Essential Oils: What's the Deal?

If you've been on social media lately, you've probably been invited to try or buy essential oils from any number of folks selling/distributing essential oils. They're being marketed as a cure for high blood pressure and a way to manage depression and also as a fix for any odd number of ailments, and you're not really wrong if you think that these products are too good to be true, or at least too cheap and janky to be effective.

As with any fad or trend, there's always some nugget of truth in the basket of bullshit, so I'll get right down to my first point:

The vast majority of essential oils are not clinically proven to treat or cure any illness, physical, mental, or otherwise. 

Any person who tells you that you can put a few drops of sage and rosemary in a diffuser and your depression will magically disappear forever is bullshitting you. Any person who tells you that all you have to do to lose weight is drink a few drops of cinnamon oil in warm water is bullshitting you. Any person who suggests that you stop taking a prescribed medication and replace it with an essential oil is bullshitting you, and taking their advice will likely do more harm than good. 

That said, there are many essential oils that, applied topically or diffused into the air, are known to have a positive effect on the body and mind. Tea Tree is a natural disinfectant and can be used topically to help clear up acne and speed healing in small cuts, scrapes, and burns. Patchouli incense or diffused oils like clary sage and sweet orange oil can freshen up a room and enhance or provide a sense of relaxation. Essential oils can be used as alternatives to more toxic materials like bleach and ammonia for cleaning bathrooms and kitchens.

You might scoff when you hear the word "aromatherapy," but if you've ever used air-freshening spray after a trip to the bathroom or burned a candle in your kitchen because you like the way it smells, surprise! That's aromatherapy. Even the minty flavor of chewing gum, toothpaste, and mouthwash is an example of aromatherapy. Peppermint has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties, and we associate "minty fresh breath" with a clean mouth.

Let this handy etymology lesson really convince you:

Aroma: "Smell."
Therapy: "To fix some shit."
Aromatherapy: "Smell to fix some shit."

As with many products that become fads, a subset of the population latches on to some particular benefit and blows it out of proportion, declaring miraculous results when the reality is "hey this kinda seems to help" is a better description of outcomes. Peppermint might help kill bad-breath germs, but it's not going to magically treat gingivitis on its own. Ginger might help settle a sour stomach, but it's not going to shrink a peptic ulcer.

"Okay, dude, we get it. So why make your first beard oil blog post about essential oils?"

Damn fine question, old chap. Here at The Devil's Own, I don't really want you to get the idea that these beard oils and balms are some magic cure-all, and I don't want you to buy into some weird marketing woo-woo to feel better about your grooming routine. I use essential oils as fragrances because, like mint gum or patchouli incense, a good smell can help you feel more relaxed, and knowing you smell good can make you feel more confident. There's a billion-dollar cologne and deodorant industry based on the idea that smelling good makes you more attractive, which...news flash, it does. 

But, uh... don't be that guy.

Don't go home and drown yourself in cologne or drench yourself in body sprays, though. Like the examples above, a little goes a long way, and too much is overkill. The Devil's Own Beard Oil uses essential oils as a fragrance, while the base oils (like jojoba oil and sweet almond oil) help to moisturize the skin and soften hair. The base oils have a mild, vegetal smell, so essential oils provide a subtle, signature scent. Grapeseed oil doesn't smell bad, but you'd probably prefer to smell more like sweet orange or pine or cedarwood.

Last thought: the "essential" in essential oils refers to the oil being essence of its source, not that you need it to live.

Sweet orange oil is "essential" in that it is the oil itself that gives an orange its smell and flavor. The oil is "the essence" of the orange. Peppermint oil is the essence of the peppermint plant. "Essential" refers to the idea that, without the oil, an orange would just be a ball of water and soluble fiber, and peppermint would just be leaves and chlorophyll. 

Does that make motor oil an essential oil of dinosaurs?

No, but that's pretty funny, clever reader.