Using Peppermint to Maintain a Healthy Home
Peppermint is not just a refreshing flavor for candies and teas; it also offers numerous benefits when it comes to maintaining a healthy home. This versatile herb has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties and is now gaining popularity as a natural solution for various household issues. From repelling pests to freshening up the air, peppermint can be a valuable addition to your home care routine.
What Are The Benefits Of Peppermint?
Peppermint is not just a refreshing flavor for your favorite gum or candy. It also offers numerous benefits when it comes to maintaining a healthy home. Peppermint has natural antimicrobial properties, making it an excellent choice for cleaning and disinfecting various surfaces. Its invigorating scent can also help to improve focus and concentration.
How To Use Peppermint For Cleaning
One of the easiest ways to incorporate peppermint into your cleaning routine is by making a DIY peppermint cleaning spray. Simply mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and add a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Shake well before use and use it to clean countertops, sinks, and other surfaces. The antimicrobial properties of peppermint will help to kill germs and leave your home smelling fresh.
Peppermint For Pest Control
Peppermint is also known for its ability to repel pests. If you have issues with ants, spiders, or mice in your home, try placing cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil in areas where these pests are commonly found. The strong scent of peppermint will deter them from entering your home.
Using Peppermint In the Kitchen
Peppermint can be a great addition to your culinary adventures as well. You can use fresh or dried peppermint leaves to make a refreshing and soothing peppermint tea. It can help with digestion and relieve stomach discomfort. You can also add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your homemade baked goods for a burst of flavor.
Peppermint for Aromatherapy
Peppermint essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy due to its invigorating and energizing properties. You can add a few drops of peppermint oil to a diffuser to create a refreshing and uplifting atmosphere in your home. It can help to improve mental clarity and reduce stress.
Using Peppermint To Maintain A Healthy Home
When we think of peppermint, we tend to think of food, but the fact of the matter is that peppermint is one of the most versatile plants in the world. It is used, along with things like lavender, in essential oils. These essential oils can be used for almost anything – hair treatments, housekeeping, stomach aches, and headaches.
Not enough for you? Here is a little bit of a guide to peppermint and just what it can do for you both in your home, in your yard, and throughout your life.
What can peppermint do for me at home?
When using essential oils, one of the best ways to deploy them is to use a diffuser. There are a couple of reasons for this: the diffuser will not only make the area it’s in smell far better, but it is a natural energizer as well. This will help to give you a boost of energy while helping to reduce the stress that might plague your life.
Even better, peppermint oil can keep those gross spiders and ants away from your home. All you have to do is soak a few cotton balls with the peppermint oil and place them around the house where you might generally find these pesky, creepy little buggers. Never have to worry about a multi-legged surprise again when you use peppermint oil.
When it comes time to do some spring cleaning, you can replace those nasty, toxic cleaners with peppermint oil-infused options. The peppermint oil cleaners are both antibacterial as well as anti-fungal. Getting those qualities without the nasty chemicals that can make an area feel toxic is a huge plus.
All you need is a spray bottle, some vinegar, and your peppermint essential oils. In the spray bottle, you mix roughly 30 drops of the oil with a quarter cup of vinegar and fill the rest with water. This creates an all-natural disinfectant that you can use around your home for various cleaning tasks.
And guess what? That’s not even all of the uses! For those with pets, you can help keep your pet flea-free using peppermint oil. Apply a small amount of the diluted peppermint oil to their coats, and that is all that you need. Do not overdo it, however, because your dog’s nose is way stronger than yours, and they will notice it if you apply too much.
What can peppermint do for my health?
One of the major appealing factors to any kind of essential oil is that it has several health benefits. You can incorporate your favorite essential oils into your daily routine to help improve your overall well-being and health, as well as your mood and stress levels. The latter can be particularly difficult to manage, and using peppermint oil is a great way to take the stress out of your life.
During the colder months of the year, when cold and flu symptoms begin to strike, you can help clear your sinuses. How do you do this? Put some peppermint oil on a washcloth and then inhale that aroma while taking a hot shower.
If you don’t have time for that and need to head out of the house, try putting a few drops of peppermint oil on your diffuser jewelry to help clear your sinuses while you are on the go. You can use that peppermint oil in any location to keep your sinuses from becoming an issue.
Perhaps you deal with migraine headaches on a regular basis, which you know can render you basically useless. Don’t let those get you down; use peppermint oil for its natural pain relief abilities. It is also a natural relaxant, so when you massage the diluted peppermint oil into your temples, you can help eliminate those nasty headaches before they become a huge mess.
When you get done with a particularly tough workout, try using the cooling sensation that peppermint oil can bring. The peppermint oil can help to soothe those sore muscles as well as your achy joints. To really get the feel of the peppermint oil, put a few drops into a warm bath so that you can get that revitalizing spa feeling that will heal both your body as well as your mind.
Beauty Treatments
Maybe you think that there is no way that peppermint oil could possibly do anything else. If you think that, guess what? There’s more. In addition to having natural uses throughout your home and the ability to help you recover and aid your overall health, peppermint oil makes for a great beauty treatment as well.
Perhaps you are dealing with skin conditions that have become an annoyance. With peppermint oil, you can do things like help your dry lips, calm those nasty skin irritations, and even heal those cracked, dry nail cuticles that can bleed and become painful.
Peppermint oil also makes for great skin nourishment as well as lip treatment without the nasty chemicals that you may have had to get involved with previously. Mix it with some coconut oil, shea butter, or lavender oil to heal and hydrate your skin.
Additionally, peppermint oil can help to reduce that irritant acne and can even diminish redness. All you have to do is apply a drop of the diluted oil to even the most stubborn of pimples just before bed, and you will see the difference immediately without having to buy those expensive name-brand products.
Peppermint oil can also help your hair. Just add a few drops to your favorite shampoo and conditioner, and you will notice a huge difference. Peppermint oil naturally stimulates your hair follicles. This makes for a very effective cure for those who are losing their hair without any of the weird side effects that might come with one of those “miracle” hair loss cures.
As you can see, Peppermint oil can do it all. Make your home fresh and clean, help you to feel more relaxed, and get your skin looking and feeling better than ever with just a few drops of peppermint oil in the mix.
Final Thoughts
Peppermint is not only a delicious flavor but also a versatile tool for maintaining a healthy home. From cleaning and pest control to culinary uses and aromatherapy, peppermint offers a wide range of benefits. Incorporate peppermint into your daily routine and enjoy a fresh and healthy living environment.