Where Do I Apply Essential Oils?

Where on my body do I put essential oils, and is there any way I can screw this up?

These are common questions people ask me. And the short answers are 1) wherever you need them, and 2) not really.

X marks the spot you wanna hit up with your oils when you’re mega stressed out.

I have always been an intuitive oiler, selecting and applying my oils based on what feels right to me. But I have an appreciation for the people who want clear instructions on what exactly to do with their oils. I know – there are a LOT of oils and a LOT more uses than any of us can truly master.

Good news: there are 9 great application points on your body.

You: go choose an essential oil that makes you feel good.

I: will give you a list of places to try it out.

Where to Apply Essential Oils:

Inhale from your hands – Add a drop of oil into your palm, rub your hands together, and cup them over your nose. You might want to close your eyes to get in the mood (or to stop the Peppermint air from making your eyes water!). Take a few deep breaths, this is a great mood shifter! You can use any oil or blend this way.
Inside your wrists – Such an easy spot to apply oils. Pull up your sleeves and get rolling. The skin here is thinner and oils are absorbed well. Plus the wrists connect to the lung, heart, and pericardium channels – a place where we hold emotion.
Back of the neck or spine – right to the brain! If you need a little bit of mental clarity or focus, try applying your oils on the back of your neck all the way up to your skull, or down your spine. *If you are using oils on your little ones, the spine is a great place. This is a great place to apply your immune system supportive oils, too.
Bottoms of the feet – oils absorb easily into the skin on our feet, and you can hit all kinds of great reflexology points in the feet. This is a great location when you need calmness and grounding. I also suggest applying oils to the bottoms of your feet when you are using an oil that you may not love the aroma of. Want to use Oregano but don’t want to smell like a classic Italian restaurant? Bottoms of the feet, my friend, thank me later 😉
Inside your elbow creases – this is a great space for emotional well-being. The elbow creases are an entry point that lead to the chest and the heart, where we hold a lot of our emotions like sadness and grief. I like to think of my arms as straws, and my chest drinks up the oils I have applied to my elbow creases.
Up and down your forearms – I joke that I put my oils on and then I rub my arms together like a grasshopper – and that’s exactly what I do. Look at your forearms. You can probably see veins. Applying oils over your forearms allows the oils to absorb into your skin, and enter the bloodstream quickly. If you need to shift your emotional state quickly, apply to your forearms and your oils will get to work in a hot minute.
Over your heart area – oh, my heart! This might be my favourite place to apply oils. You may look like you’re adjusting your bra when you do this around people, but you just have to explain that you’re putting oils on yourself and nine times out of ten they’ll ask you what it is and if they can smell it … from the bottle, not your chest, ’cause that might get weird. Why apply oils over your heart (chest)? It’s a wonderful place to work through stress and anxious feelings, during times of heartache and disappointment, and you can always poke your nose into your shirt to inhale that lingering aroma (t-shirt tent!).
Around your belly button – not only for digestion, although it works great for that. Emotionally, the belly button is a great place to apply oils when you need extra energetic protection or when you need to set boundaries. Think of the belly button like a shield, and surround with oils as needed.
Up and down the midline of the belly – oils go here when you need a self-confidence boost, or a self-worth boost. Your belly has a ton of serotonin receptors, responsible for creating feelings of happiness and self-esteem. I’m sure you’ve heard how “everything regulates in our gut.” Maybe you have never thought to apply oils here, I encourage you to try this spot because it’s actually very effective.