7 Easy Ways to Use Essential Oils in the Shower | Better Essentials (2025)

Shower and bath time is a great way to incorporate essential oils into an important part of our daily routines. As for how to use essential oils in the shower, there are several ways; from adding them to your bathing products, to using them to clean your shower. Let’s explore how you can reap the benefits of essential oils by using them in the shower.

Using Essential Oils in the Shower

There are several ways to use essential oils in the shower. We recommend that you use the best brands to ensure the best results, and always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil if you intend to put them directly on your skin, or dilute them into the bathing products that you have.

Also don’t forget to do a patch test to make sure you don’t have any adverse reactions to using essential oils, and when you do, discontinue use immediately.

1. Infuse in your body wash

You can add a few drops to your body wash to give your body wash the extra benefits of your chosen essential oil. Many essential oils give extra rejuvenation to your skin and have strong moisturizing qualities.

When mixing on scented body washes, you can just add 3-5 extra drops to an ounce or dollop of body wash, effectively using the body wash as a carrier.

Lavender, chamomile, and frankincense are popular oils that you can add to your body washes. These are also great oils to use when you make your own body wash blend.

DIY Essential Oil Body Wash

You can step this up by preparing an essential oils blend and use it as your go-to body wash itself. This is a great way to experiment and customize a body wash that is perfect for you and your needs.

Making your own body wash recipe with essential oils is also a great alternative way to veer off from all the inorganic and synthetic ingredients that most body washes are made of like parabens and artificial dyes.

Here’s a quick and basic recipe you can do to make your own essential oil body wash:

• ⅓ cup Castile Soap
• ⅓ cup carrier oil (jojoba or fractionated coconut oil is best)
• 1 tbsp. Glycerin
• ⅓ cup raw honey
• 20-30 drops of essential oil (can just be one or more essential oils)

Simply mix these ingredients in a bowl or container and transfer the blend in a dispenser.

2. Add Essential Oils to your Shampoo or Conditioner

Essential oils like tea tree, basil, and cedarwood are great for both your scalp and hair. Add around 3-6 drops of these oils to an ounce or dollop and apply on your head and hair.

DIY Essential Oil Shampoo and Conditioner.

Just like the DIY body wash, you can create your own essential oil blend to use as a shampoo or conditioner. This is also a great way to address and hone in on certain issues you may have like hair fall, dry hair, and dandruff.

Here’s a basic recipe for a DIY essential oil shampoo:

• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup Castile Soap
• ½ tsp. Jojoba oil
• 10-15 drops of essential oil

Thoroughly mix the ingredients in a bowl or container and transfer shampoo blend in a shampoo dispenser.

Rosemary oil is great in promoting hair growth and thickness. Tea tree oil also promotes a healthy scalp and cedarwood gives a masculine scent while also preventing hair loss. Peppermint is a great addition for its soothing and minty effect on the scalp.

Here’s a basic recipe for a DIY essential oil conditioner:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp cocoa butter
• 1 tsp aloe vera
• 1 tbsp jojoba oil
• 15-20 drops of essential oil

Put the cocoa butter and coconut oil together in a bowl and place over a pot of boiling water. Once melted, remove from heat and let it cool. Once cooled, add in jojoba oil, aloe vera, and essential oils.

Lemongrass oil is great in strengthening and thickening the hair. Roman chamomile is great in adding a natural shine and moisture to the hair while lavender and rosemary helps keep the hair look and feel healthy.

3. Diffuse With a Tea Ball

Place Epsom salt and a few drops of your chosen essential oil in a tea ball or tea infuser and hang on the showerhead or put in your shower caddy for a great aromatherapy session while you take a hot shower. The steam will help diffuse the essential oils faster and you will leave the bathroom feeling relaxed and clean.

4. Aromatherapy with a Washcloth

A rather simple method to use essential oils in the shower is by using a washcloth. Simply put a few drops onto a washcloth and place in an area where it won’t get wet much and enjoy the benefits of your chosen essential oils with dry evaporation.

This method is especially great for coughs or for colds. Sit in the bathtub and place the warm washcloth on your chest to have some relief from flu symptoms.

5. Bring A Cup to the Shower

Yet another very simple way to enjoy essential oils in your shower is to drop 3-5 drops in a cup of hot water. Simply put beside your tub or in a safe place and let the steam from your shower help diffuse the aroma around your bathroom.

6. Aromatherapy Shower

Aromatherapy showerheads are revolutionary shower accessories. They bring aromatherapy to the next level by using capsules with essential oils that can be installed on the showerhead itself to infuse the running water with oils. This truly maximizes how you enjoy essential oils in your daily routine.

7. Make Your Bathroom Squeaky Clean with Essential Oils

Many essential oils are known for their antibacterial and antifungal properties, that’s why they are perfect to use to clean your bathroom and shower as well. Not only do they help kill germs and bacteria, they also leave your bathroom smelling fresh and clean.

The best essential oils for shower cleanup are lemon, pine, tea tree, and peppermint. They are popular oils that are active ingredients in a lot of cleaning agents as they both deodorize and clean your bathrooms.

Here’s a quick recipe for a DIY essential oil blend to clean your bathrooms:

• ½ cup baking soda
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsps castile soap
• 15-20 drops of the oil/s of your choice.

Benefits of Essential Oils in the Shower

Adding Aromatherapy In Your Daily Life

The bathroom may be one of the only rooms in your house you actually enter everyday, so using essential oils in the shower is a quick and easy way to incorporate aromatherapy and reap its benefits in your daily routines. When you also use the best essential oils in the shower

Sinus and Headache Relief

Using eucalyptus, peppermint, pine, and lavender in your shower is a surefire way to decongest your sinuses and provide some relief from congestion and headaches. Especially when coupled in a steamy hot bath, your sinuses will be cleared and soothed in no time.

Wind Down and Relax During Bathtime

Use your bath time to wind down and destress from a long day at work or from the gym, and what perfect way to further relax is by incorporating aromatherapy. It’s a great way to reduce anxiety and stress, as well as help soothe your body from aches and strains.

Conclusion

These are just some of the many ways you can use essential oils and reap their benefits in the shower.

Using them in your body wash, shampoo, and conditioner helps you get away from harmful synthetic chemicals, and you stand to gain more when you use them for aromatherapy in the shower. This will not only help you relax, but they can also offer some relief from body aches and headaches.

This will definitely put the ‘essential’ in essential oils in your daily routines.