Hi, We’re Joe and Melissa
We’re a family of five from Utah who started using essential oils in 2008, back before diffusers were in every other household and before essential oils had their own aisle at the grocery store. What started with a bottle of lavender and a lot of curiosity turned into something that’s been part of our daily life for nearly two decades.
We didn’t come to essential oils from a medical background. We came as parents. When our kids were little, we wanted to find natural ways to support our family’s health: something for stuffy noses during the cold season, something to calm the house at bedtime, something that didn’t always mean reaching for the medicine cabinet first. Essential oils became one of those tools, and over the years, we’ve learned a lot about what works, what doesn’t, and what you actually need to know before getting started.
Why We Built This Site
After 17 years of using essential oils, we kept running into the same problem: most information about essential oils online falls into one of two categories. It’s either aggressively trying to sell you something or making health claims that range from exaggerated to outright irresponsible.
We wanted to build something we wished had existed when we started: a straightforward, honest resource where you could learn how to actually use these oils, understand what the research says (and what it doesn’t), get real safety information, and make your own informed decisions.
That’s Essential Oil Uses.
Every guide on this site reflects what we’ve learned over nearly two decades of daily use with our family, combined with published research from real scientific studies. When the evidence supports an oil’s use, we tell you. When it doesn’t, we tell you that too. We never make medical claims, and we always include safety information, because that’s how responsible essential oil education should work.
What We Know (and What We Don’t)
We want to be straightforward about our credentials. We’re not doctors, aromatherapists, or chemists. We’re experienced essential oil users who care deeply about doing this right.
What we bring to the table:
- 17 years of daily, practical experience using essential oils with our family
- A commitment to research. Every guide on this site cites published studies from PubMed, PMC, and peer-reviewed journals. We read the research and link to it so you can, too.
- Real-world parenting perspective. We’ve navigated dilution ratios for kids, figured out which oils are safe around pets, and learned through experience which applications actually deliver results and which ones are hype.
- Honesty about limitations. We don’t know everything, and we’re clear about that. When evidence is limited, we say so. When something is our personal experience rather than proven science, we make that distinction.
What we are NOT:
- Medical professionals. Nothing on this site is medical advice.
- Certified aromatherapists (though we have deep respect for those who are).
- Researchers. We read and cite research, but we don’t conduct it.
If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, are nursing, or take medications, always consult your healthcare provider before using essential oils. We say this on every page because it matters every time.
How We Approach Content
Every piece of content on this site follows these principles:
Research-backed, honestly assessed. We cite published studies and link directly to them. We also tell you when a study is small, preliminary, or limited to animal models. A study existing doesn’t automatically make a claim proven, and we think you deserve to know the difference.
Practical and specific. We don’t just tell you an oil is “good for headaches.” We tell you exactly how many drops to use, where to apply them, how to dilute, and what to expect. Specificity is what separates a useful guide from a vague blog post.
Safety-first. Every oil profile includes dilution ratios by age, contraindications, and warnings about who should avoid each oil. We highlight child safety and pet safety prominently because those are the areas where mistakes can cause real harm.
Brand-neutral education. The educational content on this site doesn’t promote any specific brand. When we discuss oil quality, we focus on what to look for (GC/MS testing, sourcing transparency, proper labeling) so you can evaluate any brand on your own terms.
Our Product Recommendations
We believe in transparency, so here’s how our recommendations work.
After years of trying different brands, we settled on one company whose sourcing practices, purity testing, and quality standards consistently meet our criteria. When you see a “Our Pick” card at the bottom of our guides, it links to that company’s products.
Why we recommend what we recommend:
- Third-party GC/MS testing on every batch
- Transparent sourcing with identifiable growing regions and partnerships
- No synthetic additives, fillers, or adulterants
- Consistent quality across batches and years of use
- Products we’ve personally used with our own family since 2008
The business side: We may earn a small commission when you purchase through our recommendation links. This helps cover the costs of running this site and allows us to keep all our educational content free. Our recommendations are never influenced by commission rates. We recommend the same products we use in our own home.
You never have to buy anything. Every guide on this site gives you complete information, regardless of whether you click a single product link. If you already have oils from another brand you love, our guides will help you use them more effectively. That’s the whole point.
Learn more about why we recommend the brand we do →
What This Site Will Never Do
- Make medical claims. Essential oils don’t cure diseases. Full stop.
- Hide our affiliate relationship. You always know when a link leads to a product recommendation.
- Compromise on safety information. We will never downplay risks to make a sale.
- Pretend to be something we’re not. We’re parents who love essential oils and care about doing this honestly. That’s enough.
Disclaimer
The information on this website is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Essential oils are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before using essential oils, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition.
We may earn a commission if you purchase through our recommendation links. Our editorial content is independent of our affiliate relationships.
Get in Touch
Have a question about essential oils? Found an error in one of our guides? Just want to say hello?
We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at hello@essentialoiluses dot org and one of us will get back to you as soon as we can.
Thanks for being here. We’re glad you found us.
Joe and Melissa