Essential Oils - What they Are and How to Use Them

Ok, so you've heard about essential oils I'm assuming.  They can be used for a multitude of different things including bath products, beauty products, cleaning supplies, massage oils, diffuses and many more.

According to The Essential Oil University this is how they define essential oils.

Essential oils are the volatile, aromatic oils obtained by steam or hydrodistillation of botanicals. Most essential oils are primarily composed of terpenes and their oxygenated derivatives. Different parts of the plants can be used to obtain essential oils, including the flowers, leaves, seeds, roots, stems, bark, wood, etc.

Certain cold-pressed oils, such as the oils from various citrus peels, are also considered to be essential oils but these are not to be confused with cold-pressed fixed or carrier oils such as olive, grapeseed, coconut etc. which are non-volatile oils composed mainly of fatty acid triglycerides. Other aromatic, plant-derived oils, which technically aren’t essential oils because they are solvent extracted, include Absolutes(hexane followed by ethanol extraction), CO2’s (liquid carbon dioxide used as the solvent) and Phytols or Florosols (fluoro-hydrocarbon solvent).


Now essential oils aren't even really oils.  They don't contain the fatty acids that constitute what we call an oil.


Many oils are high in antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties.  This makes them perfect for adding to your homemade natural cleaning supplies.

The Best Oils for cleaning are: Lemon, grapefruit, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, lavender, and rosemary.  My favorites are eucalyptus, tea tree and lavender.

Essential oils can greatly improve your mood as well.  Look into what each of them do to achieve your desired result.

As I get older I'm finding myself becoming more "crunchy."  For those of you who don't know what that means, in a nutshell it means that I'm trying to make my life more natural and sustainable.  I'm cooking from scratch whenever possible, cutting out most all processed foods in my diet and my son's diet, making my own cleaning products, etc.


I've started with laundry detergent and fabric softener.  If your interested to see how I made my detergent check out my post on it HERE.

Anyway, back to the oils.  I use them for my cleaning products, in old potpourri that I want to revive, bath salts, lotions and the list is endless.

You don't need a lot with the oils.  A little goes a long way.  With some preparations you only need a few drops.  My fabric softener called for 30-40 drops of oil.  That's really not a lot.  A little .5 oz bottle will last a LONG time.

For a quick reference of oils, definitions and uses click HERE.

I found this great post from Crunchy Betty, "21 Things You Should Know About using Essential Oils"

I could just tell you what she said and plagiarize of just link you to her article like I just did.

Possibilities are endless when it comes to essential oils.  All you have to do is to start experimenting!

How to Make your own Bath Salts

I don't know about you but I LOVE soaking in a hot tub to take the aches, pains and bumps away after a long day.  It's always very relaxing.


This past Christmas I made a jar of bath salts for all of the women in my family as a little something extra from me.  They were a huge hit.




Here is the basic recipe.  There are many, many, many variations.  This is just one.  The possibilities are endless.  You can do just about anything.



1 part Epsom Salt
1 part Sea Salt
1 part Baking Soda (Optional)
Essential Oils (Optional)
Herbs or other additives (Optional)



Take a zip top bag and start with 1 cup or so of each of the salts.  Combine in the bag, close and combine well.  If you're using the Baking Soda (good to help with softening the skin) add it in now as well.

Once combined well add your essential oils, herbs or other additives.  Close and combine well.

The amount of oil you'll use will depend on your personal preference.  I tend to go heavier on the oils than they recommend because I like the effects of the oil.  My favorites to use are Lemon and Eucalyptus Oils.  The combo is divine.

Let the salts dry overnight in a bowl or a tray so that way once you pour them in the jar they don't stick together.

After the salts are dry you can then add whichever dried herbs you choose.  Hole herbs end to work best.  Rosemary is always a good option to go with.

Once dry, use a funnel or a piece of paper rolled up like a funnel to pour the salts into the jars.

You can make pretty labels to go with them if you'd like.  I used quilting squares to put between the lid and the screw cap of the jar to pretty them up a bit.  I also made little cards (business card size) saying what was in the jar as I already had the materials at home.  I tied the card to the jars with a pretty bit of ribbon.  Then I got small craft paper bags at the store and with some tissue paper and I had my handmade gifts to hand out.

Find everything you'll need to get started here.

I'd love to know if you make up your own and what you did so leave a comment letting me know!