Stay Healthy Essential Oils for Cold Season

9 min to read
Karen Williams
09/20/2021

Stay healthy with essential oils this cold season!

A lot of people are feeling especially concerned during this cold season, and that's perfectly understandable!

It's great to be aware of your health. Being proactive can not only safeguard your immunity (and keep your family healthy). It can also help you feel calm and confident so stress doesn't drag down your immune responses.

Consider this post your guide for using essential oils for the cold season and anytime there are viruses in the air.

I'll share a strong strategy for staying healthy, a list of 10 essential oils for cold prevention, and recipes for using these essential oils throughout your day. (I'll also share kid-friendly versions of these recipes! Their systems are more responsive and sensitive than grown-ups'.)

These tips can help you keep yourself—and your family!—healthy during virus season.

Success Strategy: Essential Oils for Cold Season

Many essential oils can offer great support during the cold season (and flu season).

I'm going to share a list of 10, so you have options.

First, let's talk about our basic strategy for using essential oils for immune support.

The idea is to increase your exposure to natural, health-supporting essential oils... while decreasing your exposure to germs, and to stressors that can weaken your immunity.

It's good to:

  • Wash your hands frequently

  • Eat healthy foods

  • Drink plenty of water

  • Get enough sleep

  • Stay relaxed if you can

  • Make your own natural cleaning products (and reduce toxic ones)

  • Make essential oils part of your daily routines so you're constantly exposed to their supportive benefits

Understand your strategy?

Excellent!

Let's get into a list of essential oils for cold prevention!

10 Essential Oils for Cold Season

As I mentioned, there are many essential oils that can help.

The ones I'm using in the recipes below are:

  1. Clove Bud essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum/Eugenia caryophyllata)

  2. Eucalyptus globulus essential oil (Eucalyptus globulus)

  3. Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon)

  4. Lemongrass ct. rhodinol essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus rhodinol)

  5. Melissa essential oil (Melissa officinalis)

  6. Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita)

  7. Sandalwood essential oil (Santalum album)

  8. Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

  9. Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

  10. Thyme ct. linalool essential oil (Thymus vulgaris linalool)

These essential oils have all been researched and found to help protect health and offer immune support during the cold season.

Here are some ways you can use these oils every day!

Recipes! - Essential Oils for Cold Prevention

Immune Support Hand Gel

  • 1 fl oz (28 g) Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis)

  • 3 ml Solubol dispersant

  • 5 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

  • 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

  • 5 drops Thyme ct. linalool essential oil (Thymus vulgaris linalool)

Make this recipe in a 1 oz (30 ml) PET plastic bottle with a flip top. (Sometimes that's called a disc top.)

FOR KIDS: These essential oils are gentle enough for kids! Let's just reduce the drop count in our hand gel.

  • 1 fl oz (28 g) Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis)

  • 1 ml Solubol dispersant

  • 2 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

  • 2 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

  • 2 drops Thyme ct. linalool essential oil (Thymus vulgaris ct linalool)

Put the aloe vera into the bottle first, and be sure to leave a little room for the Solubol and essential oils. The Solubol will help keep the essential oils dispersed through the aloe vera gel, which is a water-based product.

Since there are no preservatives in this, I recommend making a fresh bottle every 2"-3 weeks.

It's important to note this is just a gentle hand blend that helps support the immune system.

If you want to make a more potent germ and virus buster, the CDC recommends that a recipe includes 60% of 190-proof alcohol. Very strong! It could be very drying for our hands and even with the alcohol addition, this doesn't eliminate all types of germs. At Aromahead Institute, we prefer to simply wash our hands frequently with soap and water using good hand-washing techniques. (Note: Aloe vera gel with xanthan gum and alcohol do not mix well.)

For on-the-go hand washing, you can carry a bottle of water and your own handmade travel-sized soap. (Try the Sweet Lemongrass Hand Soap recipe below!)

Healthy and Carefree! Diffuser Blend

  • 5 drops Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon)

  • 4 drops Clove Bud essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum/Eugenia caryophyllata)

FOR KIDS: Clove Bud is a little too strong for children, especially kids younger than 5. I suggest swapping it out for Thyme ct. linalool instead.

Use this immune support blend in your diffuser at home or if you have an office with a door that closes. (Unless your co-workers also want to breathe in the essential oils. It's good to check with them.)

In addition to reducing germs and supporting immunity, this essential oil blend can inspire confidence and upbeat, positive feelings.

Healthy and Carefree diffuser blendKeep Breathing, Keep Smiling! Inhaler

  • 6 drops Sandalwood essential oil (Santalum album)

  • 5 drops Eucalyptus essential oil (Eucalyptus globulus)

  • 4 drops Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita)

Making essential oil inhalers is easy and fun!

FOR KIDS: Kids tend to love aromatherapy inhalers, because they're so easy to use. Very empowering for them! Here's a kids' version of this recipe, with adjusted drop counts and essential oil suggestions for little ones.

  • 2 drops Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon)

  • 2 drops Sandalwood essential oil (Santalum album)

  • 2 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

They're perfect during the cold season since they let you deliver the essential oils right to your respiratory system.

