When it comes to living on the homestead, it’s all about making the most of what you have around you: nature. Pure and natural essential oils for family and farm fit this scenario perfectly. With their countless uses and natural benefits, essential oils are absolute must-haves on homesteads.
Homesteading: To Oil or Not to Oil?
When you think about using essential oils on the homestead, you might be wondering, “Isn’t that idea a bit counterintuitive?” As the homestead lifestyle focuses on the notion of self-sufficiency, doesn’t buying essential oils for family and farm contradict that self-sufficient way of life?
The fact of the matter is that the modern use of aromatherapy stems from people’s needs for natural alternatives. Similarly, homestead living revolves around a life that’s closer to nature and away from the world’s artificialities. And let’s admit it, crafting essential oils yourself takes a lot of time and a whole lot of herbs, making the task impractical or nearly impossible.
Essential oils, along with their all-natural properties, uses, and benefits, complement the homestead lifestyle. In fact, pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils come in real handy for homestead crafts!
But what makes essential oils ideal for homesteading? Whether you’re all for that self-sufficient life or a city dweller who’s a huge gardening enthusiast, these essential oil recipes will surely be of great use to you and your family.
Must-Have Homesteading Essential Oils and Blends
For the Garden
Gardeners, rejoice! Essential oils offer a lot of benefits to your plant babies. These essential oils for gardening might just make your vegetables, herbs, and other crops grow like there’s no tomorrow.
1. Pest Control
Any gardener or farmer understands the frustration of having pests plaguing their once healthy crops. But as more and more people are becoming aware of the harmful effects of chemical pesticides, many are resorting to a natural DIY solution.
Enter: essential oils for pest control.
Since pure essential oils are all-natural, using them for controlling pests is far better for the environment than using chemical pesticides. Plus, essential oils for pest control emit a fragrance that’s strong enough to conceal your plants’ pheromones, which attract pests. These oils’ strong fragrance will also make your garden smelling fresher than ever.
What You’ll Need:
- Water
- Spray bottle
- 1 ounce of natural dish soap or liquid castile soap
- 10 drops of peppermint oil
- 10 drops of rosemary oil
Mix the water, soap, and essential oils in your spray bottle. Spray on the parts of the plants that you’re not going to eat. Spray your plants during early morning or right before nightfall. Use this solution on your plants every two weeks or so.
2. Plant Fungicide
Like traditional pesticides, chemical fungicides can be damaging to our health and the environment. Good thing that a wide variety of essential oils for gardening offer antifungal properties.
Tea tree oil, in particular, possesses fungicidal properties, among many other benefits. Aside from treating infections and improving oral health, this oil can help control fungal growth on plants without the harmful effects of chemical fungicides.
What You’ll Need:
- Spray bottle
- 2 cups of water
- 10 drops of tea tree oil
After mixing the oil with water, shake the solution well in your spray bottle. Spray it on the infected plants every week. Avoid spraying on the leaves and avoid spraying your plants with this solution during hot weather. Doing so can cause burns on your plants.
3. Pollinator Attractor
Bees are a gardener’s best friend. They spend most of their lives gathering and distributing pollen, helping people grow their gardens. But did you know you can use essential oils to attract these champion pollinators?
Bees, along with butterflies and other pollinators, just love the aroma of some essential oils for gardening. With the essential oil blend below, you can easily make your own natural pollinator attractor.
What You’ll Need:
- Spray bottle
- 1 cup of water
- 8 drops of lavender oil
- 8 drops of orange oil
- 8 drops of rosemary oil
Pour the oils and water into your spray bottle. Then, shake the solution well before applying. Spray it on the soil or directly on the plants during early morning or late afternoon.
For the Barn
Homesteaders know the joys of barn life. They also know the pains of caring for barn animals.
From pests to diseases, the problems in the barn tend to be a bit of a headache for homesteaders. Luckily, essential oils for farm animals are here to save the day.
