Lemon essential oil is produced by cold-pressing the lemon peel, which is the most nutrient-dense part of the fruit. The lemon peel is rich in fat-soluble phytonutrients that have been the subject of many studies. Lemon essential oil can be considered one of nature’s greatest blessings as it can help with so many health concerns and daily needs.
Here on Aroma Foundry, we search every nook and corner of the world to find the best producers of essential oils. This way, we ensure that you receive only pure and natural oils. The lemon essential oil that you will get from us are guaranteed pure and 100% natural. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it?
We did a side-by-side comparison with two of the world's biggest essential oil brands.
The History of Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon derives its name from the Arabic word “laimun,” which means “citrus fruit.” Its trees were originally grown for decorative purposes, but were then widely cultivated when its health benefits were discovered.
You can also say that lemon trees have gone through quite a journey. These trees are native to Asia, but they were then brought to Europe during the Middle Ages where they were used by ancient Egyptians and Romans to treat infectious diseases. It’s also known that Christopher Columbus was the one who brought lemon trees to America.
Lemons were an excellent help for Columbus and his crew during their expeditions. They used the fruit to cure and prevent common conditions when a person spends a long time at sea -- conditions like scurvy and vitamin deficiencies.
The lemon fruit is known to be one of the richest source of vitamin C among its citrus fruit cousins.
Furthermore, lemons have been used in Ayurvedic Medicine to treat a broad range of health conditions for over a thousand years. Modern science, meanwhile, has scientifically proven the benefits of lemon essential oil. The International Journal of Food Microbiology published that lemon may actually be the most potent antimicrobial out of all essential oils.
As the powers of lemon grew more and more popular and considering that the tree can produce fruits year-round, its essential oil production boomed as well.
Uses and Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil
On this list are the commonly known uses of lemon essential oil. We couldn’t even know if this list is exhaustive, as there are hundreds of studies confirming the myriad of benefits that lemon oil has to offer. Here are the common benefits and uses of lemon essential oil that can truly help you in life.
1. Boosting Immunity
Lemon essential oil has a high vitamin content, which makes it beneficial for the immune system. It stimulates the production of white blood cells so that your body can combat diseases. It also improves blood circulation all throughout the body.
Historically, lemon has also been used to fight off infectious diseases such as fever, typhoid and malaria.
2. Skin, Hair, and Nail Care
Lemon essential oil gives a refreshing boost to your hair by making it strong, healthy and shiny. It can also be used to eliminate dandruff. Moreover, it can soften cuticles and restore your nails to a healthy condition.
It is also a holistic solution to skin problems due to its detoxifying, antiseptic and astringent properties. It helps in treating pimples and other skin disorders. For those with oily skin, lemon essential oil will reduce the excessive oil production of your skin.
People also use it as part of facial cleansers and cellulite creams. It’s truly an essential oil wonder as it purifies your skin. For people suffering from bunions, corns, or calluses, you can soften those areas with lemon oil as well.
Which other essential oils can help you take care of your skin and beauty?
3. Asthma and Allergies
Lemon essential oil can help clear your nasal passages and sinuses. It promotes steady breathing and good air flow in your respiratory system. Inhale lemon oil or use it with a diffuser to relieve the symptoms of asthmatic or allergic episodes.
4. Energy and Weight Loss
Lemon is widely used to stimulate lymph drainage and rejuvenate energy. Breathing the scent of lemon essential oil also improves neurological activity that breaks down body fat.
5. Antioxidant
There are hundreds of scientific studies that focus on the effects of lemon essential oil. This is due to a component in lemons called d-limonene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can combat cancer. It helps in detoxifying the body, prevents premature aging, and so much more.
Which other essential oils have antioxidant capabilities?
6. Pregnancy
A study was published about the effects of lemon aromatherapy for pregnant women experiencing bouts of nausea and vomiting. The results of the study showed that there was a 33% decrease in nausea and vomiting for the group that was supplemented with lemon oil.
7. Debilitating Diseases
The Central Food and Technological Research Institute of India conducted a study about how geraniol, a phytonutrient found in lemon, can help reverse diabetic neuropathy.
