People always ask me for advice on starting their essential oils journey.
Many folks are just looking for a place to start!
Because let’s be honest, with all the information and essential oil companies circling around out there…it can be scary, overwhelming, and financially paralyzing when trying to figure out where to begin.
So I say, if:
- left with the choice of taking only a handful of essential oils with me in an emergency…
- I could only afford a few and wanted to maximize my budget…
- simplicity was my goal…
- I was looking to provide for the healthcare needs of my family in the most natural, powerful, safe, and cost-effective way…
- broad-spectrum — antiseptic, antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial — properties were a must…
- purity and ethics meant something…
…the following oils would be on my list:
Top 5 Essential Oils for Your Home
- Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is one of my favorite all-around essential oils because of it’s amazingly diverse properties. I love using this oil daily in my diffuser (this diffuser is AWESOME, so beautiful, made of glass, and uses cold diffusion as to retain the medicinal benefits of the essential oils…get it here) — during the winter months especially — as it kills dust mites (source) and many of the airborne germs that lead to illness during cold and flu season (source).
- Oregano (and/or Cinnamon Bark) Essential Oil. When more serious antibacterial action is necessary, even natural medicine professionals turn to Oregano (and/or Cinnamon Bark) essential oil! Published in the ‘Letters of Applied Microbiology’, a recent study concluded the strongest antibacterial oils are those from cinnamon bark and oregano. These have always been considered the most broad-spectrum anti-bacterial essential oils. Namely, oregano is being studied extensively for its potential use as a all-natural, effective antibiotic – particularly as the emergence of antibiotic resistant super bugs are developing in response to the overuse of pharmaceutical preparations. (source)
- Lemon Essential Oil. Lemon equals clean. I diffuse this oil — in combination with Eucalyptus — in my kitchen and use it in almost all of my homemade cleaning recipes…likewise, this oil comes with an incredible list of ailments it has been used historically to treat. (source)
- Tea Tree Essential Oil (Melaleuca). Tea Tree is hands down the most popular antiseptic and germicidal essential oil available. It is a must-have in every natural first aid kit for the home. It’s anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti-septic, and offers anti-inflammatory properties help sooth and heal the skin. One of the safest and most effective ways of controlling minor infections is the immediate interventional use of Tea Tree essential oils. (source)
- Lavender Essential Oil is quite possibly the most popular of all essential oils. It is also one of the few essential oils that can be applied “neat” which simply means that it does not have to be diluted before using it on the skin. According to The Ananda Apothecary, “Lavender essential oil is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory (AND stress reducer, especially for kids), and is helpful in the healing of small burns, cuts and insect bites. Lavender is a brilliant soothing agent for nearly every situation; its aroma will bring calm – a useful effect in many situations where an antiseptic is required. For healing unbroken skin such as burns, apply Lavender ‘neat’ to the wound several times a day; insect bites also get a ‘neat’ treatment. For cuts and scrapes, keep a one-to-one blend of Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils available for the best all-purpose antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving solution. for the young ones. This soothing, antiseptic formula can be applied directly to the skin in small amounts, or applied to dressings before application.”
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Oregano, and Tea Tree are perfect for broad-spectrum action. Meaning, they are all antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal.
FOR BABIES: Add Chamomile to this list. Why would I recommend an essential oil that is so SUPER expensive — especially since these other oils seem to cover everything? What makes Chamomile so special? Infant care. Chamomile a must-have if your family includes wee-little ones. Chamomile is safe for all ages — from newborn on! Beeyoutiful offers a ONE OUNCE bottle of Chamomile Essential Oils for significantly less than any other company! Check it out!
Tips for Using these 5 Oils
Through my studies at the Herbal Academy of New England, I am learning all about the synergistic effects of herbal preparations.
Herbal synergy deals with the combined effort being greater than parts…in other words, herbal synergy is when the result of combining herb/oils is greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities. (Side note :: I highly recommend signing up for the Online Intermediate Herbal Course if you’d like to participate in formal herbalism formal training! Learn how to harness the healing power of plants!)
Owning the above 5 oils and using them synergistically — when appropriate — makes you a powerful home-healer!
These essential oils are useful in ::
- Strengthening and Boosting the Immune System. Lavender, lemon, tea tree, and eucalyptus are all perfect for building and supporting our immune system. They are best applied topically (to the feet), in a warm bath, or diffused.
- Cold and Flu Treatment. It’s much easier to prevent the symptoms of a full blown cold or the flu with early intervention. Start treating yourself and/or family members as quickly as possible! Lemon, oregano/cinnamon, tea tree, eucalyptus, and lavender are each beneficial when dealing with cold and flu symptoms. They are best applied topically (to the feet or chest), in a warm bath, as hot or cold compresses, or diffused.
- Fever. I’ve used essential oils to treat MILD fevers more times than I can count. Lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, and tea tree all help in the treatment of mild fevers. They are best applied as a cold compress or diffused near the sick person.
- Respiratory Illnesses. Eucalyptus and tea tree regin in this arena. They are best applied topically (to the feet or chest) or diffused.
- Wounds. Lavender, tea tree, and oregano is my favorite combo for hard to heal wounds. They are best applied (3-5 drops) directly to a clean wound diluted in teaspoon of coconut oil (this is the BEST coconut oil on the planet).
- Acne. A few drops of tea tree and lavender applied as a spot treatment to breakouts works WONDERS.
- Fungal/Yeast Infections. Lemon, eucalyptus, tea tree, and lavender = powerhouse.
Ways to use essential oils therapeutically ::
- In a bath — add 10-15 drops per bath.
- Rub — add 10 drops of essential oils in 25ml of carrier oil.