Of course, it’s best to practice caution when using essential oils on animals. But there are certain essential oils that are safe to use on your hoofed (or feathered) friends, as long as these oils are properly diluted. Below are some easy DIY recipes with essential oils for farm animals.
1. Fly Spray
Almost everyone who owns farm animals faces one similar problem: flies. Flies aren’t just annoying—they also carry diseases that can harm your animals.
While you can buy chemical fly repellents from a store, it’s just a truly unpleasant experience to have those chemicals ending up on your mouth, clothes, or worse, in the milk from your cow.
A homemade fly recipe with essential oils for pest control can work wonders to repel flies from your barn.
What You’ll Need:
- Spray bottle
- 4 cups of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil or any other carrier oil
- 1/2 ounce of natural liquid dish soap
- 15 drops of rosemary oil
- 15 drops of peppermint oil
- 15 drops of lavender oil
Mix everything in your spray bottle and shake well before applying to your animals’ coats. Do this regularly to keep the flies away from your barn animals.
2. Chicken Coop Cleaner
Chicken coops need regular cleaning—it’s an inevitable part of a day in the life of homesteaders. If you’re about to get down and dirty in the coop, be sure to be armed with a DIY chicken coop cleaner with essential oils.
Yes, essential oils are well-known ingredients in many household cleaners, and they also come in handy when cleaning chicken coops. An all-natural DIY chicken coop cleaner won’t only leave your coops smelling fresh and clean, but it’ll also keep out flies, mites, and other unwanted critters.
What You’ll Need:
- Spray bottle
- 8 ounces of vinegar
- 4 ounces of all-natural dish soap
- 2 cups of water
- 10 drops of lavender oil
- 10 drops of grapefruit oil
- 10 drops of peppermint oil
- 10 drops of tea tree oil
Add all of these ingredients in your spray bottle and shake well. Wear gloves and a mask and remove the bedding. Then, spray on the walls, floors, roost, and all places that attract flies. Scrub everything with a brush then wipe off the solution with a cloth.
3. Udder Balm
Got milk? Then your cows might be working so hard that their udders have become irritated or sore.
Hardworking cows deserve their teats to be treated well, and the best thing you can do is to spread a homemade udder balm on their udders. Before making one, make sure you have an airtight wide-mouth glass jar so that you can easily scoop out the balm!
5.0/5.0Bonus Tip: Storing recipes with essential oils in UV glass jars will preserve their quality for a longer time!
I Want This
What You’ll Need:
- Wide-mouth glass jar
- 3 ounces of calendula oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of shea butter
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon of beeswax
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 2 drops of tea tree oil
- 2 drops of lavender oil
Set a double boiler on your stove. Melt and stir the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and calendula oil or extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Mix well and remove from heat.
Add the essential oils and honey when the mixture starts to cool down. Then, allow it to cool further. Mix it again and store it in a glass jar.
For You and Your Family
Keeping your homestead up and running calls for a huge amount of labor. After a hard day’s work, it’s time to treat your—and your family’s—battle scars with some all-natural remedies. Don’t forget your set of essential oils for family and farm, of course!
1. Sap Remover
As you chop firewood or prune trees, getting tree sap on your hands can’t be avoided. It’s so stubborn, sticky, and just plain problematic that there are all sorts of household remedies online, from toothpaste to peanut butter.
If you have lavender essential oil in your arsenal, then the problem is solved! Lavender oil is effective at dissolving sticky substances, just like tree sap.
What You’ll Need:
- Lavender oil
Simply put 2 drops of undiluted lavender oil on the affected area, rub it, and wash the oil off with soapy water.
If you don’t have lavender essential oil at your disposal, then lemon oil can do the trick just as well.
Note: Apply only 2 to 3 drops of lavender or lemon essential oil on your skin to remove the sap. Do not exceed this dosage as using too much undiluted oils topically can cause skin irritation. If you’ve never used lavender or lemon oil before, it’s always best to do a skin patch test first.
2. Bug Bite Treatment
It’s summertime! The weather’s pleasantly warm, nighttime adventures are a thing, chopping firewood isn’t needed.
