Essential oils are the oil extract from different plants. Over the years they have been being used for things like better sleep, anxiety, and a just wholesome smell in homes.

     John Hopkins medicine reports, “They’re made by steaming or pressing various parts of a plant (flowers, bark, leaves or fruit) to capture the compounds that produce fragrance. It can take several pounds of a plant to produce a single bottle of essential oil. The average cost for a bottle of a common oil like lavender can cost between 15 to 35 dollars.

     “Some studies indicate that there’s a benefit to using essential oils while others show no improvement in symptoms.”  disclosed Hopkins. They also report that the best oils to use are basic ones like lemon, lavender, tea tree, and peppermint. Some of the more complicated oils can lead to an allergic reaction in people. These include things like cinnamon bark, oregano, and jasmine.

     The uses vary widely. Junior Beverly Bigelow says she uses them with her mom to make soap. They include extracts of tea tree and spearmint. She states they hydrate and clear up skin. Along with putting them in things like soap and food they can be used through a diffuser that is filled with water and then turn the water to a vapor and shoot out of a cone with the oils. 

     Sophomores Abigail Newton and Mia Philips, junior Tegan Flaherty, and senior Leah Festerman all use the method of a diffuser along with some others to get the benefits from the oils. “My favorites are citrus smells, lavender, and mint. I use them to help me sleep and relax after a stressful day” says Festerman.

     Another method of using them is to put them in a bracelet. Most bracelets are made from lava stone, which absorbs the oils and slowly dispurses them. Junior Courtney Warns says, “I have a bracelet and I also spread them on my skin and hair. I love lavender and sage. I also have peppermint and so many others. I use them for therapy, yoga, hair treatments, and for fun.” 

     Senior Khloe List uses them in a bracelet for sleep and anxiety relief. She likes using lavender saying “they calm me down and help me sleep better.” Flaherty says “they are relaxing and just make my room smell nice but I don’t think I’ve been super benefited by them.” She says she likes the smell of pumpkin and apple scents.