavender

1. Calming: rub a drop of oil on feet or pulse points; inhale.
2. Allergies: diffuse; put a drop or 2 in a small glass of water and drink.
3. Minor Burns: put 2 - 3 drops on burn.
4. Sunburn: "Spritz several drops of Lavender oil mixed with distilled water on sunburn to decrease pain."
5. Deodorant: rub 2 - 3 drops in armpit
6. Scar tissue: "to reduce or minimize the formation of scar tissue, massage Lavender on and around the affected area".
7.Bee sting / Insect bite: a drop on the sting or bite to stop itching or swelling.


These are just a few of the reasons I not only have Lavender in my medicine cabinet but carry a small bottle of it wherever I go. You never know when you might need it!

Be well!