Can essential oils help detoxify the body?

I’ll be honest. I don’t have the answer.

My personal feeling is that they can. But I can’t say definitively, without scientific proof.

Here’s the problem. Essential oil research is in its infancy, despite the fact that aromatic oils have been used for centuries.

Certain essential oils likely contain anti-inflammatory compounds. So, in theory, they may help reduce chronic inflammation.

If the body is working better, it does a better job of flushing out toxins.

We also know that essential oils can improve our mood. Negative emotions are toxic. There’s growing evidence that unresolved stress can cause health problems.

Feeling calmer and more centered can only do good things for your health.

Keep reading and I’ll tell you which essential oils some people think are good for detoxification. At the same time, I also need to explain why I can’t claim or promise your body will rid itself of toxins, just by using essential oils.

Essential Oils Used for Detoxing The Body

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)

Essential oils can also help you get a good night’s rest. As someone who’s suffered from long-standing insomnia, I give essential oils all the credit. They helped me learn to sleep again by distracting me with pleasant smells. So I focused on the aroma, instead of the fact that I had trouble sleeping. (Worrying about not sleeping enough would often keep me awake at night.)

Getting a good night’s sleep does wonders for your health. You feel great. Also, toxins are removed when your body is in a deep sleep.

So, once again, it’s possible that essential oils can indirectly help move toxins out of your body.

So, getting back to the initial question. Can essential oils be used for detoxing the body?

There’s a belief that essential oils can help us flush out toxins, at least in aromatherapy circles. However, there’s no scientific evidence to back up this claim.

Essential Oils To Detoxify the Body

Part of the reason is that a lot of medical research centers on bringing new drugs to market. Essential oils don’t attract the same attention as new and potentially profitable pharmaceuticals.

Another reason is that this would be extremely difficult to study. Toxins are stored in many parts of the body, including the liver, our fat cells, our brains and our bones.

Testing for toxins is controversial. There’s no one test to definitively gauge someone’s overall toxic load. So it’s possible to be loaded with stored toxins, which don’t show up on blood or urine tests.

So all we have to go on is information on how essential oils can potentially lower your toxic load.

Deep in my heart I believe that aromatherapy can bring about better health. This would likely mean a reduction in toxins. Many holistic healers believe that disease arises from a combination of nutritional deficiencies, coupled with a toxic overload.

If you have a chronic illness, it’s probably safe to assume you have a toxic overload. You wouldn’t need a medical test to know this.

Getting well again would, therefore, mean getting rid of toxins.

It’s possible essential oils can help you do this. Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. Many are made from medicinal plants, used for ages to heal the body. If you believe that illness is caused by toxic overload, healing would likely mean ridding the body of toxins.

Essential Oils for Detoxing Heavy Metals

Heavy metal toxicity is a huge problem. Your regular doctor may not mention it. But alternative health experts are well aware of the symptoms, which mimic a wide range of other conditions.

Whether or not essential oils can help is something I can’t promise.

One reason is because I’m not a doctor or a certified aromatherapist. Also, because as a natural health blogger I know that I’d be misleading you. No one can promise that a certain essential oil will effectively sweep toxins from your system. Despite what you see on social media. Or even in some blog posts. This is something no one can guarantee.

But I can share my own experience with essential oils. I can also tell you which essential oils are believed by aromatherapists to support the body’s detoxification process.

I use essential oils with the overall idea that they’re good for me. Anything good for me has the potential to help with detoxification, so I believe. Even if I can’t measure it. I believe that anything that helps me get healthier means my body is better able to handle toxins. Heavy metals included.

Can Essential Oils Help With Detoxification?

There’s lack of scientific research into essential oils and detoxification. This would be difficult to study anyway, since no good tests currently exist to determine a person’s overall toxic load.

Instead, for this, we have to rely upon the advice of various aromatherapy experts. Some of the more commonly recommended essential oils suggested for detox purposes are the citrus oils, specifically lemon essential oil.

Lime essential oil is the one I’m personally drawn to when I think about aromatic detox. I’m a big believer in letting your nose guide you. If I’m attracted to a certain oil, I use it.

Other aromatic oils we often see associated with detoxification include peppermint, rosemary, lavender and myrrh essential oils.

If you can’t find essential oils locally, they’re available online.

Lemon Essential Oil (It’s available here)

Lime Essential Oil (It’s available here)

Lavender Essential Oil (It’s available here)

Rosemary Essential Oil (It’s available here)

Myrrh Essential Oil (It’s available here)

Peppermint Essential Oil (It’s available here)

Essential Oils for Detox Foot Bath

A popular detox bath recipe is made from Epsom salt, baking soda and lavender essential oil. It’s believed that soaking in magnesium-rich Epsom salt helps get this crucial mineral into your body. Baking soda and lavender essential oil are believed to draw toxins out of the body.

Some people prefer foot soaks to full body baths. It’s believed that toxins can leave the body through the soles of the feet.

Of course, we have no way to determine if this happens. But I can tell you that soaking my feet in warm water with these three ingredients added softens your feet and helps to remove dead skin.

Here’s how to do an Epsom salt foot soak. People with heart conditions, high blood pressure or other types of chronic ilness should check with their doctor first.

1/4 cup of Epsom salt (It’s available here)

1/4 cup of baking soda

5 drops of lavender essential oil (It’s available here)

The above ingredients are added to a foot basin, filled with warm water. Soak your feet until the water cools.

Essential Oils for Detox Cleanse

I use essential oils a number of ways. Most of the time I put them in a carrier oil and apply them to my skin. Essential oils are extremely potent. So you need a carrier oil as a buffer. Carriers protect your skin. They also help “carry” the beneficial aromatic compounds into your body.

Other times I put a drop of essential oil on a cloth, and keep it nearby while I’m working. You can also put essential oils in a cold-air essential oil diffuser. Inhalation is a very efficient way to get essential oils into your body. Aromatic oils have tiny molecules. Once they hit your lungs, they have easy access to your bloodstream.

I’ve seen some suggestions on ingesting essential oils. But I caution my readers against this. I don’t do it myself. Essential oils should only be used topically, unless you’re working with a skilled medical professional.

For More Reading

Medical Journal Article on Tests To Assess Toxic Load