Key Points
- Essential Oils: Essential oils are powerful natural products used in various routines including skincare and wellness.
- Quality Matters: Buying quality essential oils is crucial, as adulteration is common and can affect efficacy.
- Buying Sources: Eden Botanicals and Mountain Rose Herbs are recommended sources for high-quality oils.
- Usage Safety: It is important to use essential oils carefully to avoid irritation and maximize benefits.
If you’ve known me for any length of time, this will not be news to you, but I love essential oils—almost as much as I hate synthetic fragrance. I think essential oils are pure, powerful, plant medicine, and I use them every day—in my skincare, in my home, and in my wellness (or sickness) routines. I even recommended essential oils to some of my patients in the emergency room; some folks were very interested in learning more, others thought it was crazy woo-woo talk and ignored my suggestions entirely. Not many MDs use essential oils as part of their toolkits, so I understood when it felt too out of the ordinary for people.
If you don’t have experience using essential oils, it can be a very overwhelming landscape. Unfortunately there’s a huge amount of misinformation about essential oils on the internet, as well as some very low-quality oil available for purchase. Using essential oils is like using any other medicine—it needs to be done carefully and skillfully, using high-quality products.
In this article, I’ll share some of the best essential oils to keep at home, where I purchase them, some of the ways in which I use them, and a few things to avoid if you’re just getting started with essential oils. This information is based on my own research and experience as a medical doctor, a skincare formulator, and a true believer in the power of plants. Hopefully, it will help you build your own essential oil toolkit, and give you a sense of how to use essential oils safely.
How to Buy Quality Essential Oils
Adulteration, or the cutting of pure essential oils with other, lower-quality ingredients, is an extremely common practice among some suppliers, and buying cheap essential oils is one of the surest ways to get a product that is not what you thought you were ordering. Quality essential oils cost a lot for good reason: the plants take time and care to grow, the distillation process is complex and time-consuming, and protecting the oils from light and exposure to air requires proper process and packaging. I use mostly organic essential oils, which also contributes to cost, but it’s important to me to support organic farming and sustainable practices, and to avoid pesticide contamination.
When you purchase essential oils, make sure the bottle has an orifice reducer or that you have a glass dropper available for each bottle you’ll be using. Trying to pour essential oils out of the bottle without controlling how much comes out is a recipe for disaster and financial despair.
Where to Buy Quality Essential Oils
I buy most of my essential oils from Eden Botanicals; they have a wide selection of extremely high-quality, organic oils and an exceptional commitment to sustainability. I also like Mountain Rose Herbs when Eden does not have an oil I need. There are several large, multilevel marketing companies in the essential oil space that produce high-quality oils, but I find that the people selling these products have variable levels of expertise, so I advise people to proceed with caution when it comes to usage instructions, especially when someone is making strong statements about what an essential oil can do for your health.
Aromatherapy—Woo-Woo or Real Science?
Let’s be honest: “aromatherapy” has a reputation problem. Some people hear the word and think science-backed botanical chemistry, while others picture incense, crystals, and marketing hype. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in between.
Essential oils are complex chemical mixtures, often containing dozens of compounds—many with proven physiological effects. Compounds like linalool, eucalyptol (1,8-cineole), and limonene have been studied for their impact on the nervous system, inflammation, and even antimicrobial activity. That said, inhaling lavender oil won’t reliably cure anxiety, and no essential oil should replace medical treatment. But the evidence-based use of essential oils—for relaxation, focus, or mild respiratory support—is very real science, and many of them can have effects that enhance and amplify concurrent medical therapies.
That’s why my essential oil toolkit focuses on a few versatile, well-researched oils that smell wonderful and have clear benefits when used thoughtfully.
My Top 8 Home Essential Essential Oils
1) Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils, and one of very few that can be used undiluted on skin, although I only use it this way for acute burns and bug bites. I keep a dedicated bottle of lavender essential oil in the kitchen, where I can apply it to a burn immediately if needed.
Of all the essential oils, lavender has been the most widely studied in the conventional medical realm, where trials have shown that it reduces anxiety and post-operative pain, improves sleep, and relieves menopausal symptoms, to name a few. Taken orally (in a capsule format with the brand name Silexan) it can reduce anxiety as well as a benzodiazepine!
I add lavender essential oil to my unscented Branch Basics cleaning products (specifically the all-purpose spray and the laundry detergent), often in combination with geranium and frankincense. I also keep a dedicated bottle in my car and drop a few drops on the floormats when I’m headed somewhere and my stress level feels like it’s creeping in the wrong direction.
