Alternative Uses For Essential Oils

Alternative uses of essential oils aid in skin and hair care.

Essential oils are natural substances which are created through a distilled or steaming process from flowers, leaves, bark, roots or stems. The highly-concentrated oils are most commonly used for aromatherapy by inhaling or applying the liquid to the skin. Although the positive psychological effects or aromatherapy are the primary focus of essential oil usage, there are dozens of alternative ways to harness the benefits from the oils.

Natural Moisturizer

Using essential oils in water moisturizes the skin making it silky smooth and leaves a light and fresh scent. You can use the distilled liquid safely in bathwater, hot tubs, foot and sitz baths. Steamed usage of the oils in vaporizers, saunas and showers offers aromatherapy benefits while softening the skin. Check with a pediatrician before using essential oils in either a steam or water scenario with young children.

Laundry Room Uses

You can skip the expensive forms of commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets by using essential oils instead. Two small drops of the oil into the washing machine will both soften clothes and leave a fresh scent on the fabric. You can cut old t-shirts or dish cloths into strips or squares and sprinkle them with essential oil and use as dryer sheets. The fabric should keep the scent for more than one use if stored in an airtight container in between each dryer load.

Hair and Scalp Care

The hair and scalp can also benefit from the use of essential oils. Rubbing the oils into the scalp may help prevent or stall hair loss. Recommended oils to combat the loss of hair include lavender, rosemary, cypress and jojoba. To help reduce dandruff you can try rubbing lavender, rosemary, tea tree, cedarwood or patchoili oil into the hair or mix them into your existing shampoo.

Skin Care

Save a bundle on beauty and skin care products by making your own with essential oils. You can use the natural liquid as a toner for dry, normal, oily or sensitive skin. Typically rosewater works as a toner or astringent base with a second oil designed for specific skin types. You simply mix 100 ml of rosewater and one drop of each of the secondary oils into a bottle, shake and allow to sit for three days. Open the bottle and strain the mixture through a coffee filter to remove residue and pour back into the bottle for use on your face. Chamomile and geranium oil are recommended for dry skin. Juniper berry and rose otto for oily skin and German chamomile for sensitive skin.

Tags: essential oils, dryer sheets, fresh scent, into bottle, lavender rosemary