We can finally put thieves and peppermint away. Now it’s time to mix up some essential oil blends for summer. Get inspired, here.
Did you know that the US is home to a whopping 91,000 described species of insects? Or that many of these “bugs” are most active during the summer season?
In fact, summer’s increased rains and temperatures trigger a huge spike in pest counts!
All this doesn’t mean that you should start hating summers. There are plenty of ways to combat this buggy season, one of which is through the use of essential oil blends. Some essential oils can help keep bugs away, while others can help you sleep better during hot nights.
Ready to learn all about the best summer essential oil blends to make on your own and stock up on? Then let’s get right into it!
1. Citrus and Citronella Oil Blends
Citrus refers to the species of citrus fruit-bearing evergreen trees or shrubs. These include some of America’s favorite fruits, like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. Citrus essential oils come from the peel or the rind of the fresh fruits.
Whereas citronella oil comes from some species of the “Cymbopogon” grasses. It does smell citrusy too — its name is actually from a French term that means “lemon balm”. It has a floral aroma that, like citrus, can make you feel refreshed.
These oils’ refreshing scent is a good enough reason to use them for your summer blends.
That’s only one reason though — another is because they can repel pests. Researchers found that citrus oils are 100% effective against some species of mosquitoes. Studies also confirm that citronella is excitorepellent, so they also drive off insects.
Not sure how many drops to add to your blends or to use in your diffuser?
2. Eucalyptus Oil Blends
Winter and spring both get a bad rap when it comes to allergy triggers. The thing is, summer can also affect many of the 74 million Americans with allergies and asthma. In fact, health experts say that summer allergies can just be as bad and severe!
That said, some of the best essential oil mixes for summer are those made from eucalyptus oil. It’s a decongestant, helping ease inflamed airways and runny noses. Inhaling its aroma can also help prevent asthma or allergy attacks from worsening.
What’s even better is that eucalyptus essential oil has herbaceous undertones. These scents mix well with other fragrances, such as tea tree, citrus, chamomile, and pine. You can even mix it with cedarwood, ginger, thyme, or even rosemary!
3. Lavender Oil Blends
Light and temperature — these are the two main factors that make it harder to fall asleep during summer. In the summer, we get more amounts of and prolonged exposure to sunlight. There’s also the higher average temperatures, which in most US states, run in the high 60s to the high 70s.
Light affects the sleeping process by interfering with the hormone known as “melatonin”. Melatonin is what makes you sleepy, but exposure to light reduces the amount of this hormone in the body.
As such, more light (and longer exposures to it) equates to less melatonin. Whereas less melatonin equates to longer waking hours.
In addition, the body’s ideal sleeping temperature is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. During summer though, temperatures can go up to 70s or even higher, so you may find it harder to fall asleep.
That said, you should keep your bedroom’s temperature at 65 F to make it more sleep-inducive. Use blackout curtains or blinds too, to keep sunlight from streaming in. This is also the best time to diffuse lavender essential oil, which has sedative effects.
Lavender’s main compounds — linalool and linalyl acetate — also have anti-anxiety effects. In this way, making your room smell of lavender can help calm and relax you too. That’s a great way to prep yourself for a better night of sleep.
Lavender’s mild aroma also makes it a great base for your summer oil blends. It pairs well with other relaxing oils like rose, ylang-ylang, bergamot, and jasmine.
4. Rosemary Oil Blends
Winter makes us feel sleepy earlier, but summer makes us feel tired faster. This is because the body works harder to keep us cool and avoid overheating. With that extra burden, it won’t take long for you to feel sluggish (and more often) during this season.
Keeping yourself hydrated is important, but you should also diffuse rosemary oil blends. Rosemary essential oils have rejuvenating and even cortisol-reducing properties! Meaning, they not only help boost your energy — they also help lower your stress levels.
Moreover, researchers found that rosemary may help boost brain performance. These include potential improvements in cognitive performance, such as speed and accuracy.
