Essential Oils 101

New to the world of essential oils? Essential oils are generally safe and fairly simple to use. They are great to set the mood, use around the home or simply assist in wellness & health. Below we will dive into the basics and provide you with some tips to help you get started and even incorporate the use of essential oils into your practice.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are made from different plants and herbs using different methods to make them into concentrated oils that capture the scent or flavour. A popular extraction method is by steam distillation. This process is done by when the steam vapourizes the plants compounds, which go through a condensation and collection process. Once they are ready, the oils are often used for therapeutic purposes and natural cleaning methods.

Benefits of essential oils

When using essential oils, it’s important to always read the label or check with a doctor prior to using. It’s important to remember that none are safe to be ingested directly. Also, one must consider others around who may also be inhaling the aroma; such as pets, pregnant women or children as it may be harmful to them depending on oils and their dilution levels.

There are many different ways to gain overall benefits from essential oils, two main ones are by inhaling or diffusing. Some essential oils when inhaled in a small amount (suggested to be applied to a cotton ball) can assist in respiratory issues, grounding, headaches or other. And, if you are looking to boost the mood or set a mood, try diffusing the oils instead! This is also a great alternative to chemically made air fresheners.

It is commonly known that applying peppermint oil to your temples reduces pain from a headache. Another common oil known to have beneficial effects is the use of lavender or chamomile, as it may improve sleep. 

Essential oils are also great for creating homemade cleaning solutions. Try mixing and matching blends of citruses, thyme, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, rosemary, and cinnamon - or use them on their own in your solution. You can find natural cleaning recipes here!

Ways to incorporate essential oils into a ritual or practice

Set the mood and tone of your ritual by adding essential oils. Either diffuse a blend during your practice or directly apply to the skin before or after (please always read safety instructions).

To create a calming atmosphere, blend together 3 drops of lavender, 3 drops of frankincense and 1 drop of peppermint essential oils. This blend will assist in focus and clearing the mind.

To recenter and relax, combine 3 drops of lemongrass, 2 drops of lavender and 1 drop or orange oils. 

For a mood boosting and relaxing blend, combine together 3 drops of grapefruit, 2 drops of orange, 1 drop of bergamot and lemon essential oils.

To dilute essential oils, you can add water to soften the harshness of direct essential oils to skin which is always recommended.

Kindly note, we advise against cleaning a Scoria cork yoga mat with hash and direct essential oils as this can damage the durability of the mat or dry out the cork over time. If essential oils are to be used, we recommend strongly diluting them using water.

Sources: WebMD, HealthLine, Home Made Lovely