Last Updated on November 11, 2022 by Brenda
Knowing how to use essential oils without a diffuser is not very difficult; in fact, it’s easy taking little time to try other methods when you don’t have one. Essential oil diffusers are not very expensive today costing from about $20 on up to $100+.
Essential Oils Basic Starter Kit
If you don’t want to use or buy a diffuser, this is a good starter kit for beginners and the five oils will be a useful foundation for your collection and for seasoned users as well.
- Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)—Astringent and refreshing, this oil has a balancing effect on your skin, making it a great choice for homemade massage oils and footbaths. Invaluable for female reproductive health, it helps overcome irritability and bloating caused by premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)—Helpful for cramps, headaches, nervous disorders, anxiety, stress, and insomnia. It is healing and antiseptic to help heal burns and other skin disorders and prevents scarring. It’s also a great insect repellent.
- Peppermint (Mentha piperita)—Stimulating, digestive and anti-inflammatory. Use in an inhalation method to relieve nausea and respiratory problems, or in a bath to soothe muscle aches.
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)—For mental fatigue, headaches, colds, and flu.
- Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)—Renowned as an antifungal and antiseptic, this essential oil can be used for clearing yeast infections, athlete’s foot, acne, and also as first aid for minor wounds.
Grapeseed (Vitis vinifera) contains antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanins (OPCs) that strengthen blood vessels and slow signs of aging used as a carrier oil.
Nature’s plants and herbs, trees, nuts, berries and bark, roots and seeds contain thousands of active biochemicals and thanks to the principle of synergy (interaction), they provide various benefits.
Essential Oils for Beauty and Wellbeing
These healing botanicals that contain minerals are calming; the fatty acids in carrier oils sooth. Essential oils enhance each other known as adaptogens. When you use 2 drops each of antiseptic Pine and cooling Sage together in 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil, the combination is even more effective as a massage.
Aromatherapy
Essential oils are very versatile having a wide variety of benefits to homemade skin and hair-care products. They offer potent protection against a range of common ailments and help improve skin, and hair health. Their small molecular size means that they can penetrate deep in the dermis to provide a profound healing effect. Their wonderful scents also help balance emotions.
Different oils can help prevent or clear skin problems; stimulate the generation of new cells; improve muscle tone; stimulate circulation of blood and lymph; eliminate waste; counter inflammation; balance sebum (oil) production; and reduce stress.
Body Brushing
Did you know that your skin is your body’s largest detoxification organ? When your skin is lethargic eliminating toxins, it puts more stress on other body organs, in particular, your liver.
To improve circulation and stimulate your lymphatic system to release toxins, use dry body brushing with either a soft body brush or a loofah sponge.
Body brushing improves muscle tone and reduces cellulite and puffiness. It sloughs off dead skin cells that clog your pores for cellular regeneration. When your face and other pores clog up, you will sweat. You will have a glowing youthful complexion with body brushing.
Buy a natural brush. Do not use fake, nylon, or synthetic bristles. Soft brushes will not do the job. You need a long handle on your brush for places that are hard to reach.
Do dry brushing on alternate days first thing in the morning before showering. Brush always towards your heart using gentle circular motions. Start with the bottoms of your feet and work up your legs to your hands and arms. Brush your back from your buttocks up your back and then around to your stomach. Brush your stomach in a counterclockwise direction. Avoid tender areas such as your nipples and any thin skin, irritated, or damaged areas. Don’t use near your eyes because the skin is very tender there.
Wash your brush regularly in warm water and mild detergent. Rinse and let it air dry in your shower.
Carrier Oils and Water
- If you use vegetable oils such as Olive, Avocado, or Sweet Almond, be sure to buy unrefined, cold-pressed that has not undergone heat or chemical extraction, if available. Store these oils in the fridge.
- Use distilled or purified water. Do not use tap water that has minerals and lime scale on your skin. It also has chlorine and you don’t want to breathe that or have on your skin either. You won’t see it, but your skin feels it.
Additional Uses for Essential Oils
Get out your essential oil storage box to see what you have for other ways to use your treasured essential oils.
Sunburn Cures
Put Aloe Vera gel on your sunburn and gently rub in. If you have an aloe Vera plant, cut open a leaf and scoop out the jelly substance and rub it on. It’s cheaper and right from the health-giving plant. Leave it on 10-minutes until the burning sensation subsides and rinse with cool water. Aloe Vera was used by the Native Americans and they called it the wand of heaven for healing hot desert sunburns and scorpion bites. Use it to help heal scratches, scrapes, and insect bites.
