Harness the power of plants

For millennia, essential oils have played a key role in health and beauty rituals. From references in the Bible to Hippocrates’s study of more than three hundred plant oils to Cleopatra’s pioneering use of fragrance, essential oils were prized throughout human history both for their potent healing powers and for their intoxicating scents.

But in modern times essential oils largely fell out of favor, relegated to those dusty, amber-colored glass vials shelved in the back of health food stores. That is until today, as a new generation of health-conscious consumers are returning to these pure, plant-based extracts for skincare solutions, toxin-free home cleaning, and homeopathic remedies.

In Just the Essentials, Adina Grigore, the author of Skin Cleanse and the founder of the skincare line S.W. Basics, offers a contemporary guide to these ancient oils. Adina explains that essential oils contain the most powerful plant compounds found in nature—in fact, essential oils are so powerful that they’re the active ingredients in many common drugs. (Ever wonder what makes aspirin such an effective pain reliever? It’s not a fancy chemical; it’s the meadowsweet plant.)

But it can be frustratingly difficult to find reliable information about essential oils—a simple Internet search will yield volumes of misinformation and exaggerated marketing claims. In Just the Essentials, Adina cuts through the hype and offers a fresh, balanced, and authoritative overview of essential oils and how to use them.

From plant-based skincare to safer household products to aromatherapy, this comprehensive and entertaining guide offers a range of do-it-yourself recipes for common home and personal-care products, including dish soap, all-purpose cleaner, scented candles, perfume, deodorant, and toothpaste. With lists of the best oils for beginners, instructions for safe handling, and a wealth of creative ideas to get you started, Just the Essentials makes it easy and enjoyable to reap the many benefits of essential oils.

The author of Skin Cleanse returns with a comprehensive guide to the ultimate ingredient for living an all-natural, plant-based lifestyle: essential oils. For millennia, essential oils have played a key role in health and beauty rituals. From references in the Bible (frankincense and myrrh) to Hippocrates (who documented the effects of oils from over 300 plants) to Ancient Egypt (Cleopatra pioneered the use of fragrance), essential oils have been revered throughout human history for their healing powers and their unparalleled scent. But in modern times, they've often been misunderstood, underappreciated, even cast as "dangerous"-and relegated to the dusty shelves of health food stores. That is, until recently. Today they're back in the spotlight as increasing numbers of consumers are looking for all-natural alternatives to skincare products and opting for fragrance-free detergents and soaps, natural remedies for common ailments, and toxin-free home cleaning solutions. Enter Adina Grigore, owner and founder of the wildly popular all-natural skincare line SW Basics. A former essential oil skeptic, Grigore learned everything she could about these potent plant-based compounds when she began formulating her products. And what she learned was that essential oils are some of the most powerful, healing, health-promoting compounds found in nature. That, and they smell pretty great too. In Just the Essentials, Grigore offers a 21st-century guide to these ancient oils, offering a fresh, fun, and authoritative overview of what they are and how they can be easily incorporated into anyone's life. From plant-based medicine to all-natural skincare to safer and cleaner household products to aromatherapy, this handy and entertaining guide provides detailed advice for a wide array of oils, safety guidelines, and a range of do-it-yourself recipes to get started. Inside you'll discover such fun facts as: * Tea tree oil is a powerful antibacterial that is proven to be as effective for treating acne as benzoyl peroxide; it also kills oral bacteria and is a life-saver for tooth infections.* Cinnamon oil is a circulation-booster that helps to ease everyday aches and pains as well as headaches (even migraines).* Peppermint oil is brimming with antimicrobial properties; peppermint oil can be used for everything from alleviating digestive problems to cleaning your kitchen counters. With lists of the best oils for beginners; instructions for diffusing and safe handling; and DIY recipes from dish soap to toothpaste to facial masks, Just the Essentials makes it easy and enjoyable to reap the many benefits of these pure plant extracts.