If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of essential oil and wondered, “Okay… but what do I actually do with this?” – then this post is for you.
While essential oils have been around forever, most of us only scratch the surface when it comes to how versatile they really are.
From elevating your morning routine to refreshing your home, upgrading your self-care rituals, and even adding a little extra intention to your daily habits, essential oils can be used in way more ways than you might think.
This isn’t about complicated wellness claims or hard-to-pronounce science, it’s about simple, practical, and sometimes surprisingly genius ways to incorporate essential oils into real life.
Think: quick home refreshes, easy beauty swaps, low-effort lifestyle upgrades, and small rituals that just make your day feel better. Whether you’re a total beginner or already have a growing collection sitting on your counter, these ideas will help you actually use your oils instead of letting them collect dust.
Ahead, we’re breaking down all the creative, everyday ways to use essential oils — the kind you’ll actually want to try.
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Um WOW, hi TSC. What an honor this is! Where do I even begin? My love affair with essential oils started back in 2010. I was home from college for the weekend when my mom insisted I rub peppermint oil all over my temples and the roof of my mouth to get rid of a hangover headache.
Fast forward to the present day they have been a longtime staple in my routines. My husband refers to them as witchcraft and he’s probably right. But I’ll take all the holistic healing lotions and potions I can get my hands on! Tea tree on my nose? Lavender on my feet? Sign me right up.
Essential oils are the pure nutrients distilled, extracted, and pressed out of different plants, barks, seeds, roots, and flowers all holding varying historical, natural healing properties. They can be taken internally, applied topically, or diffused into the air. Essential Oils are detoxifying, antibacterial, antiviral, mood-boosting, and more. They can be used as aromatherapy, personal care, and natural medicine treatments. So, where and how can you start to stock your medicine cabinet with these?
There are many reputable companies out there but I personally love and only trust doTERRA essential oils because they source from the plants’ native regions and rigorously test each bottle. As a former health coach, I referred clients to them constantly, so let’s get started.
Here’s how to start incorporating essential oils into your daily life:
Sleep/ Nighttime/ Evening Wind Down
Lavender – Diffuse or rub lavender oil onto the soles of your feet before bedtime. You can also add to a spray bottle with water and spritz the air and pillow cases for a deeper sleep. Serenity blend works great in the same ways.
Energy/Alertness
Peppermint – Diffuse or put a drop of peppermint oil on your temples, behind the ears, under your nose, and onto your tongue. Focus and Motivate blends work well too applied topically to wrists, the soles of feet, or inner arm elbow points.
Headache/Migraine
Peppermint – Apply to the temples and behind the ears. You can also add 1-2 drops to your thumb and place thumb in the roof of the mouth for a few seconds.
I also often reach for Deep Blue and Past Tense blends. Apply topically to the forehead trigger point where you feel pain or pressure. As a migraine sufferer myself, Past Tense tension blend is my go-to every time.
Stomach Ache/ Bloating
DigestZen Blend – Add a few drops to stomach area and rub into skin.
Breakouts
Tea Tree Oil – Put 2-3 drops tea tree oil onto cotton ball and apply to any skin inflammation like a pimple.
Baby
Roman Chamomile and Lavender– Drop 5-10 of each into a diffuser in baby’s nursery for nap times and overnight.
Frankincense and Grounding blend- You can also apply frankincense to baby’s crown of head and grounding blend to baby’s feet and spine. I’d recommend diluting with a carrier oil, like fractionated coconut, and patch-testing on a small spot on one of their feet before applying it all over.
Pregnancy & Birth
Ginger oil – Take a couple drops in a veggie capsule internally for that first-trimester nausea.
Helichrysum oil and fractionated coconut in the nether region at delivery- helichyrsum is known to help any bruising to you and baby’s head.
Perfume/Cologne
Whisper blend or Jasmine (females) – Apply 1-2 drops to wrists.
Cedarwood or Sandalwood (men) – For homemade cologne, grab a little roller bottle from Whole Foods or Amazon and add a few drops of cedar or sandalwood, lavender and bergamot.
Home Cleaning
Lemon Oil – Make your own all purpose cleaning solution: Add 1/3 distilled white vinegar, 2/3 water, and 5-10 drops of lemon essential oil.
Meditation
Peace Blend – Rub onto soles of the feet and wrists.
Anxiety
Adaptiv Blend – Diffuse into air, rub onto soles of feet, or add 2 drops to a veggie capsule and take internally.
Cellulite/Skin Tightening
Grapefruit Oil – Mix a few drops with any carrier oil and apply to skin. You can also make a homemade shower scrub with grapefruit, ground coffee, coconut sugar, and coconut oil.
Sore/Achy Muscles
Deep Blue Blend – The wintergreen in this makes it feel like a non toxic version of Icy Hot. Mix with a few drops of carrier oil and rub into the sore area. You can also use Past Tense Blend. Rub a few drops into sore shoulders or back of the neck to help relax muscles.
Sinus Infections/Colds
Eucalyptus Oil– Add a few drops to the bottom of the tub before you shower.
Oregano Oil is like nature’s antibiotic. Add 2-3 drops to a veggie capsule with another 2-3 drops lemon and a drop of olive oil. Take 1-2 times daily.
Boosting Immunity
On Guard Blend – Diffuse everywhere! Their hand sanitizer is also in my regular rotation. I have a bottle with me everywhere I go.
Brightening Blonde Hair
Blue Tansy – Safe for highlighted hair. Add a few drops to your shampoo bottle and use in place of “purple shampoo.”
Air Freshener
Tangerine Oil – Add 5-10 drops to a spray bottle with water. You can use in bathrooms, kitchen, or anywhere to get rid of smells!
Air-X Blend – You can also use this blend to purify and cleanse the air. Diffuse or add a few drops to a spray bottle with water.
Cooking
Add a few drops as you’re cooking in place of spices or fresh herbs! Below is a list of my favorites.
Basil, Cilantro, Black Pepper, Lemon, Lime, Thyme, Tumeric, Ginger, Oregano, Cinnamon Bark, Madagascar Vanilla
*Disclaimers: when applying topically for the first time always dilute with a carrier oil and test. When taking internally, make sure the oils are 100% pure. Lastly, be careful to always wash your hands after use. You do not want a strong oil like oregano or peppermint getting near your eye or sensitive skin areas! Been there, done that and I don’t recommend!
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What are you favorite essential oils and how do you use them? Let us know in the comments below.
x, The Skinny Confidential team
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