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Stephanie Tourles's Essential Oils: A Beginner's Guide: Learn Safe, Effective Ways to Use 25 Popular Oils; Make 100 Aromatherapy Blends to Enhance Health; ... Common Ailments and Promote Well-Being

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Interest in and sales of essential oils are growing rapidly, but many users lack adequate knowledge on how to use these concentrated herbal extracts safely and effectively. Stephanie Tourles, best-selling author of Organic Body Care Recipes, brings her expertise to the topic with this friendly beginner's guide. Focused on the 25 most versatile oils, Tourles provides a basic profile of the benefits and properties of each. Recipes show how to use the oils to make remedies to treat common ailments such as anxiety, bruises, burns, headaches, and more.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 7, 2018

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Stephanie L. Tourles

14 books9 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for 8stitches 9lives.
2,853 reviews1,723 followers
January 15, 2018
I do not pretend to know a lot about aromatherapy but I have used certain oils before and was keen to learn more so when this book popped up on NetGalley I took the opportunity to further my knowledge. It is one of three books related to health I have read in the last few weeks.

As people i'm close to know, I live with a number of incurable illnesses that are often the bain of my life so I am always on the lookout for any information on treatments that may make my time more bearable. I am taking enough medication so I have been looking into yoga, pilates, meditation etc and I thought this book complimented those 'alternative therapies' well.

This is an ideal beginner's guide - the descriptions of the oils themselves are clear and concise and include their uses and safety considerations as well as recipes for creating various remedies. I look forward to trying some of these. I recently tried a muscle rub that really worked and in that was some of these oils so I am cautiously optimistic that I may benefit in some way from purchasing some of these and using them to concoct some magic potion!

A big thank you to Storey Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Amy Kreydin.
Author 3 books12 followers
March 30, 2018
I really enjoyed reading some of Ms Tourles' creative recipes. As a practicing clinical aromatherapist I want to point out a few areas that I have a differing opinion on:
*the recommendation of leaving an essential oil out on a piece of paper for 5-24 hours to see if it has been diluted. Tenacious essential oils, like the resins, and some absolutes can leave behind a residue on paper for days or weeks so this is not a universal test.
*diluting in a bath or foot bath, she recommends using certain ingredients which do not achieve a dispersion of essential oils in water and will leave the user vulnerable to contact with undiluted essential oils: cream, salt, milk, honey, and glycerin.
*in key recipes she has the user "diluting" essential oils in water or water-based ingredients like vinegar. Essential oils and water do not mix and these recipes would need a dispersant to be skin-safe.
*Tourles' statement that the sweat glands in the feet make good entry points for essential oils is not based on anatomy and physiology or pharmacokinetics. In 1967 Feldmann and Maibach found that pores in the feet made the feet the poorest absorption site on the body.

Unfortunately due to the number of safety issues the only persons I would recommend this book to would be those who have a foundation in aromatherapy (at least 32 hours of approved study) and are up to date with safety data.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this advanced review copy.
Profile Image for Ell.
523 reviews66 followers
February 22, 2018
What an informative book! I truly love it! I have dabbled in essential oils. I use them in my homemade surface cleaners, laundry detergent, DIY vicks rubs, etc., but I must admit, my knowledge of them was pretty basic. So, when I saw this book I jumped at the chance to become a little more informed on the subject. This is a fairly comprehensive reference book. The author teaches us about chemotypes/ct, safety, storage and dilution guidelines. There are many wonderful recipes. I especially appreciated the Bug Bite Roll-On Remedy, the Herbal Fresh Deodorant Spray and the “Pure Hands” Sanitizing Spray recipes. There are many other great recipes I am looking forward to tying as well. The author has instilled an excitement in me about the art of “oiling!” . I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my rating. I have provided an unbiased and honest review.
Profile Image for Alicia Bayer.
Author 10 books251 followers
May 9, 2018
"Ultimately, though, I decided this wasn’t a book that I would personally buy or recommend. While it does have a lot of recipes and has good information about how essential oils are made and the characteristics of each one, it was not a book I absolutely trusted and the recipes were not the types that would be helpful for me."

