Top 8 Health Uses for Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is often considered a favorite in the essential oil community. It is promoted by its users as being a help in many aspects of health, particularly when it comes to headache, congestion, and digestion. There are many ways to add peppermint oil to your daily health practices. Try a few of these suggested uses for peppermint oil and see what works for you!

1. Headache relief

A headache may be helped with a simple peppermint headache salve like this one from Confessions of An Over-Worked Mom. Rub a bit onto your temples or the back of your neck at the first sign of a headache.

2. Oral health

Peppermint makes the perfect breath freshener and may also be good for dental health. Use it as a mouthwash or create a simple and natural toothpaste. It’s a great way to get your mouth clean without any hard-to-pronounce ingredients! Try a toothpaste recipe like this one found at DIY Natural.

3. Tummy health

Use a drop or two on your wrists or stomach to help relieve nausea or motion sickness. It is best to use a carrier oil (such as almond or olive) rather than applying the peppermint directly. You may also try adding a drop of peppermint oil to a cup of tea regularly to promote healthy digestion.

4. Relieve congestion

Peppermint oil is partially made up of menthol, which makes it a good choice when it comes to relieving congestion. You may add a few drops of oil to a pot of boiling water or your humidifier and inhale the steam, or use the headache relief salve recipe above on your chest.

5. Soften lips

Dry, chapped lips can be aided by a good peppermint lip scrub and this recipe from Lemon Peony won’t disappoint. After a scrub, keep your lips moist and minty with a balm you can make yourself as well! Try this one at Eat. Drink. Love.

6. Healthy hair

Encourage healthy hair by mixing a few drops of peppermint oil with a carrier oil and massaging it into your scalp. Leave your hair covered with a shower cap for 30 minutes or more a few times a month and dandruff and greasy locks may just become a thing of the past.

7. Relaxation

Peppermint oil in a warm bath can help to relax muscles and quiet the mind. Peppermint bath salts are one of the best ways to add these to your tub, and they would make a great gift for a friend or family member in need of a little relaxing as well.

8. Mental health

Peppermint oil may also help to improve mental clarity and alertness and decrease stress when inhaled. You may choose to use it on your skin or diffuse oil into the air with a diffuser. And don’t forget the obvious bonus here — your house will smell great too!

Peppermint Oil Safety Tips:

Always avoid contact with the eyes. Combining with olive or almond oil to dilute is beneficial in topical uses. Ingesting undiluted peppermint oil is not recommended. Always consult a doctor, particularly if you are taking any medications, as there may be interactions. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult a doctor before using any essential oil and it is recommended that peppermint oil not be used during the first months of pregnancy.

Kayla Lilly is a photographer, writer, wife, and mama making a house a home in eastern Idaho. She met her mister while working at an amusement park and married him a year later after deciding there was no way to live without him. The amusement has continued as they’ve added three kids and a passel of pets to their lives while finishing college and starting a photography business. Drawing inspiration from the whirlwinds of marriage, parenthood, and the media, Kayla blogs at Utterly Inexperienced, and spends the rest of her time chasing chickens, organizing junk drawers, diapering toddlers, and photographing everyone willing to step in front of her lens.

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