Rosemary essential oils work great with citrus-based oils like lemon, orange, and lime. Since citrus also has a refreshing effect, then mixing the two may perk you up even more.
As a bonus, the smell of diffused rosemary oil can help repel pesky bugs like flies and mosquitoes. This can then help you focus even more at work since you don’t have to keep swatting away at bugs. This also makes it a great partner for citronella-based essential oils.
Diffuse the Heat of Summer With These Essential Oil Blends
There you have it, some of the best essential oil blends to help you get through summer! We chose these ones not only for their pleasant scents but also because of their health benefits. Best of all, they partner really well with other scents, so you can mix and match based on the effects want.
So, what are you waiting for? Stock up on these essential oils so you can beat and even enjoy the summer heat!
Want more tips to keep your family and home healthy all year round? Then don’t forget to check out the other posts we have under this site’s Health and Home sections!
The Benefits of Diffusing Essential Oils in the Summer
Summertime is a season for enjoyment and rest. To create a more calming and pleasant ambiance, essential oils can be diffused.
The following are some advantages of diffusing essential oils:
Elevates mood
Essential oils are widely utilized all over the world to improve mood because of their well-known ability to do so. Stress and anxiety are fairly widespread in today’s culture. Using an essential oil diffuser is the ideal method to relax and unwind after a long day at work. It not only promotes positive feelings but also has a wonderful smell! You will undoubtedly notice a change.
Provides better sleep
Sometimes it can be really difficult to fall asleep due to the hectic lifestyles we all lead. You may easily feel tranquil and at ease with a diffuser, which can help you get a better night’s sleep. This is why Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, and Chamomile essential oils are so popular. To aid in promoting sleep, lavender essential oils can also be placed inside pillows.
Helps improve your immunity
The antibacterial and antioxidant qualities of almost all high-quality essential oils make them ideal for fighting any pathogens that could be present in your house. By lowering your chance of contracting a cold or the flu, diffusing essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, and lemon may be very beneficial to your health.
Helps you to relax
There is a reason why so many individuals use aromatherapy after a stressful day at work. It is a terrific method to relax in the evenings because of the soft scents and relaxing effects. You can use diffusing essential oils alone or in conjunction with another activity to unwind. Diffuse the essential oils, for instance, while engaging in another relaxing activity, such as taking a bath, practicing some simple yoga poses, or engaging in a brief period of meditation. Instead of smells that would energize you, seek those that will assist you to relax.
Promotes feelings of calm
Aromatherapy is a wonderful addition to your daily routine, but it can also be a really helpful tool when you are under stress or feeling tense. When your thoughts are racing, you may take a minute to breathe deeply and center yourself with the aid of those emotions of peace and relaxation. Also, dispersing the essential oils encourages deep breathing, which has been demonstrated to reduce immediate tension.
Improves clarity and focus
Aromatherapy has both physical and mental advantages. The capacity to concentrate and concentration will increase when you choose an invigorating aroma, like citrus. When you are working on a significant job or activity that requires your complete focus, use this form of aromatherapy. To assist your body, wake up and make it simpler to begin going, you may spread these smells throughout your home in the morning while you get ready for work.
Insect repellant
During warm nights, using a diffuser with essential oils is an excellent way to avoid mosquitoes and other insects. The most popular oil for repelling mosquitoes is citronella. In addition to being excellent choices, lemongrass, lavender, and clove provide an alternative to chemical-based mosquito repellents. Insects detest a mix of oils in our bug-repellent blend! You may get uninterrupted sleep by adding a few drops of essential oil to your diffuser.
Makes lifestyle changes easier
Every time you make a significant change to your way of life, especially if it involves giving up anything, like caffeine, sweets, or cigarettes, your body will need a while to become used to the new normal. Aroma diffusers’ calming effects can smooth the adjustment and lessen the tension and agitation that frequently come with such significant changes. You may create and keep up a new regimen with the assistance of aromatherapy. For instance, instead of making yourself a cup of coffee in the morning, you may turn on your oil diffuser.