It was also discovered that sciatic nerve damage was reduced with the supplementation of lemon oil. The eight-week study also confirmed that cellular function was restored and dopamine levels improved due to regular lemon essential oil usage. This citric oil plays an important role in preventing diseases, cardiac dysfunction, premature aging, overcoming addictions, and fighting depression.
8. Stress
Lemon oil has calming properties that are effective in relieving exhaustion, mental fatigue, dizziness, nervousness, anxiety and tension. Go for lemon essential oil whenever you need to refresh your mind and eliminate negativity.
If your office is filled with stressed out workers, use lemon oil as a space refresher on your work area to increase concentration, alertness, and efficiency. Of course, before you do this, make sure that everyone in the space is okay with you diffusing any essential oils.
Lemon is one of the most popular flavors in the world
Precautions
Before you go ahead and indulge in the benefits of lemon essential oil, here are a few precautions that you should take:
1. Skin Sensitivity: Citrus oils like lemon essential oil should not be applied to your skin if ever you need to head outside and be exposed to direct sunlight. When lemon oil is applied to your skin, allow 12 to 72 hours before being exposed to ultraviolet light or sunlight.
2. Infants and Children: Keep out of reach of children. Avoid using lemon essential oil on young children and infants.
3. Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women: If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or you have health conditions, consult with your physician first before using lemon oil.
4. Dilution: Dilute lemon essential oil first with a carrier oil before using on sensitive areas such as the face, neck, genital area, etc.
5. Hazards: Do not use lemon oil near heat, flame, fire or sparks.
6. Blending with other Essential Oils: Lemon blends well with other essential oils such as rosemary, grapefruit, tea tree, eucalyptus, cedarwood, bergamot, ylang ylang, and lime.
How To Use Lemon Essential Oil
Some people add a slice of lemon or add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to their water for its antioxidant capabilities.
1. Insect Repellent: Mix a few drops of lemon oil with tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils to repel insects from your kitchen, bedroom, and other spaces.
2. Home Disinfectant: Add a few drops of lemon essential oil to 1 - 2 cups of vinegar to make an effective cleaning solution that you can use in clothes, dishes, metal surfaces, and countertops.
3. Morning Detox: Add two drops of lemon essential oil to 8 ounces of water to cleanse your digestive system, liver and kidneys in the morning. You can also add lemon essential oil to tap water to help kill germs.
4. Sore Throat: Add 1 - 2 drops of lemon essential oil and honey to a cup of hot water to soothe a sore or scratchy throat.
Which other essential oils can help you with sore throat?
- Amazing Uses and Benefits of Eucalyptus Essential Oil
- The Many Uses and Benefits of Sage Essential Oil
5. Fever: Add one drop of lemon oil and a drop of peppermint oil to the bottoms of your feet to reduce fever and relieve infection.
6. Asthma and Allergies: Combine 3 drops of lemon, eucalyptus, and tea tree essential oils with a little bit of carrier oil. Use this to massage behind your ears, neck, and bottoms of feet every day.
7. Skin Care: Add lemon oil to your regular facial cleanser to help remove dead skin cells and improve your skin complexion. You can also apply lemon essential oil to spots of hardened skin such as bunions, corns, and calluses. This will soften the skin and naturally heal it.
8. Hair Care: Add a few drops of lemon oil to a spray bottle filled with water. Spritz over your hair and get some sunshine. This will add natural highlights to your hair.
9. Nail Care: Apply lemon oil to your nails to restore their natural health and soften cuticles.
10. Focus and Concentration: Lemon essential oil helps in mental clarity and boosting energy. Diffusing lemon oil in your office helps enhance concentration and alertness. Diffuse it in your home too whenever you want to stay focused on a task.
11. Meditative Aroma: For your spiritual and meditative sessions, diffuse lemon oil to bring peace in your thoughts and intellect.
12. Mood Lifter: Diffuse a few drops of lemon essential oil to uplift your spirit and get a happiness boost.
Recipes
Ready to incorporate lemon essential oil to your daily life? Here are some awesome and practical recipes you can do at home using this extremely useful essential oil.
Spritz this room refresher whenever you need a boost of energy or you need to focus on your work or studies.
