A few days ago I introduced you to some of my favourite vegetable oils. So today it’s the turn of the essential oils! I love using them so much that they are part of my daily life and I use them for huge variety of different things. Lots of people I know often use them for health problems and cleaning their houses but as always here I just focus on beauty. I must state now however that essential oils can be harmful if not used carefully as they highly concentrated, powerful and highly potent. This is the reason why in most cases just a few drops will suffice. Make sure to do your own research into specific application and usages. Essential oils are also forbidden for pregnant women and children under 3 years old and even for small children above 3 years of age you should still check with a doctor! What I am saying here is basically be very careful and don’t use them if you are at all unsure. So now we have covered the scary parts let’s get back to the goodness……here is a quick overview of my favorite essential oils and how I use them.
Ravinstara – Every single year I can be certain of one thing, I will get at least one horrible and embarrassing cold sore on my lips. Whenever I feel ill, tired or too stressed you can be sure it will pop up. Even on the very luckiest year if I get only one in a year then I count this as a blessing. I have tried so many different creams from the pharmacy and nothing has ever worked! So recently I endeavoured to find a natural remedy and so after a lot of reading and research realised that perhaps Ravinstara could help. I have used it few times so far and can I say that it really works! As soon as I feel a tingle on my lips I apply one drop to my spot about 5-6 times a day and it stops the spot from growing, it just stays as a small red spot! This has been a true revelation!
Ylang Ylang – The smell of Ylang Ylang is quite strong and I don’t really like it but I know many people will disagree with me as they seem to absolutely love the smell. However, even in spite of this I think Ylang Ylang is possibly my all time favorite essential oil. A few drops diluted into my hair treatment fight against hair loss, promotes hair growth and gives amazing shine and softness. I also always add 1 ml of Ylang Ylang and 1 ml of Clary Sage (Sauge Sclaree) to 250 ml of shampoo. These two essential oils works great in synergy! They promote hair growth, stimulate the scalp and prevent hair loss. One great tip though is to make sure to spend few minutes massaging your scalp after you apply them and your hair will thank you!
Bay Saint Thomas – This is another very efficient essential oil to promote hair growth. Another of its great abilities is that it helps fight against dandruff. It’s a very powerful essential oil so make sure to respect the dose. I add 2 drops to all my homemade hair treatments (vegetable oil mix) and massage the mixture into my scalp for a few minutes. Are you starting to get the feeling that I’m a little too obsessed with hair growth……yeah me too! ^^
Immortelle or Helichysum italicum – This is a very expensive essential oil due to its rarity, its €12,50 for 2ml! However it’s really bloody worth it! Don’t ask me why, as I have no idea, but I always seem to get loads of bruises on my legs and this essential oil is brilliant in getting rid of them. I just use 1 or 2 drops and lightly massage locally which really helps to heal the bruise super fast! Another recurring issue I have is that I get a lot of microcyst all around my mouth and chin. To try and combat this I followed a recipe I found on the Oleassence website but it’s in french so I have translated it into english; apply aloe vera on the microcyst, put 1 drop of each essential oil Hélichryse and Ravinstara and massage a bit. If you follow these directions and apply it every morning and night it works amazingly, mine are (nearly) all gone!
Lavender – Get your beauty sleep with this essential oil as has been used for centuries to encourage restful sleep. It reduces stress, anxiety and it smells so nice. Put 1-2 drops under your pillow, or apply few drop on your solar plexus and massage. Also if you are heading to the sun there is a good chance that you will get sunburn so in this instance just mix few drops with a vegetable oil and apply it to the burn. Lavender essential oil has excellent healing properties and will help to relieve the pain of a burn.
Lemon – I use Lemon essential oils daily in my diffuser at home as I love the smell so much. Another amazing use for this essential oil is that it helps remove stains and whiten yellowish nails. To strengthen your nails I would also recommend you to mix 1 ml of lemon essential oil with 5 ml of castor oil and apply a few drops on your nails and then massage it in. Keep the rest of the mixture in a bottle and reapply regularly as you will only use a few drops each time. Another thing I like to do once in awhile is to add 2 drops into a tea/infusion with a bit of honey as it’s delicious!
Tea Tree – A classic! One of the most famous essential oils as its efficiency in treating spots is irrefutable. Tea tree contains antibacterial properties that treat spots naturally. Apply one drop on a cotton bud and dab the oil apply on the spot to reduce swelling and redness.
All my essential oils come from the Aroma Zone website as it so informative and explains what each product does in detail as well as offering so much choice. The main issue for lots of people will probably be that the whole website is only in french which may cause some of my readers some difficulty. It’s a real a shame but if you have any problems then you can find most essential oils on the Baldwins website too which is based in South London and all in English (just slightly more expensive and less are organic). There are so many different uses for these essentials oils but I’m still learning how to get the most out of them. I will certainly share with you all my new discoveries! So, what about you, what are your favorites? Tell me all about them!
