Cool Your Heels...with these essential oils

"Sun in Celestia" Public Domain per Wikimedia Commons

The 4th of July has just passed and it's hot as a firecracker here in North Carolina with heat indexes well over 100 degrees F. So here is a lovely, natural way to cool off. Take a few minutes, glass of iced beverage of your choice in hand, and soak your feet. When your feet are cool, it spreads upward throughout the rest of your body (and, of course the opposite is just as true.)

To a foot basin of luke-warm water, add several drops of any one or combination of the following cooling essential oils:


Eucalyptus

Foot Bath by John Frazier, Brooklyn Museum

Peppermint (a little goes a long way)
Spearmint
Lemon 
Lemongrass
Lavender
German Chamomile
Cypress
Vetivert
Juniper

Simple solution, complex benefits. Sit back, sip your drink, and soak those feet. You'll be glad you did!

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! (And keep cool!)

Kate

"Peppermint" Public Domain per Wikimedia Commons

(As always: this post is for information only for adult use and does not replace medical advice. Тest out an oil first by placing a small diluted amount on your arm as a patch test. In particular, those who are or could be pregnant should always refer to their physicians before using any essential oils.) 

Going Buggy...essential oil insect repellants

Ahhh, Summer is straining at its seasonal leash and ready to burst full blown onto the

"Asian Tiger Mosquito" By James Gathany, CDC [Public domain],
 via Wikimedia Commons

scene. For many of us, summer weather has already descended, regardless of the calendar date, along with those most unwelcome of guests: biting flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. My research into essential oils as natural insect repellants unearthed a treasure trove of possibilities. If you try any of these, I'd love your comments!

For horse flies:
Lavender
Lemongrass
Cedarwood
Rosemary

"Freshly cut Lavender Flowers" by Lexipexi via Wikimedia Commons

Peppermint 
Lemon
Tansey*
Thyme (Vulgaris)
Tea Tree

For gnats:
Rose Geranium*
Spearmint
Peppermint
Globulus
Eucalyptus*

For mosquitoes:
Lavender
Lemongrass
Peppermint 
Lemon
Tansey
Thyme (Vulgaris)

"Lemongrass" via Wikimedia Commons

Clove
Cinnamon
Globulus
Blue Cypress
Sage
Eucalyptus

(* also good against ticks)

You can mix several drops of the oils of your choice into your favorite unscented body lotion or make into a spritzer spray:

Into a 2 oz spray bottle mix:

• 4 tablespoons of distilled water
• 2 teaspoons of vodka
• 5-6 drops of your favorite essential oil or try a combination such as sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, and mint.

So bring it on, Summer. Give it all you've got and we'll be ready for your blood sucking posse!

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! (And yes I know, despite my post title, bugs are not insects but "going insecty" just doesn't work somehow!)

(As always: this post is for information only for adult use and does not replace medical advice. Тest out an oil first by placing a small diluted amount on your arm as a patch test. In particular, those who are or could be pregnant should always refer to their physicians before using any essential oils.)