Essential Oil Basics for Beginners: How to Use, Buy and Care for Your Oils

It can be confusing when you are a beginner and getting started using essential oils. You may be concerned about safety, where to buy your oils, or how to care for and store them. This short article hits some of the essential oils for beginners’ basics and will help you get started.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. As an Amazon Associate, this post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read full privacy policy here.“

Benefits of Essential Oils

Essential oils can be used in your everyday life for a number of reasons. They are commonly used for their fragrance for pleasure, but it doesn’t stop there. Yes, oils are amazing to our sense of smell, but there are so many therapeutic benefits to them, as well. Common therapeutic uses include stress relief and emotional balance, pain and muscle tension, cleaning, skincare, assisting with sleep disorders, and so much more. 

Where Do Essential Oils Come From?

The essence is found in the cell or glands of certain plants. It’s the fragrant aroma you enjoy when smelling a flower. For the plant, it is used as protection from predators or to attract busy pollinators. We use the oil after it is extracted from the plant through methods, such as distillation. The definition of distilling is the process of purifying a liquid by successive evaporation and condensation. There are different types of distillation, but all are extracting the oil from the flower, stem, leaf, wood, rind, or root of the plant to obtain the purest form of the oil. 

Just a Few Tips on Essential Oil Safety

In order to get the best results in the use of essential oils, there needs to be some basic knowledge of how to use them safely. Let’s look at a few factors to consider for the safe use of Essential oils. First, many have amazing benefits for the skin, but you should never apply the oil “neat” or directly on the skin to avoid any irritation or reaction. Dilute essential oils properly in a carrier. There are a number of carrier oils and butters that are great to use and usually have their own therapeutic benefits, as well. Most have light aromas or none at all. Some commonly used carriers are; cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and olive oil, just to name a few. You can read more about common carrier oils in this post.

The use of essential oils with children needs to be lower dilution for kids between 5-10. Use caution with children under 5. Certain oils should not be used at all and are not recommended for small children. Some examples of these are; Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Marjoram, and Clove. Reputable essential oil companies will make this clear to you, so be sure to do your homework before using oils on children. Rocky Mountain Oils has an entire line that is kid-safe. You can check out their kids’ line here.

Essential Oil Cautions

Folks with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, should proceed with caution. Although there are oils that benefit respiratory health, some people are extremely sensitive to any fragrance and should test those oils first, in small amounts. It is best to do so under the supervision of a medical provider if this is a course of treatment you are considering. 

You should also seek support from an aromatherapist or medical provider that is knowledgeable in essential oils if you are pregnant or nursing. There are several oils that are contraindicated with pregnancy. 

Not All Essential Oils are Created Equal!

There are a few key things to know when purchasing your oil. Some suppliers out there may have adulterated the oil, leaving it diluted and not pure. This affects the therapeutic benefits greatly. And still, other oils are not essential oils at all, but are simply “fragrance oils”. Beware of these as well. Not only will you not gain the true therapy of the oil, but there are also potentially hazardous chemicals and ingredients that make up these synthetic fragrance oils. How do you know the oil is pure? You need to choose oils from companies that are reputable. Some of the things to look for in an essential oil company are; Do they list the Latin name and common name of the label as well as the country of origin? Do they offer a GC/MS report?

The best way to find out the purity of the oil is to purchase from companies that will offer a GC/MS report. This is a good sign and very important. If you don’t see it when ordering, ask for it. And, if they don’t offer one, don’t purchase from them. If the GC/MS is available, this means that the oil has been tested and they are offering the report of the exact properties and chemical components of the oil. 

Essential Oil Terms

There are some terms that you might see such as, “therapeutic grade,” “100% pure” is just a marketing term that sounds very impressive, but not necessarily meaning “pure.” Not to say that the oils are not that of “therapeutic grade” or “100% pure”, they may very well be. The point here is, there is no specialized department of therapeutic grade essential oils going around checking them to tell the company that they can place these terms on the bottle. It is the consumer’s responsibility to know what to look for in the company. I frequently purchase Rocky Mountain Oils. They are fair in price for good quality essential oils. They always provide a GCMS report, so you know what exactly is in the oil. You can get their starter kit here.

This article just touches on the basic foundation in understanding some of the basics. If you would like more on beginning fundamentals of essential oil use, grab my E-book here.

Lastly, I hope this article gives some insight into the basics when beginning to use essential oils. Happy blending!!