Full (very long) review on my blog here: http://magicalchildhood.com/life/2018...
Profile Image for Meghan.
3,378 reviews7 followers
July 28, 2018
Beautiful images and very detailed explaination of how essential oils work from the plant, extraction, safety and usage of them in our homes and daily life. This is a how-to book, full of step by step guides and information, that would be great to have in any home that uses or is interested in safely using essential oils. The receipes covered a great variety of purposes and usages of oils, so I am excited to continue trying them out; especially since I have enjoyed the ones that I have used thus far. I would recommend this to any one who is interested or uses essential oils because it had information that would be great to know as you enter the world of essential oils, but also because the abundance of suggestions, tips and recipes would be great refreshers or ideas for those who routinely use, enjoy or rely on essential oils.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for giving me the chance to read this book and to share my opinions and experience!
Profile Image for roxi Net.
702 reviews289 followers
January 23, 2018
This 'Beginner's Guide' is one of the best ones I've reviewed - it's beautifully laid out, not overwhelming, and has lovely oil recipes (I"m a fan of the 'bruise-be-gone" oil, and the 'foot gel for colds and flu'). I'm definitely a beginner (and probably always will be), and this is a book I'd keep on my shelf for sure.
Profile Image for Rumeur.
359 reviews4 followers
February 21, 2018
I’ve been looking for a book like this in order to learn about all the wonderful things essential oils can do for us & help us with in our daily lives. I’m new to essential oils & was happy to have found this book. The author does a wonderful job, not just in telling the reader what each scent is good for & what it helps to do, but she goes over tips on handling them, looking for top notch oils & what to look for on the bottle that will help in finding better as opposed to “perfumed” & other words that tell you that an oil is not of the best quality. I did know, from reading warnings on my oil bottles ....not to touch them, as they can possibly harm your skin esp. if you have sensitive skin, but even for everybody. I bought myself a pack of 200 plastic droppers so my skin won’t get exposed. She includes “recipes” for different items by telling you how many drops of each oils to use for whatever you have in mind for possibly using them for. You can blend oils & use carrier oils in order to make things such as soaps & bath bombs etc

The oils themselves have a chapter for themselves. She goes through the top selling oils telling the reader what it’s health benefits are, how it can be used, & what it can be combined with. This is the section I was especially interested in since I have many oils, but I didn’t really fully know what each was good for. I now know why some will make me fall asleep with the lights on, devices on & wake up finding out I fell asleep with all these th8ngs on. Others are good for helping open your airway if you have a cold causing you to be stuffed up or allergies. Others are good for keeping you focused, mind alert & fully awake.
If you’re an essential oils enthusiast or just new to essential oils, or both, this is the book for you! I’ve gotten so much information from first page to last page & I found it to be extremely interesting. I give the author kudos for doing a great job with her knowledge & breaking down the chapters with information you should know, to info on the oils themselves & then concluding the book with more information Job well done!

As I mentioned earlier, I’d recommend this book to those who are just beginning their essential oil journey, to those who have been on the journey, but perhaps want to go farther & go into mixing blends & trying some of the recipes to use them in more ways. Right now, I’m a novice who uses mine in an aromafier, but now I know which are good to use during the day, & which are better used at night. Everybody will find they have their favorites & their not so favorite, but you pretty much have to either already know a scent, such as peppermint, or buy different ones & trying them to see if you like their smell or not. My favorites so far are lavender, lemongrass, & sweet orange. Some oils are stronger in their smell than others which is another thing the author talks about & you’ll also find out as you use them....which you need less of in order to smell, & those you need perhaps more drops in order to smell them. I’m basically talking about via aromafier. For things you make with recipes provided, I’d use what she tells in her recipe.

I can only speak for myself, but using an aromafier is way better than any air freshener & can smell up a pretty nice sized room with fragrance. As the author tells in the book, she explains where each scent comes from, ex. Tree, or leaf etc & how the oil is gotten from these plants. This is another reason I like eo’s over air fresheners, they’re from plants & are natural, not fabricated in a lab to try to smell like a certain smell. They’re better for smelling & therapeutic reasons, than lab manufactured odors or scents

This book will be a new “life line” book for me, wanting to be reminded what a scent is good for & all its other properties. I’ll get many uses of reading with this book since it’s packed with a lot of great info that I know I can’t memorize & will be happy to have this as my go-to book each time I try a new oil
Profile Image for Evie Pey.
193 reviews10 followers
April 2, 2018
Informative book with great recipes and inspiring ideas for using essential oils.