Kill airborne germs
Germs and smells may be eliminated by diffusing antimicrobial essential oils in your home and place of business. It may even reduce the spread of airborne infections, which will be helpful as we navigate the post-COVID-19 environment. Antimicrobial oils include tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, orange, lemongrass, and rosemary. Two drops of lemon oil, two drops of orange oil, and one drop of peppermint oil can be used to create a combination that kills germs.
Boosts mood
Smell has the ability to alter your emotions. It activates a region of the brain that controls emotions, memory, and behavior. Because of this, when tension, worry, or despair set in, we turn to essential oils. The floral oil in our Woolzies Good Mood Mix encourages vigor and optimism. It includes the oils of lemongrass, lavender, clary sage, cypress, and geranium. If you want to make a terrible day better, add 5 drops to your diffuser!
Supports a healthy digestive system
Every now and again, we all experience stomach aches, and aromatherapy might be of use. Certain essential oil combinations provide relief from stomach problems, such as feeling bloated after a large meal or having an uneasy stomach. Also, they can support a regular, healthy digestive system that effortlessly breaks down food.
Different Ways to Diffuse Essential Oils
To get the full aromatherapy effects, disperse essential oils into the air in a variety of ways. Here are six of the most often-used techniques:
- Ultrasonic diffuser: Ultrasonic diffusers employ sonic waves to atomize water and essential oils rather than heating them or burning them, which might damage their original structures. Diffusers that employ ultrasound disperse as tendrils of mist to enhance the visual appeal.
- Electric diffuser: Electric diffusers warm the oil and release it into the air using heat produced by electricity. To better spread the smell of the oil, some may additionally use fans. There are many different types and dimensions of electric diffusers, including bigger desktop units and smaller ones that connect to wall outlets or USB ports.
- Reed diffuser: Reed diffusers employ reeds with several small channels to continuously release scents into the air. These little tubes scoop up the oil and direct it toward the reed’s top. As the oil reaches the channel’s conclusion, it is discharged into the air, spreading the odor throughout your house. Reed diffusers may be put in practically anyplace in your house because they do not need power.
- Terracotta diffuser: Due to its high porosity and ability to absorb scents, this material is excellent for diffusing scents. Diffusers made of terracotta are frequently worn as necklace pendants. Terracotta diffuser discs are sometimes hung in windows so the sun can warm them up and improve dispersal. On the clay pendant, drops of oil are poured and allowed to evaporate for a few minutes.
- Room mists & sprays: One of the easiest methods to create a pleasant scent in your house is to prepare simple water and oil combinations. This alternative may not produce as much perfume as some of the others on this list, though, because the fragrance’s potency can be reduced when combined with water and sprayed into the air rather than being atomized.
- Candle lamp diffusers: These devices also combine water and oil. This combination is positioned over a candle in a glass dish. The water-oil combination is heated by the candle’s flame and released into the atmosphere. This technique has to be set up on a firm platform and regularly watched because it uses an open flame.
Safety Tips for Using Essential Oils
You should abide by common sense rules and safety advice to get the most out of your diffuser, including:
- Purchasing essential oils of the highest quality from reliable vendors
- Follow the directions provided with your preferred diffuser
- Use the proper quantity of oil
- If you are pregnant, speak with your doctor
- Keeping an eye out for allergic or asthmatic adverse responses
- Verify the ventilation in your house once again
- Protecting the oil from fire
- Removing the electric diffusers for a while
- Considering olfactory weariness
- Being watchful around young children and animal
- Regularly clean your diffuser
Diffusers containing essential oils have a variety of positive psychological and physiological effects, from fostering feelings of peace to fostering deeper, more restful sleep. Your family will benefit from aromatherapy to the fullest extent if you choose the right kind of diffuser and apply it correctly.