Ingredients:
- 40 drops of lemon essential oil
- 40 drops of lime essential oil
- 20 drops mandarin essential oil
- 20 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 120 ml or 4 fluid ounces of pure water
Instructions: Add all of the essential oils to a 120 ml glass spray bottle. Gently swirl the mixture to blend everything well. Then, pour the water into the glass bottle.
Tightly cap the bottle and shake well. Spray into any space whenever you need to freshen up a room.
Diffuse this blend in your bedroom whenever you have colds, cough, or sore throat. It will soothe your nasal passages and reduce cold symptoms.
Ingredients:
- 2 drops of lemon essential oil
- 2 drops of spearmint essential oil
- 2 drops of cedarwood essential oil
- 2 drops clove essential oil
Instructions: Add the essential oils in a glass bottle. Tightly cap the bottle and roll between the hands to blend the oils thoroughly. Add this blend to your oil diffuser for cold and cough relief.
Note: If you want to turn this into a massage blend, just add 4 teaspoons of carrier oil to this mix and massage on your head, neck, chest, and bottoms of feet.
This is a recipe for an all-purpose cleaner you can use at home to disinfect surfaces and refresh spaces.
Ingredients:
- 10 - 20 drops of lemon essential oil
- 2 tablespoons liquid soap
- 2 ½ cups of water
Instructions: Add all of the ingredients in a dark glass bottle. Cap the bottle and shake it well to mix all the ingredients together. Spray on any surface to disinfect, then wipe the surface down with a washcloth. You’ll be amazed at how clean and refreshing your items and spaces will be after cleaning.
Want to get rid of those stubborn mold and mildew? Here’s a quick and easy recipe that can help you in your cleaning duties. This is perfect for those hard-to-clean surfaces in your bathroom, kitchen and laundry area.
Ingredients:
- 15 drops of lemon essential oil
- 15 drops of tea tree essential oil
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 spray bottle
Instructions: Add all liquid ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to combine all ingredients well. Spray on surfaces to clean, then wipe off with a microfiber cloth. Spray those surfaces again with your usual cleaner and allow to air dry.
Add the following drops of essential oils to a diffuser whenever you need to have laser focus on your work or studies.
- 2 drops of lemon essential oil
- 1 drop basil essential oil
- 1 drop of rosemary essential oil
- 2 drops of spearmint essential oil
- 2 drops of grapefruit essential oil
- 2 drops of patchouli essential oil
Need to unwind and de-stress after a hard day’s work? Add the following to your oil diffuser and get that much needed me-time.
- 1 drop of of lemon essential oil
- 4 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
- 2 drops of patchouli essential oil
- 1 drop of lemongrass essential oil
Do you feel easily tired or lethargic? Do you want to relieve yourself of fatigue? This can be your go-to blend for your oil diffuser.
- 3 drops of lemon essential oil
- 3 drops of rosemary essential oil
- 3 drops of spearmint essential oil
Does your hair feel greasy? This may be due to the overproduction of oils in your sebaceous glands, which can leave your hair flat, limp, and stringy. Lemon oil can reduce the excess sebum from your scalp. It can also help bring back the balance of oil production.
Shampoo Ingredients:
- 20 drops of lemon essential oil
- ½ cup liquid castile soap
- 1 cup water
Instructions: Mix the liquid castile soap and water in a glass screw top jar. Then, add the drops of lemon essential oil. Blend everything well and massage to hair and scalp. Rinse with water, or with the hair rinse recipe below.
Hair Rinse ingredients:
- 3 drops of lemon essential oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
Instructions: Add apple cider vinegar to water, then add the drops of lemon oil. Rinse over your hair. After this, thoroughly rinse your hair in the shower (preferably with warm water).
Lemon essential oil has astringent properties, which can deeply clean the skin and at the same time shrink pores. This facial toner is perfect for oily skin because it also reduces the amount of sebum production. It can help also prevent pimples, acne, cysts, hyperplasia and other skin inflammations. Add this to your daily skin care routine to prevent breakouts.
Ingredients:
- 40 drops of lemon essential oil
- ½ cup witch hazel
- ½ cup water
Instructions: Mix all ingredients in a glass screw top bottle and use a cotton swab to apply the toner on your face. Use within 3 months.
