Are you an essential oils newbie?
Have you signed up for an essential oils starter kit, and are now wondering what on earth you’re going to do with the small fortune’s worth of oils that have landed on your door step?
If you’re overwhelmed by your new essential oils, don’t worry. I was once in your shoes!
A few years ago, I jumped on the essential oils train.
I’d been noticing them on the blogs I was reading, a couple of Facebook friends were beginning to use them, and it didn’t take much convincing for me to know I wanted in. The health benefits and the cleaning properties really appealed to me.
I ordered an oils starter kit through a friend of a friend, had my box delivered to me at work, transported it home delirious with excitement, rubbed some lavender on my feet before bed a few times… and then basically left my beautiful new oils in a drawer for two years.
I was overwhelmed, and I just didn’t know how… or where… to start adding oils to my life.
If you’re like me, and you’re not sure how to use essential oils, that’s totally understandable!
The good news is that with the right information up your sleeve, it’s dead easy to incorporate your oils into many facets of your life. Before you know it, you’ll be mixing health-boosting blends and cleaning your house naturally like a pro!
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First things first… do you have an essential oils starter kit?
While I am not set on a particular brand of oils, most of my oils are Young Living, and I recommend them to everyone! You can purchase a starter kit through a consultant (you can find an awesome one in this Facebook group right here – and tell them Klara sent you!). Alternatively you can also just jump on Amazon and order one right now (doesn’t include membership).
Here are my top tips for getting started with your essential oils starter kit:
Essential Oils Diffuser
Depending on which company you’ve signed on with, your starter kit may have come with a diffuser. If it didn’t, acquiring one should be your number one priority!
I LOVE my Young Living diffusers but they’re not the most economical option by a long shot! There is nothing wrong with starting out with a cheapie from Amazon like this pretty one, which I cannot personally vouch for as they don’t ship it to Australia (story of my LIFE) but has thousands of positive reviews. Then if you want to, you can save up for the more expensive branded diffusers like the Desert Mist (my fave).
Diffusing is the most popular use for essential oils, because many of their properties can be activated simply by breathing them in. Not sure what to diffuse? Recently Tahlia posted some basic essential oils for beginners, and this is a great starting place for oils newbies as she talks about a number of oils that come in most starter kits (depending on the brand, some oils may have different names).
Roller bottle tops
Roller tops make topical application of oils a breeze. Prior to ordering my roller tops, I would drop some oil on my finger before applying it – meaning precious oils were inevitably being washed away when I washed my hands. With roller tops, you can apply your oils directly to where they need to go; back of the neck, temples, feet, base of the spine, etc – they make it a lot easier!
You can also create your own essential oils blends for topical application using a carrier oil such as coconut oil. There are so many ways to use roller tops!
Roller tops are very affordable, and the size is universal for the two major Essential Oils brands (Young Living and DoTerra), so you can buy them from either company. For me, this is handy as I have oils from both brands, and I can use my roller tops interchangeably.
And though I haven’t tried them myself, you can actually grab purpose-built roller bottles on Amazon and Etsy. I am obsessed with these super affordable, totally stunning rainbow bottles and would buy loads of them if they shipped to Australia.
Carrier Oil
While some oils can be applied “neat” (ie straight from the bottle) some need to be diluted. This is done with a carrier oil. Many different oils can be used as a carrier oil (eg olive oil, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil and argan oil) but the most popular carrier is fractionated coconut oil. Fractionated coconut oil is different to the coconut oil you buy at the grocery store as it has been refined and processed to ensure it’s always in a liquid form (see this article for more info). Your essential oils company of choice most likely sells it, or you can just purchase it off Amazon (this one states it is all natural and it has a nifty pump).
Lava Stone Diffuser Jewellery
Lava stone jewellery is hands-down one of my favourite ways to use essential oils. Lava stones are absorbent, and slowly diffuse the oil throughout the day. The scent of the oil is so crisp and pure – I catch myself just sniffing my jewellery all day! Plus just a few little drops can last for 3-5 days before you need to apply some more.
You can get lava stone jewellery on Etsy, at markets, and on Amazon (of course!). I personally own this beautiful bracelet, purchased from my friend Conor’s online store Lava and Stone (she also sells DoTerra essential oils kits) and I rarely take it off!
Epsom Salts
There are a couple of ways to use your oils with epsom salts, and the bonus? It’s cheap and simple to do!
Bath: Soaking in epsom salts is great for sore muscles and any swelling (anyone else get puffy ankles when they’ve been on their feet all day?). Add in a few key essential oils, and you’ve got a bath made in heaven!
