Essential oils are becoming more popular among those you want to live a healthier, more natural lifestyle. If you’re just getting started, you may have a few questions such as, how do essential oils work? First, you should know that pure essential oils come from plants and nothing is added to them.
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They contain the essence or the chemical properties found in the plant from which they were extracted. Therefore, they’re all natural and very potent. In simple terms, essential oils work in three ways. They are inhaled into the lungs, absorbed through the skin or ingested.
Inhaling Essential Oils
When you inhale the tiny molecules that make up essential oils, they go directly into the lungs where they’re quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. You can begin to feel the effects of the oil almost immediately. Several different methods are used to inhale essential oils. The most popular ones include using a diffuser, adding them to your bathwater or a bowl of hot water, spray them into the air or inhale directly from the bottle. When adding to your bathwater be sure to mix with carrier oil because essential oils are not water soluble.
Absorbing Essential Oils through the Skin
Essential oils are very strong, so you don’t want to use them directly on the skin. Instead, dilute them with carrier oil before using. It will help protect your skin without reducing the effects of the oil. It also makes it much easier to apply to your skin and makes the oil last longer since you only need to add a few drops of the essential oils to feel the effects. Once applied, your skin acts similar to the way a sponge does and absorbs the essential oils into your body where it then enters the bloodstream.
Ingesting Essential Oils
Ingesting essential oils is not recommended especially when starting out. It’s vital to understand just how strong good quality pure oils are and to have extensive knowledge of the chemical makeup of the oil being ingested before taking any of them internally. Some oils are considered safe to ingest in small amounts but others are toxic if swallowed. Some can even cause kidney or liver failure especially in children and those with a weak immune system.
Once the essential oils enter the body, the healing properties within the oils are released rather quickly. It’s believed these compounds help to heal and protect your body in a way that is similar to how the oils protect the plants from which they are removed. Of course, there are skeptics that question the effectiveness of essential oils but regular users seem to have no doubt that they have a positive impact on their health.
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I’m very interested in essential oils. This was a great introductory post
Thanks Michelle, I appreciate you stopping by and hope you learn more about essential oils and give them a try.
Great informative post! I started using essential oils this past Christmas when my youngest came down with a really bad cold. I have done a little of the roll-ons, but mainly been using my diffuser 🙂
I love diffusers so much! I’m still experimenting with different oils and different ways to use them but I definitely love a great-smelling room. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I am intrigued about essential oils! This post gave me the basics and I’d like to try it, too.
There are some oils that are safe for the skin and those, ironically enough, are my favorites. Lavender oil is so gentle but it has seriously the strongest working power! It feels like it works for everything!