The Best Ways to Use Summer Essential Oils

If you’ve spent the winter dreaming about dusky summer nights filled with lazy BBQs, sparklers, and mouth-watering alfresco dinners, then you’ll love these creative ways to use essential oils during your favorite summer activities.

Essential oils are extremely versatile, from acting as a soothing agent for sun-kissed skin to repelling summertime pests or adding extra flavor to drinks or summer dishes, essential oils offer a wealth of summertime wellness benefits.

Summer Essential Oils to Use in the Summer

Certain types of essential oils really shine during the summer months, and it can be fun to use summer essential oils to brighten up your favorite summertime activities. While there is a wide breadth of essential oils that you can capitalize on during the summer, these are three of our favorites for the perfect time of year: summer!

Lemon Essential Oil

Who doesn’t love the citrusy smell of fresh lemon? Lemon is an effective cleansing agent and one of its many benefits includes its air purifying capabilities and its use as a multi-purpose, non-toxic cleaner throughout the home. It is also frequently added to drinks, dishes, and desserts to enhance flavor. When diffused, it adds an uplifting aroma sure to kick any BBQ off right, and when taken internally, Lemon essential oil can help provide digestive benefits.*

Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

Did you know that cinnamon is derived from Cinnamomum verum—a tropical, evergreen tree that can grow up to 45 feet in height? Found naturally in South America and the West Indies, cinnamon comes from the dried inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree whose bark, leaves, and flowers give off a fragrant aroma and a warm sweet flavor. Cinnamon Bark essential oil supports healthy metabolic function and a healthy immune system when ingested.* Don’t let an irritated digestive system prevent you from enjoying your favorite summer activities.* After all, you’ve waited all winter long for just this time of year. Using doTERRA Cinnamon essential oil can provide benefits for your digestive and immune systems to support you in working towards tip-top shape.*

Madagascar Vanilla Absolute

This warm, sweet scent is often added to your summer morning coffee or tea, or to a cold smoothie delivered poolside. Fill your home with this comforting scent or add a few drops to your body lotion or evening bath for an inviting aroma.

One last note: Don’t forget that heat can damage the quality of essential oils. It is recommended that you keep your essential oils in an environment that is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler to maintain their quality and integrity.

Clever Ways to Use Essential Oils in the Summer

Summertime is the perfect time to use essential oils to create a refreshing atmosphere, repel insects naturally, and promote relaxing aromas. If you’re spending time outdoors this summer, try a few of these clever ways to use essential oils this summer at all your outdoor gatherings—be it camping, hiking, backpacking, or just lounging around poolside.

Repel pests. Like people, bugs come out in full force during the summer. Be prepared to fight the onslaught by using essential oils that repel bugs and pests. doTERRA Peppermint essential oil works great for this.

Clean and sanitize. Use essential oils, like doTERRA Lemon essential oil and doTERRA Wild Orange essential oil, to help cleanse outdoor eating areas and for use as an all-purpose cleaner within the home.

Ramp up your summer beauty routine. Mix essential oils with your favorite body lotion for a relaxing scent that will also hydrate your skin. Or add a drop or two to your summer bubble bath to create a spa-like experience.

Add to summer drinks. Dress up your water this summer with food-grade essential oils that are safe to consume in small amounts like grapefruit, lemon, and peppermint.

Keep your cool on a hot summer day. doTERRA Spearmint essential oil contains menthol, which has wonderful cooling properties. It is safe to be ingested in small doses, so applying it topically can help keep you cool on hot summer days. Or add it to a summer mocktail, like a mojito, to deliver a cooling, refreshing beverage with a kick.

Soothe hot skin. Essential oils like Lavender are great for a topical calming effect on sun-kissed skin. Mix it with water and apple cider vinegar, applying via a spray bottle, for best results.

Freshen your breath. All ready for that fun summer date night? No need for fancy breath fresheners. Grab your food-grade doTERRA SuperMint^™ essential oil and add it to distilled water for long-lasting fresh breath.

Purify the air. Some essential oils, like lemon, have purifying qualities for the air and make your home or outdoor patio smell like a little slice of heaven. Add it to a diffuser, or incorporate it into an all-purpose cleaner for a non-toxic clean-up of common household spaces.

One small note: Remember that people respond differently to oils, so carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to dilution and adding carrier oils. It’s also a good idea to do small test areas on your skin before topically applying oils. And since this is a post about using essential oils in the summer, don’t forget that essential oils can have a different effect on the skin when exposed to sunlight (called phototoxicity), so be sure to research the oil you’re using thoroughly or better yet, run it by your doctor.

Summer Recipe Fun with Essential Oils

If you haven’t considered using your essential oils in some of your favorite summer recipes, you’re in for a real treat. Using essential oils in recipes is a creative way to add a burst of summer flavor—not to mention sneaking in a few wellness benefits—that will delight and surprise family and friends. Try a few of these DIY essential oil recipes during the 4th of July holiday and see for yourself!

doTERRA Essential Oils—Mother Nature's Best Kept Secret

Isn’t it amazing how many ways you can use essential oils during the summer to brighten your space, cleanse the air or surfaces, or embolden your favorite recipes with flavor? All while sneaking in the amazing health benefits of essential oils.

Try using essential oils this summer in your favorite recipes, outdoor parties and family gatherings, or outdoor adventures for a truly enriching experience that is packed with a healthy dose of flavor and health benefits. With doTERRA’s commitment to providing high-quality, pure essential oils, you can experiment without reservation.

Are you finding new ways to use your essential oils this summer? Share it with us! The doTERRA’s Cinnamon essential oil, Madagascar Vanilla Absolute, or Lemon essential oil are a great way to start! We’d love to hear what adventures and experiments you are trying this summer.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.