‘Essential’ Essential Oil Hacks For Your Home
Here are some practical and home uses for some of our favorite essential oils—and the best place to get them
Essential oils are gaining much more interest now that people are more open to the benefits of an all-natural-leaning lifestyle.
If are you still one of the many people who associate essential oils only with a diffuser, then let us enlighten you a bit more. Essential oils are more than just natural fragrances used to make your room smell good; they are actually little bottles of miracle in their own right, packed with so many benefits that you can take advantage of.
Essential oils are a tricky domain. There’s a lot of scientific research that goes into essential oil education and use, but there’s also a lot of voodoo going on behind the scenes when it comes to oils that are not pure or mixed with synthetic diluters. So, before we get into the many uses of essential oils, take note that not all essential oils are made equal.
DōTERRA essential oils
Doterra is a brand based in Utah, whose name has a Latin derived meaning of “gift of the Earth.” Since being established in 2008, Doterra aims to not only offer essential oils, but also establish a standard of quality in an industry that had never had one. This meant that they only want to manufacture and create essential oils that are of the purest grade, through a Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade protocol they established to assure people that all of their oils are pure, not loaded with synthetic fillers, contaminants- and pesticide-free, and certified food-grade by the FDA.
In the Philippines, it’s easy enough to get duped by products claiming to be legitimate. We’ve got so many pirated and fake products, most of the time it’s harder to find the legitimate ones.
That’s why when Vicky Chang was introduced to Doterra oils and their many benefits, she knew she wanted to share that experience with more Filipinos.
“It began with me being a millennial, not knowing what to do with my life, not loving the work I was doing, overwhelmed with the expectations of others, of my parents, and worse, myself. This resulted to anxiety, overthinking, panic attacks, and sleepless nights. One day, my mom gave me extra oils that she had and didn’t know what to do with so I started reading about them, trying some out, which did wonders for my anxiety and sleep. I shared some online and it turns out that I wasn’t alone with these struggles,” Vicky shares.
Without realizing it, that’s how Doterra Philippines was born. In 2019, Vicky became “The Essential Queen,” like her handle reads on Instagram, supplying not just genuine Doterra products but also essential essential oil education to Filipino households.
So, before you dabble in anything essential oil, make sure you’re sourcing only the purest and most genuine of oils. That way, you’re not exposing yourself and your family to risks associated with synthetic ones.
Benefits of essential oils
Essential oils are natural compounds extracted from plants. In the world of essential oils, the superior method of extracting it is through cold-pressing, so that all of the benefits of the plant are preserved into the oil. Take note that essential oils obtained through chemical processes are not considered “true” essential oils.
Aromatherapy is an old practice that has been used for centuries, where inhaling the scent of certain essential oils can bring therapeutic benefits. The way essential oils work is that our olfactory system captures the scent and sends it directly to the limbic system, which plays a role in controlling several unconscious physiological functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. This is how essential oils can work to influence your body—hopefully, in a good way.
While scientific research has been done, and some essential oils have been found by John Hopkins lab to be very potent against certain bacteria, Vicky emphasizes that the essential oil experience is very personal. This means that it may be different for everyone, the same way that not all food tastes good for everyone, or that some people may be allergic to stuff that normal people enjoy.
With this in mind, it’s important to take note of your own sensitivities to essential oils if you plan to use them for therapeutic benefits.
Practical uses for the home
We’ve heard so many things about the healing and therapeutic uses of oils, but did you know that they have so many practical uses around the house, as well?
It’s easy to get lost in the sea of essential oils, especially if you’re a beginner. So, for first-timers who are looking for something that has therapeutic and all-around home use, Vicky suggests the Doterra Introductory Kit—which comes with lemon, lavender, and peppermint essential oils.
Here are some pro tips from Vicky on how you can use these three essential oils to improve your home.
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Clean your gadgets
Our laptops, keyboard, and mouse are some of the most high-touch things we own at home, especially since we’re working at home or studying at home all the time now. Therefore, it only makes sense to clean them frequently so as to prevent too much bacteria from building up. To clean, put a little bit of lemon oil on a cotton ball and wipe the surface. Interestingly, despite their name, pure essential oils are not actually oils. They are “essences” of a plant so they’re not oily at all. They absorb easily on the skin and don’t feel slimy on any surface, so you won’t have that problem if you decide to use it to clean your gadgets.
Photo Credit: Lauren Mancke/Unsplash
Tough-to-remove stains
Kitchen items and surfaces are home to some of the toughest-to-remove stains and grease in the home. When faced with these food stains, Vicky recommends to use lemon oil again. Just put a few drops, let it sit, and then wipe it off. Lemon oil also works in removing crayon marks on walls.
