by Mary Lou |
Last Updated: November 25, 2017 When you buy something using the links on our posts, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Learn more.
There are different uses of essential oils apart from just pouring them into your aromatherapy diffuser. If you employ a few of these tricks, we guarantee that you’ll be lowering your body’s toxic burden significantly.
We’ve added the exact recipes you can try to take out the guesswork. As with anything DIY though, feel free to experiment with ratios and ingredients.
A Note on Safety
Essential oils are extremely potent, which is why they are effective. And whilst they are much safer than other chemicals, they are not without risk.
The concentrated version of an essential oil can cause irritation, so always follow dilution instructions and consider further dilutions if you are susceptible to allergic reactions.
It’s incredibly important to test any new oils you are introducing into your home. This will benefit your pets too!
Stop using oils if you experience any skin irritations, noticeable increase in headaches or sinus problems.
10 Different Uses of Essential Oils
1. Prevent Plaque With Peppermint Oil Pulling
Decrease your dentist visits with this simple regime.
Directions:
Heat ½ cup of coconut oil in a saucepan until liquid. Add approximately 20 drops of peppermint oil. Pour into cube trays so you have handy bite-sized amounts ready to go. Place it in the fridge to harden.
First thing in the morning, grab a piece and swish the mixture in your mouth for between 5-15 minutes, then spit!
Benefits:
- Helps fight bad breath
- Kills bacteria
- Oily mixture seeps into harder-to-reach areas around teeth and gums
- Assists in preventing plaque build up
This is not a replacement for brushing your teeth!
2. Relax With Lavender Linen
Get deeper and more restful sleep with this sleep spray.
Directions:
Dilute 30 drops of lavender oil with 3 tablespoons of vodka or witch hazel and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir and place into a small spray bottle. Double the recipe for bigger bottles.
Spray on pillows, rugs, towels, or even your yoga mats!
Benefits:
- Soothing scent helps you fall asleep faster or more deeply
- Leaves guests in your home feeling relaxed and welcome
- As a freshening spray, it removes bad odors and replaces them with a relaxing scent
Lavender can irritate some animals, especially cats. I know most cats have the run of the whole house but definitely avoid spraying their main lounging areas.
3. All-Purpose Eucalyptus Cleaner
You can use this cleaner for just about anything so long as the surfaces you apply it on are safe like tiles or tabletops. Spritz on food spills and whatnot.
Directions:
Eucalyptus does it all.
Mix 1 cup of hot water, ½ cup of white vinegar and 8 drops of eucalyptus oil. You can also add a gentle detergent if the areas you are cleaning are particularly sticky. Put all of these into a medium-sized spray bottle and spray the grime away.
Benefits:
- No-chemical cleaning
- Antiseptic and disinfectant
- Smells WAY better than bleach/other cleaning chemicals
Don’t mix bleach or detergents that contain bleach with this recipe. The vinegar and bleach together causes a toxic reaction.
4. Bite-Avoiding Blend
Here’s an all-natural insect and bug repellent for your family.
Directions:
Combine 1/4 cup witch hazel, 1/4 cup filtered water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable glycerin into a 4 oz. spray bottle.
Now add the following:
- 55 drops of eucalyptus oil
- 15 drops of lavender oil
- 15 drops of tea tree oil
- 15 drops of citronella oil
Other bug repelling oils you can try are rosemary, cedarwood, bergamot and rose geranium.
Benefits:
- Decrease risk of skin irritations
- Avoid the harmful chemical DEET (key ingredient to many commercial insect repellents)
Always perform a patch test before applying concoction to larger areas of skin. And take extra care in use with children under 3 years.
5. Magic Carpet Deodorizer
As the name says, this is a great way to get your carpet smelling fresh again.
Directions:
Deodorise and revitalise.
Combine 1 cup of baking soda with 5-6 drops of orange or lavender essential oil. After mixing well, add the concoction to a shaker with decent sized holes — a used parmesan cheese or herb shaker should do the job. Scatter mixture evenly, covering carpeted areas and leave to sit for 15 minutes. The remedy will soak up undesirable odours. Now vacuum mixture and enjoy your refreshed carpets!
Benefits:
- Cost effective
- Environmentally friendly
- Quick and easy
6. Laundering with Eucalyptus Oil
Did you know that you can use an essential oil to make laundry better?
Directions:
To brighten your everyday wash, add 15 ml of eucalyptus oil to your regular wash cycle. Especially effective for work wear, nappies, sheets and towels, eucalyptus oil works effectively as a disinfectant, stain and grease remover, and deodoriser. In addition, use the oil as a pre-wash spot cleaner. Coat the stain in the oil and sit for approximately five minutes before washing as usual.
Benefits:
- Antibacterial effects
- Decrease risk of skin irritations
7. Tea Tree Is Gold For Killing Mold
Not only does mold look disgusting, it can also cause harmful health effects. As mold is a fungi, tea tree essential oil is the perfect defence with its super anti-fungal properties.
Directions:
To prevent the build-up of mold in your home, consider purchasing a diffuser. Follow the directions in diffusing the tea tree oil to purify the air throughout your home. Alternatively, dilute 20-25 drops of tea tree oil with 1/4 cup of water and 1/2 cup white vinegar and spray on areas prone to mold build-up.
Benefits:
- Safer than bleach and other commercial household chemicals
- Environmentally friendly
- Disinfectant
8. Tea Tree Toothpaste
Cut your gums some slack!
Directions:
Slightly melt 1/2 cup of coconut oil and mix with 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda. Add 20 drops of tea tree oil and 15 drops of peppermint oil.
Both oils are anti-bacterial while the peppermint will give your mouth a fresh feeling.
Benefits:
- Cost effective
- Safer than commercial toothpastes
9. Citrus Delight Dish Washing Detergent
Do your bit for the waterways and decrease your family’s exposure to harmful chemicals by making your own dish soap.
Directions:
In a medium bowl, add 1/2 ounce Castile soap and 3 1/4 cups purified water. Purified water is necessary to avoid chemical contamination. Now add 4 ounces vinegar and 1 ounce citric acid. Lastly, add 20 drops lemon oil and 20 drops orange oil. These essential oils are desirable for their antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. The sweet scent of orange oil and unbeatable freshness of lemon oil make the perfect dish soap.
Benefits:
- Environmentally friendly
- Cost effective
- Antibacterial
10. Essential Foaming Hand Soap
For an everyday gentle and purifying hand soap!
Directions:
Place 3/4 boiled or distilled water and 1/4 Castile soap in a foaming soap dispenser. Add 5 drops of lavender oil for its relaxing fragrance and 5 drops of tea tree oil as it acts as a solvent to remove excess debris from the pores and combat bacteria.
Benefits:
- Safe for your body and the environment
- Anti-bacterial / antiseptic (prevents infection)
- Cost effective
Making Scents Of It All
When it comes to essential oils – a little goes a long way. In employing these simple solutions, you’ll save money, the environment and your health.
Get back to basics and welcome these botanical beauties into your sanctuary. It’s ESSENTIAL you try!
Author: Mary Lou
In the Before Times, Maru spent vacations traveling and making stops at showrooms to test the latest massage chair models. Nowadays, she’s hunkered down in her small sunlit home dotted with her ever-growing collection of fiddle fig trees, indoor plants, and Himalayan salt lamps. Find her at LinkedIn.