How to choose an Essential Oil and what should be considered before you invest

January 04, 2020

There is a reason for the growing popularity of wellness, yoga studios and meditation spaces. The taboo of speaking about mental health & spiritual wellness along with physical fitness is breaking. We are entering a whole new era here, where people are taking responsibility for their own health.

Aromatherapy (aka Essential Oils) is an interesting alternative to take back the power of our holistic health. Pure & Natural Essential Oils can be exceedingly helpful in balancing functions of the body, mind & soul.

Essential Oils are directly steam distilled from different parts of plants ranging from flowering tops, leaves, grass, twigs, roots and wood. There are so many Essential Oils & their therapeutic properties have been spoken about and used for centuries.

Which Essential Oil is for you?

Well its perfectly okay to be confused when you just start out as there are so many different Essential Oils to choose from.

Two important things here: First, you need to make sure that you are looking at only pure & natural essential oils, and Second, you do a little study of your own to find out which one of them is for you as you know yourself best.

Are you looking to relieve stress or anxiety?

Are you looking to sleep better?

A relaxing massage, perhaps?

Or are you looking for natural alternatives for skin?

Yes, that’s the variety of issues that can be addressed with the correct knowledge of Essential Oils. While properties of the oils need to be considered, its also exceedingly important for you to like the aroma of the Essential Oil, for it should be in sync with your soul.

Breaking down the benefits of Essential Oils in categories so that picking one is easier for you!

Essential Oils for Stress & Anxiety

How to use

Add a few drops to your diffuser or humidifier.
Take a 10 ml roll-on glass bottle, fill it up with a base oil such as Jojoba (as it does not have a strong smell of its own) Add 5 – 7 drops of the Essential Oil. Apply on temples & the nape of your neck.

Essential Oils for Inducing Sleep

How to use

Add a few drops to your diffuser or humidifier.
Take a small 10 ml roll-on glass bottle, fill it up with a base oil such as Jojoba (as it does not have a strong smell of its own) Add 5 – 7 drops of the Essential Oil. Apply on temples & the nape of your neck.
If using Lavender Essential Oil you can even add a drop to your pillow before drifting into a deep sleep.

Essential oils for uplifting the mind

How to use

Add a few drops to your diffuser or humidifier.
Take a small 10 ml roll-on glass bottle, fill it up with a base oil such as Jojoba (as it does not have a strong smell of its own) Add 5 – 7 drops of the Essential Oil in total. Apply on temples & the nape of your neck.

Essential oils for Cold & Congestion

How to use

Add a few drops to your diffuser or humidifier.
In a small 10 ml roll-on glass bottle, fill it up with a base oil such as Jojoba (as it does not have a strong smell of its own) Add 5 – 7 drops of the Essential Oil. Apply on temples & chest.
Add a drop or two in warm water and use for steam inhalation.

Essential Oils for Acne/ Dandruff

How to use

For Acne in 2 tablespoons of pure aloe vera gel mix a drop of Tea tree or Lavender & apply locally as a spot treatment. (no more than a drop)
For Dandruff In 50 ml of a base oil such as coconut or apricot mix 30 drops of Tea Tree or Lavender Essential oil and use this as a hair oil for your scalp & hair preferably overnight
Please be careful to not wash your hair with very hot water to reduce dandruff.
Please be sure that your shampoo and conditioners are paraben & SLS free.

Essential Oils for Hair Growth & Strength

How to use

In 50 ml of a base oil such as coconut or apricot mix 15 drops of Rosemary Essential oil and (Cedarwood or Ylang Ylang Essential Oil) each and use this as a hair oil for your scalp & hair preferably overnight
Please be careful to not wash your hair with very hot water to reduce dandruff.
Please be sure that your shampoo and conditioners are paraben & SLS free.

Essential Oil for Pain Relief

How to use

In 50 ml of a base oil such as coconut or apricot mix 15 drops of Nutmeg Essential oil and (Ginger or Rosemary Essential Oil) each and apply this on the affected area once or twice a day depending on the intensity of the pain.

Pure Essential Oils are very potent, to give you perspective it takes about 700 pounds of Peppermint leaves to distil 1 pound of Peppermint Essential Oil. Kindly use them judiciously and make sure to dilute them in a base/carrier oil before applying on skin.

What are base/ carrier oils?

A carrier oil is a vegetable/ fruit oil derived from the seeds, kernels or the nuts of the plant and can be applied directly on the skin. A few examples are Apricot, Jojoba, Coconut, Sesame and Hemp Seed.

Once you start on your Essential oil journey you can make a number of DIY blends at home to help soothe conditions for you and your loved ones.

Different ways to use Essential oils

DIFFUSE– Add few drops in a diffuser or humidifier to witness relaxation, mood enhancement and to clear indoor pollutants.

STEAM INHALATION– Add a drop in a warm water basin, cover your head with a towel and take in inhalation.

MASSAGE/ APPLICATION– 3 to 5% dilution in a base or carrier oil, refer to the attached dilution chart in the link below to understand the number of drops.

https://tisserandinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EO-dilution-chart.pdf

For Facial Skin – 0.7 to 2%

Body Massage – 1.5 to 3%

Pain Relief – 5 – 7%

Few things you should know

Fragrance oils aren’t Essential Oils (read labels carefully)
Essential Oils are highly concentrated, use them sparingly and carefully
When Pregnant skip Essential oil usage, especially in the first trimester
Always do a patch test, if you are allergic to the plant – you will be allergic to the EO
Make sure you are using high quality 100% Pure Essential Oils
Keep Essential Oils away from direct heat and sunlight and they can last over years!
It’s perfectly fine to be confused when using EO’s the first time, reach out to people to clear your doubts

he thumb rule to keep in mind for all Essential Oil usage is the dilution should be kept at 3%. Essential Oils are very strong and potent and should be used sparingly. Please maintain caution on usage.

You can also find us at farmers markets in different cities, at The Earth Collective by Meenu Nageshwaran in New Delhi, at Luke Coutinho's Farmers Markets in Bangalore and Mumbai.

Shop for all products from Meraki Essentials here

Should you need any further assistance on usage and finding the right essential oil for yourself feel free to reach out to us on wecare@merakiessentials.com or reach out to us on +91 95990 80825.