Really easy to follow and understand.
Profile Image for Beth.
17 reviews4 followers
November 19, 2018
This is a great beginner's guide to essential oils! Borrowed from the library, but I'll likely purchase to keep as a reference.
Profile Image for Beth.
618 reviews34 followers
August 12, 2018
I have recently begun learning about essential oils - what they are, how they work, etc. In an effort to not overwhelm myself with all the possibilities, I wanted to learn about some core eo's and some recipes in which they are used. For this purpose - as well as for general purposes once I'm more familiar - I definitely recommend this book. The full-color images are gorgeous, the explanations are clear and easy to understand, and I like that each oil is accompanied by just a few recipes. Tourles talks about which oils she insists on *always* having on hand and why, the features of each oil, and much more. I am so impressed with this book based on the advance reader's copy, that I am going to purchase a copy to actually have on hand, as well as to recommend to others who are looking for good books that won't be overwhelming. There are a lot of oils out there, and it's easy to get caught up in the beginning. This book helps to narrow the focus, at least initially, giving a newbie a place to start that makes sense. I definitely recommend!
Profile Image for Bella Sassmann.
4 reviews
August 11, 2024
Essential oils and aromatherapy are both topics I find extremely interesting! My prior knowledge comes from expert blogs on social media and the internet, so I am not claiming to be an expert. I decided to dig into some books to learn more about this topic. While I throughly enjoyed hearing Tourles's incredible knowledge on each oil and creative recipes, I found it hard to distinguish between some of the oils. Each one seemed to have a lot of the same physical and mental benefits, so when coming around to see which one to use, it is hard to settle on one since they all contain similar properties. Besides that, I really liked this book and reading into the specifics of each herb and its beneficial oil.
3 reviews
June 19, 2025
I am a true newb looking for an EO beginner’s book but this book was not exactly that. I appreciated the background provided on EO but it only got more advanced from there. Making/utilizing herb-infused oils in many of her recipes is more advanced that using common carrier oils such as jojoba oil and there are not any notes in the recipes for other carrier oil substitutions. I may come back to this after some time but I doubt it.
Profile Image for Asera.
88 reviews5 followers
December 21, 2018
- I read this book from NetGalley UK in exchange for a fair review. -

So disappointing. After a few chapters of walkthrough for beginners, it’s basically all recipes and the like. Certainly not motivated to test them out either. Should have been titled 'Essential Oil Recipes for Beginners' instead!
489 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2018
This gives you the information you need to get started with using essential oils to improve your health and well being. The author had chosen to focus on the most commonly used multipurpose oils. She provides detailed descriptions of the positive effects of each oil, the plant it is sourced from, origin and historical uses, then goes on to give recipes and instructions for making beneficial applications (creams, inhalers, etc.). I appreciated the appendices which give helpful information regarding carrier oils and fixative ingredients, which many books on essential oils skip over and don't explain.
This is a great volume for anyone just getting started with essential oils. It will give you the information you need to make enjoyable progress on the path to natural healing.
I voluntarily read an advanced review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.
Profile Image for Cozy Reviews.
2,050 reviews5 followers
August 20, 2018
I received a ARC advance copy for review from the publisher and Net Galley. My opinion is my own.
I have used essential oils to make my own cleaners and for personal use for decades. Yet I learned so much from this very informative book !
This is the definitive book to get started with using essential oils to improve your well being into a more healing healthy lifestyle. The author gives very detailed descriptions of the positive effects of oils, the plant sourced and uses. She also has many great essential oil recipes and instructions on how to use them properly. The recipes and instruction use common sense. The information is well presented and can be easily understood by anyone new to essential oiling.
This is a great volume for anyone just getting started with essential oils and also for anyone like me who needs to learn more to incorporate into their daily oil practice. I highly recommend this book .
Profile Image for Taylor.
403 reviews
July 6, 2018
A super informative book about essential oils. When I got this book! 8 was expecting it to focus ostomy on the different essential oils and how they can benefit your body with some information on how to use the essential oils. This book went above and beyond! It also discusses the history of essential oils in general as well as individually. There is a chart telling your own many drops of oil are needed for a variety of applications. The majority of the guide revolves around the 11 most commonly used oils. It includes a brief history, the benefits and then recipes on different things you can make with the oil such as insect repellent, bruise be gone, and mentally stimulating scents. Towards the end, the book discusses carrier oils as well. Overall, a very informative read for essential oil beginners like me!
Profile Image for Tina.
596 reviews13 followers
March 11, 2018
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have been interested in the subject of aromatherapy oils for around 20 years now. It is a subject I dip in and out of so I already have a lot of knowledge. Because I am interested in starting to use my oils again I thought it would be interesting to use this book as a refresher. This was so much more informative than I was expecting. It goes through all the basics such as what aromatherapy oils are, how they should be used, how the oils are extracted, safety precautions etc. It then goes into detail of some of the more popular essential oils followed by easy to follow recipes. The text is broken up by the beautiful photography. This is a great book for those who are curious about the subject.
Profile Image for MK.
626 reviews3 followers
January 21, 2024
If you want to make your own original skin care cosmetics, body care, room sprays, etc. using aroma oils, this book is for you.
All pages are printed in color, so it was very easy to get an image.

