Essential Oils For Weight Loss: Top 5 Oils To Lose Weight 2024

Essential oils^[1] are pure herbal extracts with medicinal and cosmetic value. They have been used as an alternative medicine for thousands of years and have proven effective in various ways, from the relief of minor aches and pains to infection prevention. But how about essential oils for weight loss?

At first blush, essential oils for weight loss appear to be nothing more than a buzz. However, essential oils such as peppermint and grapefruit oil can be highly effective.

Regardless of how powerful conventional medicine is, essential oils will always stand out for their rawness, purity, and naturalness while providing similar benefits.

Best Essential Oils For Weight Loss

If you are wondering what essential oils are good for weight loss, here are some of the most popular ones:

Ginger Oil

Ginger essential oil aids weight loss efforts, including improving digestion and increasing metabolism. 

Polysaccharides, lipids, organic acids, phenolic compounds, and fiber are all found in raw ginger. Ginger essential oil improves nutrient absorption while suppressing appetite to help the user consume fewer calories.

Gingerol, a compound found in ginger oil, is responsible for promoting nutrient absorption as well as ginger oil’s anti-inflammatory properties.  Shogaols is another active compound found in ginger that has a similar chemical structure to gingerol and produces similar results.

A meta-analysis of 14 studies discovered that ginger supplementation^[2] reduced body weight, fasting glucose, waist-to-hip ratio, hip ratio (HR), and insulin resistance. It also increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol without affecting BMI, triglycerides, insulin, or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Ginger oil for weight loss can be consumed orally or applied topically, depending on the desired benefits. Improved digestion and metabolism can only be obtained through ingestion, whereas anti-inflammation can be obtained through both methods.

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint essential oil has been shown to aid in weight loss by promoting healthy digestion and accelerating metabolism. 

It calms an upset stomach by reducing cramping and bloating and suppresses appetite to help you eat less. Peppermint oil is a safe and effective treatment for IBS.^[3] It also boosts energy production and your body’s ability to exercise, which aids in rapidly burning calories.

When applied topically, peppermint oil produces a cooling sensation that relieves pain and promotes mental clarity.

The oil is low in calories and high in omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C, which aid in various bodily processes. Peppermint also optimizes glucose absorption, decreasing lipid accumulation^[4] in cells. It can be applied topically or consumed as capsules or tea.

Cinnamon Oil

Cinnamon oil is best known for its potential to help with weight loss^[4] through its ability to regulate blood sugar levels. It decreases inflammation, improves blood circulation, lowers the risk of cardiovascular complications, and suppresses food cravings.

Blood sugar fluctuations promote food cravings, which, if left unchecked, eventually lead to excess weight gain. Cinnamon‘s blood sugar levels-lowering properties help diabetic patients keep a healthy balance between glucose and insulin levels, preventing sugar fluctuations.

Excess blood sugar stimulates insulin release, which transports sugar into body cells. However, when the cells have enough sugar, insulin converts the excess sugar into fats, resulting in weight gain. 

Cinnamon essential oil helps with losing weight by reducing sugar consumption and food cravings. It has also been linked to a faster metabolism.

Cinnamon has been shown in studies to significantly reduce body weight and BMI,^[5] making it an effective weight-loss agent.

Grapefruit Oil

Grapefruit oil is a powerful essential oil for weight loss with unique metabolism-stimulating properties.^[4] 

Terpenes found in the oil, including limonene, myrcene, and alpha-pinene, have been linked to weight loss. D-limonene is responsible for its metabolic benefits that aid in the breakdown of fat stores in the body.

Additionally, grapefruit essential oil reduces calorie intake, curbs hunger pangs, and offers the antioxidant benefits required for weight loss.

According to one study, grapefruit works well for weight loss when consumed as fresh fruit before meals.^[6] Although there were some contradictory findings, such as elevated insulin resistance, researchers concluded that most of the evidence favors weight loss.

Juniper Berry Oil

Juniper berry oil is a spicy, woody-smelling antiseptic used in skin care to treat acne and skin irritation. According to some users, juniper essential oil has a calming effect that helps to stabilize emotions for better mental health.