Note: Lemon is phototoxic, which means it will increase your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. Use this toner only at night. If you need to go out the next day, apply a liberal amount of sunscreen and protect your skin from the sun.
Your skin will get an instant lift and rejuvenation after using this scrub. Remember to avoid the sun after using this exfoliant the night before.
Ingredients:
- 3 drops of lemon essential oil
- 4 tablespoons of ground oats
- 6 large and ripe organic strawberries
- 2 teaspoons of light cream
- 1 drop of rose essential oil or 2 drops of geranium essential oil
Instructions: Grind up the oatmeal using a coffee meal or blender. Mash the strawberries in a glass bowl and then add the oats. Add just enough light cream to make a paste. Finally, add the required essential oil for a nourishing boost.
Divide the mixture into half. Apply on your face and leave it for 10 minutes. Rinse off with cool water and apply the other half of the mask on your face. Rinse again with water and gently pat your face dry with a soft towel.
Need something refreshing to soothe your body after a stressful day? Spritz this body spray all over your body for an instant relief.
Ingredients:
- 6 drops of lemon essential oil
- 5 drops of cedarwood essential oil
- 2 drops of rosemary essential oil
- 3 drops of mandarin essential oil
- 3 drops of grapefruit essential oil
- 1.5 ounces purified water
- Optional: ½ teaspoon aloe vera gel
- Optional: ½ teaspoon massage oil
Instructions: Pour all of the ingredients in a 2-ounce spray bottle. Shake well to blend all of the ingredients. Spray all over your body whenever you need an instant lift or relief.
Check out a variety of essential oils you can use in these recipes.
Summary
Lemon essential oil is indeed a must-have for every home. It’s a highly versatile essential oil that has multiple uses. It has mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits for everyone who uses it in various ways. It’s also an all-around antibacterial agent that you can use at home for cleaning.
Having lemon essential oil at home will be a great convenience to you whenever you have emergencies, or even when you just need an instant boost. So many reasons to love this essential oil have been proven in both traditional and modern medicine.
From the discussions in this article, we highlight how greatly beneficial essential oils are to our daily lives. Get one or more for yourself and your loved ones for better health and well-being. We have a range of pure and organic essential oils to choose from, which can promote holistic health at home, or even while you’re on-the-go.
References
- 10 Amazing Benefits Of Lemon Oil | Organic Facts - https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lemon-oil.html
- 13 Lemon Essential Oil Recipes| Nature’s Sunshine - http://blog.naturessunshine.com/en/13-lemon-essential-oil-recipes/
- 14 Magical Ways To Use Lemon Essential Oil | Natural Living Ideas - http://www.naturallivingideas.com/lemon-essential-oil-uses/
- 17 Health Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil. James Redfield - https://www.celestinevision.com/2015/07/health/health-benefits-of-lemon-essential-oi
- 21 Lemon Oil Recipes - Uses & Benefits For Cleaning and Skin Care | New Directions Aromatics Blog - https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/recipes/ways-to-cleanse-and-energize-with-lemon-oil.html
- 57 Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipes For Mind, Body & Soul | Refined Mom - https://redefinedmom.com/57-essential-oil-diffuser-blend-recipes-for-mind-body-soul/
- 8 DIY Recipes For Cleaning with Lemon Essential Oil {plus a Free Printable} | One Essential Community - https://oneessentialcommunity.com/8-diy-recipes-for-cleaning-with-lemon-essential-oil-plus-a-free-printable/
- Lemon Oil - Uses & Benefits Of Refreshing & Invigorating Essential Oil | New Directions Aromatics Blog - https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/products/all-about-lemon-oil.html
Author Profile
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes, it takes a team to deliver comprehensive information on the all-natural solutions offered by essential oils.
- Background
- The History of Lemon Essential Oil
- Uses and Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil
- For Immunity
- Skin, Hair and Nail Care
- Asthma and Allergies
- Energy and Weight Loss
- Powerful Antioxidant
- Pregnancy
- Debilitating Diseases
- Stress Relief
- Precautions
- How To Use Lemon Essential Oil
- Recipes
- Summary
- References