five ways to use essential oils without a diffuser.

when people think about essential oils, they usually associate them with being used for aromatherapy in some kind of diffuser. and while that is a great way to use them (and i do love diffusing oils) diffusers can be on the pricey side and i can see where that would be a turn off to someone who wanted to try out oils without making a giant financial commitment (this is coming from a person who spent over a year interested in trying/learning about essential oils but not doing it because i could NOT fathom dropping $100+ on a diffuser to try). 

well i have some great news for you: you totally dont need a diffuser to use essential oils. in fact, diffusing is just one of many ways that we use them in our house. to be completely honest, diffusing is probably the least frequent way that we use oils (not that i dont like it its just not always convenient to set it up). so how can you incorporate essential oils into your daily life without buying a diffuser?

(again, in the interest of transparency: while i am very much not in the business of selling oils, i am technically a doterra wellness advocate and any purchases made through any links in this post would, in theory, earn me a commission. also, anything i say here is my own personal opinion/experience, has not been evaluated by the FDA, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease)

in the shower. 

a great way to get the aromatic benefits of essential oils is to put a few drops on a washcloth and put it in the bottom of the tub while you shower, the combo of the steam and the oils is very similar to the effect youd get from running a diffuser. 

on jewelry. 

tons of artisans and crafters make jewelry from materials that absorb the oils so that you can apply your favorite oils to them and enjoy them for the whole day. i have this necklace that i wear every day with a couple drops of citrus bliss to keep me energized and happy and i love it. 

on your pillow/linens. 

honestly, i dont like running the diffuser at night (mainly because it has water in it and the cats knock it down and im 90% sure that had something to do with our first one breaking), so when we need help sleeping or are feeling a bit stuffy, ill put a drop or two of the oils we need directly on our pillows or sheets. 

in diy skincare/cleaning products. 

a lot of natural skincare and cleaning products are super expensive, and the thing that makes them special is... essential oils. you can save a ton of money (and have a ton of fun!) by making your own with common household ingredients and a few drops of essential oils. just spend like, two minutes on pinterest and youll have projects for days. 

topically. 

many (but not all, please be careful and do your research!) essential oils can be used topically (that is, directly on the skin, either with or without being diluted by a plain "carrier" oil) to take advantage of their benefits. they can be used to enhance massage (like lavender for relaxation), directly to a specific area (like deep blue on sore muscles), or on the bottom of your feet so you can use them without having to smell them constantly (ideal for oils like oregano, which is great for immunity but not that great smelling).                  

as you can see, diffusing oils is only one of the many ways to enjoy essential oils, so dont let the cost/commitment of buying a diffuser deter you from trying out essential oils. 

*though, if you are looking for a diffuser, i cant say enough good things about our petal diffuser, which i like MUCH more than the aroma lite diffuser we used for about a year before it broke (apparently youre supposed to clean them....), mainly because its VERY hard to knock over and our house is full of littles and cats. 

do you diffuse essential oils? what kind of diffuser do you have? 

our top five essential oils (and how we use them).

i personally think essential oils are awesome, but at the same time, i can totally see why someone new to the essential oil scene would be turned off to the idea of them after meeting a few "essential oil people". mainly because it seems like people either dont use them at all OR they have 239847832648712 that they use 300 times a day and they insist that everyone needs all oils or theyll die. its intimidating for sure, and if youre on the budget-conscious side of things, well...
so today i want to share a short list of our 5 most used essential oils and what we use them for. this list may seem a little different than other top essential oil lists because 1. im not trying to upsell you a big "starter kit" and 2. im going to focus on the most budget friendly and multipurpose oils in our arsenal because, frankly, thats whats going to be most useful to you if youre new to oils. also, i think its really important to give a reasonable, not-crazy perspective on essential oils. 
again, in the interest of transparency: while i am very much not in the business of selling oils, i am technically a doterra wellness advocate and any purchases made through any links in this post would, in theory, earn me a commission. also, anything i say here is my own personal opinion/experience, has not been evaluated by the FDA, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. 
so with that out of the way, what are our top five essential oils (the essential essential oils,  if you will)?
lavender.  used for: relaxation, headaches (combined with peppermint), allergies (combined with lemon and peppermint), skin healing (combined with melaleuca), and swelling. 
lemon.  used for: increasing energy, mood lifting, allergies (with lavender and peppermint), cleaning up sticky stuff, and flavoring water (note: be sure to do your research about the quality of the oils you use and the safety of ingesting them). 
peppermint.  used for: headaches, focus, allergies (with lemon and lavender), relief from fevers, and breath freshening (again with the reminder to research quality and safety). 
oregano.  used for antibacterial, immunity-boosting, and anti-inflammatory purposes. 
melaleuca.  (also known as tea tree oil) used for: skincare (especially acne!), skin healing (with lavender), cleaning, and as an antibacterial/antifungal. 
if you ask 100 different essential oil people what their favorite oils are, im sure youll get 100 different answers. these five oils are the ones that we use the most, for the most things, and are probably the ones id recommend to anyone just starting out with oils. but then again, thats my opinions. 

why we use essential oils.

its been nearly two years since i started using essential oils. at first it was a thing i bought for myself as a tax refund splurge to see if i could help alice with her allergies without giving her benadryl every day and if maybe i could get a little relief from my fibromyalgia symptoms. these oils turned out to be a total game changer in the meyers house, and quickly went from being my weird experiment to something all of us use every day. 

over the past two years I've gotten a lot of questions about essential oils: what they are, what they do, what we do with them, etc. I've wanted to do a series on essential oils for a long time now, but since I'm not an oil "expert" i felt like there wasnt anything i could post that hadnt already been done better somewhere else. but i still want to share, like, recipes and stuff, so before i get into that, heres a little bit of background about essential oils: 

what are essential oils? 

