Summer Essential Oils

Summer is my favorite season, but it’s not without its share of annoyances. Humidity, summer sickness, and bugs are definitely at the top of that list. Luckily, your favorite essential oils can help with all your summer stresses. Well, most of them. Though I’m fond of saying “There’s an oil for that!” I have not yet found one that will magically send the kids back to school! Here are some of my favorite summer essential oils.

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

Oh the bugs, the bugs, the bugs, bugs bugs bugs! I hate them as much as the Grinch hated noise. But they are part of summer. And every summer it seems that my kitchen is filled with ants and flies. Not to mention worrying about disgusting disease carrying ticks and mosquitoes. And now that we have a dog there are fleas to think about. Your favorite essential oils can come to the rescue here too. So, no need to resort to toxic harmful pesticides!

Palo Santo oil is one of my favorite insect repelling oils. All bugs hate it, including mosquitoes and ticks. Of course Citronella oil is a heavy hitter. I love to diffuse it outside or make my own nontoxic Citronella candles. Lemongrass oil is great for fleas, flies, and mosquitoes, and also for those pesky fruit flies circling your fruit bowl and your wine glass! Peppermint oil is the best around the house for ants and spiders (and even mice!). Fleas, beetles, and mosquitoes hate peppermint too. Try making a spray by mixing with distilled water and spraying all over your kitchen and the rest of your house. For bugs that love your plants like mites and aphids, try Eucalyptus oil. Tea Tree oil and Lavender oil are good bug repellents too.

If you’ve already been bitten, essential oils can still help. Try a salve of coconut oil mixed with a few drops of Peppermint oil, Basil oil, Rosemary oil, and Lemongrass oil. The Peppermint oil will reduce the itching and burning. Basil will help speed up healing. Rosemary will help reduce pain and swelling. And, the Lemongrass will help to prevent infection and disease. See the next section for more skin healing suggestions.

Relief For Bites, Scrapes, Rashes, And More…

Summer means more outside time, but that also means bug bites, skinned knees, rashes, and other ouchies! Essential oils can help with all your summer skin ailments.

I’ve already mentioned Lavender as one of the best summer essential oils – it is one of the most versatile oils there is. A salve made by mixing a few drops of Lavender and a few drops of Tea Tree oil into coconut oil is a multi-purpose solution to all of the skin conditions above. Lavender is antiseptic, and relieves itching. Tea Tree is antiseptic and antibacterial and acts as a natural antihistamine to reduce itching and allergic reactions. This combo is great for insect bites, scrapes, rashes, and almost any other skin issue. Always dilute!

Other oils that are good for skin healing include:

• Frankincense oil, which promotes skin cell growth.
• Helichrysum oil, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Peppermint oil, which is antimicrobial and cooling, reducing itching, burning, and stinging.
• Lemongrass oil, which is antiseptic and helps prevent infection.
• Chamomile oil, which relieves itching, burning, and swelling.

Sun Care

The heat is on in the summer and sometimes despite our best intentions and planning, we can still suffer from the sun. It happened to me on the 4th of July. I took my daughter to the beach, and even though we applied (safe) sunscreen multiple times, we still ended up a little burnt. Essential oils can help you recover from sunburn and other sun issues as well.

Lavender is the best essential oil for burns. It is soothing and healing. Peppermint oil is a natural pain killer that provides cooling relief. And Eucalyptus oil is anti-inflammatory and pain relieving. Make your own calming, healing sunburn salve by mixing Aloe Vera gel with coconut oil and adding a few drops of Lavender, Peppermint, and Eucalyptus oil.

For a great after-sun moisturizer, add a few drops of Lavender oil and Grapefruit oil to jojoba oil. For a soothing spray to calm a heat rash, add a few drops of Peppermint and a drop of Eucalyptus to distilled water and a teaspoon of witch hazel in a spray bottle.

Safe Summer Travels

Summer is a great time to travel, with the help of your favorite summer essential oils, that is. Essential oils are easy to travel with and don’t take up much room, so don’t leave home without them! Here are a few of my must-haves:

Thieves oil is great for boosting your immune system, fighting germs, and more. Make a spray bottle mixture, adding a few drops to some witch hazel. Then spray on everything – hotel rooms, airplane trays, restaurant tables, seat backs, etc.

If Thieves is number one, Lavender is a close second (and probably my favorite all-around essential oil). As mentioned above, it’s good for bugs (well, bad for them – but you know what I mean), sun, and skin issues. It is also super relaxing and can help you decompress after being thrown off by a weird travel schedule. Put a drop under you pillow, toss some in the bath, and – if you have a travel diffuser – diffuse to get a restful night’s sleep.

Some of my other favorite traveling summer essential oils are:

• Lemon oil, which is great for cleaning and deodorizing.
• Peppermint oil, which is a great pick-me-up. It is also good for respiratory and sinus issues (diffuse or make a chest salve with a few drops in a carrier oil – put on the bottom of feet for kids). And, since digestive issues are common with unfamiliar food, it is a great oil for stomach aches.
• Frankincense oil – put a drop on the back of you neck for relief from headaches, fatigue, and even hangovers.
• Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) oil is a great disinfectant.

Don’t forget to pack a carrier oil, which is just an oil to blend essential oils in to dilute them and make them safer. I love coconut oil. And Trader’s Joe’s now has coconut oil mini packets, which are perfect for travel.

Summer Diffuser Blends

I love diffusing essential oils in the summer. The best blends for summer combine refreshing (bug-repelling) citrus scents, energizing refreshing minty oils, and fragrant mood-boosting floral oils. Try some of the blends below, putting about 5 or so drops of each oil in an essential oil diffuser and filling with water. Alternately, you can add to a glass spray bottle and fill with distilled water and a little alcohol or witch hazel to make a refreshing room spray.

• Peppermint, Lemon, and Geranium essential oil
• Lemongrass, Spearmint, and Lime essential oil
• Orange, Ylang Ylang, and Peppermint essential oil
• Spearmint, Grapefruit, and Lavender essential oil

It’s Going To Be The Best Summer Ever!

It’s the perfect time to learn more about getting started with essential oils! Relax and enjoy the summer. The school year will be here before you know it. Please share your favorite summer essential oils!