Essential oils are volatile plant essences that are used in the art and science of aromatherapy. They are also used medicinally, in perfumery, and in the development of natural body care products.
There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of essential oils, including several varieties of the same type of botanical, available from online suppliers who sell a wide range of natural and nature-derived ingredients.
But...you don't need thousands (or even hundreds) of essential oils when making your own natural body care products.
With just a selection of 10 essential oils, particularly the oils I list for you here, you'll have a collection of essential oils that will have you covered in the areas of efficacy, usefulness, and scent.
Making your own natural body and hair care products is a rewarding endeavor that I encourage anyone, male or female, to try at least once.
THE BENEFITS OF USING ESSENTIAL OILS IN NATURAL BODY CARE
The benefits of using essential oils in body care are abundant.
One of the greatest benefits of essential oils, no matter the delivery or method of use, is that there is an oil available to meet whatever need any person may have at any moment.
Isn't that a fantastic concept?!
Particularly with body care product making, essential oils play an integral role which has little to do with fragrance. That's part of the magic of any aromatic combination of essential oils; the resulting scent is a beautiful complexity of synergy and synchronicity.
Ample research has been conducted that proves the powerful efficacy of essential oils for medicinal, cosmetic, and other uses that benefit our well-being. Just as we will discuss 10 essential oils that I consider vital to experiment with in natural body care, let's look at 10 incredible ways essential oils can be used to bless us in our everyday lives.
Another wonderful concept about essential oils is their robust concentrated nature. They are so complex in their molecular makeup that a monumentally effective product can be made with very little material.
For example, with just a carrier oil and an essential oil, any one can produce a potent:
- all-over massage oil
- facial serum
- baby oil
- beard oil
- hair and scalp conditioning oil
- an oil for any number of treatments and uses
Of course, if at all possible, I will always recommend having more than one essential oil in your repertoire. Start with 1 or 2 and build up your inventory from there.
I've outline 10 essential oils that I believe are vital to a well-covered aromatic apothecary.
If your "10" is different from my "10", that's okay!
There is no right, wrong, or one size fits all scenario when it comes to essential oils. I employed the word "vital" here to ensure that we have a useful oil for areas of body care that are typically addressed the most:
- Anti-aging
- Cell regeneration
- Anti-acne
- Sun after-care
- Itching
- Scar/blemish fading
- Anti-inflammatory/skin irritation reduction
- Hair growth/general hair care
- Muscle relaxation
- Astringent and toning
1. Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
|
Image credit: Nina Aldin Thune; Wiki CC BY 2.5 |
Origin: Somalia, Ethiopia, India Parts Used: Resin Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 years Scent Note: Middle/Base Fragrance Family: Woody/Spicy |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
2. Geranium, Rose (Pelargonium roseum)
|
Image credit: Yann; Wiki-CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Origin: Madagascar Parts Used: Leaves Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 - 4 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Top/Middle Fragrance Family: Floral/Green |
|
Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
3. German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
|
Image credit: Cocoparisienne; pixabay.com |
Origin: Bulgaria Parts Used: Flowers Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 - 4 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Top/Middle Fragrance Family: Floral |
|
Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
4.Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
|
Image credit: castleguard; pixabay.com |
Origin: Bulgaria, France Parts Used: Flowers, buds Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 - 4 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Top/Middle Fragrance Family: Floral |
|
Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
5. Lemon (Citrus limonum)
|
Image credit: Petar43; Wiki CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Origin: Italy Parts Used: Rind Extraction Method: Cold-pressed Shelf Life: 2 - 3 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Top Fragrance Family: Citrus |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
6. Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
|
Image credit: Vsolymossy; Wiki CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Origin: USA Parts Used: Leaves, flowering plant Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 2 - 3 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Top Fragrance Family: Floral/Green |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
7. Rose Otto (Rosa damascena)
|
Image credit: byrev; pixabay.com |
Origin: Bulgaria, Turkey Parts Used: Flower petals Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 - 4 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Top/Middle Fragrance Family: Floral |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
8. Rosemary (Rosmarimus officinalis)
|
Image credit: H. Zell; Wiki CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Origin: Mediterranean Parts Used: Leaves Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 - 4 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Middle Fragrance Family: Green |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
9. Sandalwood (Santalum album)
|
Image credit: J.M.Garg; Wiki CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Origin: India, Australia Parts Used: Heartwood Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 5 years + Scent Note: Base Fragrance Family: Woody |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
10. Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
|
Image credit: Geoff Derrin; Wiki CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Origin: Australia Parts Used: Leaves Extraction Method: Steam-distilled Shelf Life: 3 - 4 years; Refrigerate Scent Note: Middle Fragrance Family: Woody/Spicy |
| Traditional Uses in Body Care |
|
Want a handy list of these 10 vital essential oils at your fingertips to make ordering them easy? Download the below checklist and keep it in your body care notes.
Click the image above to get your checklist of the 10 vital essential oils to have in your natural body care arsenal sent to you IMMEDIATELY.
When you want to experiment with these essential oils, you will have a resource to help with your shopping.
ESSENTIAL OIL SAFETY, STORAGE, AND PURCHASING BEST PRACTICES
As beautiful, lovely, and useful as essential oils are, they command respect and your undivided attention.
Essential oils are to be used responsibly and with care. Therefore, it's a good idea to keep some safety tips in mind when working with these remarkable gifts from nature.
Using essential oils safely and responsibly should always be a consideration. Keeping the above tips in mind ensures that your essential oil blending and usage experiences are pleasing and productive.
Other factors relating to essentials oils to be thoughtful of are how to get the most out of your investments during the buying process (essential oils ARE investments with a wonderful ROI), and how to store and care for them over time.
GET STARTED BUT TAKE YOUR TIME TO EXPERIMENT AND LEARN
As with any raw ingredients, whether when you are cooking a meal, or formulating your own natural body care products, experience will be your best teacher, and learning and experimenting with essential oils is no different. You just have to get started and dive in.
I recommend choosing 2 to 3 oils to start, and then building up from there. You don't have to purchase each oil on the list (but if you can, go for it).
Take a quick audit of what you are in need of right now, and purchase oils based on the results you are trying to achieve and/or that will lend a specific desired function.
I'm often asked which essential oils are my favorite, and that is honestly a hard question to answer. But I do have a few that I find myself reaching for the most because of their various uses. They would be...
BLEND A FRAGRANT LIFE WITH ESSENTIAL OILS FREE EMAIL COURSE
As you continue to become acquainted with essential oils and the benefits they provide us, take your aromatherapy education up a notch and learn how to actually blend essential oils to make unique, nature-based synergies that will enhance your life through fragrance!
Over the course of five days, the Blend a Fragrant Life with Essential Oils email course will teach you the fundamentals on how to choose, blend, and produce a variety of scented products for home and body using natural, wholesome ingredients, including essential oils.
Go here, right now, to read more about the course and to enroll. It's free!
EXCELLENT RESOURCES FOR HIGH-QUALITY ESSENTIAL OILS
Appalachian Valley Natural Products
EXCELLENT RESOURCES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHEMISTRY OF ESSENTIAL OILS
A Crash Course in Essential Oil Chemistry
Essential Oils' Chemical Characterization
The dōTerra Essential Oil Chemistry Handbook