Tag Archives: oil

The Benefits of Peppermint

Posted in Nutrition Now by

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so they say.  Snow on the ground, Christmas shopping, and peppermint flavored everything!  Which had me thinking, can that peppermint flavored hot chocolate be more beneficial to you than just a little pick me up?  When you use natural peppermint, what are some of the benefits that you actually receive?  Is that little perk a placebo effect or does peppermint help lift moods?  That’s what prompted me into doing a little bit more research on what peppermint is as how it works for us!

What is peppermint?

peppermintPeppermint is a strongly smelling European plant made from the blend of watermint and spearmint.  Noted to have a sweet odor and pungent taste (with a cooling after taste), peppermint is common in sweet treats, candy, salads, and beverages.

Peppermint can be found in many different forms.  You can easily find peppermint in either fresh or dried leaves (often used for making drinks, specifically tea), but you can also find peppermint capsules as well.  Peppermint is also very commonly found in extracted oil form that is used for aromatherapy and other medicinal uses!

Benefits of Peppermint

Peppermint is said to have many health benefits.

Calming: Peppermint is said to be extremely calming.  Drinking peppermint tea can help keep you calm and put you in a better mood.  Similarly, smelling peppermint essential oils can also help to raise moods.  Need an energy boost?  A few whiffs of peppermint can give you that little boost that your day needs.  In fact, if you want to skip the energy drink for the day, try a little peppermint instead.  A study in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine shows that men given a dose of peppermint oil before a workout showed a significant improvement in performance over a control group.  Who needs 5 hour energy shots now?

peppermint oilStomach Relief: Not only does peppermint calm your nerves, it can also calm stomach muscles and improve the flow of bile through your system, aiding in digestion.  Peppermint can also help with calming symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as pain, bloating, diarrhea, and gas.  Many studies have looked at the benefits of peppermint oil in patients suffering from nausea whether they be post-op patients or chemotherapy patients.  In many of these studies peppermint was found to greatly reduce nausea in these patients.

Pain Relief: Peppermint oil has also been shown to also help ease pain from tension headaches.  A few drops of diluted peppermint oil on the forehead can help to relieve headache pain.  This is because peppermint not only relaxes tense muscles but also helps to improve circulation.  Because of this, and with the addition of peppermints cooling and antispasmodic properties, peppermint is also useful on muscle and joint pain (evidently I should have been using peppermint oil after my back injury!) Peppermint tea is said to be extremely helpful in calming inflammation and pain from menstruation as well, and trust me, I’ve tested that one.

Sinus and Allergy Relief: Diffusing peppermint oil can help to clear up sinus and allergy problems.  The expectorant properties of peppermint can help open up your airways and clear away mucus, helping to relief symptoms of congestion.  Studies also show that peppermint contains antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant compounds meaning that they can help relieve (but not treat) symptoms for sinus conditions, allergies, colds, and the flu.

Hair and Skin: Because menthol (a component of peppermint) works so well as an antiseptic agent, peppermint oil can be used to help remove germs and buildup on your hair. It can also be used to help thicken and nourish hair follicles.  Along with the antiseptic agent, the anti-inflammatory affects of peppermint can help to calm, soften, and tone skin and reduce blackheads, oily skin, itchy skin, ringworm, and relieve sunburn.

Bug Repellent:  Apparently biting bugs hate the smell of peppermint, so it can actually be used as a deterrent for ants, spiders, roaches, and mosquitoes.

How do you use Peppermint Effectively?

peppermint diffuserWhile it’s easy to eat and drink peppermint, especially this time of year, many people find the most effective way to reap the benefits of peppermint is to use peppermint oil directly.  You can simply use peppermint oil as incense, just using it for a smell when you need a pick me up, or you can use a reed diffuser to slowly release the smell of peppermint in your home so you continuously are exposed to the oil.  You can do this by adding a few drops of peppermint oil to oil such as coconut or olive oil in a diffuser.

If you choose to use peppermint oil directly on your skin, just be sure to remember that a little bit goes a long way. You do not need to put a lot of it on your skin, just 2 or 3 drops at a time.  The same goes with ingesting direct peppermint oil.  While it’s safe to consume drinks and candies made with peppermint oil, if you are drinking peppermint essential oils, 1 to 2 drops is more than enough!

Things you should keep in mind

While peppermint oil is completely safe, you should never use peppermint oil on young children or if you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, or gastroesophagela reflux disease.

Peppermint may interact with drugs such as cyclosporine, pepcid, zantac, or other acid reducers, diabetic drugs that lower blood sugar, high blood pressure drugs, and medications metabolized by the liver.  Peppermint can also reduce the absorption of iron.  If you take an iron supplement and are taking large amounts of peppermint orally, you should wait about three hours in between on another!

