4 Essential Oils to Stock Up on in Your Home

Lavender oil can relieve pain through scent alone. Elenathewise/iStock

With chemicals in so many products these days, and more of us looking for ways to live a more natural existence and help the planet, it’s worthwhile stocking up on pure essential oils.

They’re easy to buy, simple to use, and can be utilized in most rooms of the home for various reasons. Here are some of the essential oils to have on hand at your place today.

Lemon

Lemon is one of the most popular and universal essential oils you can use for different purposes. Stock up on this handy essential oil for your home so you can add it to water and gargle it to relieve bad breath, or pop some drops into a bath or diffuser for relaxation. Add lemon oil to your shampoo to help to clear dandruff naturally, or blend it with other ingredients, such as aloe vera gel, to create an anti-microbial hand sanitizer.

Lemon essential oil is used in many homes for all sorts of cleaning tasks, too. Add a couple of drops to a mixture of baking soda and salt to create a scour for your chopping boards, or include it in DIY spray and floor cleaners, dish detergent, and laundry soap.

Lavender

Another must-have essential oil is lavender. People have used it for thousands of years in medicinal ways, and it’s incredibly versatile. For example, consider applying it topically to acne, insect bites, rashes, and minor burns, or as a disinfectant for cuts or skin scrapes. Add lavender oil to your pillow to help you sleep or in your bath to help you de-stress.

If you have a headache, try rubbing some lavender oil onto your forehead and templates, or put a few drops into hot water for a steam inhale that helps deal with sinus and respiratory infections or blockages. You can also make a natural deodorant using a baking soda and water paste infused with lavender oil drops or put the substance in sachets to help keep moths and other creepy crawlies away from clothes.

Eucalyptus essential oil is excellent for helping to alleviate chest congestion and coughs. iStock

Eucalyptus

If you’ve never used eucalyptus oil in your home, now is the time to start. Created from the leaves of eucalyptus trees, which are native to Australia, this fresh-smelling, hard-working oil has a wide range of uses. For example, it’s excellent for helping to alleviate chest congestion and coughs when you use it alone or blended with other oils or creams. Also, create a salve with it to spread on the throat and chest, which is beneficial for easing asthma.

Some people who have fibromyalgia use eucalyptus oil to deal with the pain from the condition by rubbing the oil onto affected areas. Other uses for eucalyptus oil include adding it to a compress for shingles pain and healing and using it in homemade cleaning sprays (it’s a disinfectant and odor and germ eliminator). Also, try it as a bug spray, to reduce pain and inflammation, and to disinfect wounds.

Peppermint

When stocking up on essential oils for your home, don’t forget to buy some peppermint oil. If you’re like many people, you’ve probably enjoyed a cup of hot peppermint tea when you’ve had an upset stomach, but did you know that you can also use the oil itself in a carrier oil to massage on your abdomen? Doing this can help to relieve nausea and stomach cramps.

Use peppermint on the chest and throat to calm a cough or soothe congestion, or soak tired or overheated feet in a few drops of it added to cold water. It may help calm itchy skin, deter rodents and spiders, and eliminate odors in smelly shoes. Plus, utilize peppermint oil in your cleaning routines to enjoy its fresh scent and antibacterial properties. For instance, add around a teaspoon of it to water before you wash your floors or prepare other DIY cleaners.

Tea Tree

Add tea tree oil to your shopping list, too. This long-used essential oil is handy for a long list of ailments, such as treating warts, athlete’s foot, eczema, acne, insect bites, cold sores, nail fungus, dandruff, psoriasis, head lice, and more.

Plus, put a few drops of undiluted oil around the pet baskets in your home to ward off fleas, and add tea tree oil to misting bottles with water to create affordable, natural disinfectant sprays. This combination is convenient on countertops, door handles, and tables.

These are just some of the essential oils to keep on hand at all times. Consider purchasing other ones, too, such as clove, oregano, rosemary, cedarwood, and grapefruit. You’ll be amazed by just how many uses you can find for these products.

This article was originally published on NaturalPapa.com