Essentials Oils You Need These Fall & Winter Months

My Favorite Essential Oils

The Haitian in me leads me to believe that the there is an oil or tree for just about every ailment. In fact, when I was younger, my mother would be driving and literally make illegal U-turns whenever she spotted a specific tree. She’d grab a bag from her trunk, pull the leaves from that tree that I would not be able to identify it if hit me and make a tea when she got home. She also had an oil for EVERYTHING and it wasn’t until I got older that I was able to educate myself on the oils and everything else she used on us as children.

Now, fast forward to me in my adult life, both my husband and son have noses that are extremely sensitive. Not only does it limit the types of plugins and fragrant items that I can have in our home, but also when the seasons change, their allergy issues evolve- usually getting extremely worse! We’re no strangers to medications like Afrin or the Zyrtec/Claritin; however, products like Afrin can become addictive and cause the sinuses to come back even worse and then there’s Zyrtec that can at times, dry you out.

However, I’ve made a habit (especially lately) of turning to essential oils whenever they need more relief than any OTC can give. These oils help to relieve sinus congestion, unblock a stuffy nose, and promote sinus drainage. They are the perfect natural alternative to the synthetic medications that he had already consumed and could not consume any more of.

I’m sharing some of my favorite. These specific oils help a lot with aiding to clear respiratory congestion or irritation.

Frankincense– This is my favorite of all oils and is an anti-inflammatory. It reduces inflammatory activity in the body, which causes inflammation of the airways, and sinus infections.

Eucalyptus Oil– It’s pretty much Vicks Vapor Rub in the flesh! The cooling sensation is what aids in the relief while treating seasonal allergies.

Peppermint Oil– This is another anti-inflammatory that relieves inflammation. It is cooling and contains menthol. According to Healthline (https://www.healthline.com/health/essential-oils-for-allergies) , This compound may affect the mucus receptors in the nose, helping to open the airways and clear mucus. And let us not forget the antibacterial properties that have allowed it to be so successful with my hair regimen. The menthol also helps with headaches. I rub this on my son’s chest or headaches when his sinus causes headaches.

Lavender is an especially good option to calm and reduce inflammation which consequently helps with the any nasal struggles or allergies. It works to improve symptoms of sinus congestion by reducing pain and swelling. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that my daughter has a blood condition called Sickle Cell Anemia that can cause pain crisis. When she experiences pain crisis, I add this to her warm bath water and it helps with alleviating the pain.

Rosemary oil has powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties. Growing up, my mom used an oil on EVERYTHING and later on I learned that that oil was Rosemary. It’s been used for a long time and helps with improved circulation for headaches that result from sinuses problems.

Lemon oil is a popular choice for seasonal allergies. It is another anti inflammatory that has been shown that it can actually reduce inflammation in the sinuses.

You can use these individually or in a blend. Either way, it all helps.

For each oil there are ways that they can be used.