Making your own epsom salts for the bath is quick and easy to do. Simply pour about 1 cup of epsom salts into a jar. Add 1tbs of bicarb soda and about 15 drops of your chosen essential oil/s. Shake it up, and then use about 1/4 of a cup per bath.
Not sure which oils to use in the bath? Lavender and frankincense are amazing to help you relax, and panaway will help soothe those sore muscles. Eucalyptus and lemon are great when you’re under the weather. Ylang ylang has a beautiful flowery scent. Your oils have all kinds of amazing properties, so try out different combinations each time you have a bath!
Shower: This is a trick I picked up in an oils group, and it’s dead easy but so wonderful. Pour epsom salt (or rock salt) into a corner of the shower where it won’t wash away quickly. I use the little soap shelf. Then add 5-8 drops of your chosen oil/s. When you turn on the shower, the steam will activate the salt, and your oils will diffuse gently around you. I especially love doing this when I have a chesty cough – I use R.C./Breathe and some lavender, and it works wonders.
DIY Beauty Products
This is such a lovely way to use your oils, and a handy way to bulk-make your own handmade gifts at Christmas too!
Pinterest has an endless supply of DIY ideas for essential oils, but I have rounded up my favourites in this list of DIY bath and beauty products.
Other accessories
When it comes to afflictions and problems, from acne to dirty counter tops, the popular saying goes “There’s an oil for that!” Likewise, when it comes to essential oils storage and other uses, I can promise you “There’s an accessory for that!” Here are some of my favourites:
Storage boxes
Don’t be like me and store your beautiful oils in an old egg carton for two years. This 25-slot storage box is great for a new, slowly expanding oils collection and comes with coloured bottle top labels to make identifying your oils a breeze. Once your addiction is full-blown and your collection has grown a bit, you can graduate to this 3-tiered space saving box.
Spray bottles
If you plan to clean with your essential oils, pick yourself up a couple of cheap plastic BPA-free spray bottles at the grocery store (and check out our beginner’s guide to natural cleaning to help get you started). Or for something a bit prettier, grab a 2-pack of these amber glass spray bottles or these blue glass misters.
Once you’ve grabbed yourself a spray bottle or two, you can mix up a batch of our simple but amazeballs DIY linen spray.
Carry pouch
This little keychain pouch looks perfect for keeping your oils close day-to-day, while this larger one looks absolutely awesome for travel AND comes in a great range of colours.
Cabinet (dream item alert!)
You would basically be living my fantasy life if you bought this stunning essential oils cabinet.
When it comes to finding essential oils accessories, a lot of fun can be had. The sky’s the limit!
Facebook groups
Finally, an item that doesn’t require you to open your wallet!
Finding the right essential oils Facebook groups has been a game changer for me. Whereas I previously had no support or information on how to use my oils, my Facebook feed is now peppered with tips, DIY videos and discussions that fill in a lot of my knowledge gaps and give me ideas on how to use my oils in new ways. I can’t escape the oils inspo! Plus, when I have a question (most recently I needed to know which oils to use on a boil. Yep, a boil. Who gets a boil?!) people jump in to help so quickly! The oils community is definitely a lovely, supportive one.
There are no doubt thousands of groups out there, but these are the ones I LOVE (and they’re super active):
Common Scents (run by my friends Tahlia and Emma – you won’t find a more supportive couple of ladies)
For the Love of Oils – Young Living
Online resources
The internet is exploding with resources to help you with your oils. There are hundreds of blogs and websites dedicated to the subject. Jessica Garvin is a great oils blogger to follow, as is Kristen Critz at The Modern Essential.
Check out YouTube for how-to videos and little video lessons on the different properties of your new oils.
And of course, we’ll constantly be adding to our catalogue of essential oils articles, so keep checking in here and even follow us on Pinterest!
More oils
It won’t take long for you to realize that your starter kit just isn’t enough! You’ll find yourself yearning for more oils to use on yourself, on your family and around your home. So once you’ve gotten the hang of the oils you’ve already got, get into some more! Then get into the cleaning products, the beauty products, the personal care products… it’s easy to become addicted to all the amazing products on offer.
Whatever you do, ensure that any oils you purchase are 100% pure essential oils, and not diluted in any way. Brands such as Young Living and DoTerra are committed to producing these pure essential oils, and are well worth investing in. (Want that link for the Young Living kit again, now that you’ve read all the amazing ways to use your oils? Here you go.)
So… are you feeling slightly less overwhelmed?
Oils can be tricky to wrap your head around in the beginning, but jumping in head first is super rewarding. Pretty soon, you’ll be relying on that diffuser to get you through every moment of every day, and whipping up custom blends for friends to try.
Don’t forget to check out Tahlia’s post on the top 10 essential oils for beginners, her natural cleaning tips, and Keren’s gorgeous DIY linen spray!
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