If you think about a smell that’s commonly associated with cleanliness and pleasantness, the first one that pops into your mind would most probably be lemon or other citrus scents. Just smelling citrus can be refreshing, but that’s not all to it.
For today’s post, we’ll be focusing on Lemon Essential Oil, whose scent can perk you up. It’s purported to have powerful anti-microbial activity, and it can disinfect surfaces. Some also swear that it can help improve the condition of your skin, reduce excess sebum production, and eliminate dandruff! With so many uses for this amazing essential oil, it can be a little overwhelming for those who don’t know where or how to start using it. So, here’s our Top 3 uses for it!
1. Air Freshener
Don’t have good ventilation at home? Dislike the smell of cooking/food permeating your space after you’re done eating, or simply want to freshen up spaces that feel stuffy/has stale air? You can add up to 20 drops of lemon essential oil to 18ml of water in a 20ml Amber Spray Bottle and give it a good shake before spraying the area.
Pssst! All citrus-type essential oils are photosensitive. It’s best to keep them in amber glass bottles to protect them from UV light, and also because they break down plastic bottles.
If you’re not a fan of multiple shakes before using this spray, you can add in Polysorbate-20 (an emulsifier which is used to bring small amounts of oils into a watery environment). The amount of Polysorbate-20 that you’ll need to add is equivalent to the amount of lemon essential oil added. So…
With Polysorbate-20
20 drops of Lemon Essential Oil + 20 drops of Polysorbate-20 + 18ml of Water
Without Polysorbate-20
20 drops of Lemon Essential Oil + 18ml of Water
2. Facial Oil
Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, detoxicant, and balancing is just a few of the properties and benefits lemon essential oil has for the skin. By adding 12 drops of lemon essential oil to 30ml of jojoba oil + sweet almond oil, you’ll get a moisturizing, skin balancing, detoxing and relieving, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant facial oil. All you need is a amber bottle with a dropper cap to store this facial oil.
Pssst! This works as a body and hair oil too! When applying to your hair, use it as a hair oil mask. Leave it in your hair for a minimum of 15 minutes before shampooing and rinsing.
12 drops of Lemon Essential Oil + 15ml of Jojoba Oil + 15ml of Sweet Almond Oil
*Note: If this oil is too ‘heavy’ for you, you can reduce the amount of jojoba oil and increase the amount of sweet almond oil instead.
3. Insect Repellent
Thanks to the tropical weather we experience in Malaysia, there’s an abundance of bugs and lizards everywhere and not many of us are fans of them. Add 10 drops of lemon essential oil, 15 drops of tea tree essential oil or eucalyptus essential oil and a pinch of menthol crystals to some refined coconut oil in a wall burner. Allow the scent to envelop your room and you’ll have a pretty efficient insect repellent that also has other aromatherapeutic benefits like clearing blocked noses and boosting your mood!
10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil + 15 drops of Tea Tree / Eucalyptus Essential Oil
+ a pinch of Menthol Crystals + Refined Coconut Oil
+ a pinch of Menthol Crystals + Refined Coconut Oil
