Want to build an inexpensive arsenal against bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing microbes and smell GREAT doing it? These are my top picks for essential oils that no home should be without:
Clary Sage
Benefits: Constipation, acne, dandruff, excessive perspiration, inflamed skin, minor muscular aches and pains, oily skin and hair. (Avoid during pregnancy.)
Clove
Benefits: Indigestion, insect repellent, muscle and nerve pain, nausea, sprains, stale breath, toothaches.
Eucalyptus
Benefits: Blisters, bruises, burns, chills, colds, cough, fever, headache, insect bites, lack of concentration, mental exhaustion, muscular aches and pains, respiratory infection, skin infections, wounds. Yep, I think that just about covers it all! Eucalyptus is often added to inhalations, oils, and ointments.
Lavender
Benefits: Bruises, burns, blisters, dandruff, earaches, headaches, insect bites and stings, insomnia, anxiety, rashes, scars, sore muscles, sprains, stress, sunburn, wounds. Lavender oil is a great addition to most skincare products.
Lemon
Benefits: Colds, constipation, detoxification, digestion, fever, general fatigue, indigestion, infections, insect bites, oily skin, sun spots. Lemon has many applications in the bathroom. It may be used as a disinfectant to clean surfaces or blended into an air freshener.
Peppermint
Benefits: Colds, cough, abdominal cramps, bad breath, headaches, indigestion, insect bites, mental fatigue, migraines, motion sickness, mouth or gum infections, muscular pain, nausea, nerve pain, anxiety, poor circulation, toothaches, travel sickness. Diffusing peppermint into the air may help with many ailments, from headaches to an upset stomach.
Rosemary
Benefits: Colds, constipation, coughs, dandruff, diarrhea, flu, greasy hair, headaches, insect repellant, mental fatigue, muscle aches and pains, sinus problems, sore muscles, varicose veins, wounds. Diffusing the oil into the air will disinfect the room. Using rosemary in a massage oil may help with sore muscles.
Tea tree
Benefits: Acne, insect bites, nail fungus, skin infections. Tea tree also has many uses in the home. It may be used as a disinfectant to clean countertops and other surfaces.
Recipes:
The ratio for the following recipes is generally 15 drops of essential oil to every ounce of the carrier of your choice. Adjustments can be made as needed. Use careful consideration when adjusting amounts as some people are very sensitive to the powerful healing properties that essential oils provide.
- For allergies, try a blend of lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oils. Blend 5 drops each into a one ounce spray bottle filled with distilled water and spray the mist into a halo over their head.
- For an upset stomach, blend rosemary and peppermint (7 drops each) into 1 oz. of coconut oil. Rub in a clockwise motion on the abdomen for about five minutes.
- For migraines, massage a combination of peppermint and lavender (2 drops each) around the base of the neck, working up towards the base of the skull for about fifteen minutes.
- For low back pain or muscle spasms, put the following oils onto a hot compress and apply to affected area: rosemary (3 drops), clove and eucalyptus (1 drop each). When the compress becomes cool, replace it with another. Apply compress at least three times a day.
- For heartburn, rub upper abdominal reason with the following: eucalyptus (2 drops), peppermint (3 drops). Dilute in 1 tbsp of coconut oil.
- For cuts, burns, bug bites and abrasions, apply one neat drop of lavender to affected area.
- For a cold, massage lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary (2 drops each; dilute in 1 tbsp carrier oil) around chest, neck and sinus area. As an expectorant, eucalyptus oil can be added to an inhalation or diffuser blend. If I think that I’m coming down with something or if I am feeling congested, I like to put a couple drops of eucalyptus and peppermint oils directly on a hot wash cloth and inhale slowly. (Avoid contact with eyes.)
