Quick Read:
- You can strategically use essential oils for oral health, lymph support, relaxation, detoxing, and so much more as a part of your healing journey.
- They are made from plant compounds that have been used for millennia for healing, purification, emotional support, and spiritual grounding.
- Modern science is now providing evidence for what people have always known and discovering new ways to benefit from essential oils.
Your body’s innate healing mechanisms work tirelessly every moment of every day, yet the overwhelming burden of toxins, chronic inflammation, stress, and poor gut and lymphatic circulation can throw even the most resilient system off balance…inviting dis-eases in.
This is where essential oils flow in and become a part of your healing journey.
These potent plant compounds have been used for millennia for healing, purification, emotional support, and spiritual grounding. Today’s science is beginning to validate their healing roles, such as:
- Microbial balance
- Oral health
- Lymphatic flow
- Emotional regulation
- Detox support
- Nontoxic home living
However, before moving forward, as mentioned above, essential oils can be a part of your toolbox and are not meant to replace medical care, nor are they a one-size-fits-all miracle cure.
We could write a 72-page blog post on the healing powers and best uses of essential oils—but you have a big, beautiful life to live! Therefore, use the drops of practical and actionable wisdom in this blog to lather your body, home, and soul with hope and healing.
Oral Health: The Gateway to Healing
One of the most under-emphasized factors in health is oral health. It’s so misunderstood, yet so important that Dr. V made it Essential #5 in the 7 Essentials System®: Embrace Biological Dentistry. The breast-dental connection is so strong that Dr. V confidently states that about 90% of her clients have had adverse health effects from mercury-filled amalgams, root canals, cavitations, and even what you use to daily brush your teeth.
Your mouth isn’t just a tool to eat and talk with; it is made up of your oral microbiome, tissues, meridian lines, and it flushes everything directly to your bloodstream, body, and brain. All of which intimately affects immune function, systemic inflammation, gut health, and overall detox capacity. (For more details and solutions, please review these blogs.)
Oils can offer a few affordable, at-home, and effective ways to give you a bright, shiny, and HEALTHY smile, so the rest of your body is happy too!
Oil Pulling
Oil pulling involves swishing a tablespoon of organic oil (coconut and olive oil are popular choices) for 10–15 minutes to “pull out” and remove bacterial biofilms, pollutants, and debris from between teeth and gums.
It’s an ancient Ayurvedic practice used for thousands of years to reduce gum inflammation, minimize plaque and bad breath, and decrease the microbial burden on your lymphatic and immune systems. Click here to learn more via this blog post.
Note: Never swallow the oil! You just “pulled out” all the toxins, so swallowing will send them straight back into your body. Always spit the oil out into a trash can.
Specific Essential Oils for Oral Care
When strategically and intentionally used, specific essential oils have demonstrated antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory actions that make them ideal for oral care when used properly. Below are a few that we suggest:
Peppermint Oil: Its minty, fresh scent is well known for fighting bad breath, but peppermint’s power goes beyond that. Peppermint oil’s natural antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, and antispasmodic effects can eliminate bacteria that cause cavities and other oral health issues. Learn more via this 2024 study.
Cinnamon Oil: This spice is antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic, making it an effective oral health cleanser, and its antimicrobial properties protect against bacteria responsible for tooth decay and halitosis. We use cinnamon in our oil-pulling routines (just add 1 drop), buy organic cinnamon toothpaste, and even make our own mouthwash with distilled water and 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil (or Caylon cinnamon powder). For more details on how to include cinnamon in your oral care protocols, please review this 2020 study.
Oregano Oil: Oregano is one of our Top 10 Healing Spices for many reasons, including preventing metastasis, and you can uncover the rest here. When it comes to oral health, its potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral effects can help with chronic bad breath, gum inflammation, preventing oral infections, and so much more.
Like cinnamon, you can add a drop to your oil pulling protocols and apply it directly to your gums (one drop of oregano oil with one tablespoon carrier oil) with a cotton swab.
Note: Both cinnamon and oregano are strong oils and should be used only for specific use cases, not daily/long-term.
HealThy Mouth Blend
Ora Wellness created the HealThy Mouth Blend to address the root cause of bad breath, bleeding gums, plaque buildup, and other oral health issues using organic essential oils (peppermint, cinnamon, spearmint, clove, manuka, and myrrh). You just add a drop to your oil pulling, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, etc.
For more nontoxic dental care solutions, please review this blog post. Sometimes things really are as easy as just swapping out a toxic product for a safe, healing one.
Detox: The Foundation of Health
Detoxification is not a fad; it’s a MUST for the toxic world that you live in, with many of the toxins being completely unavoidable. Therefore, instead of hiding out in a toxic-free cave, you just need to learn how to effectively detox.
Essential oils have been researched for their ability to modulate detox pathways by enhancing the body’s natural enzyme systems that process and eliminate toxins.
Here are a few options that can help with detoxing:
- Citrus oils (lemon, grapefruit) support liver Phase II detoxification.
- Rosemary oil has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions.
