5 Trending Essential Oils + How to Use Them

You’ve bought the essential oil basics, and now what? The number of essential oil choices is daunting. Time to reframe: think of all the choices! We asked our friends at Edens Garden to give us the scoop of which oils their customers can’t stop buying. These 5 scents aren’t new but they’re perfect for a summer pick-me-up. Plus we’ve included a few recipes to get you started.

Pink Pepper (Schinus molle)

Move over pink salt, we’re all about pink pepper now! Yes, you can cook with pink peppercorns, and the pretty berries are also steam distilled into a sweet and spicy essential oil. The scent is similar to black pepper essential oil but a bit more intense and more fruity and floral. Like black pepper, pink pepper gets the blood moving and warms the skin. The energizing, spicy scent is a favorite in commercial perfume blends, but it’s often used in aromatherapy for sore muscles and tummy troubles.

How to Use Pink Pepper Essential Oil

Pink pepper can irritate the skin so always dilute with a carrier oil and avoid contact with eyes, inner ears, and sensitive areas. You can substitute pink pepper for black pepper in most essential oils recipes, and pink pepper blends well with cardamom, juniper berry, palo santo, sweet fennel, vetiver and citrus oils.

Cramp Roll-On

Combine 4 drops lavender, 4 drops pink pepper, 3 drops marjoram and 3 drops clary sage in a 10 ml roll-on bottle. Top off with grapeseed carrier oil and apply to the abdomen.

Energizing Diffusion Blend

When you’re looking for a quick wake-me-up blend 2 drops each cinnamon bark, bergamot, fir needle and pink pepper in a diffuser for an invigorating aroma.

Yuzu (Citrus junos)

It’s a Japanese winter solstice tradition to make a ‘yuzuyu’ (citrus bath) with yuzu citrus fruit to warm the body and ward off colds. Whole yuzu fruits are added to a hot bath, and the peel is rubbed against the skin to cleanse and renew. Made from that same fruit peel, yuzu essential oil is largely made of limonene, the same component that gives lemon essential oil its cleansing power. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory to ease respiratory ailments like allergies and congestion. The light, refreshing scent of yuzu is the perfect calming choice when you need to decompress.

How to Use Yuzu Essential Oil

Unlike some citrus oils, yuzu does not cause phototoxic reactions. Yuzu blends well with basil, citruses, fir needle, ginger, mint and floral scents.

Be Chill Room Spray

Add 20 drops each of cypress, basil, pink pepper and yuzu essential oils to a 4 ounce spray bottle. Add 2 ounces of grain alcohol and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake well and spray as needed.

Yoga Mat Cleaning Spray

Add 3 drops frankincense, 6 drops yuzu, and 3 drops tea tree to a small spray bottle. Add 2 teaspoons of grain alcohol and then fill with water. Shake before using and wipe down mat after spritzing.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory powerhouse inside and out, but let’s be honest, using the colorful spice is kinda stressful. Anyone else get heart palpitations about the bright yellow color staining the entire kitchen? Yes, the essential oil can stain too (dilute well and be careful using it near clothing) but it’s so much easier to use for aches and pains and inflammation! The warm, earthy scent is grounding, perfect for a pain-relieving, detoxifying massage oil for sore muscles and joints.

How to Use Turmeric Essential Oil

See above on avoiding stains. Turmeric blends well with other spices like black pepper, ginger, and cardamom as well as citrus oils.

Inflammation Massage Oil

Add 6 drops lavender, 3 drops turmeric, 3 drops juniper berry, and 3 drops ginger to one ounce of grapeseed oil. Apply blend directly to areas of concern.

Acne Face Mask

Add 1 drop of turmeric essential oil to 1 teaspoon of rosehip oil. Combine with 1/4 cup plain yogurt and apply to clean skin. Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse with warm water.

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

If you’ve never heard of bergamot, that’s because you’re not going to find the small yellow and green citrus fruits in the grocery store. The essential oil pressed from the peel has a tangy, sweet scent but the fruit is non-edible. Bergamot’s sweet scent will brighten your mood, but it’s also a perfect pre-bedtime oil to promote calm and help you release pent up stress. It’s really lovely diffused with lavender, plus you’ll get the added benefit of making the house smell fresh and clean. Bergamot oil works as an astringent so it’s used in skincare products for oily skin and hair. Its beautiful fragrance and ability to relax and uplift make bergamot popular in perfume and aromatherapy.

How to Use Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot is unlikely to irritate the skin, but it is extremely phototoxic. That means you should not expose skin to sunlight for 12 hours after applying the oil to the skin. If you see bergamot FCF or ‘bergapten-free’ that means the phototoxic components of the oil have been removed. Bergamot blends well with most other oils, including citrus oils, lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood.

Insomnia Diffusion

Combine 3 drops bergamot, 4 drops lavender and 3 drops clary sage in a diffuser and run before bed to bring on sweet dreams.

Freshening Body Mist

Add 5 drops sweet marjoram, 11 drops bergamot FCF and 2 drops rose to a two ounce mister bottle. Add manufacturer’s recommended amount of solubizer and fill the bottle with filtered water. Shake and spritz yourself as needed.

Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

Go looking for a bottle of jasmine and you’ll likely have a bit of sticker shock. It’s one of the most expensive oils, mainly because it takes a lot of the small, sweet jasmine flowers to make the precious oil. The good news is that once you make the investment the scent is so rich and intense that a little goes a verrrry long way. A more affordable option is to buy it pre-diluted in a carrier oil. Jasmine is perfect for perfume blends (or even deodorant), and the luxurious floral scent is often associated with feelings of love and passion.

How to Use Jasmine Essential Oil

The scent of jasmine can be pretty powerful so dilute to 1% or lower because it can cause headaches or nausea. Always start small when adding jasmine to an essential oil blend; I use a pipette because the oil is thick and it makes it easier to get one drop at a time. Jasmine blends well with bergamot, cedarwood, frankincense, lavender, lemon, orange, rose and sandalwood.

Floral Body Oil

Add 2 drops bergamot FCF, 5 drops cardamon, 2 drops vetiver and 2 drops jasmine to one ounce of a carrier oil that can be used a body oil (sweet almond, grapeseed, etc). Apply to damp skin after shower.

Soothing Soak

Add 2 drops jasmine and 2 drops vanilla to a tablespoon of carrier oil. Stir the carrier oil into 1-2 cups of Epsom salts and add to a warm bath. Soak for 20-30 minutes.