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should avoid peppermint completely!  Talk to you doctor about your consumption.  A sweet treat every once in awhile should be within your ability!

Are you a peppermint fan?  Enjoy that peppermint hot chocolate this time of year.  Me too!  And now you can know that there are a ton of benefits that come with it! So go ahead and splurge on that drink you want, or grab that candy cane from the tree.  Enjoy your peppermint!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy peppermint? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

Sources and Further Reading:

Axe, J. (2018). Top 15 Peppermint Oil Uses and Benefits, for Gut Health, Headaches, and More.  Dr. Axe. https://draxe.com/peppermint-oil-uses-benefits/

Nordqvist, C. (2017).  Peppermint: Health Benefits and precautions.  Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265214.php

 

 

 

Tea Tree oil- What is it and what does it do?

Posted in Healthy Habits by

tea treeIf you’ve shopped at any grocery store, drug store, or vitamin shop, you’ve probably noticed the big fuse that essential oils have been getting these days. Everyone seems to have jumped on the bandwagon when it comes to oils for every type of ailment out there. If you’ve got a problem, don’t worry, there’s an oil out there to help you fix it.

And in fact, I’ve been known to talk about some of those essential oils on this site before.  Actually, just last week I talked about using tea tree oil to help with acne. But tea tree oil can be used for plenty of other things as well.  Today, I want to highlight a few of those uses!

Tea Tree Oil has been used for Centuries

The use of tea tree oil as a healing property has dated back to the 1770s when the aboriginals of Australia used the leaves of native trees to treat cuts and wounds.  When the leaves were crushed up and applied to an injury using a mud pack, the poultice would help to fight off infections.

This practice spread as Europeans settled to Australia in the 19th century and after time scientists began to study to claims of tea tree oil’s healing properties. In fact, in 1923, Dr. A.R. Penfold, conduct a study that proved the essential oils extracted from the “tea Tree” plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, were up to thirteen times stronger of an antiseptic bactericide than carbolic acid, which was highly popular in the early 1900s.

During World War II, Tea Tree oil was said to be used to cure hundred of Australian soldiers of a strange foot fungus that was unable to be treated using any modern ointments or lotions.

To this day, Tea tree oil has been a popular antiseptic and anti fungal remedy at home and by medical professionals (Survival Enterprises).

What is Tea Tree Oil?

tea treeTea tree oil is the oil extracted from the Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia.  It ranges in color from a pale yellow to a colorless liquid and smells slightly similar to eucalyptus.

Although safe for humans to put on their face and bodies, tea tree oil should never be ingested by the mouth.  Also, it should be avoided on pets as it can be toxic if overdosed on an animal’s skin.

Why does Tea Tree Oil work?

Tea Tree oil is said to have many properties that make it so useful in medicine.  For starters tea tree oil has balsamic properties which boost health and promotes the absorption of good nutrients from foods. Tea tree oil also has cicatrisant properties which make wounds heal quickly and protects from infections.  Tea tree oil is also antimicrobial so it helps to kill microbes that cause disease.  It is also antiviral and can help “cure” viral infects like the common cold when inhaled while sleeping or dropped on a pillow at night.

So what can Tea Tree Oil help with?

A lot of things actually.  In fact, you name it tea tree oil might be able to help.  Here, I’ll explain just some of the many things tea tree oil can help with.

  • Acne Treatment- We discussed this last week, but tea tree oil is considered a highly effective home remedy for acne. Tea Tree oil works as effectively as expensive over the counter treatments but without red and dried skin after!
  • Hair Care- Tea Tree oil can be very beneficial for your hair and scalp. Tea tree oil can soothe dry, flakey skin and it can remove dandruff.  It’s even thought that tea tree oil can treat head lice.
  • Cleaning- The antimicrobial properties in tea tree oil make it a great cleaner. Just make a brew of water, vinegar, and tea tree oil, you have a great daily cleaner.
  • Eczema- Used with coconut oil, this tea tree oil lotion can help fight eczema!
  • Fungal Infections- Tea tree oil has been known to help kill parasites such as ring worm and toenail fungus.
  • Treatment of cuts and infections- As it was used in olden times; tea tree oil can help heal cuts and wounds. First, clean the wound, then apply a small amount of tea tree oil before covering the wound with a bandage. You’ll be surprised at how helpful it is!
  • Cold Relief- Tea Tree oil can help with relief from the common cold.  Just rub it on the chest or inhale it while sleeping by dropping a couple drops of it on your pillow.  You’ll wake up feeling much better.
  • Ear Infections- It is said that dropping a few drops of tea tree oil in the ear canal can clear out ear infections and reduce pain.
tea tree online

Tea Tree oil can be found at your grocery store or pharmacy ranging from $5-$15

Of course, there are plenty of other uses for tea tree oil out there, I simply highlighted just a few of them.  If you’re curious about some of the other amazing uses for tea tree oil, I’ll link some articles below that you may find useful.

