Which Essential Oils to Use for a Sore Throat

3 min to read
Andrea Butje
08/02/2021

Not sure which essential oils to use for a sore throat? 

You can use essential oils for a sore throat in a topical blend, like a throat cream.

Simply applying the blend topically really can bring a lot of relief—soothing inflammation, reducing infections, and calming spasms (think of the kind of coughing that comes on all of a sudden and doesn't want to let up).

Here is one of my favorite natural sore throat recipes! 

3 Great Sore Throat Oils!

  • 1 oz (28 g) Unscented lotion

  • 4 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)

  • 8 drops Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon)

  • 6 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Make this blend in a 1 oz (30 ml) glass jar.

You can also use any kind of unscented natural cream that you like.

Put the cream into the jar, and simply add the drops of essential oil right into it.

Stir the essential oil gently with a glass stirring rod. (You can also use the handle of a stainless steel spoon.) It may take a minute or so for the essential oils to be fully stirred into the cream, but once they are stirred in they won't separate again. Your cream will last a few weeks before you should make a new jar.

You can apply this cream right onto your throat, your chest, and the back of your neck. It feels so soothing and cooling!

Let's talk about why we would use these 3 essential oils for a sore throat.

Lavender essential oil is a good friend for so many different therapeutic purposes. It is a master when it comes to gently calming inflammation and cooling heat.

Tea Tree is a reliable "go-to "essential oil for reducing germs and infections. And its ability to clear congestion makes it one of my favorite essential oils for sore throat!

Lemon essential oil is another expert at getting rid of germs and infections. It also has a cooling touch and is a wonderful natural pain relief oil. I love the combination of Lemon and Lavender for decreasing swelling.

I want to touch on an important safety issue.

You may have heard that Lemon essential oil (along with some other citrus oils) is PHOTOTOXIC.

When Lemon essential oil is applied topically in certain concentrations, it causes negative skin reactions in sunlight. That means if you apply Lemon essential oil and then go out in the sun, you could experience discoloration, burns, blisters, or another uncomfortable reaction.

So if you are asking, "Andrea, why would Lavender include Lemon essential oil in this sore throat blend if Lemon is phototoxic?"/

You're asking a good question!

The answer is that Lemon is only phototoxic if it is blended at 12 drops or more per 1 oz (28 g) of carrier.

If we use less than 12 drops per 1 oz, Lemon does not become phototoxic.

And in our "3 Great Sore Throat Oils!" cream, we only have 8 drops of Lemon essential oil in 1 oz (28 g) of natural cream.

So our sore throat blend is not phototoxic at all! Lemon is perfectly welcome among our essential oils to use for a sore throat.

Discover safe, natural solutions to prevent and quickly recover from colds & flu in our 3-hour workshop, Protect Your Family from Colds & Flu!

Learn how essential oils can support your family’s health and well-being, helping you stay well and providing much-needed relief when you’re feeling under the weather. You’ll learn which essential oils can help you prevent and recover from respiratory infections and gain a strong understanding of how and why they work.

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