But during this warm season, bugs are everywhere. As summer rolls in, you might be covered with nasty insect bites, especially if you live on a homestead.
Fortunately, you can craft your own natural bug bite treatment with essential oils. In this recipe, lavender essential oil is the star of the show yet again. You’ll also be needing cedarwood oil—one of the most effective essential oils for bug bite treatment.
Note: If you experience any allergic reaction to bug bites, you have to seek medical care right away.
What You’ll Need:
- Glass roller bottle
- 3 drops of lavender oil
- 3 drops of cedarwood oil
- 1 ounce of fractionated coconut oil
Pour the essential oils and coconut oil into the roller bottle. Put the rollerball and cap back on the bottle. Shake the bottle to blend the oils.
Before application, clean the affected area with soap and water and dry it with a clean, soft towel. Then, roll the oil mixture on the bug bite. Avoid scratching the affected area at all costs.
3. Gardener’s Hand Cream
Gloves or no gloves, homesteading takes a major toll on your hands. While homesteading is a labor of love, you shouldn’t forget to take care of your worn, tired hands.
You can do so by whipping up a homemade hand cream for gardeners (and homesteaders, in general).
What You’ll Need:
- Glass jar
- 3 tablespoons of beeswax
- 2 tablespoons of shea butter
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 5 tablespoons of almond oil
- 10 drops of grapefruit oil
- 10 drops of cedarwood oil
Put the beeswax, shea butter, almond oil, and coconut oil in a double boiler. Stir until it melts. Then, remove the mixture from the heat.
Refrigerate it for about 10 minutes. Next, add the essential oils and stir. Pour the mixture into your glass jar and let it set completely for several hours. Apply the hand cream to your hands after a hard day’s work.
Precautions
Before using essential oils for family and farm, it’s always best to practice these safety precautions:
- Do not use essential oils on pregnant women or children.
- If you have serious health conditions, seek your doctor’s advice before using your homesteading essential oils.
- Avoid putting oils on broken skin or open wounds.
- Do not apply more than a few drops of undiluted essential oils to your skin. Some essential oils are too strong to be applied to the skin without being diluted first in a carrier oil.
- Do not use essential oils on your farm animals’ ears, mouths, and noses.
- Avoid using undiluted oils or hot essential oils on your animals. Some examples of hot oils include peppermint, cinnamon, oregano, and clove. If you plan on using one of the hot essential oils on your animals, always heavily dilute it with a carrier oil.
- Ask your veterinarian first before using any essential oils for farm animals.
- Store your homesteading essential oils and blends in a cool, dark place. We recommend storing your oils and blends in lightproof, airtight glass containers. Avoid using plastic containers as essential oils can degrade plastic.
Summary
Life on the homestead isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But for some, it’s a reality borne out of a dream. Indeed, it’s a simple lifestyle with a better appreciation of nature. But such a way of life partially independent of technology doesn’t come without a cost.
Thankfully, the difficulties that come with a homestead lifestyle are easily solvable. Some of the solutions to these difficulties include crafting useful recipes with essential oils for family and farm.
When you think about it, the problems of a homestead lifestyle are kind of welcome ones as the solutions are as simple as this way of life. Most importantly, homesteading, along with its difficulties, is a truly fulfilling way to lead one’s life.
Before you continue living the gratifying life of a homesteader, don’t forget to take home some homesteading essential oils. The essential oils that you’ll mostly be using for the recipes above are lavender oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, and tea tree oil. In some of these recipes, you’ll also be needing cedarwood oil and grapefruit oil.
If you’re planning to get essential oils for family and farm, always choose 100% pure, all-natural oils, just like the essential oils on Aroma Foundry. As with all other homesteading supplies, it’s best to get wholesale essential oils to save big on time, effort, and money.
Author Profile
Diet Immarie Salazar lives and breathes (and writes about) all-natural living. As a free spirit, her favorite Aroma Foundry essential oil is patchouli. But thanks to the saving graces of lavender oil, she can go about her day despite the inevitable stress and frequent headaches.