Our Favorite Essential Oils for Summer (and How to Use Them)
Let me start by saying - any season is a good season for essential oils, but summertime is when they can really be put to work for your skin!
From days that leave you a little too sun-kissed, to evenings filled with flying, biting buggies - there's an oil (or four) for that! I've even got links, y'all!
Let's get into it
Restorative oils for your skin:
Tea Tree:
Tea Tree Oil is great for your face to keep pores clean during summer when extra sweat/oil production tends to be at the maximum. Add a drop to your moisturizer or a lightweight carrier oil (listed at the end of this post). For your body, I recommend switching over to our Charcoal Detox Soap during summer. The ingredients in that soap bar really work so well together to remove excessive oil, sweat, and dirt and keep your skin glowing in the best way; it's no wonder that it's one of our best sellers!
Lavender:
A few drops of lavender essential oil added to an unscented lotion or body oil provides tremendous relief should you find yourself just a little *too* sun-kissed. In fact, healing burns is one of lavender oils most practical uses. You can even apply a drop or two neat (undiluted) to smaller burns, say from touching something hot, and it will immediately get to work mending the skin and providing relief!
Now, I know, lavender oil is one of those love or hate oils, but you should know that not all lavender oils have the same fragrance profiles! For instance, I prefer the fragrance of [Bulgarian Lavender Oil] over French. To me, the Bulgarian oils tend to smell more like fresh lavender buds and have less of that bitter, camphor note.
For lavender lovers, sensitive summer skin, and heliophiles, I recommend using our Soothing Oat Soap during summer. The restorative combination of colloidal oatmeal and lavender oil provides a gentle cleanse that works hard to keep your skin healthy and moisturized!
Repellant oils for buggy bugs
Citronella
Lemongrass
Lavender
Peppermint
Combine 3-5 drops each of lemongrass, citronella, lavender, and peppermint in a small bottle (4 oz size will do) of lightweight carrier oil and apply as a body oil prior to spending time outside. When I make this blend for our family, I also add a couple drops of Light Vetiver oil as a fixative that doubles as an extra repelling oil.
My goodness, y'all - this combination of oils is SO refreshing! Those oils together just smell like summer to me. I could wear it as a perfume all summer long.
This year, I used this amazing blend in our Citronella Soap as well! Maybe next summer, I'll release a small body oil with that blend to save you the trouble. What do you think?
Keep in mind that this is not a mainstream "insect repellant", but rather an essential oil perfume that bugs tend to find disinteresting, okay? There's no DEET, and it hasn't been "evaluated" by anyone but me, my household, and everyone else who uses essential oil perfumes of this nature during the summer :)
I hope you've found this article informative! This will likely be my only one this month. The kids are out of school, and we are outside in the garden or hunting water most days, so I'm short on time. I had to get this one out though because I just know someone will find it useful. Have fun getting crafty with your buggy oil, friends, and thank you so much for supporting my small business!
Talk soon,
Courtney
P.S. My favorite lightweight carrier oils are:
Jojoba
Sweet Almond
Fractionated Coconut (MCT)