Photo Credit: Kristin Brown/Unsplash
Tape and sticker residue
Everyone has probably run across this problem. You buy something from the store, you peel off the sticker or price tag on it, and you find yourself dealing with sticky tape residue that just won’t come off. The solution: lemon oil. Just put a drop, wait, and wipe off.
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens
Deodorizing shoes, fridge, and kitchen
Lemon oil is a great all-around cleaning and disinfecting oil, and it’s also a favorite of many for deodorizing persistent smells. To deodorize stinky shoes, add a few drops of lemon oil on a cotton ball and shove it inside the shoe. After cooking fish—or maybe your neighbor is cooking fish and it’s wafting into your home—you can also diffuse some lemon oil in the air to remove the stench. Your refrigerator may also be a breeding ground of bacteria and foul smells. To keep it clean and smelling fresh, put 15 drops of lemon oil in a box of baking soda and keep it inside the refrigerator to keep it smelling great for up to a month.
Photo Credit: Erik Mclean/Unsplash
Disinfect produce
When fruits and vegetables are transported, rinsing it with water just won’t do the trick. What you can do is add a few drops of lemon oil to a large bowl of water and then use that to rinse your produce.
Photo Credit: CDC/Unsplash
Clean jewelry
Do you find your jewelry tarnishing because of all the grime and dirt that has built up? For starters, you can use a cotton ball with a few drops of lemon oil to wipe down your favorite jewelry. For harder-to-remove tarnishing, you can put 3 drops of lemon oil on a 1/3 cup of water and let your jewelry sit in the solution for 5 minutes. Afterwards, you can wipe it down with a towel or scrub lightly with a soft toothbrush.
Photo Credit: Rachel Sweeney/Unsplash
Remove molds and mildew
To remove and prevent molds in the toilet or kitchen, mix equal parts of tea tree and lemon oil, and use that to scrub and wipe moly surfaces.
Photo Credit: @theessentialqueen
Freshen up your linens
Why purchase expensive linen spray bottles if you can do your own? Just reuse an old spray bottle, fill it with water, and add some lavender oil. Use this to spray and freshen up your linen closet, mattress, sofa, or car.
Photo Credit: Hutomo Abrianto/Unsplash
Evict some cockroaches
Sometimes, no matter how clean your home is, if your neighbors or building are dirty, pests like cockroaches will come to plague your home. To remedy this, Vicky shares this trick that will flush out all the cockroaches from where they’re hiding. All you have to do is fill a bucket with water and add 5 drops of lavender oil. Use it to wipe down the surfaces—for example, in the bathroom, since that’s where cockroaches usually hide—and then dump the water down the drain. When doing this, make sure to have someone with you who is ready to kill all the cockroaches because doing this will force them all out. This way, you can kill them all in one go.
Photo Credit: Jasmin Sessler/Unsplash
Healthier hair
Lavender promotes healthy and shiny hair so you can use lavender essential oil by adding 5 to 6 drops on your favorite shampoo and conditioner. You can also put a few drops on your wooden brush so your hair and scalp get invigorated every time you brush your hair.
Photo Credit: Today
Natural repellant for ants and spiders
You can actually keep ants and spiders from your home by creating a barrier made from peppermint oil. Just put some oil on a cotton ball and wipe around open areas in your home like the windows and doorways. You can also add a few drops of the oil on a spray bottle and spray it on surfaces.
Photo Credit: Rob Wingate/Unsplash
Neutralize paint odor
If you’re painting around the house and the toxic smell is irritating your senses, what you can do is add 10ml of peppermint oil to a gallon of fresh paint to neutralize the odor.
Photo Credit: At Home Mum
Smelly trash can
Trash cans can get very foul especially when you’re waiting for the next trash pick-up. To help neutralize the odor, you can put a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball and put it at the bottom of the trash bin.
Photo Credit: DIY & Crafts
Essential oil education
The topic of essential oils is a huge world with so many things to discover.
Sensitivity to essential oils, for example. Some people just take more time to adjust to certain things—and that goes with essential oils, as well. Sometimes, people can be sensitive even to the gentlest of essential oils, like lavender. In these cases, Vicky advises to start incorporating essential oils into your routine slowly. Maybe start by diluting one drop of essential oil in one tablespoon of fractionated coconut oil first, slowly building up the concentration as you go.
For pregnant moms who want to start using essential oils, they can also start diffusing on their second trimester, which is so much safer than inhaling chemical fragrances.
To help people get to know more about essential oils, Doterra Philippines holds regular online classes on different essential oil topics, free of charge.
To get more information about essential oils, to join a class, or maybe become a member to avail discounts on essential oils, check out @theessentialqueen on Insagram.
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