short answer: essential oils are the natural oils distilled from plants that are used (and have been used) for a variety of purposes ranging from fragrance to medicines. 

where do i get them? 

i get my oils from doterra.  (transparency alert: while i am very much not in the business of selling oils, i am technically a doterra wellness advocate and any purchases made through any links in this post would, in theory, earn me a commission). 

how are essential oils used? 

all kinds of ways! i think most of us associate essential oils with being used in a diffuser for aromatherapy (which we do) but there are totally other ways to use them too, including, but not limited to: topically, in DIY projects, and in cooking. 

why do we use them? 

we use essential oils as a natural complement to traditional medicine, mainly to help with minor illnesses and injuries to avoid unnecessary doctor appointments and medications. (i feel like its really important to emphasize that essential oils are only part of how we take care of our family: we do vaccinate/go to the dr/etc., but for normal, every day complaints like heartburn/headaches/trouble sleeping, we use essential oils)

obviously, the decision to use essential oils is a personal one, and (like all decisions involving your familys health) one that should be taken very seriously. im not here to convince you to use essential oils or sign you up to sell them (though, as i mentioned earlier, i am technically a doterra wellness advocate and could assist you if you so desired). i just want to share how we use them and figured that before we start on that a little bit of background would be appropriate. 

do you use essential oils? if not, what questions do you have about them? 

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housewifes whimsy hand + body lotion (a guest post).

today i have another wonderful lady taking over: stacie from Housewife’s Whimsy is here with a recipe for some homemade lotion with essential oils! this recipe looks absolutely fantastic and i hope i can get the spare time to make a batch sometime soon. but this is her recipe, not mine so ill let stacie take over now:

One of my favorite things to do is make homemade lotion. I’ve been doing it for some time now and I just love the way it feels when I put a fresh batch on my hands. This lotion recipe I’ve created is super silky, soft and luxurious. You will be in heaven once you try it out!

If you’ve made homemade lotion before you know that it can tend to be on the greasy/oily side. I’ve actually fixed that problem with this recipe! By adding a little bit of Arrowroot starch (or corn starch) you can actually make the lotion less greasy when you first put it on. It will absorb quickly into your skin and keep it soft throughout the day. The lotion has a thin consistency so it is perfect for spreading all over your body.

This recipe has been created exclusively for Poverty Luxe, but it is based on my favorite Honey and Shea Lotion. However, I have not included any coconut oil in this recipe since I know some people have allergic reactions.  This lotion is perfect for anyone with very sensitive skin. If you have trouble with fragrance or any essential oils you can simply omit this from the finished product. You will then have a wonderful unscented product to work with.  I’ve listed a few ingredients as optional, however if you omit them your finished product will not be as hydrating as this version. I also highly suggest using all organic ingredients since then you will only be putting only the very best on your body.

While I have a variety of essential oils on hand, I realize you may not. You can use any combination of EO’s you wish, you will simply need about 80 drops for this recipe. I’ve created a blend specifically for Poverty Luxe and this recipe below. It is a bright citrus based fragrance with notes of eucalyptus and clove bud.  This is one of my favorite EO blends to date, the only other one that even comes close is the blend for my Eucalyptus Citrus Body Butter. Depending on what you prefer, or any allergies you need to consider, use whatever blend works for you.

Homemade lotion will last for about three months at room temperature. If you keep it in the fridge you it will have a slightly longer shelf life, but not by much. However, this recipe makes the perfect amount of lotion, one for you and one for a friend! It is also a great way to reuse those mason jars you have laying around from other projects. Just simply make sure they have been sterilized before you use them for lotion, otherwise it will cut down on the shelf life. I personally like to glue some decorative paper to the tops of the lids to make them a little more beautiful.

Housewife’s Whimsy Hand & Body Lotion

1/3 Cup Grapeseed Oil

1/3 Cup Sunflower Oil

1/3 Cup Sweet Almond Oil

¼ Cup Beeswax

Optional:

3 Teaspoons Organic Honey with Honeycomb

4 Teaspoons Vitamin E Oil

4 Teaspoons Shea Butter

6 Tablespoons Distilled Water

4 Tablespoons Arrowroot Starch

80 Drops Essential Oil

Special Poverty Luxe EO Blend:

20 Drops Lemon EO

20 Drops Sweet Orange EO

10 Drops Tea Tree EO

10 Drops Clove Bud EO

10 Drops Eucalyptus EO

5 Drops Frankincense EO

5 Drops Myrrh EO

Combine the oils, beeswax, honey, vitamin E oil, and shea butter in a medium saucepan, set over low heat.

Gently stir until the beeswax has melted.

Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Pour in the distilled water and arrowroot starch.

Using a hand mixer, mix together the oil and water until it resembles lotion.

Let cool to the touch then gently stir in the essential oils.

Once the lotion has completely cooled, spoon it into clean jars. (This recipe will make approximately two 8oz containers.)

Spread liberally over your hands and body and enjoy!

Pro tip: Have a specific saucepan, mixing bowl and mixer to use for making lotion. It is incredibly difficult to get these items completely clean so having ones specified for this use will prevent cross contamination with food.

Stacie LaMoore has been blogging at Housewife’s Whimsy since November 2014. Her blog contains a variety of topics including Gluten Free recipes, natural body and home ideas, and most importantly, cupcakes. She lives in northern Iowa with her husband, dog and cat where there isn’t much to do other than bake and watch the corn grow. She loves reading, kayaking and everything related to baking.  She’s very excited to have this chance to share a little of her life with you!