2) Vetiver Essential Oil
Vetiver might be my favorite essential oil from a pure olfactory standpoint; the scent of it is rich, sweet, and slightly smoky in a way that appeals very strongly to something in my brain. It’s my sanity oil, which makes sense when you consider the plant: vetiver is a grass with roots that grow 2-3 feet deep into the soil, and is used for erosion control. When I feel like my mental health is starting to erode, I incorporate more vetiver into my life immediately, and the effect is profound.
Vetiver is also at the heart of my secret personal scent blend, which I keep in a little blue bottle that goes with me everywhere. I use it before I meditate, in airports when I need to surround myself with something natural to combat the swirls of synthetic fragrance around me, and when I’m planning an evening out (or in…) with my hubby.
3) Frankincense Essential Oil
This oil has a very grounding effect, but it’s nowhere near as sweet as vetiver. The scent almost leans more toward palo santo—dry, resinous, and sap-like. I love it in combination with lavender or geranium (or both), where it acts as a base note and helps anchor the other scents. My favorite use for frankincense is in the shower, especially when I have a cold or sinus infection, where I can practically feel its well-documented antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties going to work on the crud in my respiratory system. When I use it around the house, my husband, who was raised in an Italian Catholic family, always asks “Why does it smell like a church in here??”
4) Geranium Essential Oil
Geranium (or rose geranium) essential oil is one of my favorite florals, as it does not contain have the heavier notes that rose and jasmine contain, or the shocking sweetness of neroli or ylang ylang. It’s what I would call a “green floral,” almost like you’re smelling the green leaves alongside the flower itself, and it adds a healthy, vibrant note to the air. I add it to my Branch Basics all-purpose spray, and sometimes add a few drops on my wool dryer balls. There’s nothing quite as yummy as putting on a warm tee shirt fresh from the dryer with the soft, comforting aroma of geranium!
5) Basil Essential Oil
There are a few different “chemotypes” of basil essential oil, but the one I love is the linalool chemotype, which smells very much like a fresh, crushed basil leaf. The methyl chavicol chemotype, which is often less expensive, smells like licorice-meets-Vicks-Vaporub—a little too medicinal for my taste. Basil is the oil I reach for when I have a headache or feel one coming. I usually inhale it for a few minutes, but one 2020 study showed that it could help reduce the severity and frequency of migraines when applied (diluted to 4 or 6%) to the temples daily.
6) Cajeput Essential Oil
This is the most medicinal smelling essential oil I keep at home. It’s a close cousin to tea tree oil, a scent that I think I smelled too much at some point in my life and no longer enjoy as much as this fruitier relative. I use cajeput mostly in my bathroom, where it has the antibacterial and antifungal power to combat germs and mold. I also use it when I have a respiratory infection, as it’s high in 1,8-cineole, which can help relax airways and loosen secretions. It’s not the most beautiful smelling essential oil in the world, but it’s an absolute workhorse.
7) Grapefruit Essential Oil
It’s called Citrus paradisi for good reason, my friends. The bright, uplifting, cheerful scent of grapefruit essential oil is so universally pleasing that if I met someone who did not like it, I would have an immediate and serious sense of suspicion about that person. (Apologies if you are that person, but I’m guessing you’re not, since I’m not convinced such a person exists.) I love to inhale grapefruit essential oil in my shower with frankincense, and add it to my bathroom cleaning spray (Branch Basics) with rosemary or eucalyptus, where its high level of antibacterial activity against germs commonly found in bathrooms leaves things not only smelling amazing but legitimately clean. It’s also beautiful in a diffuser with a few drops of lavender, boosting the mood in the room instantly.
8) Rosemary or Eucalyptus Essential Oil
I tend to keep eucalyptus at home because I always have a bottle of our Rosemary Scalp Oil on hand if I’m craving rosemary. Either oil works for the purpose of improving focus, supporting respiratory function, or relieving bodily aches and pains. They are both great for the shower, and for home cleaning products, where I lean toward rosemary in the kitchen and eucalyptus in the bathroom. The high content of cineole in each of these oils means they should not be used around young children or people with poorly controlled high blood pressure or seizure disorders.
The Best Ways to Use Essential Oils at Home
Once you’ve built your toolkit, the next step is knowing how to use these oils effectively—and safely—so they enhance your home routine without irritating your skin or overwhelming your senses. There’s a big difference between using essential oils safely and using them “liberally.” Because they’re so concentrated, a few drops go a long way—and a good rule of thumb is less is more.
In a Cleaning Spray
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Add 10–15 drops total of essential oil per 16-ounce spray bottle filled with water and a gentle surfactant like castile soap or white vinegar, or a concentrate like Branch Basics.
