Where to start with essential oils?

Essential oils seem to be everywhere and used for everything these days but, if they’re new to you; where on earth do you begin? Luckily Amy (part of the team here at Sardinia Yoga) has, what she calls, a ‘mild obsession’ with essential oils and she’s going to share some top tips with us.

So, first things first – while you don’t need to be spending ridiculous amounts on essential oils you shouldn’t get fooled by the oils that only cost a couple of pounds, what you’re looking for is 100% organic essential oils so you should really be spending more than a few quid. For example – 100% organic frankincense can cost upwards of £60!

Secondly – you don’t need to have a million different types of essential oils. There is so much you can do with just a select few My favourite thing is diffusing them. I got myself a diffuser from Amazon – they have SO many on there to choose from, and you just  add some water and a few drops of your favourite oil, or try out a combination or different ones and I promise you your house will be smelling magnificent in no time! Really, I promise!

They’re also great to use as part of a massage or a relaxing bath, rub a few drops into the bottom of your feet to help them absorb quickly into your body (although be careful as some shouldn’t be applied topically without a carrier oil), you can even use them as part of your cleaning routine at home if you want to cut back on the amount of chemicals you’re using in the house. The possibilities really are endless and the internet is full of amazing ideas and great for learning more about the oils.

So, here’s my favourite 5 essential oils:

• Orange – for me this is simply because it smells amazing in the diffuser – rooms will smell instantly fresh and revitalised
• Lavender – this is great for when you go to bed – just a few drop on your pillow and a couple of deep breaths will leave you so relaxed and ready for a great night’s sleep
• Eucalyptus – this little pocket rocket is antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, although you definitely need to keep this one out of the way of anyone under the age of 10 as it’s pretty powerful
• Peppermint – this is so great to use if you’ve got some muscle aches and pains and especially if you’ve got someone who can give you a massage. A few drops of this mixed into your massage oil will work wonders for your tired aching muscles
• Lemon – get this into your collection if you want to look at swapping out some of the cleaning products you’ve got in the house. Would you believe me if I told you that you can use it to make a polish? All you need to do is mix up ¼ cup of white wine vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil and 10 drops of lemon water into a spray bottle – shake to mix it all up and then use it as you would a normal polish! (sorry for the american measurements but that’s the recipe I’ve used before and it’s really great)

We hope that’s given you some ideas about where to start with essential oils, and like Amy said; the internet is a great place to continue researching and finding the right oils for you. Comment below with any essential oil ideas that you’d like to share with the Sardinia Yoga community!