Healthy Nails
Tea tree oil can clear up fungal infections of the nails. Cod Liver Oil rubbed into the nails and cuticles helps strengthen them. NOW® makes a soft gel capsule that you can cut open to rub on.
A gel capsule taken each day full of omega 3 oils is heart healthy too. Always wear rubber gloves for cleaning chores to protect your nails.
Healing Ragged and Cracked Cuticles with Aromatherapy Cuticle Oil
1 tablespoon Jojoba essential oil1 tablespoon Avocado essential oil5 drops Myrrh essential oil5 drops Lavender essential oil10 drops Calendula essential oil
See picture of dry brittle cuticles that this procedure will fix and heal in no time making them soft again.
Pour the Jojoba and Avocado oils into a small amber, blue, green, or purple glass bottle that will preserve the oils. Add the other essential oils, screw on the lid, and shake well to mix. Be sure to shake the bottle well before using it on your cuticles. Massage a few drops into your nails and cuticles daily to soften your cuticles and prevent them from splitting. You can use this method on your toenails as well.
Scalp Massage
If your hair, with its white root, falls out by hairbrushes full and all over your clothes and floors you might want to try a scalp massage with these essential oils. They say it’s normal to lose about 100 hairs a day, but I don’t like it.
It can be linked to heredity and if you’re a woman whose mother lost hair as she aged, you will probably do the same as I do. However, it can also be due to changes in hormones, using birth control pills, and other drugs. Stress, illness, and nutrient deficiencies can play a role as well.
If you don’t want to do it yourself, take your bottle of essential oil, listed below, to your hair salon and feel pampered while your stylist does it for you.
You can also hang your head over your bed staring at the floor or reading for about 10-minutes to get the blood flowing to your scalp. I just thought of a test I had done—ultrasound of the carotid arteries at the sides of the neck. It turned out to be okay for blood flow to my brain and scalp. It’s an outpatient process done usually at a hospital and some doctor’s offices.
A regular scalp massage encourages fresh blood supplies to flow to your scalp and feed your hair follicles.
1/2 cup (4-ounces) Apricot Kernel Oil20 drops Rosemary essential oil
Mix the oils and put a large towel over your shoulders. You can do this in the shower as well. Massage the oil into your hair and scalp starting at the ends and working towards your scalp.
Continue until all your hair is coated in oil. Cover with a shower cap. Warm another towel, then wrap it around and over the cap. Leave on until cool.
Wash out using a small amount of shampoo. Finish by adding 1/2-cup of apple cider dark vinegar to a sink full of warm water and dunking your hair into it. Do not rinse again. Let it dry naturally and the vinegar smell will disappear.
Saving the Whales
I’m all for saving the whales, aren’t you? Jojoba is native to parts of Arizona, California, and Mexico. Whale oil was banned in the USA in the 1970s. A good thing!
We figured out a better way. Jojoba oil is a liquid wax from the seeds of the plant.
We discovered its fine texture and skin nutrients to be superior to whale oil. It’s a wonderful skin and hair nutrient so let’s keep the whales in their ocean homes and use Jojoba.
Jojoba Carrier Oil penetrates the skin and closely resembles human sebum.
Massage Oils
Escape from the misery and anguish of pain with essential oils. Have a massage—one of the greatest pleasures in life that is good for you. This can be done at home with friends and family or do it yourself.
Invigorating Massage Oil Recipe
When your energy level is low, give yourself and others a restorative massage with Eucalyptus and Peppermint that have a head clearing and warming effect. This recipe is also good for anyone with respiratory problems.
- 1/2-cup Almond essential oil
- 2 tablespoons Grapeseed essential oil
- 10 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops Peppermint essential oil
- 10 drops Rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops Lemon essential oil
- 5 drops Basil essential oil
Mix all ingredients in a dark glass bottle, mix well and store in a cook dark place out of the sun.
Massage Strokes to Use
Each massage stroke has a different effect on your body.
Gliding involves the use of the whole hand in low, slow, smooth broad movements. The first and last strokes of a massage usually consist of gliding strokes.- Circling encompasses the hands moving over larger areas in a circular motion. This will be along or across the length of the muscle fibers in the back, shoulders, legs, or arms. It releases tension before deeper strokes are used.
