How to make homemade essential oil blends that can help with sinus congestion, allergies, and help boost immunity.
I recently had a one of those really stuffy, congested, flu-like colds. It started off as allergies, then progressed to congestion, then eventuated into a full-blown cold. Suffice to say, I lived near the tissue box for a week…
Now, colds aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, they’re healthy. They help keep our immune system strong and alert. There’s a common belief that if we never have cold or flu symptoms, it means we’re healthy! This is actually false.
It’s only if these symptoms drag on for months, or if we get no response, that it indicates our body is too weak to fight it off.
Marla from Wholistic Homeopath sums up this point really well:
We all come in contact with tens of thousands of viruses and bacteria every year. Many of these will enter our body. If you are HEALTHY, your body should mount an immune response to fight it off before it can take hold in our system. Our body should create a fever to incinerate the microbe and create extra mucous production to push it out via mucous membranes (a.k.a runny nose). What we want is to see a healthy response (fever, runny nose, cough) to these pathogens that does not DRAG ON FOR MONTHS.
If you get no response (a.k.a never get sick), that means your body is too weak to mount a response so all these pathogens are entering the system and disrupting our body’s function but our body is not doing anything about it. If you get a PROLONGED response, that too means your body is not strong enough to create a high enough fever or reaction to kill off the pathogen efficiently.
So what do we want? We want to have a healthy response to pathogens but it should clear up quickly and not drag on. We should be getting sick (especially kids) once or twice a year! We tune our immune system by getting colds and being exposed. This is called building immunity.
EBV example: most people who have EBV antibodies never actually had mono. This tells you that they contracted the virus and their body was too weak to mount a response (fever and other mono symptoms) to destroy it so it let it take hold and now there are chronic antibodies being produced triggering things like chronic fatigue.
Marla Pietruszko BSc R.H.N.
So getting sick isn’t something we need to be scared of, it’s a good thing. It means our bodies are working. What we don’t want is to be sick all the time or never at all. We want to find the happy medium.
What really helped me through my week from hell (I’m being melodramatic), was doing inhalations with essential oils. It helped clear up my sinuses, even if just for half an hour, and killed any pathogens camping out in my nose, chest, throat, etc. I did these inhalations four times a day for a week, and found they really helped in relieving congestion and headaches brought on from congested sinuses.
I used a blend of different oils in my inhalations to help expel the mucus and unblock my sinuses, so below are a few essential oil combos to help with congestion, allergies and immunity.
Personally, I use an inhalation kit, however, you can also do this using a bowl full of hot steaming water:
- Begin by pouring boiling hot water into a small bowl, then add the essential oils and place a towel over your head so that it creates a steam chamber.
- Lean over the bowl and breathe in the steam. The essential oils will evaporate quickly, so you may need to do this three times in one session. I use one drop of the oil blend in the hot water, and breathe that in until it evaporates. I then add another drop, repeat the process, then one last drop, and repeat again.
- I do this every few hours.
The process is the same for each blend, whether it’s for allergies, immunity or congestion.
Some essential oils, such as eucalyptus and peppermint, can trigger asthma symptoms, so use with caution.
Before we get started in learning how to make these essential oil blends – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!!
Homemade Essential Oil Blends
Here are a few essential oil blends that may assist with sinus congestion, allergies and immunity.
Sinus Congestion Blend
The essential oils used include:
- Peppermint: Contains menthol, a compound that can help open up the airways and clear mucous.
- Eucalyptus: May help clear congestion in the nose.
- Tea tree: A natural antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory.
- Oregano: May help kill bacteria causing the congestion.
- Clary sage: A natural antimicrobial.
- Lavender: May improve symptoms of sinus congestion by reducing pain and swelling.
- Rosemary: A natural anti-inflammatory.
- Wild orange: Assist in supporting healthy immune function.
Ingredients:
- 10 drops peppermint essential oil
- 7 drop tea tree oil
- 7 drop lavender essential oil
- 7 drop eucalyptus oil
- 7 drop wild orange essential oil
- 7 drop rosemary essential oil
- 7 drop oregano oil
- 7 drop clary sage essential oil
To make:
Add essential oils to a dropper bottle or old, clean essential oil vial, and gently shake to combine. Always shake before use.
To use:
- Add one drop to an inhalation kit or bowl of steaming hot water.
- Lean over bowl (not too close) and cover head with towel to create a steam chamber. Take deep breathes in, breathing in the essential oil-infused steam until the scent disappears.
- Add another drop, and repeat. Do this three times per session. I did this three to four times a day until my symptoms cleared.