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Great oils for cleaning: grapefruit, eucalyptus, lavender, or rosemary.
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Always shake before each use and store away from sunlight.
In the Shower
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Add a few drops of oil (no more) to the corner of the shower floor or wall, away from the direct stream of water.
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The steam will help diffuse the aroma—great for oils like eucalyptus, cajeput, grapefruit, frankincense, or lavender during cold season. My favorite blend is frankincense and grapefruit.
In a Diffuser
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Use 4–6 drops total per 100 mL of water, following your diffuser’s directions.
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Avoid blending more than 3–4 oils at a time, as too many can become overpowering—it’s the olfactory equivalent of mixing too many paint colors together and ending up with a murky brown.
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Use the diffuser for 20 minutes at a time, and never run it overnight in your bedroom.
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Running a diffuser for a few minutes before having people over can set a relaxing mood instantly, especially if it contains lavender! (My blend would be one drop of vetiver and two drops of lavender.)
In a Tissue
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Place two drops of any essential oil into a tissue, and hold the tissue in your cupped hands. Inhale deeply for 10-20 breaths. This simple method works well for managing symptoms like a headache (basil) or anxiety (lavender) and is easy to access quickly.
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Afterwards, you can place the tissue in your immediate surroundings or near your pillow where it will continue to release scent for a few more minutes.
In Skincare
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Never apply essential oils directly to skin without dilution, except in the case of applying lavender essential oil to a fresh burn.
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Stick to a 0.5% dilution for face (that’s about 6 drops per ounce of carrier oil) or 2–3% for body care.
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Gentle, skin-friendly options include lavender, chamomile, frankincense, and geranium.
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For a therapeutic massage oil, I would use 5 drops of lavender and 5 drops of eucalyptus or rosemary in one ounce of carrier oil.
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The best carrier oil is pure jojoba oil, which has a long shelf life, and a composition very similar to your skin’s own sebum.
Creating an essential oil toolkit at home doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with a few versatile, well-researched oils—ones that support your skin, mood, and overall wellness. As you learn how to use essential oils safely, you’ll discover that small, consistent rituals can have a big impact on your daily life. For beginners, the goal isn’t to own every oil—it’s to understand a few of them deeply, and use them intentionally.
The information contained in this post is for educational interest only. This information is not intended to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any physical or mental illness, disease, or skin conditions.
References
H. Woelk, S. Schläfke, A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder, Phytomedicine, Volume 17, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 94-99.
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Donelli D, Antonelli M, Bellinazzi C, Gensini GF, Firenzuoli F. Effects of lavender on anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytomedicine. 2019 Dec;65:153099. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2019.153099. Epub 2019 Sep 26. PMID: 31655395.
Silva LCMA, Dos Santos KVG, Dos Santos JJS, Camara RPPOA, Bezerra E Silva SY, Silva HMMD, Ribeiro KRB, Dantas DV, Dantas RAN. Efficacy of aromatherapy with Lavandula angustifolia oil on postoperative pain after cardiac surgery: A randomized clinical trial. Explore (NY). 2024 Nov-Dec;20(6):103034. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2024.103034. Epub 2024 Jul 9. PMID: 39032323.
Hawkins J, Hires C, Dunne E, Keenan L. Prevalence of endocrine disorders among children exposed to Lavender Essential Oil and Tea Tree Essential Oils. Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2022 Jun;9(2):117-124. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpam.2021.10.001. Epub 2021 Oct 9. PMID: 35663791; PMCID: PMC9152575.
Almeida-da-Silva CLC, Sivakumar N, Asadi H, Chang-Chien A, Qoronfleh MW, Ojcius DM, Essa MM. Effects of Frankincense Compounds on Infection, Inflammation, and Oral Health. Molecules. 2022 Jun 29;27(13):4174. doi: 10.3390/molecules27134174. PMID: 35807419; PMCID: PMC9268443.
Ahmadifard M, Yarahmadi S, Ardalan A, Ebrahimzadeh F, Bahrami P, Sheikhi E. The Efficacy of Topical Basil Essential Oil on Relieving Migraine Headaches: A Randomized Triple-Blind Study. Complement Med Res. 2020;27(5):310-318. English. doi: 10.1159/000506349. Epub 2020 Mar 10. PMID: 32155616.
Dosoky NS, Setzer WN. Biological Activities and Safety of Citrus spp. Essential Oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jul 5;19(7):1966. doi: 10.3390/ijms19071966. PMID: 29976894; PMCID: PMC6073409.