When it comes to essential oils for summertime, there are some oils that I tend to call on more now than in the cooler months. We have more outdoor time which means more bugs, sun exposure, time in the garden, crapes and bruises, get togethers with friends, cottage weekends, and often more indulgences. 😜

In today’s post, I want to share all my favorite ways that I use the essential oils in the summer and how you can use the oils to help make it to September in one piece, liver and sanity intact! 😉

Essential Oils for Skin

Now of course skin care is something that needs attention year-round of course. But as you probably agree, your skin in the summer requires different attention that in the winter months!

Face Care

☀️ Hot summer days, especially like the ones we’ve been having, means more sweaty days, increase use of sunscreen, and often more breakouts.

I personally use the Verage Collection year-round on my face. They’re the only products that have made my skin happy! So I never stop those. The collection includes a face wash, toner, serum, and lotion and it doesn’t break the bank!

However, I do increase my frequency of using the doTERRA Invigorating Scrub. If I’ve used sunscreen, the scrub is always used in the evening before bed! For any blemishes I use Tea Tree (aka Meleleuca) directly on the affected area.

After Sun Care 

The best combination for your skin if you’ve gotten too much sun is Lavender and Peppermint. This combination is MAGIC! The peppermint soothes and cools the skin while the lavender provides healing. The best combination is a 50:50 ratio of the two oils in a spray bottle. In a 4oz bottle I would usually put 15 drops of each oil and then fill the bottle with water. That’s it.

Just spray all over your body as often as you’d like!

Alternatively, you can just use Lavender in the spray bottle for it’s healing effects or just Peppermint if you’re looking for a cooling spray!

Bug Repellant

Before I talk about what to apply to help sooth bug bites, I wanted to talk about what you can apply to AVOID getting the bites in the first place!

Now depending on if you’re trying to repel mosquitoes vs black flies or ticks, there are different oils you can use.

Mosquitoes: lavender, peppermint, geranium, lemongrass, eucalyptus, basil, clove, juniper berry, lemon, rosemary, and more.
Flies & Gnats: lavender, patchouli, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint, lemongrass, tea tree, and more.
Ticks: lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, rosemary, sage, thyme, geranium, peppermint, and more.

My Top 2 Picks for Bug Repellant Oils

Terrashield

When it comes to protecting yourself from outdoor annoyances, what better way than protecting yourself with Mother Nature’s offerings itself? Though often unseen, many plants contain a vapor barrier provided by their essential oils that protect them from potential threats in their environment. The doTERRA TerraShield essential oil blend harnesses these plant-protecting essential oils into one product for an effective outdoor blend. Combining Cedarwood, Ylang Ylang, Catnip, Lemon Eucalyptus, Litsea, Nootka, Arborvitae, and Vanilla Bean Absolute, TerraShield is a topical and aromatic blend that can improve any outdoor adventure as its natural ingredients aid in protecting against environmental annoyances. Due to its organic nature, the TerraShield oil is safe for all to use.

If you’re not so much into the DIY, you can buy the oil pre-mixed in a coconut oil base in a spray, ready to use. You would apply it directly on your skin, like a lotion.

Purify

I love the Purify blend. As a side note, I use it for every laundry load to not only keep the clothes smelling fresh and clean, but also to keep the laundry machine clean too!

This oil is a perfect combination for an insect repellant because it has all the citrus and citronella oils. The blend contains: Lemon Peel, Siberian Fir Needle, Citronella Grass, Lime Peel, Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Leaf, Cilantro Herb essential oils.

Simple Bug Spray Recipe

The easiest DIY combination from doTERRA that you can put together is the Terrashield blend + Purify blend and add in some Peppermint and you’ll be getting pretty much a repellant for every insect! Use a ratio of 1 : 1: 0.3 [so say 10 drops Terrashield + 10 drops Purify + 3 drops Peppermint].

Bug Bites

Now if you do get bug bites (because sometimes insects will stop at nothing to get you!) the best oils to apply topically are lavender and tea tree/melaleuca. I like to apply them directly on my skin for instant relief! If you have Roman Chamomile or Frankincense, those can be used as well.

Other Skin Irritations

When it comes to any other scrapes, the same oils used for bug bites can be used here. Lavender is great for healing and tea tree/melaleuca is great if there is any infection.

Photosensitive Oils

One thing to be mindful of in the summertime with topical applications and out skin is that some oils are photosensitive.

What does this mean?

Photosensitization is the process in which ultraviolet (UV) radiation combines with a particular substance and causes chemical or biological changes. These oils are the ones that contain furocoumarins, a special class of constituent that can cause photosensitization of the skin. These are mostly citrus essential oils.

