When it comes to topical application, anyone can easily become confused about when, where, how, and why to apply essential oils.
A common question I often hear regarding using multiple essential oils at once is, "Should I layer the oils, or should I blend them?" The easiest answer is, "When in doubt, layer." I usually rely on tried-and-true recipes when blending; however, I have created a few favorite recipes through trial and error, such as my Clearly Everything blend.
Silver Wellness Advocate Nicole Caldwell became intrigued by the topic of layering vs. blending and decided to research anything she could find on the topic. After months of reading and experimenting, she began teaching others the basics, and soon other Wellness Advocates were asking to learn more. She did a training on layering vs. blending at our team's annual Oil Education Day last summer, and due to popular demand, I asked if she would record the training with me. You can watch the recording by clicking here if you're receiving this post via email, or if you're on my site you'll see it embedded below.
You'll find the document Nicole created and referenced in the training here.
dōTERRA's website also has an article regarding topical application, including dilution and safety tips as well as more ideas of how and where to apply oils. You can read the full article here, and the following are a few of my favorite tips:
Awareness of your body and how it reacts to different essential oils, amounts applied, and application locations can help minimize risk and ensure safe usage.
More is not always better! Essential oils are very potent, so a little goes a long way. Start with 1-2 drops and then increase the dosage as necessary.
Dilute, dilute, dilute! Dilution in no way diminishes the efficacy of essential oils and offers many benefits that can enhance your application experience.
Add a few drops of oil to a warm bath.
Make a hot or cold compress by soaking a towel or cloth in water, adding essential oils, and then applying to the desired area.
Add oil to a lotion or moisturizer and then apply to the skin.
Mix with water and use as a mouth and/or throat rinse.
My friend and Gold Wellness Advocate Ami Shroyer learned through in-depth training that when applying oils, we should consider these areas:
Wrists: for any reason you want to get properties rapidly into the bloodstream; the wrists also give the option of raising them to take in the aroma.
Back of neck: for head tension and brain health
Down sides of neck along the carotid arteries/jugular veins: for rapid entrance to blood flowing out of and into heart
Over chest: for emotional health
Other areas of head: front/crown for emotional health, localized areas where head tension is felt, top of head for reasoning, back of head for memory/vision, sides for vision/hearing health
Spine: for rapid delivery through the nervous system
Right big toe: brain reflex connection (great for focus and sleep)
Center of feet: digestion and other internal organs
Left ankle: reflex point for male hormones
Right ankle: reflex point for female hormones
Remember to cup hands and inhale with each application.
Ami added, "Using the reflexology charts is extremely helpful, but I find that those are the most common areas of application."
dōTERRA's article referenced above also lists the following as some great places to apply oils:
Face: Use essential oil as part of your regular skin care regimen to beautify the skin and promote a clear, healthy looking complexion.
Neck/Forehead/Temples: These areas are good to target feelings of tension.
Abdomen: Application of essential oils, especially over major digestive organs.
Arms/Legs/Back: Massage onto the arms, wrists, legs, feet, or back after physical activity.
Roof of the Mouth (Soft Palette)/Base of the Skull: Applying oils to these areas is an excellent way to help transform your mood and balance your emotions.
Chest: Rubbing oils onto the chest promotes feelings of clear breathing.
Bottoms of Feet: The feet have large pores that rapidly absorb essential oils, making this an ideal application site for generalized effect. Apply and massage in 2-4 drops of essential oil.
I hope all of this helpful information lends you some clarity on this elusive subject. Most importantly, don't be afraid to open your bottles and use the oils! You can always start out slowly and well diluted and gradually increase your essential oil usage as you grow more confident. Soon it will become second nature, and you'll understand why essential oil usage is as much art (or at least intuition) as it is science (of which there is plenty as well).