KEEPING IT SIMPLE; TOP 10 USES FOR LEMON ESSENTIAL OIL (please note: this is an article I appreciated on the Wide Web and am sharing with You~!)
It just doesn't get any more pure than this.
There was a study on new born babies and umbilical cords on the TV the other day, it has been found that there are over 200 toxins in babies blood at birth and the blood from umbilical cords. Where does it come from, they asked? As it turns out, everything. Food, paint, counter tops, utensils, plastics, flooring, household and beauty products...the list goes on. This isn't meant to send people into a panic, but to try and help people become more aware of the products we surround ourselves with and consume. The show urged people to pressure their local politicians to have more stringent product safety testing. I would like to take it a step further and say, wouldn't it be nice if we could keep it simple and just know what is in our products? This is why I would like to start by giving you my top 10 uses for lemon essential oil, or put simply, the oil cold pressed from lemon rinds. It just doesn't get any more pure than this.
#1 Bugs be gone! My now husband and I went camping when we were first together. We had a bottle of store bought bug repellent. The mosquitoes were so bad we just kept spraying it on ourselves without reading the bottle, until we both started to notice our hands were going numb. This is when I read the toxic ingredient list and their possible effects, including hospitalisation or death. Ever since then I only use natural repellents, and lemon oil is one of them. Burn it diluted in water over a tea light, or fill a mason jar with water and 10 drops of lemon oil with a floating candle. Combine this with these awesome planters and Saje's B-gone lotion, the bugs just leave you alone, free of neurological damage.
#2 Studies show lemon improves memory, alertness and concentration (and thus has also been used as an antidepressant). Use it on it's own or mix it with rosemary oil and diffuse it while studying or working.
#3 Acne. If you are like me, even at age 36, I still get the odd pimple. They just pop up, right on the chin, to say hello and remind me of my insecure teenage years. Soak a q-tip with lemon oil mixed with a carrier oil and dab on the pimple and it will heal faster, and prevent scarring. (Tip: don't pop it!)
#4 Carpet Refresher. Just mix 20-30 drops with baking soda in a mason jar, drill larger holes in the lid and sprinkle...voila, you have fresh, disinfected, carpets. Leave on 15 minutes then vacuum. I love how my carpet smells after this.
#5 Fruit and Veggie wash. Essential oils in general dissolve petrochemicals found in herbicides and pesticides but lemon has an added anti-bacterial effect. Use a spray bottle with a few drops mixed with water.
#6 Germ killer; use it to clean your wooden cutting board! You can use the same spray bottle you use on the produce.
#7 Removing adhesives. We spent over $1000 on beautiful new blinds for our house when we moved in, once the installers left I pulled them open to find bright orange 'King of Blinds' stickers on every one. I tried hot soapy water, Windex, tedious picking, they were not coming off. Then I tried lemon oil. All residue was off within minutes. Mom's can you say gum-in-hair?
#8 Clearing congestion. A few drops of lemon oil in boiled water, a towel over your head and a box of Kleenex nearby. Steaming with lemon oil when you have a cough and cold not only helps kill bacteria and cold viruses, but also breaks up your congestion and soothes your achy head and body (breath deep!). No one in our house gets out of steaming when they are sick.
#9 Drying agent. My husband has thing about spots on dishes and although he is completely on board with natural living, left to his own devices he would use chemical drying agents in the dishwasher. Therefore I was excited to find this one! Put one or two drops of lemon oil in the dishwasher, in the drying agent compartment, before the wash cycle and your dishes come out spot free.
#10 Hand sanitizer. For my backyard wedding I looked all around for an alcohol free, natural, hand sanitizer. I ended up using Saje's Safe Hands or Immune Mist, which also works great, but I now know that I could have simply mixed 2 drops of lemon oil with water in a spray bottle for an anti-bacterial, non-drying, spray. It is what I now carry around in my diaper bag.
Mother earth has given wonderful gifts that are literally right under our noses, so inhale deeply and enjoy. Our children will thank us for it.
"Magic is nature unimpeded." ~Jane Roberts
Note: Make sure you know the grade of lemon oil you are getting! They are not all made equal and good suppliers will know exactly where it comes from.
