To stay healthy and keep your immune system strong, these are the five best ways to use essential oils in the winter.
I usually enjoy winter up until Christmas and through the holidays until after New Years – then it gets old.
Winter is pretty harsh on the body, and it can be harsh on our mental and emotional health, as well. The dry air, cold temperatures, and fewer hours of daylight make me sometimes reluctant to go outside or socialize, but rather curl up on the couch with a blanket, book, and my essential oils diffuser running.
Self-care is especially important to prioritize during the winter months. It’s also important to take extra measures to boost your immune system and stay healthy so you don’t come down with a cold or flu. (If you do get sick, I’ve shared a post of the Best 7 Natural Remedies for Colds and Flu.)
This winter I’m intentionally taking time to learn the best ways to use essential oils to take care of myself and the people I love! They’re effective for so many different aspects of wellness, but for this post I’ve put together my 5 Best Ways to Use Essential Oils in the Winter.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am not a health care professional. Please consult a professional health care provider before making changes to your lifestyle or if you have any concerns about your health. Additionally, this post contains Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. As always, all opinions are entirely our own. Thanks for supporting us!
1. Boost your immune system with oregano essential oil.
If you’re a skeptic, here’s a bit of science (which I thought was interesting) to why we more often get sick when it’s cold outside. It’s so important to give your immune system a little extra support in the winter when it might be working extra hard to keep you healthy.
Here is one of the best ways to use essential oils to boost your immune system:
Mix one drop of oregano essential oil with four drops of a carrier oil (I use RMO’s Fractionated Coconut Oil) and rub it on the bottom of your feet, especially right before going to bed.
I first heard this tip from a friend who swears by it, but it’s also recommended by Dr. Axe.
2. Make a DIY healing salve with essential oils for dry skin.
Primally Inspired has a recipe for this “Miracle Salve”, like a thick cream for applying to dry or irritated skin. Many of her readers have made it and given rave reviews! Some say it even works well for skin conditions like eczema. Her DIY recipe uses beeswax, coconut oil, avocado oil, shea butter, and 20 drops of essential oils of your choice.
3. Use a diffuser to combat dry air.
The winter dry air takes a toll on my skin and bothers my nose and breathing, especially at night. I like to run my essential oils diffuser through the night each night, and often during the daytime too. You can diffuse whatever oils you like! I like to use lavender essential oil at night to help me relax and sleep, and peppermint essential oil if I”m congested because it helps open up my breathing.
If you’re looking for a diffuser recommendation, Ryan and I love this essential oils diffuser from Amazon! It holds 500ml of water, which is more than a lot of diffusers. With that big of capacity it can actually run through the whole night (whereas many only last a few hours). Here’s what it looks like – we love the wooden look of the base, and it’s normally white, not blue, unless you turn on its LED light:
4. Take an essential oils detox bath.
Detox baths are a great idea any time of year, but can feel especially luxurious during the cold winter months. Dissolving epsom salts in your bath helps your body naturally get rid of toxins while cleansing your pores and boosting your body’s magnesium levels. You can find epsom salts on Amazon. I recommend Epsoak Epsom Salt, because it’s free of chemical and artificial additives and fragrances:
Wellness Mama has a salt detox bath recipe that includes epsom salts as well as 10 drops of essential oils of your choice. Alternatively, you can use different essential oils combinations in your bath by themselves to serve as natural remedies for things like anxiety or a headache that won’t go away. I love Natural Living Ideas’s 12 Essential Oil Elixirs to Add to Your Bath to Fix Almost Anything.
(Bonus: Here’s how to clean your bathtub afterwards so it’s not slippery.)
5. Use citrus oils to help with winter blues.
Around 20% of people in the US experience sadness, moodiness, and fatigue during the winter months. One of the best ways to use essential oils to combat the winter blues is diffusing or applying citrus oils. Citrus essential oils such as lemon, orange, or tangerine oils can help energize and boost your mood when those symptoms appear.
As previously mentioned, you can use these oils by:
- Mixing them with a carrier oil and rubbing them on your feet
- Diffusing them into the air
- Adding them to your bath
One Good Thing By Jillee shares a couple more ideas on how to use them:
- Put 2-3 drops in your hands, rub them together, cup them over your nose, and breathe deeply.
- Add a drop or two to your dish water when you are washing dishes.
Curious why I use and recommend Rocky Mountain Essential Oils?
I have been using Rocky Mountain Oils for about a year now, and I’m in love with their products! Their oils are of the highest quality, providing MS/GC test results for all oils, confirming their purity. They also carry many organic oils, and provide more-than-sufficient information about each and every oil they sell including the botanical name, country of origin, extraction method, and more.
Another big plus is that shipping is free on all items, and they offer free returns for any reason on any items (even if opened) up to 90 days after they were purchased!
If you’re just getting started with essential oils, I recommend reading my post, Beginner’s Guide to Choosing Which Essential Oils to Buy, where I share 5 things to look for in an essential oils brand to ensure it’s a good one to purchase.
2 comments
Love my homemade hand salves! I can’t wait to ry that miracle salve 🙂
Doesn’t it look amazing!? I am really eager to make it myself! Let us know what you think if you do make it 🙂