Essential Oils 101: A Simple, Human Way to Get Started (Without the Overwhelm)
- Jan 19
- 6 min read
If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of essential oil and thought,
Is this actually helpful… or just a fancy-smelling placebo?
you’re not alone.
Essential oils live in a strange cultural space. They’re everywhere — grocery stores, wellness shops, social media—but real education often gets buried under hype, fear, or wildly unrealistic claims.
This week’s episode of The Great Connect was designed to gently clear the fog.
Not to convince you of anything.
Not to sell you a lifestyle.
Just to help you understand what essential oils actually are, how to choose quality without overwhelm, and how to start using them safely.
Together, Megan Schneider and Katie Hussong create a refreshing blend of clarity, curiosity, and lived wisdom—making essential oils feel less intimidating and far more human.
If you’ve been curious but hesitant, this is your Essential Oils 101 moment.
What Essential Oils Actually Are (And Why the Plant Part Matters)
At their most basic level, essential oils are concentrated plant extracts—aromatic compounds pulled from specific parts of a plant.
Depending on the plant, those compounds may live in the leaves, roots, flowers, bark, stems, resin, or peels (in the case of citrus). That’s why lemon oil comes from the peel, not the juicy fruit, and why rubbing a peppermint leaf releases that instantly recognizable scent.
Not every plant even produces essential oil in a usable way. Some simply don’t contain enough aromatic material to extract.
You’re holding the plant’s concentrated “signature,” not a synthetic fragrance.
That’s why essential oils are potent. And why a little goes a long way.
How Essential Oils Are Made (Steam Distilled vs. Cold Pressed)
Most essential oils are created using one of two methods: steam distillation or cold pressing.
Cold pressing is usually used for citrus oils, because the oils live in the peel. Steam distillation is more common for plants like peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and frankincense.
One helpful image from the episode: it takes a lot of plant material (varies by plant, and all the more reason to learn more about sourcing/growing practices) to produce a small amount of oil. Think many pounds of leaves, petals, or resin going into a still to fill a 5 or 15ml bottle of essential oil.
You’re working with condensed plant chemistry—not a candle or perfume.
That concentration explains why essential oils smell so strong—and why they can have noticeable effects even in small amounts.
They end up in the bottle through one of two processes: either steam distillation or cold pressed.
Essential Oils 101: How to Choose Quality Without Losing Your Mind
Here’s the honest truth: not all essential oils are created equal.
Some products labeled “essential oil” are diluted, blended with synthetics, or lack meaningful sourcing and testing transparency. That matters if you’re diffusing them in your home, putting them on your skin, or using them intentionally for wellbeing.
The goal isn’t to become an expert chemist overnight.
A more realistic starting point: Look for brands that clearly explain where their plants come from, how they test for purity, and how they verify what’s actually inside the bottle.
Transparency builds trust. Trust makes learning feel safer.
Not all oils are created equal.
Trusting Your Senses (And Skipping the Internet Debates)
One of the most empowering takeaways from the conversation is this:
Your body is smarter than you think.
Smelling a lower-quality oil next to a well-sourced one often reveals real clear and immediate differences—depth, clarity, harshness, or even how your nervous system responds.
Your nose knows.
There’s also a lot of noise online about “grades,” labels, and industry arguments.
Some quality terms are company-specific standards, not universal certifications—which makes internet debates less useful than real-world discernment.
Why Where a Plant Grows Actually Matters
Essential oils are agricultural products. Soil, climate, altitude, and native ecosystems all influence a plant’s chemistry—just like wine, coffee, or chocolate. (Just like any growing thing, really.)
Plants grown in the regions where they naturally thrive tend to produce more stable, potent aromatic profiles. That’s one reason many high-quality oils source globally rather than forcing plants to grow in less ideal conditions.
Place isn’t just storytelling. It’s part of the chemistry, potency, and efficacy of the end product.
You can grow a lemon tree in Maryland… but when you have a lemon tree from Sicily, that's a whole different thing.
