The Essential Oils First Aid Kit by Melodie Kantner
Essential oils can be very helpful in any number of emergencies. Many people only think of essential oils as a pretty smell or a natural perfume. Essential oils are so much more. Many Essential Oils repel virus, bacteria, and other microbes and have antiseptic properties.
If you have essential oils in your home and are not using them in your first aid kit, you are missing a powerful tool that could help you in all kinds of situations.
By “First Aid Kit,” I mean oils kept on hand for various types of emergencies. They could be on a shelf in the bathroom, in the medicine cabinet, on your night table, in a basket, in a special oils cupboard, in an oils pouch in your purse or as in my case, all of the above.
Your choices for emergency oils might be very different from mine. There are so many possibilities and everyone is different in what they prefer to use. For example, cuts and scrapes – there are many oils that you could choose to clean and disinfect the wound. Some choices could be: lavender,lemon, Melrose, melaleuca alternifolia (commonly called teatree oil), or many others.
Several oils I will always keep well stocked for whatever emergency might come up: lavender, peppermint, Valor, Trauma Life, PanAway, Thieves, Peace & Calming, Christmas Spirit,Joy, Purification, lemon, helichrysum and Melrose. I have many others I like to keep on hand but these are the ones I make sure I never run out of.
If I could only use three oils, I would choose lavender, peppermint and Valor. Thankfully I have many more than three.
Note: The first 7 of the oils on my list are in Young Living’s Essential 7 Kit. Product #3120
LAVENDER – is the most “universal” oil. (When in doubt, use lavender.) It’s antiseptic, analgesic, sedative,anti-inflammatory.
Burns & Sunburns – Apply lavender oil to a burn and experience almost immediate relief. Also use it to cleanse & soothe cuts or scrapes.
Other uses for lavender: to calm and relax, anti-stress, anti-depression, insomnia (just inhale), headaches, PMS,poison ivy and poison oak.
LEMON – Has antiseptic qualities, Mood uplifting – Lemon is beneficial for anxiety and promotes a sense of well being.
Sore Throat – Mix 1 drop lemon in half glass of warm water. Mix well then gargle.
Disinfecting – Use a drop of lemon to disinfect your hands after using public restrooms.
Lemon also works well in removing gum, oil and grease spots. Mix a drop in a teaspoon of water & wipe the kitchen counter to kill bacteria (makes the kitchen smell fresh too). Put a couple drops in drinking water to purify.
NOTE: Citrus oils are photosensitizing, so avoid applying to skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight or UV light.
PEPPERMINT – I always have at least 2, usually 3 bottles of peppermint. One on my night table, one in the kitchen and one goes everywhere with me in my purse. I use it for headaches, nausea, motion sickness. For a headache, I put a drop on my forehead and temples. Don’t get any in your eyes. You can also make a compress using a washcloth dipped in a bowl of ice water to which a few drops of peppermint oil have been added. Squeeze out the water then lay the cloth across the forehead. Renew the compress often.
For nausea I put a drop on my tongue. If I ate something that didn’t agree with me, I put 2 drops in water and drink it.
Pain Relief – If you bump or bruise yourself, use peppermint to relieve the pain. Put a drop on the area.
PANAWAY – Gary Young created PanAway as a result of an injury in which he severely tore the ligaments in his leg. PanAway is a blend of birch, which has an active principle similar to cortisone; clove, which contains eugenol, used synthetically by dentists to numb gums; peppermint, calming for nerves; and helichrysum, soothing to localized discomfort. Many people have had relief from arthritis symptoms, sports injuries, sprains, muscle spasms, bumps and bruises.
Apply on location for muscles, cramps, bruises, compress on the spine and Vita Flex points on the feet.
Headache – Rub a couple drops of PanAway on the back of the neck, on temples or forehead, inhale. Create a soothing compress by rubbing 1-3 drops of PanAway on location, cover with a warm cloth. Leave for 30 minutes.
JOY – I always keep several different anti depression oils around. Joy and Christmas Spirit are my 2 “MUST HAVE” anti-depression oils.
Diffuse, put in bath water, over the heart, on wrists, neck,as a compress and dilute with V-6 Mixing Oil for full body massage.
NOTE: Joy has citrus oils in it. Citrus oils are photosensitizing, so avoid applying to skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight or UV light.
PURIFICATION helps to purify the air. It neutralizes mildew, cigarette smoke, poison from insect bites such as spiders, bees, hornets, wasps, and noxious odors found in homes, offices and other confined areas. Diffuse, apply topically to disinfect, put on cotton balls to place in air vents of home, car, hotel room, office, etc. It has been said to repel bugs, insects and mice.
Insect Bites, Cuts & Scrapes – Apply to the skin to cleanse the area. Purification may help neutralize poison from spiders, bees, hornets & wasps. Insect Repellant – Mix with carrier oil and rub on skin or mix with water in a spray bottle. Shake well before using. Spray on skin before going outside.
PEACE AND CALMING promotes relaxation and a sense of peace after a stressful day. When diffused in the home, it may help calm overactive and hard-to-manage children. Diffuse, wear as a perfume, apply on bottom of the feet.
This blend has been used to reduce depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia.
Peace & Calming along with Mineral Essence may be a healthy alternative to Ritalin.
NOTE: Peace & Calming has citrus oils in it. Citrus oils are photosensitizing, so avoid applying to skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight or UV light.
VALOR – This is one of my favorite oil blends. Valor has often been called, “Chiropractor in a Bottle.” If you haven’t experienced it yet, you are missing something really great. I used to do an inventory job where I would wear one of those computer keypads strapped around my hip. My back was always twisted from reaching forward with my left hand to count and entering the numbers on the keypad at my hand at my right side. When I would get home my back would be very sore. For back pain I rub Valor on the bottom of my feet on the reflexology spine points. Within minutes my back feels better. You can also have someone rub it on your back, but usually the feet is all I need.
Valor is also good for balancing the electrical energies of the body. It is the first oil used in the Raindrop Technique. It is wonderful for massage therapists. Use it on the feet first. Let it work for 5-10 minutes before you start the massage, then massage 5 or 6 drops into the back. On the emotional level it helps with courage, strength and confidence.
MELROSE – has antiseptic properties when used topically for cleansing cuts, scrapes, burns, rashes and stressed tissue. It may also help prevent microbial growth. Melrose also helps dispel odors.
THIEVES – I keep this one around protect my family from colds,viruses, etc. It was created from research about the thieves during the 16th century plague in England who rubbed oils all over their bodies to protect themselves while they were robbing the dead and dying. It is a proprietary blend of pure essential oils tested at Weber State University for its potent antimicrobial properties. Thieves was found to have a 99.96 percent kill rate against airborne bacteria.
TRAUMA LIFE – May help release buried emotional trauma as well as upsets such as accidents, the death of a loved one, assault, abuse, etc. This blend of calming, grounding essential oils can help purge stress and uproot traumas that cause fatigue, anger, restlessness and a weakened immune response.
HELICHRYSUM – I just used this oil a couple nights ago night to stop the bleeding when I ripped a scab off an old wound that hadn’t healed yet. Part of it was sticking up so I just had to give it a tug.
These are a few oils that one might put in a first aid kit. If you have the Essential Oils Desk Reference, you can look up the oils you have and see how to use them or what oils you may want to add to your emergency arsenal.