Seasonal Allergies Blend
The essential oils used include:
- Peppermint: Contains menthol, a compound that can help open up the airways and clear mucous.
- Eucalyptus: May help clear congestion in the nose.
- Tea tree: A natural antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory.
- Frankincense: May help to ease a blocked, runny or itchy nose, and stop sneezing.
- Sandalwood: May help to ease a blocked, runny or itchy nose, and stop sneezing.
- Lavender: May improve symptoms of sinus congestion by reducing pain and swelling.
- Ravensara: A natural anti-allergenic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiseptic, antiviral, and expectorant, making it an excellent remedy for allergies.
- Lemon: May help in clearing sinuses and reduce congestion.
Ingredients:
- 10 drop sandalwood essential oil
- 10 drop frankincense essential oil
- 10 drops ravensara essential oil
- 8 drops peppermint essential oil
- 5 drop tea tree oil
- 6 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drop eucalyptus essential oil
- 6 drops lemon essential oil
To make:
Add essential oils to a dropper bottle or old, clean essential oil vial, and gently shake to combine. Always shake before use.
To use:
- Add one drop to inhalation kit or bowl of steaming hot water.
- Lean over bowl (not too close) and cover head with towel to create a steam chamber. Take deep breathes in, breathing in the essential oil-infused steam until the scent disappears.
- Add another drop, and repeat. Do this three times per session. I did this three to four times a day until my symptoms cleared.
Immunity Blend
The essential oils used include:
- Clove: Naturally antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal.
- Peppermint: A natural antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic.
- Eucalyptus: A natural antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and expectorant.
- Tea tree: A powerful antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial and a great decongestant.
- Frankincense: A natural antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and expectorant.
- Ginger: A powerful anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and may help ease respiratory infections.
- Lavender: May improve symptoms of sinus congestion by reducing pain and swelling.
- Thyme: A natural antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiseptic and expectorant.
- Rosemary: Naturally antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and decongestant.
- Lemon: May help stimulate lymphatic drainage.
- Oregano: Contains antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.
Ingredients:
- 10 drop clove essential oil
- 10 drop peppermint essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops frankincense essential oil
- 8 drop tea tree oil
- 7 drop ginger essential oil
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
- 8 drops thyme essential oil
- 7 drop rosemary essential oil
- 7 drop lemon essential oil
- 8 drops oregano oil
To make:
Add essential oils to a dropper bottle or old, clean essential oil vial, and gently shake to combine. Always shake before use.
To use:
- Add one drop to inhalation kit or bowl of steaming hot water.
- Lean over bowl (not too close) and cover head with towel to create a steam chamber. Take deep breathes in, breathing in the essential oil-infused steam until the scent disappears.
- Add another drop, and repeat. Do this three times per session. I did this three to four times a day until my symptoms cleared.
If you’re experiencing a sore throat as well, I find this homemade cough syrup works wonders in soothing my throat.
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Have you done inhalations before? What was your experience? Share in the comments below.
Lots of love,
🖤 Vanessa
Sources:
Lana, Burgess. (February 27, 2019). Top 7 essential oils for sinus congestion. Medical News Today. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324570
Natalie, Silver. (Updated: May 21, 2019). Essential Oils for Allergies. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/essential-oils-for-allergies
The 10 Best Essential Oils To Support Your Family’s Immune System. (Updated: January 31, 2021). Self-Care for Mom (motherhoodcommunity.com). Retrieved from https://motherhoodcommunity.com/the-top-10-best-essential-oils-to-support-your-immune-system/
Diffuser Recipe: Stuffy Nose Relief. (February 16, 2016). Purely Labs. Retrieved from https://purelylabs.com/diffuser-recipe-stuffy-nose-relief/
Lane, Jennifer. 6 Immunity Essential Oil Blends for Kids – Kid Friendly Recipes. Loving Essential Oils. Retrieved from https://www.lovingessentialoils.com/blogs/diy-recipes/immunity-essential-oil-blend
DÅŒTERRA WILD ORANGE ESSENTIAL OIL. Totum ENT. Retrieved from https://livetotum.com/product/doterra-wild-orange-essential-oil/
Nagdeve, Meenakshi. (Updated: January 31, 2020). 15 Amazing Benefits Of Ravensara Essential Oil. Organic Facts. Retrieved from https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-ravensara-essential-oil.html
Ravensara. Holistic Pathways. Retrieved from https://www.holistic-pathways.com/holistic-pathways-store/essential-oils-hydrosols/product/198-ravensara