Are Essential Oils a Cure-All? (No—And That’s a Good Thing)
This episode takes a grounded stance: essential oils are supportive tools—not miracle cures.
They’re framed as tools that can help the body move toward balance—supporting things like digestion, nervous system regulation, focus, tension, and sleep rhythms.
This reframing removes pressure.
You’re not trying to fix yourself.
You’re supporting your system.
The real learning happens through experience: noticing what helps you feel calmer, clearer, or more regulated over time.
Essential oils don’t "cure" anything. They help to bring your body back into homeostasis—back into balance.
The Three Main Ways to Use Essential Oils Safely
There are three primary ways people use essential oils:
Aromatically—diffusing, for example, or simply inhaling a drop from your hands
Topically—diluted with a carrier oil and applied to the skin
Internally—only when clearly labeled, trusted quality, and guided
For beginners, aromatic use is usually the easiest place to start. It’s gentle, intuitive, and hard to overcomplicate. Diffusing for focus, calm, or sleep can quickly build confidence. Topical use adds another layer of benefit when diluted properly. And internal use requires the most education and care.
Potency, Safety, and Learning to Trust Yourself
Essential oils are concentrated.
More isn’t better.
Starting with small amounts allows your body to acclimate and helps you notice what actually supports you.
Dilution is a great default while learning.
Mistakes happen. That’s part of building real trust and familiarity.
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s comfort, awareness, and respectful use over time.
Always with oils, less is more.
A Simple Essential Oils 101 Starter Trio
If you want a practical place to begin, the conversation kept circling back to three versatile oils:
🌿 Peppermint: energy and focus support, head tension relief, digestion support, respiratory clarity
🌿 Wild Orange: mood-lifting, emotional brightness, everyday stress support, “bottle of sunshine” energy
🌿 Lavender: calming the nervous system, supporting sleep and relaxation, emotional soothing, gentle grounding
You don’t need a giant collection. You just need a few oils you’ll actually use
Scent Memory: Why Routines Actually Stick
Smell is one of the fastest pathways to memory and emotional regulation.
Using the same scent for bedtime, focus time, or connection rituals trains the nervous system to recognize safety and rhythm. Over time, scent becomes a gentle anchor—not a wellness hack.
This is one of the quiet superpowers of essential oils.
Smell anchors memory almost instantly—imagine weaving simple aromatic rituals
A diffuser going in the kitchen, in the morning, as the kids are waking up (try 4 drops Peppermint, 2 drops Lavender, 3 drops Wild Orange)
A favorite "homework" blend in the afternoon (4 drops each of Peppermint and Wild Orange)
A go-to soothing, sleepy oil at bedtime (a drop of Lavender massaged into feet or back with a bit of fractionated coconut oil, or a couple drops of Serenity in the diffuser)
...into your daily life that quietly teach your nervous system, your home, and your children what safety, softness, and comfort feel like.
Learning One Oil at a Time (And Why Community Helps)
Instead of collecting bottles without knowing how to use them, the episode highlights learning slowly—one oil at a time—ideally with guidance and community.
This allows real integration, confidence, and embodied learning rather than surface-level consumption.
You’re not meant to figure this out alone.
About Megan Schneider & Katie Hussong
Megan Schneider is a plant energy practitioner, essential oil specialist, and yoga teacher who blends science, intuition, and embodied practice through Arōmadelics and her weekly Cō-Practice sessions.
Her work supports deeper connection with plant intelligence through breath and sensory awareness—helping regulate the nervous system and support embodied healing.
Known for her warm, intuitive teaching style, Megan helps people reconnect with their inner wisdom and nature’s intelligence.
Learn more about Megan’s work at: yogaadvocates.com
Katie Hussong is a former trauma nurse turned educator, holistic health coach + copywriter, and essential oils guide who brings a grounded, real-world lens to nature-led wellness and daily self-care.
Through her work with The Human Array and Holistically Minded Humans, Katie helps people translate holistic health concepts into simple, practical habits that support wellbeing.
Learn more about Katie’s work at: katiehussong.com
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