Is it true that you can use essential oils for burning fat? While using essential oils is not as effective as diet and exercise, some people have reported success using these fragrant oils to aid in weight loss.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are basically the essence of plants. If you think about the smell and taste you get from adding citrus zest to food; that smell is because of the essential oils that are in the skin of the fruit.

All sorts of plants and fruits have essential oils inside them, which can be extracted and used for medicinal and other purposes. Some oils can be ingested, while others are more effective simply from smelling them or mixing them with olive oil or a lotion base to rub on the skin.

Types of Essential Oils for Burning Fat

While there are no specific essential oils for burning fat, there are oils that can be used to give your metabolism a boost. This can help you lose weight and cut the fat deposits in your body.

Energizing Oils

Essential oils that give you an energy and metabolism boost are the ones most often suggested for aiding weight loss. Some of those essential oils include:

• Orange
• Lemon
• Grapefruit
• Rosemary
• Peppermint
• Ginger
• Basil

Essential oils can be mixed and used in different ways, but one easy energizing recipe is to use about nine drops of grapefruit oil and six drops of ginger oil. Mix them together with two ounces of a carrier oil, such as olive oil or sweet almond oil. Add a small amount to your bath water and soak.

Oils for Other Purposes

Essential oils can also be helpful when you are trying to lose weight for other reasons. If you understand the cause of your overeating, you can use essential oils to help ease the feeling of whatever else was going on in your life that caused you to overeat.

For example, stress, depression and anxiety are all common causes for eating too much, and also can be reactions to dieting. Essential oils can help reduce these feelings and make you feel better about dieting.

• For stress relief:
  • Lemon
  • Lavender
  • Roman chamomile
  • Geranium
  • Grapefruit
  • Jasmine
  • Ylang-ylang
• To combat depression:
  • Rose
  • Sandalwood
  • Orange
  • Lavender
  • Grapefruit
  • Jasmine
• To ease anxiety
  • Bergamot
  • Frankincense
  • Sandalwood
  • Rose
  • Lavender
  • Clary sage

  Targeting Fat with Essential Oils

  If you shop around on the Internet, you will find products that claim to be essential oils for burning fat. These products usually include grapefruit oil, as well as other essential oils such as coconut, cypress, cedar, juniper and clary sage, as well as some carrier oil and usually vitamin E, which is said to be good for the skin.

  While these products may help if you are already on a weight loss program (for the calming and energizing reasons mentioned above) they can’t really do anything to help you burn fat or reduce cellulite. Like other topical products, they may hydrate the skin, making it temporarily look firmer and less dimpled, but it’s not a permanent solution.

  The better idea is to do some research on aromatherapy yourself, buy a few bottles of oil from your natural foods store. Try some recipes as you also eat a better diet and exercise more.

  Using essential oils can be a real help to get you through the emotions associated with dieting and weight loss, whether you’re feeling a lack of confidence or excess tiredness.