The Essential Oils Complete Reference Guide: Over 250 Recipes for Natural Wholesome Aromatherapy

by K.G. Stiles

Winner 2017 IPPY 'Living Now' Gold Medal Award Winner 2017 Nautilus Silver Medal Award
Everything You Need to Know About Essential Oils for Pure Healing & Wellness
Explore the world of natural, nontoxic essential oils for all aspects of your life. Stimulate your senses and soothe your body and soul with the popular practice that has become a respected, safe alternative to modern medicine. Learn all about essential oils to use for bettering your life and the lives of your family and friends.
Included
- Profiles of the most widely used essential oils
- Formulas and blending guides with the most effective techniques for using them
- Accurate application methods from time-honored poultices to modern day steam inhalation
- Remedies for a wide range of ailments including muscle strain, headaches and skin problems
- DIY personal care from beauty treatments, massage and cooking to moms & new babies, pets and spiritual healing
- Over 300 stunning images
This comprehensive guide is a must-have resource and welcome addition to the libraries of experienced and novice aromatherapists alike.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

817 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2017

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first flipped through this book, I felt pretty ‘meh’ about it but if you are looking for an in-depth book about essential oils that is still readable, this is actually a good, useful read.

The author’s explanations on safety include information on hot oils, a photosensitivity section, reasonable dilution ratios and even support for NOT smelling oils directly from the bottle. Her (this is an assumption on my part - I don’t recall a first name or gender being specified but every person pictured in the book is female, creating a sense of the feminine) shelf life pages were concise and practical.

This book includes more unusual sections, as well. There was a section on cooking with EO, which I did not read so I can’t comment on. There is a large chapter on spiritual blends, which I found fascinating. Chakras, elements, planetary elixirs and angel therapies...all of which was new to me. For others like me that aren’t familiar:
*Chakras are energy centers and the blends are to balance and strengthen them.
*Traditional Chinese medicine has theories on five elements of nature that, when disordered, create disease. These blends are designed to address disorder in each element.
*Planetary elixirs are zodiac-based. Don’t think of it as ‘what blend for each sign’ but go deeper into the planets governing the feeling/issue you are experiencing.
*Angel therapies focus on the four archangels that act as guardians and the blends match their individual purposes.

I also liked that the author referenced others in the field and other published work.

[Kitten Kisser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only just recently started to more thoroughly explore essential oils. Mainly I have studied herbs over the years for healing & have used essential oils because I liked the way they smelled in certain applications or I stumbled across information about particular oils that worked for certain situations & decided to incorporate them into some of my products. My first book on essential oils was 'The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, Revised and Expanded: Over 800 Natural, Nontoxic, and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty, and Safe Home and Work Environments'. This book is very in depth & not the best idea for a novice, even one such as myself who has been using EO's for many years now. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on this book & I'm so glad that I did. It is so much easier to understand & is full of full color photos including beautiful photos in relaxing spa settings to photos of the plants particular EO's come from (my other book while also excellent has no photos & is much more advanced, if you are highly skilled with EO's & don't want the "fluff" I highly recommend it).

This book starts with background information on EO's then moves on the explain aromatherapy, how to use EO's, & what supplies you should have on hand. Then it starts to get really exciting. The author discusses in depth about the most commonly used EO's. She provides info about their healing benefits, warnings, other oils the oil blends well with as well as any other information the author feels is valuable. She then moves on to what she calls supplemental oils & discusses them in as much depth as she did the most commonly used EO's. Next is how to properly store your oils, blending guides, formulas, healing blends, & much more. There are recipes for lip balm, salts, scrubs, lotions, oils, perfumes, toners, masks & even in food. These recipes are broken down by things like oral health (Example: Remineralizing Tooth Powder), woman's health (Example: PMS Blend), skin treatments (Example: Mature Skin Formula), hair care (Example: Stop Hair Loss Formula), lip balms (Example: Cold Sore Formula), love and romance blends (Example: Aphrodite Perfume Oil Formula), Babies & new Moms (Example: Sleep Remedies and Formulas), Around the house (Example: Eliminate Odors), EO's in the workplace & daily life (Example: Improve Productivity), cooking with EO's (Example: Chocolate Mint Martini), Animals & Pets (Example: List of oils & their specific uses for your furry friends), & Spiritual Blends (Example: 5 Elements). The book closes with EO quick reference guides, Symptoms guide, further reading, resources & references.

Everything is written in a clear & easy to understand manner. The author doesn't treat you like you are stupid, she doesn't use slang or try to be witty, she just communicates in a very helpful relaxed manner making reading & putting the book to use a real pleasure. I use it regularly not only as reference, but to also create new products.

I would love to know what brands of EO's the author recommends. I've used many different brands over the years & question the quality of many. Brands I've liked are: Aura Cacia Organic, Nature's Answer Organic, Now Foods Organic, Plant Therapy Organic, & Nature's Oil Organic. If you are experienced in EO's & know of some trusted brands, please let me know.

Overall, I love this book & highly recommend it to both beginners & experienced users of essential oils.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title states the book is a “complete” reference guide to essential oils. Well, I am very new to using essential oils and I can say that while I do not feel the book is complete, I do feel it is a great book. It does not answer all my questions nor does is assuage my fears about really diving in to using my oils.

But, overall, I am very pleased with the book and its layout:

Part one is background information.
Parts two and nine are Aromatherapy
Part three is how to use the oils
Part four is safety
Part five is supplies you will need
Parts six and seven are specific oils
Part eight is storage
Parts ten through nineteen are “recipes”
Part twenty is pets
Part twenty-one is spiritual. This one went right over my head. I’m not there, yet.
The book ends with quick reference guides and further reading suggestions.

The book has some beautiful pictures to make is less like a text-book.

I really wish this was the type of thing taught in schools. At least the basic understanding of it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent reference about Essential Oils in my quest to learn about them.