10 Fun Ways to Use Essential Oils for Summer

With summer right around the corner I am embracing the citrus oils….lemon, lime, tangerine, orange, oh heaven….so many!  My latest fave is called Citrus Fresh…it’s bright and sweet and tangy and YUMMO!  I add it to my water all day long for a refreshing treat.

The great thing about the citrus oils is that they are more affordable than some of the other oils, which makes it fun to play around with them.  I like adding them to recipes occasionally and just let them wake up the rest of the ingredients!

Here are 10 ways to enjoy citrus oils for the summer….

1. Like I said already, add them to your water – Especially if you’re traveling and stuck with drinking water in a restaurant or somewhere that it tastes bad, a few drops of lime will really help!

2. Sweet drinks – Of course, you can use it to make a sweet drink too.  I’d start with about 1/3 packet of stevia (I don’t like it super sweet), 2 cups of spring water and  2-3 drops of your favorite citrus flavor.  Then adjust as you like!

3. Laundry – you know how it goes….if you leave wet laundry in the machine overnight in the summer it stinks when you wake up.  Well I discovered that if you add a few drops of lemon or lime with your detergent (in my front loader I can put it in the little dispenser) and ran it again it eliminated the odor.

4. Immune System – While winter tends to be when we think of giving extra support to our immune system, we can forget that we need that in the summer too!  Lemon and Melaleuca are fantastic for that!  I love to diffuse it and rub it behind our ears to help us stay healthy and strong!

5. Speaking of diffusing – I love, love, love my diffuser  and I wish I had one for every room.  The citrus oils are great for freshening up the house when there are sweaty kids running in and out, swimming clothes drying and general heat issues.

6. Mood lifter – who doesn’t need that every once in a while?!  Citrus oils are great for perking you up.  I love lime the most….or maybe tangerine…wait….Citrus Fresh.  I can’t decide!  Drink it, diffuse it, rub it behind your ears or on your throat, whatever you feel like.  You can’t go wrong.

7. Tummy –  Plenty of s’mores and hot dogs means occasionally you need a little tummy support.  Citrus is grrrr-reat! (especially if you combine it with peppermint oil)

8. Clean and fresh – I keep a spray bottle (You have to use glass with citrus oils!) filled with spring water and a few drops of citrus oils.  Then I spray it on surfaces after cleaning, like the kitchen counter and bathtub.  Lemon is known for killing bacteria plus it smells great!  Sometimes I use lemon and orange together.

9. Cleaning fruit – Yep!  Use that same spray bottle to clean your fruits AND increase their shelf life.  Or put them in a bowl of cold water that has a few drops of citrus added.

10. Night – citrus oils can help keep your skin fresh and clean, especially on those warm summer evenings.  So while you’re spraying your counters, spray some on your arms and legs before going outside.

And diffuse, diffuse, diffuse.

Happy Summer!!!!