More than 50 Common Essential Oil Recipes for General Health

These days we rely on modern medications to get relief from general health issues like cold, cough, stress, inflammation and others. However, for those who prefer natural alternatives to deal with such issues, essential oils offers one of the best alternatives. Essential oils with their anti-bacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, laxative, sedative, and other therapeutic properties, are one of the best fits to get relief from general health problems. Here are more than 50 common essential oil recipes to help you deal with general health issues such as stress, sleep disorder, pain, inflammation, sickness, nausea, common respiratory problems among others.  

Essential Oil Recipes for Relieving Stress, Anxiety and Inducing Sleep

Essential oils are one of the best alternatives to reduce stress and anxiety. They provide a feeling of relaxation and calmness, help to enhance mood and also help in increasing the focus and alertness. Their sedative properties help in fighting insomnia and induce sleep.   

• Stress Reducer: Diffuse lavender, bergamot, ginger, chamomile, or lemongrass around home or in office to alleviate feelings of stress and anxiety.
• Depression Reliever: Use 2-4 drops of rose oil in diffusers, baths or steam inhalation to relieve depression.
• Relaxation Helper: Massage your temples with a combination of 2-4 drops of lavender, peppermint and chamomile essential oils for an immediate relaxing and cooling effect. Or diffuse rose oil around your house. Alternatively, massage a blend of 2 or 3 drops of lavender or cedarwood oil with an unscented lotion.
• Tension Reliever: Alleviate tension by rubbing your hands with a drop of lavender oil and cupping them to your nose to inhale the scent.
• Mood Enhancer: Diffuse eucalyptus oil to improve mood as well as mental alertness on a rainy day. Inhale ginger oil twice daily or use 2-3 drops in a diffuser to enhance the mood.
• Concentration Improver: Inhale peppermint, grapefruit or bergamot essential oil to improve the ability to focus and concentrate. Diffusing rosemary oil also does the trick.
• Mental Clarity Booster: At times of high stress, apply 2-4 drops of sandalwood oil to the wrists and ankles or use it in an inhaler or a diffuser. You can also add a few drops of this oil to your bath. To enhance alertness while driving, some drops of sandalwood oil can be placed on the air conditioner vent of your car.
• Motivation Enhancer: MIx 3 drops of lime, 4 drops of frankincense, and 5 drops of sweet orange essential oils with 1 ounce of avocado oil. Shake the bottle before using this blend to massage your chest, arms, shoulders, and hands for improving motivation.
• Sleep Helper: Mix 20 drops of lavender oil with 2 teaspoons of Epsom salt and 5 drops of orange essential oil in a 4 ounce glass spray bottle, and fill it up with distilled water. Sprinkle a few drops of this essential oil blend on pillows before bedtime to help you sleep through the night.

Essential Oil Recipes to Get Relief from Pain, Inflammation and Increase Circulation

• Pain Reliever: Mash together 3 tablespoons of mango butter and a tablespoon of jojoba or arnica oil for 5 minutes with a hand mixer. Add in 4 drops each of lavender and eucalyptus essential oils, 6 drops of peppermint oil, and 10 drops of sweet marjoram, and mix well. Apply this butter to the paining areas of your body.
• Joint Inflammation Soother: Mix 2 drops each of cypress, lemongrass and wintergreen essential oils into a lotion. Use this homemade lotion to massage the areas affected by arthritis and rheumatism.
• Inflammation Treater: As myrrh essential oil is known to improve skin appearance, apply this oil in a cold compress to inflamed skin.
• Muscle Relaxer: Mix ¼ cup grated beeswax and ½ cup coconut oil into a glass jar, heat a saucepan with 2 inches of water at low or medium level, and keep the jar in the saucepan. Once the contents melt, add 2 teaspoons each of cayenne powder and ginger or turmeric powder. Allow the ingredients to cool after removing the saucepan from the heat, then add in 15 drops each of lavender and peppermint essential oils and mix well. Pour this muscle-relaxing blend into a container and allow it to set.
• Circulation Booster: Apply cinnamon oil topically to boost the circulatory system. Dilute the oil with carrier oil before topical use. 8-10 drops of grapefruit oil added to warm bath water also helps.

