How Do You Use Essential Oils?
Your Oil-Scope™ and arsenal of All-Star Recipes are far from the only ways to use doTERRA essential oils. Oils are all-natural, super-concentrated powerhouses: they can enhance everything from physical health and wellness, relaxation, beauty and hygiene, to home cleaning, cooking, and more. Even before I understood all the things oils could do for me energetically when I used them in synergy with astrology, I was seeing their powerful properties stretch into new areas of my life. I love sharing the power and wisdom of oils with you, and every one-on-one Wellness Reading reviews the areas of your life where oils can help you thrive!
Each doTERRA essential oil can be applied at least one (or, usually, more!) of these ways: aromatic, topical, and internal.
Aromatic
Your sense of smell can elicit powerful physiological, mental, and emotional responses. When you inhale a pure essential oil, the volatile aromatic compounds are quickly absorbed by your smell receptors and link—via your olfactory nerve—to your limbic system. Your brain’s limbic system supports a variety of functions: smell, emotions, behavior, even memory. For this reason, essential oils have an especially powerful effect via aromatic application!
Here’s how to use doTERRA essential oils aromatically:
- Place a drop in your palms and inhale
- Add oil to a batch of laundry or to dryer sheets
- Use as a household cleaner
- Diffuse in a diffuser to boost your mood, cleanse the air & provide respiratory support
Topical
Topical application is one of my favorite ways to apply these cosmic gems, because it’s incredibly powerful—and fast. Sometimes you don’t have a room to diffuse in or time to sit down (or at least I don’t!). When you apply Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG™) essential oils to key body points topically, the natural chemical compounds can enter your bloodstream in about 30 seconds…and in some cases, spread to every cell in your body in about 20 minutes!
Here’s how to use doTERRA essential oils topically:
- Apply 1-2 drops to a localized area.
- Apply 1-2 drops to bottoms of feet or the back of your neck for general support.
- Apply 1-2 drops to pulse points as a personal fragrance.
- Use Fractionated Coconut Oil to help oils absorb into your skin & prevent possible skin sensitivities.
Internal
When you consume essential oils internally, their active compounds absorb osmotically through your gastrointestinal tract, where they are then transported to the rest of your body, including your brain. That’s why it’s so important that you only ingest essential oils that are CPTG™! In addition to testing for safety and quality in all their oils, doTERRA marks essential oils that are safe to use internally with “Supplement Facts” on the bottle. Always check for it before ingesting an oil.
Here’s how to use doTERRA essential oils internally:
- Add desired oils into empty gel cap and swallow like a pill.
- Add 1-2 drops in cooking or baking in place of herbs or spices
- Place 1-2 drops of your desired oil under your tongue or gargle.
- Add to your glass of water(make sure to use glass or stainless steel water bottles and glasses!)
Using Oils Safely
Essential oils, especially high-quality ones, contain powerful active compounds, so it’s important to use them safely. Here are a few basic principles to guide you as you explore their properties:
- When applying essential oils topically or using them internally, use the smallest amount possible and reapply if necessary. It’s better to use a small amount more frequently, than a large amount once.
- Do NOT put oils in your eyes, nose or ears. If oils get into your eyes, use a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil or any vegetable-based oil) on a napkin or soft cloth to gently rub it out. Do NOT use water for this!
- When using essential oils topically with kids and the elderly, make sure to dilute your essential oils according to a trusted dilution chart, like that found in the Modern Essentials book. A general rule of thumb is to use 3 drops of a carrier oil for every 1 drop of essential oil.
- Make sure to follow the instruction of the oils when applying topically:
N = Neat (can apply without a carrier oil)
S = Sensitive (dilute with a carrier oil if you have sensitive skin)
D = Dilute (dilute it! dilute a lot if your skin is sensitive!)
- Avoid UV rays for at least 12 hours after applying citrus oils to your skin! You could get a nasty thing called “citrus burn.” (If you’ve ever made margaritas at a pool party and wondered why your hands were discolored afterwards, you know what I’m talking about!)
- Only take essential oils internally if the bottle has “Supplement Facts” printed on it. Otherwise, don’t take it internally.
- When consuming essential oils, make sure to use glass or stainless steel glassware and/or water bottles. You could even use a ceramic mug. Just DON’T use plastic containers!
- ONLY consume essential oils internally if they are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG™)!
