Sniffle season is upon us, and many are starting to dose up on medicine to boost their winter immunity. Although before you start popping pills, you may want to consider using essential oils this winter. These wonderful oils can help keep your immune system going when times get tough. In this article, we’ll take a look at which essential oils can help strengthen your winter immunity.

Oils You Should Try

While all essential oils have their strong points, not all of them help improve your immune system. Below, you’ll find the best essential oils for giving your immune system the extra help it needs in wintertime.

• Eucalyptus – This potent essential oil is ideal for boosting your winter immunity. Firstly, because it’s a wonderful decongestant. Second, it also has expectorant properties and can help your body work to remove mucus and bacteria.
• Oregano – Fragrant and herbal, this essential oil also has lots of antioxidants that will help your body regenerate itself. On top of that, it combats pathogens (bacteria, viruses, other disease-causing microorganisms) effectively.
• Tea Tree – Much like eucalyptus essential oil, tea tree has decongestant and expectorant properties. It also has antimicrobial properties that are ideal for treating cold sores and boosting your winter immunity naturally.
• Cinnamon Bark – When it comes to providing immune support, this essential has the properties you’re searching for. Cinnamon bark essential oil is both antiseptic and antibacterial, keeping disease-causing germs far away. Nonetheless, this essential oil MUST always be diluted.
• Lemon – This citrus essential oil doesn’t merely smell good, it cleans exceptionally well, too. Lemon essential oil is antibacterial, as well as anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. Feel free to use your lemon essential oil liberally as it only has a relatively short shelf life, but take care with sun exposure.
• Peppermint – Peppermint essential oil has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. It can also help perk you up when you’ve got the winter blues. This essential oil is also great for treating maladies like headaches, ringworm, and stomach aches. However, this potent essential oil should not come in contact with children or infants’ faces, so please, take care!
• Lavender – As one of the safest essential oils to use, lavender has plenty of antioxidants that will help boost your winter immunity. Lavender essential oil can help your body relax and restore itself through sleep. Furthermore, this essential oil is excellent for reducing stress, which is a massive factor in a weakened immune system.

How To Use Essential Oils for Winter Immunity

While not all of these essential oils can be used the same way, most of them are quite versatile.

Topical Use

Using essential oils for topical treatments in wintertime can help reduce infection and speed up healing. However, it’s necessary to use a carrier oil for stronger essential oils such as oregano, cinnamon bark, and lemon. It’s also crucial not to apply lemon essential oil to your skin before sun exposure, as this can lead to a photo toxic reaction. Essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, and peppermint oil can be applied to the skin in small doses. Again, peppermint oil, however, is not suitable for use on the faces of infants or children, so please be mindful when using it topically. 

Internal Use

Upset stomach, nausea, and digestive trouble can all become gateways to a weakened immune system. The good news is that there are essential oils that can help you combat these tricky ailments. Lemon, oregano, peppermint, and cinnamon bark essential oils are all safe to ingest and can have serious benefits. Add a few drops of lemon, peppermint, or cinnamon bark essential oil to warm cup of water and add honey or agave syrup to sweeten the deal. Oregano essential oil works well in a pasta sauce or anything else that can do with a warm, herbal kick. 

Use as a Diffuser

Diffusing essential oils is an easy and safe way to take advantage of their beneficial properties. While not all of these oils are safe to ingest, they are all safe to diffuse. Lavender is the easiest oil to diffuse as it doesn’t need to be combined with other essential oils. Oregano essential oil should be combined with another essential oil like lemon to soften its strong scent. Cinnamon bark becomes more festive when diffused with other essential oils such as clove or frankincense. You can diffuse eucalyptus, tea tree, and peppermint essential oils separately, but you may want to alternate them regularly.

The Takeaway

Essential oils are lovely, multifaceted natural ingredients that can help us improve our lives in many ways. While they can help us boost our winter immunity, it’s vital to use essential oils with care. If you are interested in natural health and beauty, you may be thinking of your own products later on down the line. Why not learn more about WapoBeauty’s eBook on How to Sell Your Skincare Products Legally in Ireland and the EU? For more hands-on instruction on how to formulate and make safe and professional skincare products, consider signing up for WapoBeauty’s Making Natural Skincare Day Course next month.

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Ashuni Pérez is an American writer based in Valencia, Spain. She has a passion for natural beauty and the environment. Ashuni loves to cycle and drink smoothies in the sun. Follow her on Instagram at @ashuuuuni