lavender fields

Questions and Answers about Essential Oils:

I was delighted to discover on your website that you’re an essential oil practitioner because I have a couple of questions. :)  How many times must one apply an essential oil before experiencing its affect?

It varies – there is generally an immediate effect, especially on the emotional level (i.e. Peace and Calming can immediately help to relieve tension and stress just by breathing it.) For longer-standing issues, it can take longer to have an effect, and for acute issues it can work right away (like Purification on a bug bite for example, and peppermint can often relieve a headache quickly)

 Also, I find that I don’t always enjoy the scent of an essential oil prescribed for a symptom that I’m experiencing.  Should I just follow my nose?

I’d talk to whoever has prescribed it first.  And, it makes sense that you might not enjoy the scent of one that is actually needed. Funny, but we don’t always like/enjoy what is needed for healing and transformation! If it’s not specified where on your body to place it, one way to deal with this is to put it on the bottoms of your feet. An excellent way to absorb the benefits, without needing to smell it.

  For years I’ve found myself standing in front of the essential oils at Sprouts and Whole Foods but, not sure what to do with them.

a few of my favorite Essential Oils!

You might want to take a class (a lot of people who sell Young Living or doTerra offer free classes to introduce people to their products, and there are reputable aromatherapy classes online if you’re interested in learning more), or get a book or two to start.  If you start looking at bookstores or online, you’ll find dozens of great essential oils books, both reference books and more in depth books about aromatherapy.  I also have a blog post with some basics to help you get started, here.

That said, I do own a few bottles of essential oils and I use two of them (lavender and orange) together for a bath soak.  The other oil I have is grapefruit, I just LOVE this fresh scent!  Is it okay to just wear?

Lavender is fine to wear – safe for skin even for children. Citrus oils need caution on the skin. They can cause a sensitivity/reaction, so you can either dilute with some  vegetable oil, like almond or jojoba oil, or diffuse in a room, which is very beneficial as well. If you’re fine with it in your bath, it’s probably spread out on the water enough to be fine. Water doesn’t dilute EOs though, only regular oils, like almond, olive, coconut oils do. If you need to remove an EO, use a vegetable oil. Citrus are generally uplifting and wonderful to use in your home.

  And, can I apply it anywhere on my body or, must it be worn on a certain part(s) of the body?

If it’s safe for the skin, which most EOs are, it’s fine to put anywhere (not eyes or other tender skin), and remember a drop goes a long way! You can always dilute with a vegetable oil if you’re not sure, and watch for any reaction. There are a few (bergamot for one) that create sun sensitivity, so you need to be sure to put those somewhere covered.