Essential Oils: My Why's and What's

So I've mentioned that I use essential oils before- both on instagram and in this post. And this is a pretty recent development in my kind-of-non-existent-but-also-very-intense self care routine. I'm not one to necessarily have a skin care routine to take off my make up every evening- but I do own about five different face washes and various creams- for what? We don't know.

But this new addition of essential oils into the whole shebang is more than just for the very wholesome experience of burning essential oils and feeling like a goddess surrounded by clouds of lavender and peppermint. I use them for a whole whack of things. Specifically to try get away with not having to take meds when something is wrong.

I have such a dislike for taking medication- for pain, for hayfever, for colds, for sore stomachs- none of it. It's not necessarily a distrust of the pharmaceutical companies, but more so laziness and generally not liking swallowing pills. I also have a very sensitive stomach so am always just a little scared to take anything for fear of me ending up in pain... understandable.

So I did my research into essential oils and their benefits, and have started a very meagre and humble collection of my few staples. Maybe one day I'll be the essential oil and natural remedy messiah... but not today.

(I bought mine from Dischem mostly because all the fancy brands are about four times the price- just for a pretty label.)

Smells like: lavender babe...lavender. (aka your grans house).

What I use it for: sleeping problems, anxiety, break outs.

How:

Sleep: I have a diffuser in my room so I fill the top with water, add 6-8 drops of lavender oil, pop a tea-light candle at the bottom of the diffuser and just burn it from the early evening and into the night. (the candle burns itself out so you don't have to worry about it at 2am)

Anxiety: If I'm having an anxious day but am at home (aka when I was studying for uni exams) I would burn it in my diffuser. But if I'm flying, going into crowded places, or am having a stressy on the go day I just dab it directly onto my wrists and either behind my ears or on my collarbones. It might be totally in my head but the smell genuinely calms me down- probably because I associate it with sleeping.

Breakouts: Now this I can't say is fool-proof nor that it would work for everyone, but I can say that it definitely works for me. I don't often get bad breakouts, but I had bad skin that I only managed to get rid of with antibiotics originally. But now, on the rare occasion that it looks like it's coming back or I'm having a reaction, just dabbing lavender oil directly onto the spot before bed really solves the pimple problem the next day. Every time I've done this, all signs of break out are gone the next day!

Smells like: kind of citrus-y kind of musky... bergamot is the oil in Earl Grey tea but this surprisingly (and disappointingly) doesn't smell like Early Grey tea.

What I use it for: stimulating hair growth.

How: a very new addition to my essential oil collection, and one that is still undergoing its trial period. But a friend of mine is a hairstylist and I hadn't seen her since May but her hair had literally gone from being on her shoulder to hanging out by her ribs. Best believe I asked how she managed that and she told me that adding bergamot oil to your shampoo helps stimulate hair growth. That and peppermint oil and placenta. But I definitely took a wide berth around the placenta comment and have dived right into adding bergamot oil and peppermint oil to my shampoo. Still not sure if it's really doing anything because I'm trying out about five other things to make my hair grow, but I'll let you know.

Smells like: a dream- huge mint flavour fan here. But unsurprisingly, it smells like peppermint.

What I use it for: digestion problems and hair growth.

How:

Digestion: this might sound weird but I swear by this; if you have a sore stomach after dinner, or have eaten too much and am housing a baby in the form eight slices of pizza- rubbing peppermint oil on your stomach really does relieve the discomfort. I am prone to a sore stomach after meals or high acidity/bloating from food and this has really really helped. Even just inhaling the scent creates some form of relief. (think about it- most heart burn/indigestion pills are mint flavoured AND we get mints at the end of a meal... to sooth your stomach from the meal you've just eaten!)

Hair growth: peppermint oil is also a stimulant, so adding it to your shampoo (a very small amount) is believed to stimulate your scalp and encourage your hair to grow a little more than normal. Like the bergamot oil, still testing this one out.

Smells like: tbh, Vicks Vaporub

What I use it for: Sinus problems or hayfever

How: I use it much like I use my lavender oil and burn it in my diffuser overnight if I have a cold or have a really bad sinus infection. And if I'm out and about during the day and am not able to carry my diffuser along with me everywhere I go (alas), I just rub some directly onto my chest and it really does make a difference in clearing up my airways.

And that's that! I'm still learning about them and growing the collection so that one day hopefully I won't need any normal meds (I dreamed a dream...), but these are my regulars at the moment! I really recommend investing in some of these if you aren't a fan of pharmaceuticals either- especially especially especially lavender oil for those who struggle to sleep! I promise you, I swear by it!

Have a lovely day chickpea x