Essential Oils

How many of you use essential oils?  Awhile back I started getting into them because they are natural and they smell good too!  At the time, though, for me it was more work than I was really ready for.  But any small start is still a start, right?

I tried using them for my own toothpaste, in the bath, as a cleaner... There are so many more other uses for them too!  That was just my beginning.  The toothpaste thing just didn't work out.  Plus, I was trying to avoid having to buy it altogether, but the rest of the family is not always on the same page as I am and my husband refused to even try it.  That's when I started to get picky about what I buy.

My husband also didn't like it when I used it as a cleaner because he said it was smelly.  What I did was put some tea tree oil in with vinegar.  I might have used something else too like lavender, but I'm not 100% sure.  The tea tree oil has so many great properties it's perfect for cleaning.  I would also use the lavender and tea tree oils in the bath and just relax.  It was so nice and I would always come out soft, relaxed, and just good all over.

Right now I've been using some tea tree oil for a cut I have on my lip.  I've been having a battle with my lip for a good week or two now... I bit it once and it's been crazy since then.  Everyday I would accidentally bite it over and over again... It has been hurting so bad!  It's healing now, but it's been a long process since I kept biting it.  To help it along I have been dabbing a little bit of tea tree oil on a q-tip and putting that on the sore part.  It makes it tingle hehehe!  It also helps me keep from playing with it making it more irritated.  You ever get a bruise and poke at it even though it hurt?  Ya it's like that.  

Now that I'm working on getting better products for the home I'm thinking about getting into essential oils again.  They smell good, don't really go bad, are cheap enough because it's concentrated, there are so many to choose from and so many more reasons to go this route!  Along with adding them to vinegar for cleaning they could also be added to oils and used as a topical for various issues.  

At one point I had a book about how to use essential oils.  There were recipes in there for so many things including hair wash.  Personally I think it would be easier to just use a good shampoo, but who knows when I'll move into that!  One step at a time, right?

What do you use your essential oils for?  What is your favorite essential oil and why?