Did you know that Christopher Columbus introduced lemons trees to America? They were also used back then by sailors at sea to help combat vitamin deficiencies and scurvy.
Lemon Essential Oil has antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties. It offers numerous health benefits and is a top contender for cleaning supplies. It’s still used to prevent contagious illnesses and boost the immune system.
Some of the ways to use lemon in your daily life:
Reduce anxiety and uplift mood
Lemon helps ease stress, nervous tension, and anxiety, yet it can energize and refresh your mind. It’s a nice pick-me-up that’ll perk you up if you’re feeling tired and fatigued. It relieves mental exhaustion while improving focus, memory retention, and concentration.
- Add a few drops to your bathwater, in a diffuser, on jewelry diffusers, or mix with carrier oil and apply topically.
Skin care
Its astringent properties reduce cellulite, remove dead skin cells, brighten and clear up your complexion. Lemon tightens sagging skin, helping to prevent wrinkles. It’s detoxifying and reduces excessive oil on your skin, so it’s often used on acne.
- Mix with carrier oil and apply topically.
Boosts immune system
Applied topically (mixed with carrier oil) to the bottoms of your feet, lemon helps bring down fevers and helps ward off diseases. It does this by stimulating white blood cells. Lemon is rich in vitamins and nutrition.
- To increase circulation, try mixing it with peppermint essential oil.
- Either diffuse (including diffuser jewelry) or apply topically. If you do come down with an infection or illness, it helps relieve muscular aches and pains.
Nail and hair care
- When your nails are looking a little drab or yellow, use cotton balls to rub lemon essential oil on them to get them looking white and shiny.
- For more vibrant hair, mix a few drops of lemon with a spray bottle of water and spray onto hair. It refreshes your mane, giving you shiny, healthy hair.
All-purpose cleaner
Get rid of the chemical in cleaning supplies. Lemon is a disinfectant and works in all kinds of ways around the house. Its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties make it a great choice for one all-natural household cleaner or make different DIY recipes for various cleaning jobs around the house.
- You can simply mix several drops of lemon essential oil in a spray bottle and mix with water and use it on countertops, ovens, toilets, sinks, you name it. Vinegar is great for cleaning, too.
Here’s a recipe combing the two with a few other ingredients:
All-Purpose Cleaner
Mix in a spray bottle:
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon natural dish soap (not Castile)
- 30 drops of lemon essential oil
- 20 drops of tea tree essential oil
Citrus Soft Scrub
One of my favorite DIY recipes for cleaning around the house is a soft scrub that’s easy to make.
- Combine 1 cup of baking soda,
- ¼ cup of liquid castile soap
- 10 drops each of lemon and orange essential oils.
- Mix together to form a paste.
Lemon has such a refreshing scent. It mixes great with other oils, too, such as peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus. Whether your skin, health, or the air in your home needs a boost, lemon alone or combined with other oils works wonders.