Just Breathe with Essential Oils
Essential oils contain active ingredients that can help aid and strengthen the immune system and respiratory tract. Essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, ginger, myrrh, peppermint, thyme, clove bud, rosemary, bergamot and lemon exhibit antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial actions that may help decongest the sinus, opening the airways of respiration, tending to sore muscles and headaches. You can learn more about the healing essential oils benefits for respiration here. For this blog-post, we will share our top tips and tricks for healthy respiration, consider this a useful guide for the cold and flu season.
Essential Oil Recipes for Healthy Respiration
1. Just Breathe Diffuser Blend
This diffuser blend recipe is refreshing and relaxing for the senses. Eucalyptus contains the active compound known as eucalyptol, which exhibits antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that may help fight infections. Additionally, lemon essential oil is known to boost immunity by stimulating the production of white blood cells, while lavender exhibits antibacterial properties that may help strengthen immunity.
Ingredients:
- 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 2 drops lavender essential oil
- 1 drop myrrh essential oil
- 1 drop lemon essential oil
2. Relax and Breathe Easy Diffuser Blend
Peppermint essential oil is a renowned ally for respiratory congestion. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti-septic, anti-microbial and anti-infectious properties that may help decongest the respiratory tract, ease sore muscles triggered by colds or flus, while stimulating the nervous system. Additionally, antibacterial actions of thyme and lavender can further synergise this simple remedy for a congested sinus.
Ingredients:
- 2 drops lavender essential oil
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
- 2 drops thyme essential oil
3. Peppermint Delights Facial Steam
Facial steams are popular folk practices used to relieve nasal congestion. Nasal congestion, colds, flus and allergic reactions may trigger headaches and soreness. This recipe uses the refreshing and stimulating scents of peppermint and eucalyptus, alongside anti-microbial tea tree and frankincense to relieve headaches caused by a congested sinus, alongside loosing the mucus along the respiratory tract.
Ingredients:
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
- 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
- 1 drop tea tree essential oil
- 1 drop frankincense essential oil
Combine ingredients in warm water, grab a towel and wrap it around your head and the pot of warm water. Breathe deeply, and steam for 5-10 minutes. Once you’ve finished, splash droplets of cold water on your face and neck.
4. Refresh Your Senses Facial Steam
This simple facial steam recipe is stimulating, revitalising and restoring. Not only will it help to decongest the sinus, it may also energise the senses and help strengthen the immunity.
Ingredients:
- 2 drops lemon essential oil
- 1 drop thyme essential oil
- 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5. Simply Breathe – Oil Rub
This essential oil recipe for respiration is a useful preparation to have ready in your medicine cabinet for when you feel your sinus is congested. Rather than having a cooling effect like the above-mentioned recipes, this oil rub is stimulating, warming and grounding.
Ingredients:
- 2 drop ginger essential oil
- 1 drop clove bud essential oil
- 2 drops lemon essential oil
- 1 drop cedarwood essential oil
- 30 ml sweet almond oil, grapeseed, olive or jojoba oil
Blend ingredients into a 30ml dropper bottle, label, store and use when needed.
Directions for use: Massage the oil across your chest, throat and forehead.
Begin at the top of your head. Massage your temples and forehead from the inner to the outer parts of the face. Once you’ve reached your throat, gently stoke your fingers downwards, towards the direction of your collar bones and heart. On the chest, begin by tapping the local area to stimulate the lymph nodes and blood flow. You can alternate between gentle, repetitive tapping, to deep and upward strokes. Breathe deeply, and repeat for as long as needed.
6. Just Breathe Bath Salts
Enjoy this bath salt recipe for when you feel your muscles are tense from an incoming cold or flu. This bath soak will tend to sore muscles, relax the nervous system, while decongesting the airways of the respiratory tract.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup epsom salt, sea salt or pink himalayan salt
- 1 tbsp carrier oil of choice (sweet almond, jojoba, grapeseed oil)
- 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 2 drops rosemary essential oil
- 3 drops ginger essential oil
- 3 drops pine essential oil