Essential Oil Recipes to Get Relief from Sickness, Nausea and Vomiting

• Morning Sickness Reliever: 2 or 3 drops of lemon, ginger or sweet orange essential oil can be added to a handkerchief and then inhaled to get relief from morning sickness.
• Travel Sickness Reducer: Hold over your nose a tissue with a few drops of ginger essential oil or inhale peppermint oil during a car ride to relieve travel sickness.
• Nausea Reliever: Combine a few drops of clove oil with an equal amount of peppermint in a diffuser to relieve nausea. Inhaling a few drops of clove oil rubbed on pillows also helps. You can also apply 1-2 drops of ginger essential oil on the stomach or diffuse 2-3 drops.
• Vomiting Reliever: Add a drop of ginger oil into a cup of tea or a glass of water and sip slowly. Make sure that you have the pure and natural ginger essential oil.

Essential Oil Recipes to Get Relief from Cough, Cold, Sore Throat,  Sinus Congestion and Other Respiratory Problems

• Relief from Cough: Add 2-3 drops of eucalyptus oil into a diffuser or steaming hot water and inhale to clear the nasal airways.
• Relief from Cold: When you catch a bad cold, use a mixture of oregano oil and frankincense during steam inhalation. Deeply inhale frankincense oil applied to a piece of cloth as a remedy for the common cold. Or diffuse peppermint around your room.
• Sore Throat Soother: Put a drop of cinnamon essential oil into a cup of tea or hot water and drink it slowly for soothing your sore throat.
• Fever Cooler: Pour 15 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and ½ cup carrier oil into a spray bottle, and sprinkle this mixture over feverish skin.
• Sinus Congestion Fighter: Dilute 5-6 drops of lime essential oil, spearmint, or eucalyptus oil with hot water in a large bowl or sink and inhale the steam by leaning over the bowl and putting a towel over the upper part of your body. Eucalyptus oil can also be rubbed over the chest to fight nasal congestion after being diluted with a carrier oil.

Essential Oil Recipes to Get Relief from Indigestion, Stomach Troubles, Boost Appetite, Reduce Cravings, Treat Infant Colic, etc.

• Digestion Aid: Massage 1-2 drops of diluted bergamot or peppermint essential oil onto the abdominal area to aid digestion. You can also brew a cup of tea and impart an Earl Grey flavor to it by adding a drop of bergamot oil. A drop of food-grade oregano oil can be added to tomato-based sauces as well.
• Hiccup Cure: Add 1-2 drops of sandalwood essential oil to jojoba or sweet almond oil. Rub this blend over the diaphragm area and the neck so that the muscles involved in hiccupping can be allowed to relax.
• Stomach Calmer: Pour a drop of food-grade myrrh essential oil into a mixture of water and honey. Drink this blend to relieve yourself of stomach troubles. Alternatively, brew homemade mint tea to calm your stomach by adding 1-2 drops of peppermint oil to a cup of tea. You can also diffuse or topically apply sweet orange essential oil.
• Appetite Booster: Inhale lime oil to boost your appetite while recovering from illness. It also increases your hunger by activating the secretion of digestive juices into the stomach even before you start eating.
• Craving Reducer: To curb sugar cravings, drink a glass of lemonade after adding a drop of grapefruit essential oil to it.
• Infantile Colic Treater: Studies have shown that massaging the abdomen with lavender oil can be an effective treatment for colic among infants.

Essential Oil Recipes to Get Relief from Menstrual Problems

• Menopausal Symptoms Reducer: Massage rose oil into the skin. According to a research in 2007, using rose oil in an aromatherapy massage affects symptoms of menopause.
• PMS Reliever: Combine 2 drops of basil, rosemary and sage essential oils and apply this mixture on a moist, warm hand towel. Put this towel on your abdomen to reduce menstrual pain.
• Menstrual Cramp Reliever: Massage the lower abdomen with a blend of 2-3 drops of grapefruit oil and a carrier oil to stimulate delayed menstruation or to relieve monthly cramps.

