Essential Oil Hacks That Will Change Your Life

Essential oils are a wonderful, natural home remedy to turn to tend to a variety of needs: relaxation, concentration, memory, sleep, mental health, and a variety of physical ailments, such as essential oils for arthritis.

Whether you're a diffuser or roll-on type of essential oil user, or even a newbie to it all, there are some things every essential oil user should know to get the best results and usage from their oils. This is important as essential oils can be pricey at times—especially for enthusiasts.

That said, let's go ahead and delve into some essential oil hacks.

Make your own blends.

When people first get into essential oils, many only experiment with a single oil at a time. For instance, someone might use their lemon essential oil for moments where they need mental clarity. Then when they're stressed, they may turn to their lavender oil.

However, using essential oils in this way, while effective, is limiting your oil potential. Consider making your own blends of different oils. Of course, researching different oils and their benefits is potent first before you start mixing, but here are a few blends to get you started:

Energy:

• 1 drop rosemary
• 1 drop lemon
• 1 drop peppermint

Sleep:

• 1-2 drops lavender
• 1 drop Roman chamomile
• 1 drop juniper berry

Stress:

• 3 drops lavender
• 3 drops lime
• 1 drop spearmint

Know how to use essential oils to reduce different types of headaches.

Dealing with headaches can be a drag, regardless of the type, intensity, or cause (essential oils for hangovers, anyone?!). Headaches on a broad scale can affect the way we act, think, and even feel.

No worries; there are essential oil hacks for these as well!

• Cluster headaches: Roll frankincense essential oil over the affected area (or rub in a circular motion with a cotton ball if you don't have a roll-on bottle).
• Tension headaches: To assist with tense muscles involved in tension headaches, opt for peppermint and/or lavender essential oil.
• Sinus headaches: Using coconut oil as your base carrier, add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil to help open up your nasal passages.
• Migraine headaches: Rubbing onto your temples, back of neck, and forehead, use coconut oil as you carrier oil, and add a 1-2 drops of rosemary oil as well as peppermint essential oil.

Clean your home with essentials oils.

Essential oils aren't just for your own personal use. They're also wonderful to use around the home.

Check out these essential oil tips and hacks for cleaning the home:

For sparkly cutlery glass: Add 2-3 drops of lemon essential oil to your dishes.

For a fresh toilet: Add 1-2 drops of any essential oil of your choice to reduce odor.

For clean windows and mirrors: Add 3-4 drops of wild orange essential oil in a glass spray bottle, and spritz and wipe away.

For better-smelling anti-bacterial cleaning: Add 4-5 drops of lavender essential oil to a white vinegar cleaning solution to help cover the strong vinegar smell.

If you don't know what a carrier oil is, let me fill you in quickly. A carrier oil is a base oil that is used to dilute essential oils before applying directly to the skin.

Some carrier oils and their purposes include:

• Sweet almond oil: Improves blood circulation and helps with dry, flaky skin
• Olive oil: Helps with dry skin and frizzy hair
• Argan oil: Assists with split ends, cracked skin, and brittle nails
• Coconut oil: Moisturizes the skin and reverses/slows signs of aging
• Castor oil: Promotes hair growth and assists with dandruff
• Neem oil: Assists with wrinkles, acne, and sun damage
• Jojoba oil: Clears impurities, decreases irritation, softens hair follicles
• Rosehip seed oil: Eliminates stretch marks, scars, and blemishes

Add a carrier oil to make your oils last longer.

Just when you thought your most prized essential oil was empty or near-empty, hold up for a minute because chances are, there's still oil in there.

Simply add a drop or few of grapeseed oil or liquid coconut oil to ensure you can get the most out of your oils when they are running low. In the long-run, you'll save a bit of cash while ensuring you can get every last drop of your favorite oil.

After all, essential oils can pretty pricey, especially if you're getting your essential oils from an oil consultant where prices are knocked up, so the company can make money as well as the consultant.

For some, having a spider present in their home, or really, anywhere in their path, is a heart-pounding experience. The latter is especially true when it comes to potentially poisonous spiders.

Out of all these essential oil hacks, this one will be arachnophobics' new favorite. In a spray bottle, add 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil for every 2 oz of water, and spray the areas where the spider(s) reside to deter them. Using peppermint essential oil in this way is great to take on a camping trip too!

Please note that it is important to use a glass bottle as essential oils can potentially break down plastic with time.

Make your own DIY toner.

An affordable and natural way to make a great toner is to add a drop of tea tree oil or few to witch hazel.

Use a cotton ball and place your homemade toner in the morning and/or night to clean your pores of debris and excess oils, from forehead to chin (while avoiding the eyes, of course).

This DIY toner is also wonderful to help remove traces of makeup that soap and water won't do justice.

Use your oils to freshen up dirty laundry and smelly shoes.

We have a few essential oil hacks for dirty, smelly laundry and shoes. (Yes, there's hope! Thank goodness!)

Say you left your laundry in the washer after already cleaning it and forgot to put it in the dryer. You know it will have that musky smell, so instead of wasting time, energy, and money putting it through another round in the washer, simply toss your clothes in the dryer, try adding 3-4 drops of lemon essential oil, and turn it on. Fresh as a daisy!

For smelly laundry, especially ones you've sweated in, add 3-4 drops or so of your favorite essential oil scent to a glass spray bottle with water, and spray onto your clothes to quickly refreshen them.

As for shoes, spray or use a cotton ball and place one drop of your favorite essential oil in your shoes. Even if your shoes are smelly, using essential oil in shoes is a great way to freshen your feet. (Tip: Use tea tree oil in your shoes if you suffer from mild athlete's foot or toenail fungus.)

Learn how to properly dispense thick oils.

Let's face it, some essential oils are just thicker. Then there are moments where your once-thin oils may be getting harder to diffuse if they start to settle and get thicker. Remember, the thicker the oil, the harder it will be to dispense them or even rub them on your skin.

To combat the first issue of naturally-thick oils, all you have to do is try adding drops of a thinner essential oil prior to dispensing. This will help ensure it doesn't get clogged up a dispenser or take significant time to dispense.

As for oils that have become thicker with time, run the bottle under warm water for about 10 seconds or until it begins to thin. If this tactic doesn't work, try adding a thinner oil before using.

Buying a single 0.5 fl oz essential oil can be as affordable as $8 or even up to $30+ depending on what it is and where you purchase it from.

Prices add up quickly, so your best bet is to buy your oils in bulk. The Amazon product we have listed here contains 14 different oils less than $20. A plethora of different oils in this pack are provided from lavender, to lime, to clove.