In recent years, there has been a rise in popularity of essential oils. They are used for many different purposes, including health and stress-relief.

There are many different essential oils that aid different health problems one may be struggling with. Lemon is one such oil, which helps reduce anxiety and acts as a mood enhancer.

“I use them to de-stress after school. There are certain essential oils that are really good for your skin or physical and mental health, like tea tree oil,” junior Olivia Nordin said. “They’re also good for hair. I like lemon, mainly, because it’s not usually as strong as the eucalyptus or tea tree oils.”

Some use diffusers, which help the essential oils vaporize thinly into the air. When this happens, the aromas can be absorbed gently into the body through the respiratory system due to the diffuser.

“I like essential oil diffusers because it makes the room you’re in smell good,” senior Elainarose Trenkamp said. “Tea tree and lavender scents are my favorite.”

Certain oils can also help stabilize mood and increase a person’s focus, such as basil, sandalwood and rosemary.

“When I forget to take medication I have an oil that helps me focus,” senior Gianna Bratke said. “Its not as effective as my medication but it works enough.”

The rise in popularity of these oils can likely be attributed to the versatility of them. Not only can they be used in a diffuser, but certain ones can be used in cooking or applied directly to someone’s skin. This is done to help enhance the effect that the oils give off.

“I use them daily, I like to add different oils to body or lip scrubs to make them smell nice,” junior Mary Tuzinsky said. “Sometimes I just put them on my skin depending on what I want.”

Though there are benefits to using essential oils, there are also potential downsides. People who apply the oils directly to their skin could experience allergic reactions. Even using oils in a diffuser can cause burns in someone’s nose depending on the intensity of the scent. Essential oils also need to be stored away from children, as only certain oils can be ingested safely.

“Unless you have the box, you might not know what’s in the bottle,” Bratke said. “Some of the names don’t tell what is actually in the bottle, only what they are supposed to help. I found out after using one that I was allergic to it, but I don’t even know what it was.”

Essential oils overall have many benefits and as more and more people begin to recognize this, the more opportunity there will be for researchers to find more ways they can help people.