Best essential oils for nasal congestion
They have properties that help stimulate our immune system, so they are useful in these months when colds increase. The thermometer is already beginning to anticipate the arrival of the cold. Yes, we know that if we look at the calendar, it is what it is. But it’s hard to get used to the sharp drop in temperatures. And, above all, you have to be on your guard to prevent colds, one of the collateral damage of these weather changes, due to respiratory viruses.
It is important to stimulate our immune system, and we can do it by taking care of our diet, resting well, exercising… But, in addition, we can resort to natural remedies that help us achieve it. An example is aromatherapy, a discipline based on the benefits provided by essential oils. Thus, knowing the benefits of incorporating essential oils into our daily care routine will help us prepare our body for the drop in temperature.
Broadly speaking, its use has a direct impact on the quality of our breathing, helping us to keep it clear. We start from the fact that an essential oil is a volatile, aromatic and highly concentrated liquid that is extracted from the leaves, flowers, bark, wood, seeds, resins and many other parts of a plant. Normally, these oils are obtained by steam distillation, giving rise to an oily liquid that, despite being called ‘oil’, is not greasy at all. The benefits of its use reside in the active substances that are obtained in the extraction process and that, as a whole, provide properties that help stimulate our immune system.
The truth is that to get the most out of essential oils, it is best to resort to diffusers. And it is that we will not only be able to enjoy a pleasant aroma, but also, we will see how the air is purified, so that when we smell and breathe them we enjoy their properties. It is a biochemical action where the active compounds of the oils penetrate the body through the respiratory system, helping, for example, to relieve respiratory congestion.
- Oregano essential oil will help both eliminate viruses in the environment and strengthen your immune system.
- Cinnamon or clove oils combined with a drop or two of some citrus help warm up on colder days. In addition, they also provide a very homely and sweet aroma.
- An essential oil of eucalyptus or rosemary has a clear decongestant and expectorant effect, it is essential at this time.
- Tea tree has antibacterial and antifungal properties that, beyond improving the quality of the air we breathe, help keep surfaces cleaner. This essential oil is also very useful if applied to the skin diluted in a carrier vegetable oil.
You may have doubts regarding the proportions you should use. To keep the environment clean, different essential oils can be used, but it is best to use the diffuser with 3 drops of tea tree, 5 drops of eucalyptus, 4 drops of rosemary and 3 drops of lemon. If, on the contrary, we already have low defenses, the ideal is to bet on a mixture of “6 drops of rosemary, 6 drops of oregano and 3 drops of lemon to help us strengthen the immune system.
As we said, it is important to prevent. But we are not always able to prevent the dreaded cold from appearing. For this reason, if prevention is late and we are already faced with nasal congestion problems, the best thing to do is to use decongestant mists. Specifically, they recommend using 5 drops of eucalyptus and 5 rosemary in the diffuser or 2 drops of each with hot water to make the vapors that will help us breathe better.
In addition, if nasal congestion and colds end up causing headaches, it is also very effective to smell the oils directly from the bottle or apply a drop distributed to the temples. For headaches, mint essential oil works very well and you can apply one or two drops on a handkerchief to smell directly or apply to the temples or neck through a roll-on.