5 Incredibly Useful Essential Oil Recipes to Make in Summer
We are in the dog days of summer and it’s beginning to show within our bodies! Hot days in the sun are wonderful for the soul but can be hard on the skin. If you combine all those summer scrapes, bruises and bug bites, your skin is in major need of some TLC! Keep reading for my top 5 useful and easy essential oil recipes to make in the summer.
Essential oils work wonders in promoting skin regeneration and healing. They have several benefits for the skin:
Moisture dry skin
Clear up acne-prone skin
Help heal wounds and scars
Diminish wrinkles and aging spots
Contain antibacterial and antiseptic properties to promote healing
My favorite essential oil recipes are listed below.
*Please adjust dilution and selection of essential oils based on the individual.
After Sun Cooling Aloe Vera Gel
While essential oils are not helpful in preventing sun burn, they are wonderful for providing relief after a day in the sun. Essential oils combined with aloe vera gel are a match made in heaven to promote skin healing while also providing a cooling effect on the skin.
When making a soothing after sun spray with aloe vera, it is important to remember that aloe vera gel is water based, therefore it will not properly mix with essential oils. When essential oils are not properly emulsified within a product, there is higher risk for skin irritations due to not being diluted adequately. Here are 3 easy and effective ways to make an after-sun soothing spray depending on what ingredients you have.
Aloe Sunburn Relief Spray with Hydrosols
Ingredients:
2 ounces Aloe Vera Gel
1 ounce Lavender Hydrosol
1 ounce Peppermint Hydrosol
Instructions: Add ingredients to 4 oz glass spray bottle, cap and shake gently to mix. Spray on affected areas for relief. *Store in refrigerator and use within 1 month.
Aloe Sunburn Relief Spray with Essential Oils
Ingredients:
5 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops Peppermint essential oil
2 drops Helichrysum essential oil
2 ml solubol (dispersant)
4 oz aloe vera gel
Instructions: Blend essential oils in a 4 oz glass spray bottle with aloe vera gel. Add the solubol. Cap and gently shake to mix. Spray on affected areas for relief. *Store within refrigerator and use within 1 month.
How to make Cooling Aloe Sunburn Relief from an Aloe Vera Plant
Remove 3-4 aloe leaves at a time, choosing thick leaves from the outer sections of the plant.
Ensure the leaves are healthy and free of any mold or damage.
Cut them close to the stem. Most of the beneficial nutrients are found at the base of the leaves.
Wash and dry the leaves.
Allow the yellow sap to drain from the leaf by placing leaf vertically in a glass. This is the aloe vera latex. I dispose of the latex after allowing it about an hour to drain.
Trim the prickly edges with a knife.
Cut leaf in 2-inch sections.
Using a knife or your fingers, separate the interior gel from the outside of the leaf. The interior gel is the part of the aloe that you’ll use.
To make smooth aloe gel, after separating the aloe from the exterior part of the leaf, you can put the aloe into a blender. I add 1 tablespoon each of peppermint and lavender hydrosol and then blend the mixture until smooth. (You can also use essential oils, however aloe gel is water based therefore, you need to add a proper solubilizer. I would use solubol and use a 4:1 ratio. 4 drops of solubol to 1 drop of essential oil.)
Strain the substance to remove the pulp and store in glass jar.
*Note: There is no preservative in this recipe so store in refrigerator and use within 1 week.
I have made each variation of these and love them all equally. A soothing cooling gel works great to rehydrate skin after long days in the sun. We also love to use it to soothe bug bites and other minor skin irritations.
Refreshing Foot Soak
Ingredients:
2 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
1/2 tablespoon Castille soap
1/2 cup Epsom Salt
Instructions: Add peppermint oil to castille soap and then mix in epsom salts. Pour into large cold water foot bath.
*Great for a hot day! The menthol compound in peppermint helps activate the same nerve receptors in the body that sense cold thus producing a luxurious cooling effect.
Get better bumps and bruises roller
I love this roller recipe for all those summer scrapes and bruises!
Ingredients:
3 drops Copaiba
2 drops Helichrysum
2 drops Frankincense
2 drops Lavender
2 drops Cypress
Instructions: Add essential oils to 10ml roller. Add carrier oil of choice. (Recipe is 3% dilution)
Bug Bite No more itch stick
Ingredients:
½ oz beeswax
1 oz refined coconut oil
½ oz jojoba oil
7 drops Lavender essential oil
7 drops Helichrysum essential oil
6 drops Peppermint essential oil
3 drops Vitamin E oil
2- 1 oz push up lip balm style tubes OR 1oz aluminum tins or glass containers
Instructions:
Melt beeswax and coconut oil in double boiler or my craft way of a Pyrex glass on side of pot over boiling water. Melt slowly. Do not boil.
Once almost liquified add jojoba oil and Vitamin E oil. Stir to mix.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding essential oils.
Stir in essential oils and pour into lip balm tubes or glass container. If using lip balm tubes, it is easier if you have a lip balm tube tray. Let sticks cool for a few hours before use.
Apply to areas of bug bites, post sun exposure or body areas needing extra moisture.
Bug Off Spray
Ingredients:
10 drops Citronella
8 drops Lemongrass
8 drops Tea Tree
5 drops Lavender
5 drops Peppermint
1/2 tablespoon high proof alcohol like Everclear. (Can also use denatured alcohol)
Instructions: Add all ingredients to 4oz glass spray bottle. Fill rest with distilled water. Shake to combine.
Shake before each use and mist on clothes.
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