I learned how to make lotions, serums, body soaps, and lip balms using lavender, rosemary, peppermint, tea tree, lime, and lemon aroma oils.

Essential oils have super-high-potency energy; use it wisely.
There are many types of aroma oils and I want to be able to use them for different purposes.

Important Line:
Mother Earth’s medicine chest is full of healing herbs of incomparable worth.
ROBIN ROSE BENNET
Profile Image for Margaret.
1,133 reviews
October 23, 2018
After finding this book on the new nonfiction shelves at my branch library, I checked to make sure it didn't mention any particular brand of oils. The author seemed to take care to only mention oils that any brand would have, so I checked it out. I thought I would put bookmarks in just a few pages for recipes I wanted to copy, but I ended up putting markers in almost everyplace there was a recipe for something or other! I decided that I am just going to have to buy my own copy! If you use essential oils, no matter what kind, you can definitely use this book!
Profile Image for Beth.
1,188 reviews29 followers
January 11, 2018
This book is a fabulous resource for beginners like me. It contains clear, concise descriptions of the 25 most-useful essential oils, including uses, safety considerations and a variety of recipes for making various remedies, balms, scents and other useful concoctions. Can't wait to try some of these out!

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for MJ.
402 reviews147 followers
January 19, 2018
As a new student to oiling, I found this book to the perfect accompaniment to my new interest. I love how the book focuses on 25 essential oils and does a very detailed overview of each one. The different recipes, various uses, cautionary recommendations, and resources are so valuable to anyone "getting into" essential oils. The author's knowledge and experience is expressed throughout this book. I cannot wait to try some of the recipes! Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy.
Profile Image for Debra.
19 reviews2 followers
June 26, 2018
I have some knowledge of essential oils although still consider myself a beginner. This book did teach me quite a few things I didn't know about oils and was extremely informative. I think this is a great read for someone who wants to learn of essential oils and is not confusing at all. A beginner can learn a lot from this book. It is obvious the author is very knowledgeable on the subject of essential oils.
Profile Image for Feya.
204 reviews4 followers
August 8, 2023
It was a well written and detailed book. I was able to get cleared understandings about the oils, how to use them and what they are for. More so, I appreciated the author including which were safe and toxic to animals. I have two dogs and a cat, I definitely didn’t want to risk their health and well-being. It’s a great entry point for people interested in learning about the different oils and their properties.
Profile Image for Sinead.
533 reviews10 followers
September 13, 2019
Thank you Netgalley for this review copy of the book.

