“Introduction to Modern Essentials™”: A Mini Textbook for Essential Oil Classes

This year, we introduce our newest edition of the “Introduction to Modern Essentials” booklet. We’ve updated this booklet to include a lot of fantastic information and recipes to make this booklet the best mini textbook for your essential oil classes!

A great way to approach these classes is to keep them focused on educating people about essential oils, but allow individuals to experience and use the oils as part of each class.

At the end of each class, invite those who would like to know more about your chosen brand of pure, therapeutic-grade oils to come talk to you after class or at a separate meeting. These meetings are great opportunities to share with others why you made the choice to naturally support the health of yourself and your family with essential oils.

Class Ideas

Essential Oils 101
Use the first few pages of this booklet to introduce individuals to essential oils and why they are being used by millions of people around the world as a natural way to
support health. This idea can be used on its own or combined with a make-and-take idea.

Scavenger Hunt
Doing this scavenger hunt activity can not only help bring some fun to your class and make it memorable, but it also gives your students a reason to look through the “Introduction to Modern Essentials” booklet. As they look through it and find the answers to the questions, they will learn so much about the essential oils and what the oils can do for specific conditions. They will also learn how they can use the booklet to find answers to their own questions. This activity can be used as a class idea on its own, or it can be added to another class idea as a bonus activity.

Aromatherapy Make & Take Class
Use the information on the diffusing pages to teach how the natural aromas of essential oils can affect the mind and emotions. Allow individuals to sample and make their favorite blend from the “Diffuser Blend Recipes” pages. Add their blend to water in a mini spray bottle for a take-home room and linen spray. An emulsifier (optional) will help distribute the essential oil evenly throughout the water.

Roll-On Balms
Use the information on the “Roll-On Blend Recipes” pages to teach about topical application of essential oils, and allow individuals to make their own natural roll-ons in mini roll-on bottles to take home with them. You can find roll-on bottles and carrier oils at aromatools.com.

Relaxing with Massage Oils
Use the information on the “Using Essential Oils—Applying on Location” and “Using Essential Oils—Massage” pages to teach about massage and topical application of essential oils. Allow individuals to use the “Massage Oil Recipes” to make their own natural massage oils in small bottles to take home with them. You can find small bottles (such as a 1/2 oz. or 1 oz. plastic bottle) and carrier oils at aromatools.com.

Essential Oil–Enhanced Baths
Use the information on the diffusing pages to teach how the natural aromas of essential oils can affect the mind and emotions. Allow individuals to sample and make their favorite blend of bath salts from the “Bath Salts Recipes” page. Have them place their scented bath salts in a jar to take home with them. You can find jars and epsom salt at aromatools.com.

Gourmet Ice Cream Chef Competition
Use the pages on cooking with essential oils to teach about how to use pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils in cooking. Give everyone 1 cup (240 ml) cream and 2 Tbsp. (25 g) sugar, or substitute your own favorite sweetener and sweeten to taste. Allow class members to create their own naturally flavored ice cream base using essential oils. Since only a small amount (a drop or less) of essential oil is needed, give each guest a small bottle to blend their essential oil “flavor profile” in, and then dispense a drop or less of the blend from the bottle (use a toothpick if less is needed).

Place the base in a quart-sized (1 L) zip-top bag, and seal the bag. Place that bag inside a gallon-sized (4 L) zip-top bag filled with ice and 1/2 cup (250 g) of rock salt. Shake until the cream has frozen (about 10–15 minutes). Use small spoons to allow everyone to taste the creations, and award prizes based on best tasting or most daring (black pepper ice cream, anyone?). You could also add another dimension by adding natural vanilla bean to the flavor mix!

Winter Wellness with Essential Oils
Using the Personal Usage Guide section, lead the members of the class through various ailments that often occur during the winter time (such as cold sores, common colds, congestion, coughs, earache, fever, etc.) Allow individuals to make a cough relief roll-on by using the blend recipe found under “Coughs” or an immune support roll-on by using the blend recipe found under “Colds.” Jojoba oil and roll-on bottles can be found at aromatools.com.

Hot Chocolate Social
Provide hot chocolate and various hot chocolate toppings, such as whipped cream, crushed candy canes, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Also provide various essential oils to add to the hot chocolate. Peppermint, orange, cinnamon, cassia, and cardamom essential oil all make great additions to hot chocolate. Instruct guests to just dip a toothpick in the oil and then swish the toothpick around in their hot chocolate. Click here for a great hot chocolate recipe.

Once everyone has helped themselves to hot chocolate and is sitting comfortably, this is a great time to share information about essential oils. You could focus on the health benefits of the oils you offered as hot chocolate mix-ins, provide basic introductory information about essential oils, discuss essential oils for winter wellness, or talk about cooking with essential oils.

Enhance Emotional Well-Being with Essential Oils
Use the diffusing pages and the “Emotions and Essential Oils” pages to teach how the natural aromas of essential oils can affect the mind and emotions. Lead the members of the class through various mental and emotional conditions found in the Personal Usage Guide section such as anxiety, calming, concentration, depression, grief/sorrow, memory, mental fatigue, relaxing, shock, stress, and uplifting. Allow individuals to smell the various oils or oil blends for emotional well-being, and invite them to create their own nasal inhaler using 1–3 oils (for a total of 5–8 drops) to take home with them.

If you have a great class idea that others can do with this booklet, please share it with us!