Yes, you may anoint yourself. Personal anointing is a biblical practice that does not require permission from a pastor, priest or church leader. Throughout Scripture, ordinary people used oil for personal anointing. Ruth was instructed to wash and anoint herself before approaching Boaz (Ruth 3:3), Ecclesiastes 9:8 encourages us not to let our heads lack oil, and Jesus Himself instructed His disciples to anoint their heads and wash their faces when fasting (Matthew 6:16--18). His instruction is particularly significant because personal anointing was such a familiar practice that deliberately neglecting it could draw attention to someone's fasting or mourning. Jesus wanted His followers to continue their normal appearance rather than publicly display their religious devotion. Personal anointing was therefore not restricted to a particular religious office, nor was it exclusively associated with illness or formal worship.
Through Jesus Christ, every genuine believer is also part of His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:4--9). We have direct access to the Father through our High Priest in heaven, Jesus Christ, and receive the Holy Spirit through Him. This does not abolish the importance of spiritual leadership or the biblical principles of authority and responsibility. Rather, it establishes an essential distinction between personal anointing and anointing performed on behalf of others. When someone is appointed to a position of ministry, when the sick are anointed according to James 5:14--15, or when people and places are dedicated within a recognised sphere of responsibility, different biblical principles apply. Personal anointing, however, belongs to your own relationship with the Lord. You do not need another person to authorise you to express your faith through this practice. The anointing is a prophetic image of the Holy Spirit who already dwells within you, not something that becomes available only when a religious official permits its use.
House of Anointing