Day 11, Lemon essential oil is one of my favorite oils.
Lemon essential oil is a great addition to any blend. Lemon essential oil is emotionally uplifting. Just about the time this essential oil is reaching its shelf life, I use it for cleaning or adding to unscented cleaning products. I also like to use lemon essential oil to remove labels from glass jars. Lemon essential oil has no nutritional value, so avoid using it in your water. If you want the taste of lemon in your water, use the actual fruit. It takes about 3000 lemons to make 2.2 pounds of lemon essential oil depending on the method. That is how concentrated lemon essential oil can be. Lemon essential oil is either cold-pressed or steam distilled. I prefer cold-pressed lemon essential oil for diffusing or personal inhalers, and steam distilled for topical use. Continue reading to see why.
Essential Oil Common Name: Lemon
Latin Name: Citrus limon
Family: Rutaceae
Part of Plant Used: Fruit (Rind)
Extraction Method: Cold Pressed or Steam Distilled
Notes (Scent and Staying Power): Top
Safe for Ages: Safe for all ages, but there are some general guidelines when it comes to children and essential oils. But still, use caution when using topically for children under the age of 2. Sensitivities can still occur. Read here on how to do skin patch testing. If you create a blend for yourself, use a quarter of the amount of essential oil for children as a safe guideline.
Safe for Pregnancy: Yes
Safe for Breastfeeding: Yes
Topical Max: The topical max for cold-pressed lemon essential oil is 2%. Going over this topical max can increase the chances of a phototoxic reaction. This means using more than 12 drops in 1 oz of carrier oil. The steam-distilled lemon essential oil has no topical max and no increased risk of a phototoxic reaction.
Shelf Life: 2 Years
Key Therapeutic Properties/Actions: Analgesic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antispasmodic, Astringent, Antiviral, Stimulant/Increased attention/focus
Contraindications: The cold-pressed essential oil is phototoxic. Make sure to keep the dosing under the topical max. Use the steam distilled if you want a safer alternative.
Thank you for reading!
Love and Nature,
Nicole
Remember: The contents of this blog post are intended for educational and informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here. Click here to read more about my medical/FDA disclaimers.
References:
Tisserand, R., & Young, R. (2014). Essential Oil Safety. (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingstone.
Petersen, D. (2016). Aromatherapy Materia Medica. American College of Healthcare Sciences.
Aromahead Institute. (n.d.). Aromatherapy Certification Program. [Courses]. Aromahead Institute. https://courses.aromahead.com/aromatherapy-certification-program