- Kneading is done after the person has been relaxed by the steady gliding movements. Kneading helps to loosen any cramped muscles or knots. The movements involve a firm, squeezing action to encourage the elimination of waste matter and to allow the free flow of fresh, oxygenated blood.
- Pressure is a deeper massage involving using the thumbs, knuckles, or the flat heel of the hand to apply strong focused pressure on a specific trouble spot.
- Percussion strokes are performed quickly to stimulate the circulation under your skin and to tone muscles. Hacking is where the fingers are used to tap rhythmically up and down.
If you cannot have a massage done, use a handheld massager for relieving muscle aches and pain.
More Wonderful Ways to Use Essential Oils
- Terracotta Pendant Necklace—is a striking way to wear your oil all day around your neck. You can smell it for a refreshing break from stale air. These necklaces hold the oil and come in many styles and shapes to match your clothes and mood.If you have the sniffles, Eucalyptus with its menthol fragrance will keep your sinus glands open for relief breathing.
- Vehicles—Car diffusers are now available. You plug the unit into your USB port or cigarette lighter and enjoy the heavenly fragrance of essential oils going to work or on long road trips.If you don’t have a car diffuser, use a cotton ball, and add 2 to 3 drops on it and push between the air vents when the heater or air conditioner is on. The fragrance will permeate your vehicle in no time. It will give off fragrance too without the fan on.
- Diffusers—if you have an ultrasonic diffuser that uses water or a nebulizer diffuser that uses only essential oils, add your favorite oils or blends, and enjoy for better wellness and fragrance.
- Body Rub—Massage a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto your wrists, temples, feet, and all over your body with a carrier oil for relaxation to get you through the day and at bedtime too.
- Direct Inhalation—Open your favorite bottle of essential oil and inhale straight from your cupped palms using 2 drops of essential oil inhaling deeply. You can add a carrier oil and use as your hand lotion.
Steam Inhalation—this is an old method that the pioneers used for sick kids and it works. Boil a pot of water, add 2 to 3 drops only of 100% pure essential oils after the water is removed from the stove, sit down at a table, cover your head and pot with a large bath towel and inhale.Use only distilled or purified water so that you won’t inhale chlorine that is in city tap water. Keep your eyes closed because essential oils should not touch your corneas plus steam can burn your eyes.The steam will vaporize the oil and will be absorbed into your sinuses, throat, and bloodstream and help your face skin and pores open too. When the oils are heated this way, it reduces the therapeutic benefits so do not use this method frequently.If you need constant humidification, have a humidifier in your home or office.- All Day Use—Add a few drops of a sweet smelling essential oil to your handkerchief and stick inside your pocket. You can also put on a cotton pad or scarf for the same effect during the day. This will help you stay calm all day.
Shower Sauna—Close the drain in your shower and add a few drops of essential oil that will be in the steam for uplifting your mood and you will feel like you are at a sauna spa.This is invigorating, opens pores to expel oils and dirt with the steam that’s good for your lungs, sinuses, and throat.- Essential Oil Bathwater—is the ultimate pleasure after a grueling day at work whether sitting or standing. If that computer chair you sit in all day is making your lower back ache, use a lumbar and/or seat cushion to ease those pains.A warm bath adding essential oils with some candles and a glass of wine will perk you up in no time. You will absorb the oils into your skin and inhale them at the same time.
- Headaches—to improve blood circulation when you have headaches from tension, anxiety, or fatigue, dilute 2 to 3 drops of Peppermint oil with Fractionated Coconut Oil and rub it on your shoulders, forehead, and the back and sides of your neck.
Relaxation—Lavender essential oil inspires you to relax. It will relieve stress and tension in your muscles and is calming. Breathing it in through a diffuser or using it topically in a massage cream affects the limbic system through your skin to relax the central nervous system.This makes it the supreme essential oil for treating headaches of any type. Restless sleep is a huge reason for headaches. Lavender will help to regulate serotonin levels in your brain that are responsible for getting to sleep.Take time out for yourself and read a good book or watch a movie and even take a nap. Your body and mind will love it.
Final Thoughts for Different Ways to Use Essential Oils
There are hundreds of ways to use essential oils without a diffuser. Since I’m not writing a book here, you can also check on the Internet for more ways to use them.
Essential oils for me is the best approach for relaxing and charging my batteries. I think all of you essential oil lovers probably feel the same way. We never quit; we just need time to rest.
Feel welcome to ask questions or leave comments at the bottom of this page. Always be peaceful.
