Has anyone used essential oils on their body?

I use essential oils for a hunch of things, I make up balms and washes. There are a number of sites that can give you good tips and various recipes for balms and lotions for what you need. It is recommended not to use the undiluted oils directly on your skin, as they can cause irritation.
I haven’t used them for headaches or wounds, but I do make a mildly astringent wash for minor scrapes and wounds with tea tree oil and witch hazel.

My wife makes everything with essential oils. She does soaps and lotions and yes, she makes topicals for headaches, wounds, muscle aches, etc. Some work wonderfully for me, others not so much. But the ones that don’t work for me seem to work for her or the kids. There are some very good websites, group forums and books that give good “recipes” for the various things.

Why would I want to waste time and money on this quackery.

I have. @canidmajor sent me a balm to help with my back pain. When I used it before I went to bed, I woke up without back pain. If I forgot to use it, I woke up with back pain. I recommend it!

@ragingloli, quackery it might be, but please stop and ask yourself where most of the ideas for our modern medicines came from. And scientifically, there is some basis for this quackery. For example, willow bark has a high content of salicin, that converts to salicylic acid which is a form of aspirin. In fact, a tea of willow bark (in moderation) is gentler on your stomach that store bought aspirin. Capsaicin is nothing more than an essential oil from peppers, yet is used in a wide variety of pain relieve rubs and gels. Eucalyptus is likewise used in modern meds as is Aloe. So you might want to pause before being so dismissive.

@seawulf575, just FYI, @ragingloli has a history of coming onto questions like this just to get a rise out of people by saying stuff like that. He prides himself on the number of knee-jerk reactions he gets in any given context.

Sounds like your wife and I would get along just fine swapping methods and recipes! My bug repellant works better than DEET, and I make a Vicks-like decongestant balm that keeps us breathing well all year round!

Yes I’ve used them. They have often seemed to help, and I’ve not had negative effects except when I’ve applied too much for too long, in which case it can burn. I’ve no doubt that they do have effects, since they are chemical and have strong smells and can cause pain (if it causes pain on your skin, it may not be appreciated by bacteria…). Strong-smelling ones under the nose can clear sinuses, and sinus pressure can cause headaches.

@canidmajor What bug repellent do you use?

@Zaku, I make my own with eucalyptus, lemon, citronella and lavender essential oils in a vase of witch hazel and vodka. As I am found to be very very delicious by all bitey bugs, an effective repellant is a lovely thing!

In a ”base” of witch hazel…
Stupid fat fingers.

@canidmajor My wife found a mosquito repellent recipe that we are going to try. 3 beers, 3 cups of epsom salts, and one bottle of cheap mouthwash. Mix until all solids are dissolved then spray around the area you are going to be in. It is supposed to keep mosquitos away for 80 days.

Hate to waste beer like that. Let us know if it works.

Yes, please, let us know! I am too much away from my own yard and house to use something like that alone, but it sure would be nice not to have to cover myself with repellant just to let the dogs out in the AM.

@canidmajor Cool, thanks. :-)