The best places to apply essential oils are pulse points, where blood vessels sit close to the skin’s surface and body heat helps the oils absorb and release their scent. Your wrists, temples, sides of the neck, inner elbows, and backs of the knees are all pulse points, and they’re the most popular starting spots. But the ideal location also depends on what you’re trying to achieve, whether that’s easing a headache, supporting digestion, or opening up your breathing.
Pulse Points for General Use
Pulse points work well because the skin there is thinner and warmer than on most of the body. That warmth helps essential oils disperse their aromatic compounds, so you smell them more readily, and the proximity to blood flow supports faster absorption through the skin.
The most commonly used pulse points are:
- Inner wrists: Easy to access and close to your nose throughout the day. A go-to spot for calming oils like lavender.
- Sides of the neck: The warmth here projects scent upward, making this ideal for oils you want to inhale passively.
- Behind the ears: Another warm, thin-skinned area often used for relaxation blends.
- Inner elbows: A good alternative if your wrists are sensitive or you wash your hands frequently.
- Backs of the knees: Useful when you want the oil to absorb without being near your face, particularly with stronger-smelling oils.
Always dilute essential oils in a carrier oil before applying to any pulse point. A common ratio is one to two drops of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil. Among carrier oils, olive oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil are the most effective at helping essential oil compounds penetrate the skin. Jojoba oil, in particular, performs well in permeation studies and has a lightweight feel that many people prefer for daily use. Coconut oil is popular but tends to be less effective at driving absorption compared to olive or jojoba.
Temples and Forehead for Headaches
If you’re dealing with a tension headache, the temples and forehead are the target zones. A 2015 review of published studies found that applying diluted peppermint oil to the temples and across the forehead helped ease tension headache symptoms. The cooling sensation of peppermint on these areas also creates a mild numbing effect that many people find immediately soothing.
Mix one or two drops of peppermint oil into a carrier oil, then massage it gently into both temples using small circular motions. You can extend the application across the forehead, but keep it well away from your eyes. The base of the skull, where the neck muscles attach, is another spot that responds well to oil application during headaches, especially when muscle tension radiates up from the neck.
Soles of the Feet
The soles of your feet are one of the most absorptive areas on your body. The skin there has larger pores than most other regions, and, importantly, the palms of your hands and soles of your feet lack sebaceous (oil-producing) glands. Since your skin’s natural oils can partially block essential oil penetration, the absence of those glands on your feet means applied oils get absorbed more readily.
Applying oils to the feet is also practical for people with sensitive skin on their face or torso. The skin on the soles is thick enough that irritation reactions are less common. Many people apply a diluted blend to the bottoms of their feet before bed, then put on socks to keep the oil in contact with the skin longer. Lavender and cedarwood are common choices for this nighttime routine.
Chest and Upper Back for Breathing
For congestion or respiratory comfort, the upper chest and upper back are the traditional application sites. Applying oils here serves a dual purpose: the compounds absorb through the skin, and the rising vapors are continuously inhaled with each breath. Eucalyptus oil is the classic choice and has been used in commercial vapor rubs for decades.
Spread a diluted blend across the upper chest, from the collarbone area down to mid-chest, or have someone apply it to your upper back between the shoulder blades. One important safety note: peppermint oil preparations should not be applied to the chest or nasal area of infants and small children, as it can trigger spasms in the airways.
Abdomen for Digestive Comfort
When bloating, gas, or cramping is the issue, the abdomen itself is the application site. A blend of chamomile and lavender oils diluted in a carrier oil can help ease abdominal cramping and gas when massaged directly over the stomach and lower belly. For heartburn, a combination of orange and chamomile oils massaged over the upper abdomen has been used in integrative care settings.
Massage the oil in a gentle clockwise direction, which follows the natural path of your digestive tract. This isn’t just about the oil itself. The massage motion combined with the topical application tends to provide more relief than either one alone.
Areas to Avoid
Not every part of your body is safe for essential oils, even diluted ones. Some oils that are perfectly fine on your arms or legs can cause serious irritation on mucous membranes and sensitive tissue. Keep essential oils away from:
- Eyes and the skin immediately around them
- Inside the nose, ears, or mouth
- Genital areas
- Broken, burned, or inflamed skin: Damaged skin absorbs oil much more aggressively, which increases the risk of irritation or an allergic reaction
Lemongrass, peppermint, and cinnamon bark are among the oils most likely to cause problems on sensitive areas, but the rule applies broadly to all essential oils.
Citrus Oils and Sun Exposure
If you’re applying essential oils to any skin that will see sunlight, you need to know about phototoxicity. Certain citrus oils contain compounds called furocoumarins that react with UV light and can cause severe burns, blistering, or lasting dark spots on the skin. The main offenders are bergamot, bitter orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime, specifically the cold-pressed (expressed) versions of these oils.
After applying any of these oils to exposed skin, avoid direct sunlight or UV light for at least 12 hours. If you want to use citrus oils during the day, apply them to areas that will stay covered by clothing, or look for versions labeled “furocoumarin-free” (sometimes marked FCF), which have had the phototoxic compounds removed.
How to Patch Test a New Oil
Before using any essential oil on a larger area, test it on a small patch of skin first. The inner forearm is the standard spot because the skin there is relatively thin and sensitive enough to reveal a reaction. Dilute the oil as you normally would, apply a small amount to the inner forearm, and cover it loosely with a bandage. Wait 24 hours. If you see redness, itching, swelling, or any irritation, that oil isn’t a good match for your skin at that dilution. This is especially worth doing with oils known to be irritating, like cinnamon, clove, or oregano, and anytime you’re trying a new carrier oil as well.