Is there anyone here that uses essential oils for anything? My daughter gave me a diffuser as a gift a while back. I’ve been putting lavender oil in it when I go to bed. I swear I sleep better. Are there other oils that aid in sleep?
Or is it all in my head and it’s just “snake oil”?!
It’s mostly bunk, but can be dangerous if you have pets. I have two friends who lost cats because they didn’t realize diffusing oils was harmful to small animals.
So, NOT a snake oil? 
Many of the claims made by sellers of essential oils are eitherbaseless or have been shown to be incorrect.
The FDA has been addressing these issues.
This article talks about risks and benefits of essential oils.
It makes some good points about potential hazards and marketing hype.
I’m not so sure I’d trust what a “licensed aromatherapist” had to say. 
Today I learned that “Essential Oils” were something you used in a diffuser. I just always assumed it was some supposed magic oil where you put a few drops in food and it was supposed to have amazing benefits to your health through consumption.
I’ve used essential oils to make my own incense. There is a LOT of woo around them. Basically, they smell nice. Some are innocuous and some can be toxic, especially as noted to small mammals and also birds.
If diffusing lavender oil helps you sleep it could just that you find the smell pleasant and relaxing . After a time, you might associate that with sleep as well. So yeah, it’s “in your head” but that is not woo, that’s just making an environment you find pleasant. That generally does relieve at least a little stress and help you relax.
But, as the link cautions, there can be side effects, in come cases severe. Remember what my dad, a long time pharmacist, used to say: if it’s strong enough to help you, it’s strong enough to hurt you.
I found out I had prostate cancer in 2012. Had a co-worker come up to me and say “You don’t need surgery, just rub essential oils on your stomach, that will take care of it.” Can you believe he got mad at me when I laughed in his face? I got the surgery and I’m doing fine.
Don’t eat essential oils. As mentioned, diffusing into the air for the nice smell is one use. Other mix them with neutral carrier oils and use them for massages. But lots of oils are dangerous if ingested or applied to broken skin.
I’ll just add that some are dangerous even applied to UNbroken skin, or if inhaled, although I don’t often see those for sale in the average mainstream store.
My wife has a friend that sells them, so we have to buy them. I don’t believe for a second the health claims, but they really are the best solution to put a nice scent in your home. They don’t have a perfume or potpourri smell, they don’t require a candle or hot light bulb to activate them. I was really pleasantly suppressed how much I like the diffuser. It might be that I’m just happy we’re not completely throwing money down the drain.
My wife likes them. We have a couple of diffusers and the smell is very pleasant.
Sometimes if I’m congested, she’ll dab some on my sinuses. I don’t know if it helps, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
*On *your sinuses? Your sinuses are cavities inside your head. How do you reach them?
LOL, no. On the skin which covers my maxillary sinuses.
A great 6-minute segment by Dara O’Briain on Homeopathy, Nutritionists, and things like Essential Oils.
“People always tell me, ‘Well, science doesn’t know everything.’ Of course science doesn’t know everything. Science knows it doesn’t know everything. If science knew everything, it’d stop!”
Edible oils, like the ones made by Lor-Ann and primarily used by candy makers, can be consumed but they are VERY powerful. A single drop of orange oil will permeate a loaf of banana bread, as I found out.
As for oils like doTERRA, those are often a placebo, but if you like the smell and use them properly, they’re probably harmless, except maybe to your bank account because some of them are very expensive. And of course check with poison control (the fastest way) if you have pets. 1-800-222-1222
People STILL use Vicks Vapo-Rub, rubbed on the chest of course, for assorted childhood respiratory illnesses. Can’t hurt, I guess.
Nobody suggested that I use these for my cancer, although if I’d had chemo, I might have looked into it for nausea control or appetite stimulation, not an uncommon use and usually quite harmless. Some women use them during pregnancy for the same thing; peppermint and ginger are quite common.
A woman in my old town told me that she used oregano oil, one drop under the tongue daily, for fibromyalgia, and said it worked for her. She asked the owner of our local natural foods store about it, and she replied, “Yes, I do have people who use it” but wouldn’t say anything more. I told her that advocating the use of these products for this purpose is practicing medicine without a license, and people have been arrested for this in stings.
I had a friend who sold essential oils in a Tupperware type pyramid scheme. She was always hawking them. I have a mild TMJ thing sometimes and she insisted this particular mix, mostly peppermint oil rubbed on my jaw would ease it. So, like a dummy, I bit (heh). Rubbed on my jaw, per her instructions, said the magic words and went to bed. Woke up with a sunburn on half my face that turned into blisters and peeling skin. It was way worse than the TMJ. I paid $25 for the privilege. Never again. Shit smelled good, though.
Oil applied to your TMJ area affected the odor of your feces?!
I’m planning to try some out, but I have some existential oils that need to be used up first.
Thanks for all of the advice and thoughts. I DO NOT plan on ingesting any of the oils. I just like the aroma. I don’t have any small animals - just 2 big dogs that don’t go into the room I use my diffuser in. The door is always closed whether I’m in there or not. I’ll probably continue to use the lavender for sleeping. I might try another oil that’s used for relaxing to see if I like it. I think frankincense is another one that’s said to be calming. I think I’ll try it - at least just to say that I have frankincense!