How to use Essential Oils

Inhalation

Inhaling certain essential oils heightens the senses and can have many positive effects on the body. Try these ideas to use essential oils for inhalation:

Inhale directly from the bottle
Diffuse with any of Young Living's premium diffusers
Carefully pour hot water into a bowl and add a few drops of essential oil. Cover your head and bowl in a tent-like fashion with a tower. Breathe deeply and slowly.

Massage



When you use essential oils for a massage, you will need to dilute with a suitable carrier oil, since essential oils are too concentrated to use undiluted on the skin.

Age	Amount of carrier oil	Amount of essential oil
65 years +	20 ml	5 drops
12 - 65	20 ml	10 drops
6 - 12	20 ml	7 drops
4 - 6	20 ml	5 drops
1 - 4	20 ml	2 drop
under 1	20 ml	1 drop
Pregnant	20 ml	1 drop

Bath



Since essential oils can irritate the skin and mucus membranes, you can first dilute the essential oil in a suitable carrier oil (or a little bit of shampoo) before adding it to your bath.

Bathing with essential oils must be one of the most relaxing ways to attend to your ablutions, and adding soft candlelight to soothe your frayed nerves at the end of a busy day, is a great way to unwind.

You would normally add about 7 drops of essential oils to a bath, but as stated above, if you have a sensitive skin, or have not tried a particular oil, rather first mix the essential oil to a carrier oil or a small amount of shampoo and then add it to your bath.

If you have a sensitive skin, it might also be a good idea to first do a skin patch test to determine if you are allergic to the oil or not.

Should you prefer not to mix it with a carrier oil, you could mix it with a small amount of shampoo and then add the shampoo mixture to your bath.

Although it gives off a wonderful aroma to add the oils to a running bath, the oils would evaporate at a very high rate, and for this reason it is best to add the oils after you have run the bath, and then to mix in by hand.

For children between the ages of 4 and 12, as well as for elderly people, only add 4 drops of oil per bath.

For children between 1 and 4, as well as for pregnant women, add only 2 drops of oil per bath.

Children under 1 year should have no more than 1 drop of oil per bath.


Creams & Lotions

When you mix essential oils in a plain un-perfumed cream base, it adds all the therapeutic qualities to the cream as well as the fragrance - giving you a "non-oily" way of applying essential oils.

his is of particular benefit should you wish to apply essential oils to a person with a skin condition that might not take well to oily carrier oils.

The total percentage of essential oil to a cream or lotion should not exceed 2%. Also please ensure that you mix the oil well into the cream or lotion and that you are not allergic to the essential oil of your choice.

The mixed cream or lotion should be kept in a closed container, and in a cool area.

Age	Amount of base cream or lotion	Amount of essential oil
65 years +	50 g	10 drops
12 - 65	50 g	20 drops
4 - 12	50 g	10 drops
1 - 4	50 g	4 drops
under 1	50 g	2 drop
Pregnant	50 g	4 drop