Easy Essential Oil Recipes for DIY Soap and Sanitizser

• Hand Soap: Create your own hand soap with a combination of 5 drops of peppermint oil, ¼ part castile soap, and ¾ part water. Pour this blend into a glass bottle with dispenser.
• Hand Sanitizer: Use diluted oregano essential oil as a natural hand sanitizer by rubbing it over your palms.

Essential Oil Recipes for Boosting Immunity, Seasonal Allergies and Asthma Remedy

• Allergy Fighter: If your throat or your eyes are itchy, deeply inhale lavender and frankincense oils together after rubbing 1-2 drops on your palms.
• Asthma Remedy: Pour ½ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup olive oil, and ¼ cup grated beeswax into a glass jar, then place a saucepan over medium-low heat with 2 inches of water. Allow the ingredients to melt by placing the jar in the saucepan and stir. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the contents to cool, then add in 20 drops each of peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils. Give the contents time to set after pouring the mixture into a container. Rub it over your neck and chest.
• Immune System Stimulant: Oregano essential oil being a powerful tool for boosting immunity, a drop of this oil can be mixed with 4 drops of carrier oil and then rubbed on the soles of your feet.

Essential Oil Recipes for Headaches, Hangover and Nosebleed

• Headache Reliever: Rub diluted peppermint oil on the temples to treat a headache or migraine. As an alternative, mix a drop of jasmine oil, 4 drops of eucalyptus, 5 drops of rosemary, and 6 drops of frankincense oils with 1 ounce carrier oil or unscented lotion. Apply this blend to the temples and your forehead, or use it in an inhaler. Or add spearmint oil to a cold compress and use it.
• Hangover Soother: Add 6 drops each of cedarwood, lavender, rosemary, lemon, grapefruit and juniper berry essential oils to a warm bath to get relief from hangovers.
• Nosebleed Helper: In case of nosebleeds, apply a few drops of cypress essential oil and some cold water to a piece of cloth, and use it as a compress.

Essential Oil Recipes for Other General Health Improvements

• Ringworm Remedy: Massage a mixture of a carrier oil and 3 drops of tea tree essential oil on the affected parts 2 times a day.
• Head Lice Remover: Mix carrier oil with 3 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus and thyme essential oils. Apply this mixture to the scalp and leave it on for 30 minutes, then wash your hair with a shampoo.
• Broken Bones Healer: Apply 2-3 drops each of fir, cypress oil, and helichrysum directly to the affected area and massage gently.
• Yoga Helper: To improve the experience, use a diffuser or other methods to inhale sandalwood or lavender essential oil to relax during yoga and meditation.
• Vexed Child Soother: Sprinkle 2-3 drops of lavender or chamomile oil on stuffed toys to calm upset children.
• Gallbladder Health: To promote the healthy functioning of the gallbladder, rub a blend of 2 drops of lavender, 3 drops of rosemary essential oil, 4 drops of roman chamomile and 1 ounce of jojoba oil over the area with a warm compress.
• Ear Infection Remedy: Dab a cotton ball into a mixture of tea tree essential oil or basil oil with carrier oil and apply it to the outer ear by holding it over the ear canal. Take care not to force the cotton ball in. You can also apply lavender or diluted oregano oil topically to the outer ear. Or rub thyme oil over your neck and throat.
• Jet Lag Reliever: Inhale grapefruit essential oil or add a few drops of it to a bottle of water. This will not only increase your energy levels, but will also reduce any symptoms of fatigue.
• Weight Loss: Make your own supplement by combining 2-3 drops of cinnamon, grapefruit and ginger oil and take it thrice daily to help with metabolism.

We strongly advise you to always follow essential oil safety guidelines. The guidelines provide direction to properly dilute essential oils and other instructions to use them safely. Finally, let’s know if you are looking for any particular use of essential oils. We shall help you find the best possible for the same.