3 Essential Oils You Need for Winter
If you stock up on a few essential oils this winter you’ll be well prepared for the cold and flu season. With essential oils you can make inhaler tubes, roller blends, massage blends, hand soap and vapour rubs that can relieve the symptoms of winter.
It’s November and my family has been battling against coughs and colds for a few weeks now. I have been trying to keep our remedies as natural as possible for a couple of years now and relieving flu and cold symptoms are no exception.
Essential oils are not going to stop you getting the dreaded lurgy, but you can use them to help ease those headaches and bunged up noses. Read on to find out how.
General Essential Oil Safety
Before going any further, please note that you need to use essential oils in safe and responsible manner.
- Keep oils out of the reach of children.
- Always check before using essential oils on and near children and near pets.
- Never apply oils directly on the skin, always dilute.
- When it comes to essential oils and small children less is more.
Three Indispensable Essential Oils For Winter
Eucalyptus
You could probably have guessed this one. The many properties of eucalyptus essential oil makes it a must-have essential oil for winter.
- immune-boosting
- anti-fungal
- antiseptic
- decongestant
- stimulating
I use eucalyptus radiata in an inhaler tube to make a cold and flu blend (with Scotch Pine and Douglas Fir) that helps with decongesting bunged up noses. Eucalyptus radiata is safe for children under two, whereas eucalyptus globulus is not.
I also use eucalyptus oil in a diffuser. It’s an energiser, which is more than needed when you are feeling under the weather.
Peppermint
Peppermint essential oil is another favourite as it has so many useful properties. In winter it’s great for clearing congestion and defeating those headaches that come as part of the cold and flu package.
Peppermint is a staple oil to use when you make natural chest rubs to counteract congestion, along with eucalyptus.
Tip: It’s also great in a steam bath. Simply fill a bowl with boiling water and add a few drops of peppermint oil. With a towel over your head hang over the bowl and inhale the steam.
Peppermint oil is an intense oil and should not be used with small children under the age of 3. It should be well diluted for children over this age.
Thieves Oil
The last of the winter trio is thieves oil. I’m actually cheating a little here as thieves oil is a blend and not an oil in its own right.
In any case, thieves oil is a germ buster.
The name comes from the fifteenth century during the outbreak of the bubonic plague. Four robbers were caught having had a good run of stealing from dead bodies. The big question was why they themselves hadn’t contracted the plague. In exchange for their secret they were given lighter sentences. They revealed that they had rubbed themselves in a mixture of herbs. Thieves blend is the result. True or not, it’s quite the story!
Thieves oil comprises:
- clove
- lemon
- cinnamon
- eucalyptus
- rosemary
You can blend your own or just buy thieves oil.
If you add a thieves oil blend to castile soap and distilled water you have yourself an antibacterial hand soap. You can also make a hand sanitiser with thieves oil. Alternatively, you can use thieves oil in a diffuser or an inhaler.
Reading Tip: The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils
Over to You
Share your winter germ busting tips with us below. Do you already use essential oils to help combat flus and colds?
*For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links to products and books I find useful for the HSK community. They cost you nothing more to buy, but I get a small commission.*