- In a room spray — Mix approximately 10 drops of your chosen essential oils in 4 ounces of water, and put into a fine spray bottle. Spray sick rooms as needed! (check out the recipe for a disinfecting room spray)
- In a diffuser — This is my favorite diffuser! I just LOVE it!
- Orally — as directly by a natural health practitioner.
Where to Buy?
In my arsenal of essential oils, I keep an array of “brands” that I would recommend for anyone!
They include:
- Beeyoutiful Essential Oils (a great cost-effective brand of pure oils — the Beginner Basics Essential Oil Pack is perfect for anyone just starting on the essential oils journey!)
- Plant Therapy essential oils (I love these!)
- Mountain Rose Herbs…they have a the best, most complete selection of pure, organic oils
Save Money, Don’t Sacrifice
Although I seriously love all of these brands — and use each of them in my home regularly — Beeyoutiful (check them out by clicking this link) of offers the most cost effective, pure essential oils I’ve personal experienced.
Not to mention they have GREAT customer service!
In fact, they are the small, family-owned and operated essential oils company that I recommend to those on a budget, looking to save money on oils without sacrificing on purity and/or quality! (*NOTE: Read more about Beeyoutiful Essential Oils in their article Essential Oil Quality – How pure are our oils?)
PLEASE REMEMBER :: I am not a doctor, use good common sense and seek medical advice when using essential oils or any other alternative medical treatments. The things I write about here pertain to my own experience using essential oils on myself and my family.
How do you save money on essential oils? What oils make your top 5?
9 Gift Ideas for A Homesteader’s Valentine
Great article. I have been using essential oils for years now to treat minor ailments. I recommend them to my patients with chronic illness and they have used them quite successfully. Clove and oregano oil are also very powerful natural antibiotics and healers.
Isn’t plant medicine such a gift! I LOVE IT!
Great article Andrea! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Amber! What a nice thing to say:)
Andrea, you have so many wonderful posts and recommendations. Thank you for all the information
you’ve shared. Two of my favorite oils (in addition to the ones you mentioned) are peppermint – my “go to” remedy when I have a head-ache and Frankincense. I also use Rosemary when I am learning something new at work or studying something at home. I will check out Beeyoutiful, I have been very pleased with my orders from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Here’s to healthier Frugal Living!
PS I liked your Valentine’s Day recommendations and passed them on to my husband.
Yes Catherine! I have so many oils I LOVE…peppermint and frankincense for sure are right up there! Beeyoutiful is a really great company for those on a budget. They don’t have all the fancy advertisements/claims that some of the other companies have…in doing so it helps keep their liability insurance costs down…and the savings goes to the customer. They are great folks 🙂 On the other hand, you just can’t go wrong with oils from Mountain Rose, doTERRA, and even Young Living is great 🙂 It’s just the cost can be so prohibitive to so many people…ya know!?!
Is there info on what oils are ingestible and what should only be topical or used for aroma therapy?
Hi there! First off — just so we’re all on the same page — I’m no doctor, I’m only telling you what I PERSONALLY have done for myself and my family. Okay! With that disclaimer out of the way.
Here are the common application methods I use with these oils:
Running Hutch-
Essential oils should NEVER be ingested unless they are a Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential. The only company that produces such oil are Young Living. Any other oils that you ingest can do more harm than good. I would encourage you to do some of your on research on the different companies for your own piece of mind 🙂 There is a lot of misleading info out there unfortunately. Hope that helps!
Actually, doTERRA’s oils are also 100% pure. 🙂 the owners used to work at YL but didn’t like some of their ethics so they made their own company. DoTERRA is now the #1essential oil company and is growing rapidly! (No, I do not sell them but I do love them and I do ingest them!).
What makes YL essentials therapeutic grade and ingestible where others are not? I’m not being smart aleck. I am just learning and this is honest question. What makes one fit for ingestion and another not? thank you.
Fantastic article! This is a great list, and I like that you have picked readily available and inexpensive options 🙂 I’m going to have to share this with my friends and clients 🙂
Thanks from a beginner. When you’re starting out it can be difficult to choose which essential oils to buy. You can waste money on oils that you only use once or twice.
Andrea, love your posts!! I am also a beginner, just starting the herbal journey with oils and herbs I am going to take the online course you recommend as soon as budget will allow. God’s Blessings to you.
This is an awesome article! I just received a small essential oil starter set that I won in a giveaway and can’t wait to try them out.
While the rest of this information was very good, I am rather dismayed by the recommendation of Cinnamon Bark essential oil! It should not be used by anyone at any time in any capacity because it contains cinnnamaldehyde, a liver toxin and skin sensitizer. It was listed on B&B’s list of essential oils not to use during pregnancy – but note they actually put it in the zone where it should not be used period (not just pregnant women)!
– http://bubbleandbee.blogspot.com/2010/08/essential-oils-and-pregnancy.html
Definitely use Oregano oil instead and if you must use Cinnamon EO, use Cinnamon LEAF EO.
Please do not recommend or use frankincense, sandalwood, or rosewood. These trees are endangered, thanks to the EO industry. http://www.aromatherapy-school.com/aromatherapy-schools/aromatherapy-articles/aromatherapy-endangered-species.html
Great article! I also would add Peppermint EO to the list since I have a tendency towards stomach upsets and it does the trick. Ha anybody tried getting their oils from New Directions Aromatics? I use them because they have a location in Canada (they also have one in the USA) and I find their prices the best, and the quality is really good too.
I’d love to hear other opinions.
This is a great list. But I don’t think I could survive with out Wild orange and OnGuard. That is my problem. Picking just 5 would be impossible for me. I would love it if you would stop by Oil me up Wednesdays and share this post. I would love my readers to see it.
Janine
My Lamp is Full
Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Lemon are favorites of mine, too, especially for cleaners. Such powerhouses!