 

Now of course, this should all be taken with a bit of caution.  Although many doctors may suggest using tea tree oil as a home remedy, this isn’t really the solve all to every single medical problem out there.  In fact, tea tree oil is not FDA approved for the treatment of many regular ailments such as the common cold, ear infections, and fungal infections.  If you have any of these problems and they do not go away or get worse with the use of tea tree oil, it’s important to see your doctor, or to consult with your doctor before trying tea tree oil as a healing method. Tea tree oil may also work different for some people than it will for others.

Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever used tea tree oil to heal an ailment you’ve had and how it helped! I would love to hear your stories!

Until next time,

Kat

 

Sources and further reading:

Dr. Axe.  Top 10 Tea Tree Oil Uses and Benefits. https://draxe.com/tea-tree-oil-uses-benefits/

Organic Facts. 13 Amazing Tea Tree Oil Benefits.  https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-tea-tree-essential-oil.html

Survival Enterprises.  History of Tea Tree Oil. http://www.se1.us/health/tea-tree/history.html

 

DIY Sugar Scrub

Posted in Lifestyle Lessons by

I have talked numerous times on this blog about how much I love using a sugar scrub once a week to exfoliate my skin, keep it smooth, and remove any dead skin cells.  I have recently began running out of my normal sugar scrub, a little gem I picked while I was in Hawaii, and I figured that instead of forking out the cash to buy a new container of it, I should try to make my own scrub and how I liked that.

So today, I want to share with you the sugar scrub that I made in my own kitchen and give you an idea of how you can make your own at home.

What you’ll needwpid-20150421_152818.jpg

  • Pot or jar to put everything in (I used a recycled pot from one of my old Lush products)
  • ¼ cup sugar (Amount may vary depending on the size of your container)
  • Liquid Coconut Oil
  • Kukui Nut Oil
  • Tea Tree oil (or other essential Oil)
  • Fragrant Essential Oil (make sure it is safe for skin)

How to put together

  1. Make sure that your pot or container is clean.  Your pot can vary in size depending on how much scrub you would like to make.
    wpid-20150421_152852.jpg
  2. Place sugar in pot. You can use normal white sugar, cane sugar, or even brown sugar if you prefer.  In my recipe I used normal white baking sugar.
    wpid-20150421_152911.jpg
  3. Soak the sugar with Coconut oil. Make sure to stir it around so all the sugar is soaked.  Add a little extra so there is some to continuously soak the sugar.  (I used a little over ¼ of a cup)
  4. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of Kukui Nut Oil. You can use more or less of this as you please.
  5. Add about 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil or other essential oil
  6. Because I do not like the smell of Tea Tree Oil, I used about 10 drops of a Fragrant Essential Oil (Serenity Blend) to buffer the smell of the Tea Tree Oil. Lavender, found in Serenity Blend, is also great for the skin.
  7. Mix well.
  8. Use on face once a week. Store at room temperature between uses.
    wpid-20150421_153322.jpg

What essential oil to use

I used Tea Tree oil in my blend because it works as an anti fungal and is therefore great for fighting acne and break outs.  The Kukui nut oil is great for keeping skin moisturized, so together they are a great combination.

Other essential oils great for skin include Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, and Neroli which are beneficial for acne prone, oily skin.  Geranium, Lavender, Myrrh, and Ylang Ylang are great for dry skin as well.   Check out this article for more information on essential oils that are good for skin care.

I found my Tea Tree oil in my local grocery store for around $6.  They also had plenty of other essential oils as well.  Some are more expensive than others, so keep that in mind when thinking of what blend you are going to use on your skin.

Overall Review

As far how much I liked my DIY sugar scrub, I can definitely say that it worked at keeping my skin feeling exfoliated and soft.  I think next time I would use a larger gradient of sugar, maybe a larger cane sugar, just to feel like it was exfoliating more, but overall it felt a lot like my usual sugar scrub.  My face isn’t currently breaking out, so I can’t say too much for if the Tea Tree oil worked for that, but I can say that my face hasn’t broken out in the days since I used the product, so that’s good!

I was afraid that the smell from the Tea Tree oil was going to linger.  Tea Tree has a very spicy, strong scent to it, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if it stayed on my skin for awhile, but it didn’t!  My face didn’t smell like Tea Tree oil at all after use, so that was a bonus.  It does not detour me at all from using Tea Tree oil again in a sugar scrub in the future.

Overall, I do prefer the scrub that I got from Hawaii, it has more natural oils in it than just the few in this and I like the smell a lot more.  But as far as a cheaper, just as effective sugar scrub is concerned, I think this works just as well or is a good alternative for in between buying scrub!

Have you ever made your own sugar scrub or body scrub?  Share your recipe in the comments below.

Until next time,

Kat