There’s a bunch of essential oils on the market from anise and basil through to frankincense, tangerine and ylang-ylang (and about a million others in between).
Yet given the abundance of essential oils, many people end up feeling overwhelmed or intimidated.
First things first, what are essential oils?
Essential oils are aromatic substances taken from natural sources, such as roots, seeds, bark and flowers, through steam distillation or cold-pressing.
The beauty of essential oils is their potency - just 1 drop is enough to have an effect. But this means you also need to be SUPER careful with them. Too much could have an adverse effect, especially if you get them on your skin.
What are some of the benefits of essential oils?
Well I’m glad you asked! Given that there are LOTS of essential oils out there, here’s a few common essential oils along with their benefits.
Tea tree oil:antifungal, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory
Rosemary: soothes, antioxidant, antiseptic
Eucalyptus: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, stimulating, odour-neutralising
Lemon: anti-fungal, cleansing, uplifting
Ylang-ylang: promotes relaxation, antibacterial, antiseptic
Frankincense: reduces stress, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting
Orange: anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antiseptic, calming
How can essential oils be used?
There are plenty of ways to incorporate essential oils into your life and the great thing about doing this is that it forces you to focus on YOU. In order to decide which essential oils to use, you need to consider how you’re feeling.
Are you stressed? Anxious? Happy? Suffering from a cold?
Inhale
A super simple introduction to essential oils is simply to inhale. Choose an essential oil that you feel you could benefit from (for example if you’re feeling stressed you might pick lavender or ylang-ylang).
Pop 1-2 drops on a tissue, hold it up to your nose and take a few slow, deep breaths in through the nose and out your mouth. The scent and the calmness of your breath will send signals to your mind to relax.
Diffuse
If you have a diffuser you can put a few drop of your favourite essential oil in your diffuser and turn it on. The great thing about a diffuser is that it can circulate through the entire room or house. You can get on with whatever you need to do while breathing in the benefits. Too easy!
Apply
Essential oils in skincare products are absorbed onto the skin. This application means you both feel and smell the benefits. For example, lemon myrtle oil used in skincare provides antibacterial and astringent properties while its delicate lemon scent soothes and calms.
Important note: Never put an undiluted essential oil on your skin. Usually about 1% concentration in what we call a “carrier oil” is enough! They’re really powerful and can cause your skin to become irritated or dry.
As an alternative to fragrance
At Woohoo we love the fact we can use natural essential oils in place of artificial fragrance, to ensure 100% natural, skin-friendly deos.
To give ourWoohoo All Natural Deodorant Paste ‘Wild’ super smell-busting strength we incorporated a burly team of highly-fragranced essential oils: honey myrtle, Peru balsam, cedarwood and eucalyptus. The result was ‘wild’— hence the name!
But on the subject of alternatives, we felt it only fair to offer those who are sensitive to essential oils or choose to not use them (this includes pregnant and breastfeeding women) a suitable all-natural option.
This led to the creation of ourWoohoo All Natural Deodorant Paste ‘Mellow’.It contains absolutely NO fragrance. Not a drop. It’s also bicarb free (because bicarb can irritate some very sensitive skin too).
Kapish!
