Before January, my use of essential oils was limited to using Peppermint for headaches, Tea Tree for pimples, and Eucalyptus for colds. That all changed when I came back to school from winter break and my roommate, Becca, had a new diffuser that she had received for Christmas. All of a sudden her room was filled with such pleasant, calming aromas at night and uplifting fragrances in the morning.
To say she sparked my interest would be a complete understatement. She created a monster. I began researching like a mad woman.
What are essential oils? What do they do? Which EO brands? Which oils? Which diffuser?
Holy crap. My head was spinning, but I was so curious I kept digging. After a few weeks of research I decided on a brand, a basic starter kit of oils, and a diffuser.
Even after purchasing a diffuser and oils, I don’t think I was really convinced until I came back from spring break with the flu and turned to essential oil concoctions to help get me over it. And now I’m addicted. There’s an essential oil for every thing that ails you; anything from anxiety, to nausea, to migraines, to a distracted mind. There is an essential oil for it, I promise.
So if you’re curious like I was, but overwhelmed by the options and unsure of where to start, I hope a look at my essential oil collection & diffuser will help alleviate some confusion!
What are essential oils?
Essential oils are solutions extracted from plants through the process of steam distillation. (I actually distilled Nutmeg oil in Organic Chemistry lab last semester and it is a tedious, time-consuming process with a very small yield).
What do essential oils do & how to use them?
Depending on the plant it has been extracted from, an essential oil has beneficial properties that can help eliminate or ease certain ailments. Essential oils are often looked at as nature’s tools that help the body heal itself. Essential oils can be used aromatically (diffused or inhaled), topically, or internally.
*Safety disclaimer- Essential oils are extremely concentrated, volatile liquids. Check with your doctor to make sure the oils you are using will not interact with any medications you may be taking. When using essential oils, especially around children, please use safe essential oil practices. When using oils topically be sure to always use a carrier oil such as jojoba oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc and when using oils internally please consult with a trained professional.
What brand?
The brand that I chose to go with is Eden’s Garden. What really attracted me most to the brand was that they are not a multi-level marketing company (MLM). I wanted something that I could buy whenever I needed to without paying a yearly fee or knowing a salesperson. Eden’s Garden offers high quality essential oils for affordable prices. Their oils are 100% therapeutic grade and are free of additives, fillers, and bases. They also offer a 30 day money-back guarantee, just in case.
Other extremely popular brands are doTERRA and Young Living. Both companies are great and offer very high quality oils. doTERRA is the brand that Becca and her mom use and they absolutely love it. However, in an attempt to be fiscally responsible (lol), I chose Eden’s Garden because it was more affordable for my college-student-budget.
Which oils?
- Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, & antiviral.
- Helps with: headaches & migraines, nausea, asthma, allergies, focus, & fevers
- I use Peppermint all of the time, which is why you see 3 bottles of it in my collection picture. 🙂
- Analgesic
- Helps with: respiratory infections, memory, mental fatigue, nervousness, depression, hair loss, & stiff muscles.
- My Rosemary is from NOW Foods, I’ve had it for a while. I’m trying to finish it up before I purchase Rosemary from Eden’s Garden.
- Sedative, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, & antibacterial.
- Helps with: sleep, anxiety, focus, allergies, high blood pressure, migraines & headaches, cuts, sunburns, & scars.
- Lavender is my #2 most used oil, I love diffusing it at night.
- Antioxidant, antiseptic, & expectorant.
- Helps with: weight loss, cellulite, & detoxification.
- Antiviral, antibacterial, & expectorant.
- Helps with: respiratory infections, fever, congestion, focus, & muscle fatigue.
- Antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, & decongestant.
- Helps with: cuts & wounds, acne, colds & flu, & general disinfecting.
- Sedative, antibacterial, & antifungal.
- Helps with: muscle cramps, high blood pressure, skin ailments such as boils, cold sores & ringworm, migraines & headaches, sleep, & anxiety.
- Anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, sedative, antibacterial, & antifungal.
- Helps with: sleep, stress, & joint/muscle pain.
- Anti-inflammatory & sedative.
- Helps with: ADD/ADHD, sleep, anxiety, & skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, & eczema.
- Antiseptic & antiviral.
- Helps with: bacterial infections, fevers, anxiety, depression, & fatigue.
- I low-key only purchased this oil because its supposed to smell very similar to Rose oil, except for 1/4 of the cost. 🙂
- Anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, sedative, & antiseptic.
- Helps with: sleep, immune function, depression, anxiety, stress, muscle spasms, acne, & dermatitis.
- Antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, & antiseptic.
- Helps with: high blood sugar & cholesterol, muscle pain, & kills germs & bacteria.
- Antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, & antifungal.
- Helps with: immune function, circulation, infections, & hypertension
- Antiseptic, antioxidant, antibacterial, & degreaser.
- Helps with: detoxification, stress, allergies, varicose veins, focus, & heartburn/acid reflux.
- Antiseptic
- Helps with: anxiety, stress, fevers, & detoxification.
- Antiseptic, sedative, & decongestant.
- Helps with: sleep, anxiety, stress, & muscle tension.
- Amyris is not a commonly known oil. It is said to be a cheaper replacement for Sandalwood, so I wanted to give it a try.
Which diffuser?
I have the Stadler Form JASMINE Aroma Diffuser in black. I purchased it off of Amazon for about $43. What I like most about this diffuser is that it can stay on for 7 hours on continuous mode (a full nights sleep) or 21 hours on interval mode (just shy of a full day).
I keep it on my nightstand next to my bed and use it primarily at night-time and when I am studying.
I got a lot of this information about the essential oils from doTERRA’s book The Essential Life . It is about $24 on Amazon. It gives really thorough information about individual oils, blends to make, and a ton of other really cool info. It also has awesome images and is beautifully designed. Shoutout to Becca for letting me borrow it.
Well I hope this helped any of you who are lost and confused in the world of essential oils! Obviously, I am completely obsessed with them and think they have improved my over all wellbeing a great deal!
Also, I pin essential oil related things constantly if you wanna check out my essential oils board on Pinterest for EO inspiration!
*I was not paid to talk about any of the companies or products mentioned in this blog post, I’m just an essential oils enthusiast.
Always,
I love to support an essential oil company that doctors support and have a world class research team located in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Yes, I think so too! Thanks for your comment!