Pure English Peppermint oil 10ml

When you use Summerdown essential oils, you can be rest assured they’re 100% pure because they’re grown, harvested and distilled in the purpose built distillery on our Hampshire farm. Our farm manager Ian personally oversees the entire distillation process.

But there are so many essential oils on the market today and such a plethora of messages around them, if you’re using them at home it can be difficult to know which advice to follow. So here Shelley Baker, Consultant Aromatherapist to Summerdown, provides these helpful ‘How to use’ tips so you can be confident you’re using Summerdown’s pure essential oils in the right way.

Please note, this information is provided for using essential oils with adults NOT children or babies where specific advice from a professional and qualified Aromatherapist is advised for each individual situation.

How to use essential oils in the home by Shelley Baker

Inhalation

“Perhaps this is the easiest and fastest way to reap the benefit of essential oils. Particularly good for a quick burst of energy or sense of relaxation. Add 1 or 2 drops to a tissue and inhale. Don’t be tempted to inhale directly from the bottle!

 Topical use

We talk about using essential oils ‘topically’ when they come into contact with your skin, whether this is in the bath, or as a massage for example.

If you’re applying an essential oil topically, it should always be diluted in a carrier oil or unscented lotion/cream base. Never add essential oils directly to water; oils and water don’t mix and you’ll risk causing skin irritation.

The oils I suggest for massage/general application are

• Grapeseed (Vitis vinifera)
• Sweet Almond Prunus amygdalus Dulcis (*** as long as you are not allergic to nuts)
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Useful if you have dry skin, add 5 ml Calendula to 45 ml Grapeseed or Sweet Almond to make a total 50ml carrier oil blend.

We recommend you always test the oil (in a carrier) on a small patch of skin first, usually your forearm.

Recommended ‘doses’ for topical application with ADULTS would be:

4 drops essential oil in 15 ml vegetable oil or cream base for massage / application

15 drops essential oil in 50 ml bath base (available from Aromatherapy suppliers)

Essential Oil safety

There are several ways of using essential oils safely and effectively at home, please remember though that essential oils are strong and powerful. Here are a few tips to keep in mind about safety:

• Always keep them out of the reach of children and pets
• Never remove the dropper insert from your bottle (it’s there for a reason)
• Do not apply undiluted to the skin (including not adding neat essential oil to your bath)
• Always wash your hands with soap/detergent after you’ve been handling essential oils/making up products
• Never use essential oils anywhere near the eyes, ears, or mucous membranes
• If you need to remove essential oil from yourself, wipe the area with vegetable (olive) oil, washing it out of eyes won’t work. As we say below, essential oils are not water soluble.
• The properties of plants as in herbal medicine and essential oils are not always the same. Please don’t assume –  if you’re in doubt seek the advice of a professional and qualified Aromatherapist. As a guide look for an IFPA registered therapist. (International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists).”

Summerdown Mint’s tips on using Essential Oils in cooking

NEVER ingest essential oils neat or added to water. Essential Oils are not water soluble.

Only ever use essential oils when part of a trusted recipe (like Gee Cartwright’s delicious recipes)

We hope that the above is helpful guidance for the safe use of our essential oils. But if you do have any questions, always feel free to get in touch at info@summerdowmint.com and one of the team will be able to help.