I don’t know about you but I just love the aroma of fresh lemons. Lemons are so versatile and can be used to help freshen your home as well as being fantastic for your health.
Lemons have tons of Vitamin C, they are a great antioxidant and for using as an antibacterial deterrent. You may not have heard too much about lemon oil though.
Lemon oil is actually made from cold pressing the rind of the lemon. The oil basically becomes a concentrated form of the lemon juice. A small bottle will last for ages and won’t spoil as lemons would. Be careful though as lemon oil is extremely strong and only a very small quantity is needed.
Lemons are used in aromatherapy as they help boost your cognitive clarity. The lemon oil can be used in a diffuser to help freshen any room.
Have you noticed how many cold and flu products contain lemon? There is a good reason for this. Lemons can help soothe a sore throat, ease congestion and relieve a stuffy nose.
Other health related uses of lemon oil include:
- Helping to freshen your breathe
- Exfoliating your skin
- Used to add natural highlights to your hair
- Helping to banish nail fungus
- Degrease your hair
- Helps bug and bee stings to heal faster
- Improves digestion
- Helps to remove toxins from your liver and kidneys
Many doctors actually recommend drinking lemon water first thing in the morning, before eating anything.
Pour an 8oz glass of warm water and add the juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon to it. Or you can slice the lemon and add the slices into the water. Only use fresh lemons and not the concentrated lemon juice found in bottles.
So why are lemons and lemon oil so powerful? Lemons contain citric acid, vitamin C, pectin, magnesium, limonene and calcium. All of these items help to boost your immune system so that your body can fight infection better.
Sadly way too many people have too much acid in their bodies. This comes from eating lots of sugars and grains. Drinking lemon water daily helps reduce this acidity, especially from around your joints. The benefit of this is that it can help reduce joint pain and inflammation. In fact the American Cancer Society recommends a daily drink of lemon water to help maintain regular bowel movements.
Lemon Oil Around the Home
Lemon oil, about 6 drops, can be added to equal parts water and white vinegar. Shake well and use this to clean counter tops, chairs and sinks in your home. If you have hard water stains use concentrated lemon oil on a scrubbing pad to help remove them.
To keep your home smelling fresh add 10 drops of lemon oil into a bottle of water and spray in the air to freshen it up. Do this in March to really help bring the feel of spring into your house.
You can also treat laundry stains and remove gum and stickiness from clothes with lemon oil. Just treat the area with a couple of drops of lemon oil before washing it.
As you can see there are lots of uses for fresh lemons around your home. If you purchase lemons in bulk then try making lemon oil from them before they spoil. Just remember that lemon oil is extremely strong, only use a few drops at a time.
