Summertime Essential Oils
Today I’m sharing my top 3 summertime essential oils. I love essential oils and use them all year round, but there are some that are extra useful in the summer for repelling bugs, cooling you down, and helping with sunburns, scrapes, and cuts. If you want to learn more about essential oils, check out this comprehensive guide by Goodness Me!
1. Lavender essential oil
I had to list lavender first because it is my favourite essential oil of all time. Lavender smells awesome and is best known for its calming effect. It is a really safe essential oil that can be used on kids and pregnant women.
Lavender will help you chill out and sleep after a busy day at the beach. Add a bit to a spray bottle with some water and spritz your pillow before crawling into bed or add it to your diffuser.
It has antibacterial properties but it doesn’t sting so it is a great remedy to apply undiluted scrapes and cuts. It can also help relieve the itchiness of bug bites.
Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties so it can also be used to help reduce the sting and redness of minor sunburns. I like to dilute it in coconut oil or aloe vera.
2. Peppermint essential oil
Although peppermint smells like Christmas, it is an excellent oil to add to your summertime essential oils kit. It is cooling, refreshing and, great at relieving headaches from overexposure to the sun.
It can be used topically, but it is really strong so it needs to be diluted in something like fractionated (liquid) coconut oil. I like to create peppermint rollers for easy application.
Peppermint has an amazing cooling effect. If you are feeling overheated, you can apply some (diluted) to the back of your neck to instantly cool down. It has the same effect on sunburns with the added bonus of having analgesic (pain killer) properties.
Bugs do not like the smell of peppermint so it makes a great repellent. You can diffuse peppermint essential oil outside while you hang out in your backyard. If you are going for a hike, you can make a natural bug spray with water, vodka, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, citronella essential oil, and geranium essential oil.
Lemon essential oil
Lemon has a beautiful uplifting scent that will boost your mood when you wake up to a rainy weekend.
It is great for summer breakouts because it reduces excess oil on the skin. You can add a drop or two to some hemp seed oil and use it as a face oil before bed.
Insects are not a fan of lemon essential oil so it can be used to keep them away. Similar to peppermint, you can diffuse it outside or add it to natural bug spray.
A word of warning, lemon essential oil causes photosensitivity which means that it makes your skin more sensitive to UV light and more likely to burn. I’m pretty sure this is why I sprayed lemon juice in my hair as a teenager to get natural highlights. If you are using lemon essential oil in bug spray, make sure you apply it to your clothes only or use it at night.