Essential Oils for Your Radiant Wellness

Distilled directly from plant sources, essential oils are used for seemingly endless applications to our health. Dating back thousands of years, the scent and resin of plants were extensively used  for healing and preservation by ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Indian cultures, among others. Indeed, essential oils are steeped in ancient wisdom.

The 100% natural yet potent powers of essential oils are wildly beneficial for our health as women. As we eliminate the use of toxic products from out lives, we turn to these gifts from the Earth to serve our health, beauty and well being. The powerful compounds contained in essential oils can be used for everything from managing our stress, and reducing appetite or pain, to uplifting our moods, healing our skin, fighting illness, and more! Read on to find out how you can use a few simple oils to enhance your life.

Here are a Few of Our favorite Oils and Their Uses in women's health

Clary Sage

Clary sage is an excellent hormone balancer. It also supports the female body through the labor and birth process by stimulating contraction, and can help to tone the uterus after birth. Clary sage also helps in preventing postpartum depression and aids in breast milk production. Rub it directly onto the lower abdomen, ankles and bottoms of feet, or diffuse into the air.

Frankincense

Frankincense creates a healthy immune response. It also stimulates the mind and elevates mood, in addition to helping to relieve stress and depression. Frankincense also aids in healing tears of the perineum, as well as reduces uterine stress and inflammation, relieves pain, and helps to treat and prevent stretch marks. It is best used by applying to the bottoms of feet, taken internally under the tongue or in water, rubbed directly onto the area of concern, or diffused into the air. 

Geranium

Geranium soothes sore breasts, enhances circulation, provides pain relief during labor, repairs skin, and remedies jaundice. It also helps to balance hormones in women. It is also great for treating sore or cracked nipples. Geranium can be applied directly to the area of concern, applied to the bottoms of the feet, or diffused into the air.

Helichrysum

Helichrysum is one of the best essential oils for beauty! It helps reduce varicose veins, heals and regenerates damaged skin, helps repair scar tissue, and is excellent for reducing the effects of aging on skin. Helichrysum also stops bleeding, as well as reduces swelling and pain. It is best used by diluting and applying directly to the area of concern.

Lavender

Lavender is known for its ability to calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety and encourage deep sleep. It also relieves high blood pressure and promotes healthy circulation, speeds healing of cuts, burns and bug bites, supports healing of the perineum after birth (especially when combined with Frankincense), and helps prevent stretch marks (especially when combined with myrrh and Frankincense). It can be diffused into the air, added to bath water, or applied to the bottoms of feet or directly to the area of concern.

Lemon

Lemon is prized for its ability to elevate mood, decrease water retention and swelling, provide allergy relief (combined with lavender and peppermint), gently detoxify the body, and purify water. Its also great as a gentle and non-toxic disinfectant for the air and surfaces in the house. It is best used by adding to drinking water, being diffused in the air, or added to water in a spray bottle.

Peppermint

Peppermint is loved for how it soothes an upset stomach and curbs nausea, invigorates the lungs and increases alertness, clears congestion, and decreases headache pain. Peppermint actually decreases the body's levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, and can decrease milk production by mixing 3-4 drops into cold water. Peppermint oils can be diffused into the air, added to drinking water, or combined with a carrier oil and applied to the body where ever there is discomfort.

This is just the beginning

There are thousands of uses to these lovely oils! Check out 101 uses for Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oils

How to use Essential Oils

Essential oils are typically used in three safe and effective ways: aromatic diffusion (safest), topical application (always dilute in a carrier oil), and internally (use caution).

Be sure you purchase high quality Essential Oils

When you are looking to purchase essential oils, always be sure that they are 100% pure, organic and therapeutic grade. Because essential oils are such a potent distillation of the plant, it is critical that they are sourced from healthy, vigorous plants grown without exposure to toxins.

Sierra Brashear, MA is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, DONA-trained doula, herbal alchemist, wellness educator and founder of Vibrant Souls yoni steams. Inspired by the rhythms and elements of nature, Sierra weaves her knowledge of Ayurveda into the products and lifestyle design programs she offers. She invites you to join her 16-week program, The Art of Fertility | Journey to Conception — to clear toxins and nourish your mind and body in preparation for an easeful conception and healthy pregnancy. Sierra is also co-founder of Cultivate Balance and Moon Bath, and lives in Boulder, Colorado.