This book is a really handy guide to essential oils - clear illustrations, lots of properties for each oil etc. I have seen a lot of guides to essential oils but this was an easy one to use.
Profile Image for Jenn..
296 reviews
December 4, 2023
Borrowed from DC library. Easy reader. Well laid out. Lots of ideas and information. Grabbed a few recipes to try...not enough to buy but a good read none the less.
Profile Image for Rumeur.
359 reviews4 followers
February 21, 2018
I’ve been looking for a book like this in order to learn about all the wonderful things essential oils can do for us & help us with in our daily lives. I’m new to essential oils & was happy to have found this book. The author does a wonderful job, not just in telling the reader what each scent is good for & what it helps to do, but she goes over tips on handling them, looking for top notch oils & what to look for on the bottle that will help in finding better as opposed to “perfumed” & other words that tell you that an oil is not of the best quality. I did know, from reading warnings on my oil bottles ....not to touch them, as they can possibly harm your skin esp. if you have sensitive skin, but even for everybody. I bought myself a pack of 200 plastic droppers so my skin won’t get exposed. She includes “recipes” for different items by telling you how many drops of each oils to use for whatever you have in mind for possibly using them for. You can blend oils & use carrier oils in order to make things such as soaps & bath bombs etc

The oils themselves have a chapter for themselves. She goes through the top selling oils telling the reader what it’s health benefits are, how it can be used, & what it can be combined with. This is the section I was especially interested in since I have many oils, but I didn’t really fully know what each was good for. I now know why some will make me fall asleep with the lights on, devices on & wake up finding out I fell asleep with all these th8ngs on. Others are good for helping open your airway if you have a cold causing you to be stuffed up or allergies. Others are good for keeping you focused, mind alert & fully awake.
If you’re an essential oils enthusiast or just new to essential oils, or both, this is the book for you! I’ve gotten so much information from first page to last page & I found it to be extremely interesting. I give the author kudos for doing a great job with her knowledge & breaking down the chapters with information you should know, to info on the oils themselves & then concluding the book with more information Job well done!

As I mentioned earlier, I’d recommend this book to those who are just beginning their essential oil journey, to those who have been on the journey, but perhaps want to go farther & go into mixing blends & trying some of the recipes to use them in more ways. Right now, I’m a novice who uses mine in an aromafier, but now I know which are good to use during the day, & which are better used at night. Everybody will find they have their favorites & their not so favorite, but you pretty much have to either already know a scent, such as peppermint, or buy different ones & trying them to see if you like their smell or not. My favorites so far are lavender, lemongrass, & sweet orange. Some oils are stronger in their smell than others which is another thing the author talks about & you’ll also find out as you use them....which you need less of in order to smell, & those you need perhaps more drops in order to smell them. I’m basically talking about via aromafier. For things you make with recipes provided, I’d use what she tells in her recipe.

I can only speak for myself, but using an aromafier is way better than any air freshener & can smell up a pretty nice sized room with fragrance. As the author tells in the book, she explains where each scent comes from, ex. Tree, or leaf etc & how the oil is gotten from these plants. This is another reason I like eo’s over air fresheners, they’re from plants & are natural, not fabricated in a lab to try to smell like a certain smell. They’re better for smelling & therapeutic reasons, than lab manufactured odors or scents

This book will be a new “life line” book for me, wanting to be reminded what a scent is good for & all its other properties. I’ll get many uses of reading with this book since it’s packed with a lot of great info that I know I can’t memorize & will be happy to have this as my go-to book each time I try a new oil

I received a digital copy of this book from Net Galley Many thanx to Storey Publishing for allowing me this ARC & to Stephanie Tourles for a well knowledged writing on this topic I’ve grown to love! In return I’ve written an honest review
Profile Image for Valerie.
139 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2018
I have been using essential oils pretty consistently for about a year and a half now. They have been a huge benefit in several different ways in my household. I appreciate learning about how others use essential oils and the various blend formulas present in this book are welcome. This is a very informative guide. Good for beginners and regular users as well.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
105 reviews16 followers
January 30, 2018
This book is absolutely amazing. I'm no beginner and I found so much valuable information and remedies that I am immediately adding this to my personal library upon its publication. A great resource for beginners and veterans alike.
Profile Image for Lovely Loveday.
2,862 reviews
February 3, 2018
A must read for anyone who currently uses essential oils or beginners. This book is full of helpful and insight tips and tricks. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a lover of essential oils.
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