Essential oils have a long history of supporting health and wellbeing and you may have heard about some of their benefits. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, then you know how passionate I am about keeping things natural in my life and home.

With so many essential oils to choose from, it can feel like a big challenge to know which ones to start with. If you’re new to using essential oils, here are 5 go-to choices that will help you to live happier and healthier.

Lavender Essential Oil

If you only add one essential oil to your life, lavender is a great choice. It’s a hugely versatile essential oil and can help to improve sleep, mood and chronic pain problems. If you’re usually hit by painful cramps at “that” time of the month, lavender can help to ease menstrual cramping.

The sedative effects of lavender make it a super important essential oil for anyone who suffers from stress, anxiety or depression, it has also performed well in studies for these due to its ability to calm and soothe.

Studies on rats have also shown some really good potential for using lavender to protect against oxidative stress in the brain and cognitive impairment.

A lot of these benefits are linked to lavender’s antioxidant benefits. According to studies, it can increase activity of powerful antioxidants, including glutathione.

Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint is a great multi purpose essential oil too. It can help with a huge range of areas, from reducing stress and relieving chronic pain (especially headaches).

From a pain perspective, studies have shown that it can ease joint pain from fibromyalgia. It’s thought that peppermint is one of the essential oils that may be able to act as a topical analgesic to act on pain. You can use it topically on sore and painful areas or add a few drops to a warm bath for an all-over body effect.

It’s a highly energizing essential oil that is stimulating and can boost your mood and improve memory and focus, especially when the scent is inhaled.

Peppermint is also a handy essential oil to have around if you suffer from allergies. Adding it to a room diffuser (along with eucalyptus oil) can offer relief or you can use it topically on your chest.

Lemon Essential Oil

Thanks to its strong antimicrobial and antiseptic qualities, lemon oil is super handy to have in your home for disinfecting purposes. When anyone gets sick, the antibacterial action should kill nasty germs and bugs. This makes it perfect for using in natural cleaning sprays.

The antimicrobial qualities of lemon oil make it a perfect essential oil for boosting your immunity. It’s a great choice for fighting coughs as it helps to encourage drainage in the lymphatic system and get rid of fluids that contribute to coughs.

It has other uses too, from tackling dandruff to boosting your mood through its energizing scent. When it’s inhaled, it can help to reduce nausea, especially for morning sickness.

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5 Must have essential oils for a healthy life - blog post graphic

Tea Tree Essential Oil

Like lavender, tea tree is an essential oil that you may have prior experience with, even if you’ve not used it in aromatherapy. Its anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties have made it a popular ingredient in skincare products and it’s a great oil to use if you have problem skin. Psoriasis and eczema can also benefit from tea tree oil.

It’s also a good choice if you suffer from a dry, flaky scalp or dandruff as the antifungal properties can kill off the fungus that triggers scalp problems. In studies, tea tree oil has helped to improve dandruff symptoms by up to 41%.

As an added bonus, it’s also a great essential oil to turn to for zapping cold sores, warts and fungal infections naturally. According to studies, tea tree oil has such strong antimicrobial properties that it may even help to inhibit the bacteria that cause pneumonia and urinary tract infections.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Got nasal or sinus congestion? You’ll definitely want to have some eucalyptus oil handy. With its menthol component, it’s great for opening up your airways, relieving a cough or sore throat and encouraging easier breathing. Plus, if your sinus troubles are giving you pain, it’s ideal for relieving this too.

These aren’t the only benefits of eucalyptus oil though. It’s also been proven to reduce headaches, tackle pain and inflammation, get rid of “brain fog” and help wounds to heal more quickly.

One word of caution about eucalyptus: it’s not recommended for use around young children as it’s potentially fatal if it’s ingested. Keep it well away from curious little fingers!