All About Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint is a pleasant smelling oil that has a crisp, fresh aroma. Aside from mint in chewing gum, sweets and maybe tea most people are unaware that it also has a myriad of healing properties and is a valuable inclusion to all aromatherapy toolkits. So let’s learn more about this versatile oil. 

For the Muscles

One of the best uses of peppermint oil is for pain relief in muscles. Long distance runners and endurance athletes will often have this remedy to hand to soothe their bodies after a heavy workout or race. It works the same for tension headaches, making it extremely versatile. The best way to work with peppermint oil and muscles it to blend it with a carrier oil and massage into the affected area. Used on the skin in this way you will likely experience a cooling sensation but this is perfectly normal. For headaches, it can be used as a temple rub massaged into the temples for relief from pain. It can also be used in the bath for a long soak to relax the muscles. Remember when we add essential oils to hot bath water it is best to dilute them first in milk, then add this to the water as we want to avoid scorching the oil. 

Stop the Sneezes

Another little-known use of peppermint is as an allergy reliever. Whether you have seasonal allergies or struggle with pet hair or dust defusing peppermint into the room could help with this. However it is not a safe pet oil, so you need to take care of animals and if you are defusing it watch for any adverse reactions. Be sure that your pets cannot ingest any of the oil or get too close to the diffuser. The oil can be mixed with eucalyptus and clove for a really effective allergy relieving blend. 

Ban Those Bugs

When the sun returns after a long winter, we want to throw open doors and windows and make the best of the weather. However, this is also the time of year when bugs come out of hiding, and you can find your home overran with ants and midges. In the winter spiders can be the problem. Thankfully peppermint is effective at deterring all of these unwanted creepy crawlies. Use in a spray bottle mixed with water and spray around door and window frames. Be sure to remember though that this is not an option if you have cats and dogs around. 

IBS Relief

This is one case where peppermint can be used internally - however, you must get peppermint capsules from the doctor or pharmacy and not take the oil itself. However, you can apply the oil to massage in a clockwise direction around the stomach to help relieve discomfort. It has been shown to offer relief for up to 75% of people experiencing symptoms of IBS, making it more useful than many drugs, and coming from a natural source which is better for the person taking it.