- Peppermint and eucalyptus can support respiratory detox and clear breathing.
Practical applications include:
- Add to your coffee enema. Click here to learn more about Optimal Health Network’s blend and other ways to optimize your coffee enemas.
- Lymphatic movement. The lymph system doesn’t detox unless it moves. Dilute 5 drops of ginger, grapefruit, juniper berry, or cypress and gently massage your neck, armpits, chest, abdomen, and groin to flush out toxins from your lymphatic system.
- Detox via the bath. The skin is a detox organ that is often overlooked but can immensely help with heavy metal excretion, relaxation, and lymph movement. Tonight, invite yourself to a lavish bath of Epsom salt, 10 drops of lavender, grapefruit, or frankincense essential oils, and sweat, breathe, relax, pause, and just be.
And perhaps the most harmful toxin of all is STRESS. Putting one drop of lavender, clary sage, or bergamot on your hands and taking five slow nasal breaths can calm your body and activate your parasympathetic system, helping it enter a rest-and-repair state.
Remember, essential oils don’t detox you. They help your body remember how to detox: by calming your nervous system, improving flow, and reducing toxic input.
Lymph Love: Healthy Girls Breast Oil
Before bedtime, Dr. V gives her breasts a quick, daily massage using Healthy Girls Breast Oil to soften breast tissue and detoxify. Additionally, the act of self-love and the oil’s dreamy aroma calm her nervous system and relax her body, allowing her to enter a deep, healing state of sleep. Massage from the inside out using long, smooth strokes towards the armpit and up the collarbone. This can be done in alignment with meditation, tapping, and words of affirmation for a beautifully healing nighttime ritual.
To learn more about balancing energy, boosting your lymphatic system, and nurturing your body, please listen to this podcast episode with the founder of Healthy Girls Breast Oil.
Castor Oil: Calm, Cellular Renewal
Castor Oil is an ancient healing oil and self-care practice that is now backed by modern science. The active ingredient in this thick, sticky oil is ricinoleic acid, an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and antinociceptive agent.
There are numerous uses for castor oil, but a few popular ones include:
- Relieving constipation and stomach aches
- Natural laxative
- Blood flow and circulation
- Reducing colds and fevers
- Lymphatic drainage
- Colon Cleansing
- Hormone balancing
- Reducing inflammation
- Keeps skin young/anti-aging support
- Relaxation and feel-good hormone activation
For a deeper dive into this ancient healer, please review this blog post and these modern studies on antiviral activity and pharmacological activity.
Home Health: Nontoxic Home Life
Our bodies don’t heal in isolation; they heal in environments. Since your home is where you spend most of your time and a place you DO have control over, make it an environment that houses your healing journey—not fights it.
The average American is exposed to over 125 cleaning chemicals a day (found in laundry detergents, surface sprays, etc.)! That’s terrifying! While cleaning your home is needed for health, calm, and wellness, what you USE to clean your home can either heal or harm. Most conventional cleaning products are loaded with harmful petrochemicals, irritants, and endocrine disruptors that inflame your body and burden detox systems.
Essential oils offer a powerful, plant-based alternative for home cleaning that’s safe for your family and supportive of your body’s detox processes.
Household Cleaning Sprays
You can create your own nontoxic surface cleaners with:
- Reusable glass spray bottle
- Distilled water
- 1 cup of vinegar
- 5-7 drops of essential oil: lemon, tea tree, lavender, and eucalyptus are great options
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
Directions:
- Mix the vinegar and baking soda in a bowl. Use a deep one because the ingredients will fizz up!
- Add in the water and essential oils and stir.
- Pour into your spray bottle
- Viola! A safe, low-cost, and effective cleaning spray!
- Use on any surface except for wood and marble.
Truly Free Home
Truly Free Home is what Dr. V uses for laundry, bathroom cleaning, dishes, and all her home-cleaning needs. They created innovative, powerful, toxin-free, and refillable products for healthy homes and the planet. Don’t forget to use the coupon code “BCC” at checkout for 30% off.
Clean Your Produce
Most conventional produce washers are no safer than tap water, and many contain chemical surfactants.
Here’s a simple, effective recipe using essential oils to help remove pesticides, dust, and residues:
- 16oz glass spray bottle
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 10 drops of thieves essential oil
- Juice of one lemon
- Filtered water
Spray generously on produce, gently rub, and rinse well. Doing so creates a safe, enzyme-free cleanse that supports your detox pathways before food even reaches your digestive system. For more details, please check out this blog post.
Best Practices
Like everything, you should always talk to your medical team before trying anything new and respecting these best practices:
- Always dilute for topical use
- Avoid internal use without clinical guidance
- Choose high-quality, organic oils
- Avoid hormone-modulating oils if you have specific sensitivities
A Healing Environment Begins With You
Essential oils are not magic bottles, but they are powerful tools when placed within a holistic framework. On a healing journey, every drop of reduced toxic exposure, every breath of calm, and every step toward immune support count toward your overall health and happiness.
Inhaalleeee, exxhallleeee…you got this; we’ve got you!
