Lemon Essential Oil

When I smell lemons I picture a cool glass of lemonade on a summer Saturday afternoon in my Southern childhood home.  I can smell my mother’s lemon oil wood polish and taste her lemon meringue pie.  Regardless of what the scent of lemon brings to mind, it always takes me to a happy place.

Isn’t that what those little, lively lemons do?  That bright citrus flavor — the tangy mixed with sweet — it uplifts us.  I might not have time to make lemonade often and I definitely don’t have time to dust, but putting a few drops of lemon essential oil in my diffuser always brightens my day.  

The finest lemon essential oil is made by cold-pressing lemon rinds.  Did you know that it takes about 3000 lemons to produce a kilogram of lemon essential oil?  

Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil

Lemon essential oil has many benefits.  Besides the uplifting smell, which supports a positive mood, lemon essential oil was found to be effective against candida in a recent study.  (source)  The components of lemon essential oil are potent and support wellness in a number of ways.

Lemon essential oil is often used in cleaning products and is great at wiping out germs while leaving behind an incredible scent.  In fact, lemon essential oil was one of the oils used in a study to test the effectiveness of certain oils against the bacterium Brucella abortus (source) and Streptococcus (source).

Lemon Essential Oil Uses

I use lemon essential oil in many different ways.  Here are my top ten favorite ways to use lemon essential oil.

1.  For removing anything sticky.  Lemon essential oil breaks down the sticky on stickers!  If you’ve got a sticker stuck to a container, counter or floor try a drop of lemon essential oil mixed with olive or coconut oil to remove it.

2.  To remove odors.  A drop of lemon essential oil on a cotton ball makes my teen-aged son’s cleats smell better.

3.  To freshen my laundry.  I add a couple of drops to the laundry or to my wool dryer balls for laundry with a fresh scent.

4.  For all-purpose cleaning.  I put lemon and salt in a spray bottle with water and use it to clean counter tops and sinks.  It cleans well and leaves a great scent.

5.  To clean toothbrushes.  I put a couple of drops of lemon oil and some salt in a glass cup of water and soak the toothbrushes for 20 minutes.  (Lemon oil breaks down plastic, so I don’t do it for long.)

6.  To lift my spirits.  I find that the scent of lemon essential oil boosts my mood.  Diffusing it or sniffing it straight from the bottle is a sure way to brighten my day.

7.  In my homemade facial moisturizer.  I mix lemon, lavender and frankincense together with olive oil and use it several times per week to moisturize my skin.

8.  In a throat soothing tea mixture. I mix coconut oil, raw honey and a drop of lemon oil into tea to soothe my throat.  I don’t recommend ingesting essential oils often.  Please use a lot of coconut oil to help dilute the lemon oil so that it doesn’t burn your lips, mouth or digestive tract.

9.  To clear the air.  I diffuse lemon essential oil after cooking strong smelling foods such as fish or bacon.  It helps to freshen the air in my home.

10.  To help support a healthy appetite.  I find that smelling lemon essential oil helps me to better control my cravings for sugar.  

To learn more ways to use lemon essential oil and other popular essential oils,check out my free 14-day essential oils course.  It’s sent straight to your email each morning and contains valuable information about several essential oils.

If you’re ready to start using lemon essential oil or any other high-quality essential oil, I can help you!  Find out how to get started with essential oils!