Top 5 Essential Oils for Home

The top 5 essential oils listed below have a number of different benefits that range from health care to home care and many other uses in between. Many other oils out there also have numerous uses, but if you only plan to have a few in the house at any given time, these may be your best bet.

So here are the list of best 5 essential oils must have at home for all:

1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, aka Lavandula officinalis)

If you only plan to have one essential oil in the house, make it this one. Lavender has been used for medicinal and home care purposes for thousands of years, and is one of the most versatile EOs you can get. When it comes to therapeutic uses, lavender can be applied topically to alleviate:

• Skin rashes
• Acne
• Insect bites
• Minor burns

It’s also an effective disinfectant for cuts and scrapes. This is one of the best oil to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.

2. Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

This is one of the most beneficial and useful essential oils to have on hand, and with good cause: it’s often been called “a medicine chest in a bottle,” as it can be used to treat almost any common ailment. Although you’d never consume tea tree oil, you can use it topically to treat the following:

• Athlete’s foot
• Dermatitis/eczema
• Acne
• Cold sores
• Nail fungus
• Warts
• Insect bites

Just to name a few. You can add a few drops of it to unscented shampoo to alleviate dandruff and psoriasis, and a few more drops in that same shampoo will treat head lice as well.

For use around the home, you can add a teaspoon of tea tree oil to the water in a misting bottle to create a disinfectant spray for counter tops, door handles, etc., and a few drops of undiluted oil around your pet’s bed basket will keep fleas at bay.

3. Lemon (Citrus limonum)

This is one of the best essential oils for home use, as it has more applications than most other oils will ever dream of. A few drops of lemon essential oil added to olive oil makes a gorgeous furniture polish, and we add the essential oil to dish detergent, homemade laundry soap, floor cleaners, and spray cleaners.

Lemon essential oil also has therapeutic uses:

• Add a couple of drops to a glass of water and gargle with it to relieve bad breath.
• A few drops added to shampoo can alleviate dandruff.
• Lemon oil added to a bath or diffuser can alleviate anxiety.
• Blended with aloe gel, it acts as an anti-microbial hand sanitizer.

One thing to keep in mind is that lemon essential oil can make your skin photosensitive, so don’t slather it on and then go sunbathing: wait 12 hours before exposing lemon-daubed skin to sunshine.

4. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)

This essential oil can be recognized easily by scent. 

Eucalyptus essential oil is great for alleviating chest congestion (either blended with other oils or alone), and a salve made with it can also ease asthma attacks when spread on the throat and chest.

That same salve may help to alleviate the pain of fibromyalgia if rubbed into the affected area a few times a day. A few drops added to a compress and placed on skin affected by shingles can ease the pain associated with that condition, and may speed the healing process.

Eucalyptus’ disinfectant properties make it ideal to use in a spray for your kitchen and bathroom, or diffuse the oil in your bathroom to eliminate germs and odors.

5. Citronella (Cymbopogon Nardus)

Citronella oil is an essential oil that’s made from the distillation of the Asian grass plant in the Cymbopogon genus. This fragrant grass got its name from the French word meaning “lemon balm,” due to its floral, citrus-like aroma.

Benefits of Citronella essential oil:

For centuries, citronella has been used for a variety of purposes, including:

• as an insect repellent
• as an antifungal agent
• to treat parasitic infections
• to promote wound healing
• to lift mood or fight fatigue
• in perfumes or as a flavor additive in food

How to use citronella oil?

You can use citronella oil in different ways:

Spray: A spray application may be good for freshening up a room or applying to your skin as an insect repellent. 

Diffuser: A diffuser can be used to disperse a scent through a room. Like the spray application, you may want to use this method to repel insects or add a pleasant fragrance to a room.

Safety tips for using an essential oil

• Always dilute essential oisl properly before using. Never use undiluted oil on your skin.
• Don’t take essential oils internally.