Keep Your Cool with Peppermint Oil
After a couple of years of rather disappointing English summers, we’re finally having a prolonged period of hot weather and although this is well overdue, the hot sticky nights and stuffy days in offices will be starting to take their toll and many of us will be looking for new ways to cool down.
As advocates of finding natural remedies for everyday problems, we’ve been looking to essential oils to help us keep cool during the heatwave and it’s no surprise that oils belonging to the mint family have been proving particularly effective.
How does mint keep you cool?
Essential oils such as peppermint oil have natural cooling properties, which are ideal for making your body feel cooler, and the key to this is an organic compound called menthol.
Menthol can be found in most mint related products and cools you down by tricking your brain into making you feel cool. How does that work? We have a whole set of nerves which run from our skin to our brain to sense changes in temperature. The receptor protein that senses the changes in temperature is called TRPM8 and it is found in the cold-sensing nerve cells. Menthol cools you down by triggering the TRPM8 ion, causing your skin's cold receptor to become sensitive. Your brain receives the cold signal from your skin and that’s why you feel cold – very clever and completely natural.
Top Tips on Using Peppermint Oil to Keep You Cool
In the bath
Not always the practical option, but if you are feeling hot and sticky after a long day in the office, a cool bath with a few drops of peppermint oil will have you feeling fresh and revitalised in no time.
A cooling room fragrance
If your house has been locked up all day while you’re at work, the hot weather can make it stifling and stuffy to come home to. Using a cooling room fragrance such as our Waft of Peppermint, will give your home an instant lift, while refreshing your senses and clearing your mind after a long day.
Soothing body oil
This technique is ideal for cooling you down just before you get into bed, or equally as refreshing first thing in the morning. Simply add peppermint essential oil to a carrier oil (approximately 1 drop of peppermint oil for every teaspoon of carrier oil), such as almond or jojoba and use as a massage oil to rub into your skin. Be careful not to use too much peppermint oil, as the cooling sensation can be quite intense, so try a small amount first.
A refreshing body spritz
Diluted with water, or a carrier oil, peppermint oil can be used as a refreshing body spritz, for an instant cooling effect. Make sure you avoid your face, as the tingling sensation can be irritating for sensitive skin.
Cleansing soap
Hands in particular can get sticky during hot weather, so using a soap infused with peppermint oil, such our Waft of Peppermint Hemp Oil Soap, will leave your hands feeling cool, clean and refreshed.
At NatBrands we’re passionate about seeking out and supplying natural alternatives to everyday household and personal care products. Our new Waft range, including Waft of Peppermint Room Fragrance and Waft of Peppermint Soap, is suitable for Vegans and is designed to use the natural power of essential oils to promote harmony and balance in your home.
See full details of our Waft range here
- Claire Price