In short, if exposed to sunlight (which gives off UV radiation) after topical application of a photosensitive oil, the skin may become temporarily darkly pigmented, red, or irritated.

Photosensitivity apply to topical use of essential oils only and do not pose the same risks when used internally or if diffused. When using a photosensitive essential oil topically, avoidance of sunlight is recommended for up to 12 hours after use. If you’re diffusing or ingesting the oil (make sure it’s of purest quality), there are no precautions when it comes to photosensitivity.

Essential Oils that May Cause Phototoxic or Photosensitive Reactions:

For more information on photosensitivity, check out this video by doTERRA for more info. 

Essential Oils and Cocktails/Mocktails

Using essential oils in beverages is probably one of my favorite things to do. On a simple day to day basis I’m using a variety of the citrus oils in my water to keep me feeling quenched and refreshed.

But when I feel like kicking things up a notch, I like to make fancier drinks, mocktails, and even cocktails.

The simplest way to add in the essential oils to any drink is to just replace (or use in conjunction with) the citrus you would normally use.

 The top 4 oils I like to use for this are lemon, lime, wild orange, and grapefruit. They take any drink and make it taste that much better! All you need is 1-2 drops, depends on the size of your glass.

Also, the aromatic effects of the oils will also peak curiosity with your friends for your drink will also smell amazing! 👃👌

You’ll also get the benefit that the citrus oils have on cleansing and detoxing. This way if you are making cocktails you’re getting a little liver support too! 😉

Here are some amazing drinks that you can try:

Honey Ginger Lemonade 
Cranberry Lime Spritzer 
Tangerine Paradise Punch 
Strawberry Citrus Slush 
Raspberry Limeade 

Essential Oils in the Kitchen

Are you curious to try the oils in the kitchen? Try this simple cucumber salad!

Essential Oil Popsicles

Are you looking to keep cool this summer? If you’re a fan of popsicles, you’re going to want to try out this recipe! Feel free to swap out the lime oil in this recipe for any other citrus oils. Just make sure that when you’re using oils for internal use that the essential oil you’re using is safe for ingestion. I always suggest using doTERRA’s essential oils.

Check out this Citrus Coconut Popsicle Recipe Here!

Summer Diffuser Blends

Diffusing the oils in the home makes even dark raining days seem bright and sunny! Try out some of the blends below.

Conclusion

So as you can see, the use for essential oils is never ending! Are you addicted to them yet like I am? Lol!

I’ve been using the oils daily for over 4 years now, so trying to pick out certain ones for summer was hard. But if you made me choose, these are the summertime oils that I won’t go without:

Lavender • Peppermint • Tea Tree/Melaleuca
TerraShield Blend • Purify Blend
Lemon • Lime • Wild Orange

And which these oils you’re able to nourish your skin, protect from insects, and also have a little fun at the same time!

Are you looking to try some oils this summer? I have 4 Introductory Kits available for you which include 5ml bottles of Lavender, Peppermint, and Lemon. With these 3 oils the combinations of things you can do is almost endless! You get skin protection and healing, oils for desserts and drinks, and of course you can use them to diffuse or any of the 101 uses for these oils!

The cost of the kit is $34 CAD + $5 shipping. 

Curious what you can do with these 3 oils? Download the free handout of the 101 uses for Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint below:

If you’d like to add in any of the other oils I discussed in this article, just send me an email at andrea@holisticharmonyhealth.com and I’ll put together a custom order for you.

Wanting to buy your Essential Oils at wholesale prices?

Amazing! I’d love to help and guide you on how you can incorporate essential oils in your every day life!

Now, because essential oils can be very powerful, it’s important that you use a pure and trusted brand. I personally recommend doTERRA essential oils because they are not only 100% pure, third party tested, safe, natural, and free from contaminants/synthetics/filler, but they’re also the highest therapeutic grade available in the market. So not only are we working with a pure product, but one with the highest healing powers! Double BAM!

If you love natural health solutions and products and want to get a therapeutic effect from all your personal needs (cleaning products, personal care products, and essential oils for everything including moods!), then the best way to buy the oils would be to get a wholesale membership through doTERRA which would give you wholesale pricing (25% discount)! There are various kits you can buy which waive the enrollment fee ($42CAD) or you can just pay the fee and buy individual oils of your choice.

You can purchase the kits and oils directly from my site here under the Join & Save tab: https://www.mydoterra.com/andrearossi/

If you’re not sure how to start or if you want more information about the oils, the membership, or even about summertime oils, sign up for a free 30 min essential oil consult!

Much Love,