Juniper oil contains the healing compounds sabinene, β-myrcene, α-pinene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol, gamma-terpinene, α-terpinene, and delta-3-carene.

Juniper is also a detoxifier that helps to maintain cell health. Researchers have identified it as one of the most effective natural antioxidants in inhibiting lipid oxidation in animal diets,^[7] thereby improving meat quality. It also helps with improving metabolism and facilitates bowel movements.

On the other hand, juniper appears to alter water retention, making topical application safer.

How Does Essential Oil Help You To Lose Weight?

Essential oils can help you lose weight by improving your healthy diet, increasing exercise capacity, curbing appetite, and boosting your energy levels.

They comprise various ketones, esters, alcohols, terpenes, and aldehydes that have medicinal properties used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

Certain bodily conditions are supported by essential oils’ anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and antitumor properties. Additionally, a recent study comparing clinical and non-clinical data found that they have anti-obesity effects.

According to the findings, essential oils for weight loss exert their anti-obesity effects^[4] by modulating lipolysis and lipogenesis, varying leptin levels, and stimulating browning, i.e., conversion to brown fat. The more brown fat one has, the higher the metabolic rate. White fat, unlike brown fat, has no mitochondria and can generate no energy.

Trans-anethole, limonene, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde are chemicals found in essential oils that inhibit the effects of excess body fat mass in overweight people, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular complications, and hypertension.

Influencing the intestinal microbiome can also reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome in obese people.

How To Use These Essential Oils For Weight Loss?

Due to differences in chemical composition, not all can be consumed.

Topical application is the safest method, but you should proceed cautiously, especially when trying out a new product.

To avoid irritation and inflammation, dilute topical oils with a suitable carrier oil before applying them. You can select from olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil for carrier oils.

Another precaution when using essential oils is to perform a skin patch test before a full application.  When applied to skin areas such as your forearms, skin patch tests provide insight into how your body reacts to the oil, preventing severe swelling or irritation. 

Following the skin patch tests, wait at least 24 hours before applying the full dose.

In addition to consuming essential oils, they can be inhaled via dilution as aromatherapy. However, that is not the discussion here and is a subject that merits its own article. 

Risks And Safety Tips

Many factors come into play when assessing the safety of using a specific essential oil. The general rules, however, include inspecting the chemical composition, dosage, consumption method, and use duration.

While using essential oils for skin care is the most popular application, improper use can cause irritation or inflammation. Remember that some essential oils, such as lime, lemon, and orange, react with UV rays and may cause phototoxicity, i.e., sun hypersensitivity.

Other common safety precautions when using essential oils include diluting the oil to the appropriate consistency and performing a patch test before full application. However, dilution is not required for essential oils such as cypress, lavender, tea tree, chamomile, and eucalyptus.

It is important to note that lavender and tree oils have ingredients known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals^[8] that can lead to gynecomastia, i.e., breast enlargement, in young boys or premature puberty in young girls.  

Clove bud, lemongrass, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, and lemon verbena, on the other hand, must be diluted before use.

Other Ways To Lose Weight 

You can approach weight loss in various ways. Nonetheless, essential oils add to most of them in terms of efficiency, sustainability, and safety. 

Natural alternatives to essential oils include a physical exercise regimen and organic fat-burning supplements. Supplements are concoctions of various natural remedies, which may include essential oils. Furthermore, you can choose supplements that target specific body parts, such as essential oil for weight loss in the belly button, hair health, or digestive health.

If you’re looking for safe ways to lose weight, the NHS^[9] has the following suggestions:

• Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• Adopt a consistent exercise routine.
• Hydrate adequately.
• Increase your fiber consumption.
• Eat in moderation.
• Keep track of your calorie intake.
• Limit your alcohol consumption.
• Avoid eating junk food.

Final Thought

Because essential oils are natural, they will figure in the future of medicine and cosmetics. They meet all the criteria for a long-term approach to weight loss. Essential oils may take longer to achieve weight loss goals than pharmaceuticals, but the long-term benefits are well worth the wait. If you need assistance to support weight loss with essential oils, consult your doctor for the best advice.

---