Essential oils are almost equivalent to liquid gold when it comes to tools of your craft. They can be used as a substitute to herbs you may not have on hand, as an alternative to herbs you’re allergic to, or in addition to traditional herbs to enhance the intent of spells and rituals.

Essential oils can be used for a variety of things, and are fairly easy to incorporate into daily life even if you’re just beginning to experiment with them. I personally use essential oils abundantly in my spell oils. I’m very fond of certain scent blends, and the overall effect that the oils have. They can also be used individually as a quick perfume practice and intent boost. Some like to bless their candles with essential oils, or even use them in their baths. 

There are many different essential oils to choose from, so it can be a wonderful journey to explore. In my experience, there are a few that stand out when you’re just getting started and are used frequently due to their diversity and accessibility. 

Here are eight must-have essential oils to use in basic rituals you’ll come across in your craft.

Lavender 

Lavender is an herb loved far and wide. It smells beautiful, and it’s believed to reduce anxiety and stress. Because it promotes an overall sense of calm, it makes for the perfect ingredient to use in destressing and anti-anxiety rituals. 

It’s also good for cleansing, and sleep balms or oils. Most sleep-related products and rituals tend to include lavender. It’s the perfect soothing oil, and its scent is complementary to that of many other herbs and essential oils.

Frankincense 

Frankincense oil is a must-have for protection rituals. It’s also a great oil to use in meditation and prayer practices.

Frankincense is a good base oil for almost any other oil because it can help hyperfocus the intent of the rest of the spell or ritual, too. It has a pretty neutral scent in comparison to other essential oils as well, so it’s an easy addition to almost any blend. 

Patchouli 

This essential oil is great for grounding and centering yourself before and during a ritual. Patchouli is a key component when it comes to rituals, spells, and meditations involving prosperity and protection. 

It’s classified as an aphrodisiac, meaning it can serve as an awesome inclusion for self-love and love manifestation rituals.

Patchouli is also known to provide courage and rationality. If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety due to irrationalities, try using some patchouli within your grounding techniques!

Tea tree

Tea tree oil is one of my favorite essential oils to use. I add it to almost everything I do, and it’s the feature oil in my Rose Moon Water! It smells lovely, and I find it super useful in plenty of my rituals.

Its main use is purification, but it can be abundantly healing and calming as well. In spiritual health and healing spells, tea tree oil is almost an absolute must.

It’s also super good for your skin!

Cinnamon Leaf 

Cinnamon is used in many rituals for healing, and success. The oil smells amazing and can be helpful in boosting your energy before and during a ritual.

Success and protection can come from the intentional use of cinnamon leaf oil. Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of cinnamon?

I like to include cinnamon when practicing wealth manifestation as well as anything related to financial success. 

Rose Oil

Rose is an important essential oil because it can boost intuition. Anywhere along your spiritual journey, it can be hard to have full faith in your intuition. Or sometimes, you feel it’s there, but you struggle to belive it’s right. Having rose oil around can amplify those feelings so you’re more inclined to trust what is right for you!

Although rose can be used for intuition guidance, its more known for its reputation of promoting love and beauty. I use rose oil in all of my self-love and self-care rituals, and I recommend you do, too!

Eucalyptus 

Last, but not least, eucalyptus oil is great for purification; almost the same as tea tree oil! It’s also helpful in healing rituals and can be used to open up the heart chakra.

Some like to use eucalyptus as part of their cleansing routine because it’s believed to have soothing effects. I personally like to use eucalyptus oil before a steamy shower because it helps me unwind and decongest! 

Ways to Use Essential Oils

Essential oils can be used in an abundance of ways. In spell oils, in your moon water, in lotions and balms, and in rituals. I use tea tree oil in my rose moon water, and I use lavender in my anxiety calming oils. But the possibilities are essentially endless (pun intended). 

Baths

If you’re the type of person who likes to wind down and relax in a bath with a show or book, this is probably one of the easiest ways to incorporate essential oils into your lifestyle. Just add a few drops to your bath, or to a salt soak that you use in your bath and enjoy the benefits of the aromatherapy that comes with it!

Additions to rituals

Sometimes I’ll be missing an herb for a ritual, but I normally have the essential oil to opt-in as a replacement! This is awesome because I feel like I’m getting the full effect of the ritual and not missing out. You can also use it as a double to herbs that you want to amplify the power or scent of, as well.

Insense (in your diffuser!)

A quick rabbit hole down Pinterest will show you there’s absolutely no shortage of diffuser recipes made from just essential oils. Some are fun and make your room or home smell festive, but they can also be used in place of things like simmer pots, or as rituals and cleansing practices. It’s a form of aromatherapy that can be just the small change that you need in life, too!

Spell Jars

Spell jars are my favorite! I particularly enjoy making money jars, and I use quite a few essential oils in that one, as well as herbs and crystals. But the same way that you can modify rituals, spell jars can be made for really anything! You can use them for clarity, inspiration, manifestations, confidence, and self-love.

Anoint Candles

When preparing for a ritual, most people tend to light candles. An easy way to increase your intent is to use candle colors and scents to your advantage. If you use unscented candles or want to incorporate more scents, you can anoint your candle with essential oils before your ritual.

On Your Pillow, Clothes, or as a Perfume

To help me sleep at night, I use my relaxing or calming spell oil that I designed for myself as a pillow perfume. I normally just add some to the underside of my pillow on nights I’m struggling to fall asleep.

The same concept can be applied to your clothes. Essential oils for confidence on your sleeves before a big interview, or a focus blend of oils for when you’re studying or prepping for a big test.

If you’re headed out on a first date, you could apply some rose oil to your wrist, and rub it in using your other wrist. I also like to use my perfumed wrist to apply the oil to my neck and temples when using the scent as a perfume.

If you think that an essential oil could benefit you, try it out. There are no rules but your own, so be creative!

What are your favorite essential oils to use, and how do you incorporate them into your rituals and routines? Let me know below!