An inhaler looks a little bit like a lip balm tube. Inside, there's a piece of cotton (sometimes called the "wick" or "insert". That's what absorbs the essential oils.

Just drop the essential oils onto the wick, and close up the inhaler. That's it!

Your inhaler will fit right in your pocket, and you can use it anytime, anywhere. Even at the grocery store or airport. It's great for planes!

Sweet Lemongrass Hand Soap

  • 40 ml Castile soap

  • 14 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

  • 10 drops Lemongrass ct. rhodinol essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus rhodinol)

Make this blend in a 50 ml travel foam soap bottle.

I suggest only using 40 ml of castile soap, though. The top of the bottle contains the foamer pump, and it takes up a little space in the bottle itself.

FOR KIDS: Let's reduce the drop counts by half for kids.

  • 40 ml Castile soap

  • 7 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

  • 5 drops Lemongrass ct. rhodinol essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus rhodinol)

Just pour your castile soap into the bottle, add the essential oils, close it up, and shake gently.

Luxurious, sweet-smelling, germ-reducing, skin-friendly, smile-inspiring foam soap for cold season!

Sweet Lemongrass Hand SoapFour Friends Hand Lotion

  • 1 oz (28 g) Unscented, natural lotion

  • 8 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

  • 6 drops Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita)

  • 2 drops Lemongrass ct. rhodinol essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus rhodinol)

  • 2 drops Melissa essential oil (Melissa officinalis)

Make this blend in a 1 oz (30 ml) PET plastic bottle.

FOR KIDS: For kids, let's reduce the drop count and leave out the Peppermint.

  • 1 oz (28 g) Unscented, natural lotion

  • 4 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

  • 1 drop Lemongrass ct. rhodinol essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus rhodinol)

  • 1 drop Melissa essential oil (Melissa officinalis)

Put the lotion into a small bowl, and add the essential oil drops. Stir gently with a glass stirring rod, or a stainless steel spoon. It may take a few minutes for the essential oils to be fully blended in, but once they're blended, they won't separate from the lotion.

Put the lotion into the bottle.

Use your lotion during the cold season after you wash your hands, while you're out running errands, at the office, or even while traveling! It will help keep your hands feeling soft and hydrated while supporting immunity.

Immune Support Air Spritz

  • 2 oz (60 ml) Water

  • 5 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

  • 5 drops Thyme ct. linalool essential oil (Thymus vulgaris ct. linalool)

  • 1 drop Clove Bud essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum/Eugenia caryophyllata)

  • 2 ml Solubol

Make your Immune Support Air Spritz in a 2 oz (60 ml) spray bottle.

FOR KIDS: Let's leave out the Clove Bud for kids. It's a little too strong for them. Otherwise, the recipe can stay just as it is.

Just put the water in the bottle, and add the Solubol and essential oil drops. Close it up, shake gently, and spritz it all around your room!

The Solubol will help keep the essential oils dispersed through the water. I suggest 4 drops for every 1 drop of essential oil. In this recipe, that would be 44 drops of essential oil. I just rounded up to 2 ml for convenience!

Since there are no preservatives in this, I recommend making a fresh bottle every 2"-3 weeks.

Using this air spritz is great between times when you're diffusing.

Immune Support Air SpritzNow you have ways to use essential oils this cold season!

If you don't have one of the oils in the recipes above, go ahead and swap it out for another essential oil in the list of 10.

You can get creative with your cold-season blends, too.

Want to make an immune support essential oil roll-on? Most roll-on bottles hold about 10 ml of the carrier. Stick to the guideline of about 6 drops of essential oil per bottle.

How about doing an essential oil steam? That can help clear mucus, and it's a super proactive way to support immunity during the cold season after you've been in public or germy areas.

Just put ONE drop of essential oil in a bowl of steamy water, close your eyes, and breathe in the steam.

One drop doesn't sound like much, but it packs a lot of plant power. More drops could get overwhelming and lead to headaches. (No thanks!)

(I don't suggest doing steams for children, though. This is a very potent way to deliver essential oils.)

Want to learn more about using essential oils for immune support?

Join us in Aromatherapy for Natural Living.

You'll customize an even more complete system for using essential oils every day in multiple areas of your life:

  • Make luxurious, immune-support body products

  • Replace toxic household cleaners with essential oil versions

  • Dive into an ENTIRE lesson about using essential oils for kids!

  • Approach health from a 3-point, holistic system

  • Study using essential oils for colds in more depth

  • Master different methods of using essential oils (like inhalers, diffusers, body oils, bath salts, and more)

Equip yourself to deal with any situation naturally in Aromatherapy for Natural Living.

There you have it! Your daily plan for using essential oils to prevent colds.

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About the author

Karen Williams - Aromahead Institute

Karen Williams

R.N. Certified Aromatherapist, Educator

I love to create amazing blends that inspire and promote a healthier lifestyle. I got my start many years ago as a registered nurse working in the hospital system. I wanted to help people more holistically. Then, I discovered essential oils, and my approach to life changed forever. Now, I’ve made it my mission to share what I’ve learned about aromatherapy with my friends, family, and the world. Because - life is so much better with health, happiness, and community.

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