Lime essential oil is cold pressed/expressed or steam distilled from lime peels or rinds. The botanical name for the lime tree is Citrus aurantifolia. There is a difference between cold pressed or expressed lime oil and steam distilled lime oil.
Cold pressed lime essential oil is phototoxic. That means you could suffer a serious skin reaction if you go outdoors in the sun after using it. You can still use it, just wait at least six to eight hours before going outdoors or make sure you cover your skin.
This deliciously fragrant essential oil is used to treat viral infections, upper respiratory infections, inflammation and much more. It has antibacterial, anti-carcinogenic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiseptic, antiviral, aperient, astringent, bactericidal, bronchodilatory, chemopreventive, cognitive, cytotoxic, disinfectant, febrifuge, hemostatic, insecticidal, restorative and tonic therapeutic properties.
1. Lower a Fever
Use lime essential oil to lower your fever. Its febrifuge therapeutic properties cause the body to sweat out toxins and reduce your temperature naturally. Simply add 1 to 2 drops of lime oil to your diffuser, along with about 1/4 cup of distilled water, and run the diffuser for 30 to 60 minutes.
2. Treat Upper Respiratory Infections
Dilute steam distilled lime essential oil in a carrier oil at a rate of 1 to 2 drops per teaspoon of carrier oil. Massage the mixture into the chest and throat to relieve chest congestion and fight the infection.
Practice lime essential oil aromatherapy, too. The antimicrobial, bactericidal, bronchodilatory and anti-inflammatory therapeutic benefits will help treat the infection and reduce inflammation within the airways.
3. Alleviate Sinus Infections
Use lime essential oil in the same way to get relief from sinus infections. You can also apply a 1% to 2% distilled lime EO/carrier oil blend on your face over your sinus cavities for relief.
If you are experience serious sinus pain due to an infection, add a few drops of ylang ylang essential oil along with the lime oil and apply that to your cheeks and forehead for fast relief. Ylang Ylang has powerful analgesic properties.
*Be careful not to get essential oils in your eyes or nose. They are very irritating to sensitive mucous membranes. Apply diluted essential oils no closer to the eye than the outer ridge of the eye socket.*
4. Prevent or Treat Viral Infections
Practice lime essential oil aromatherapy to treat or prevent viral infections like the flu or a cold. Its natural antiviral therapeutic properties will kill the germs. You can also use a 1% to 2% distilled lime oil/carrier oil blend as a hand sanitizer. It will kill the viruses before they can infect you. Any carrier oil can be used with lime oil.
Important Note: Whatever you choose for an oil, make sure that the oils you purchase are high quality. Remember, you’re breathing this oil into your lungs so essential oil quality is a terrible place to cut corners.
5. Prevent or Treat Bacterial Infections
Apply a 2% to 3% steam distilled lime EO/carrier oil blend to wounds and sores to treat or prevent bacterial infections. Lime essential oil has been clinically proven to be effective for killing Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and other harmful bacteria.
It can be applied up to several times a day. You can use any carrier oil you like; however, babassu oil, coconut oil and jojoba oil have antibacterial properties. They would be ideal carrier oils for treating or preventing bacterial infections.
6. Speed the Healing of Mouth Sores
Gargle with 1 drop of steam distilled lime essential oil mixed into an 8-ounce glass of warm water to treat canker sores or mouth ulcers. Its antimicrobial properties will kill the germs and speed healing. You can swish and gargle with it several times a day. A 2% to 3% blend can be applied to cold sores to speed healing.
7. Alleviate Oral Thrush or Candida Infections
Use the steam distilled lime essential oil mouth wash to get rid of oral thrush. Lime oil kills the Candida albicans fungus that causes oral thrush. Use it several times a day.
*Place a drop of a 2% lime essential oil/carrier oil blend on an inconspicuous area of skin. Wait for at least a few hours to make sure you aren’t sensitive to it before using it topically on larger areas.*
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8. Treat Urinary Tract and Intestinal Infections
Massage the abdomen and lower back with a 2% steam distilled lime EO/carrier oil blend to get rid of UTI’s and intestinal infections. You can apply it two to three times a day. You can also make a steam distilled lime oil bath oil and use it in a sitz bath for UTI’s or a regular bath.
Mix up a 3% to 5% lime oil blend for bath oil. You’ll only need to add a few drops to a sitz bath. For a full bath, you can put 8 to 10 drops of the 3% to 5% blend in the warm bath water.
While you can use any carrier oil you like, a lighter-weight oil works best for bath oils. Abyssinian oil, grapeseed oil, kukui nut oil and rosehip seed oil are all light-weight carrier oils that are good for bath oil blends.
9. Improve Digestive Tract Health
Massage the abdomen with a 1% to 2% lime oil/carrier oil blend to improve the overall health of your digestive tract. It stimulates the production of bile and enhances the digestive process. Lime oil aromatherapy is also very beneficial for enhanced digestion.
Add 2 drops of lime oil to the diffuser and turn it on in the room where you plan to take your meal. Start the diffuser about 15 minutes before you eat and leave it running until you finish. You can ingest 1 drop of lime oil for improved digestion, too, although most experts don’t think it is necessary.
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You shouldn’t ingest more than 1 drop per day, though. If you do decide to ingest it, mix it in a glass of water or, better yet, mix it with a little virgin, unrefined coconut oil, divide it up into 1/4- to 1/2-teaspoon blobs, put it in the refrigerator to firm up and eat it like a lime-flavored candy before meals.
Don’t try doing that with fractionated coconut oil, though. It won’t solidify in the refrigerator.
10. Relieve Muscle Spasms and Cramps
Massage sore, cramping or spastic muscles with a 1% to 3% distilled lime essential oil/carrier oil blend. It has been clinically proven to stop muscle spasms. For pain relief, mix a few drops of ylang ylang oil in with the lime oil and carrier oil.
11. Get Rid of Cellulite
Massage a 1% to 2% lime essential oil/carrier oil blend into areas where stubborn cellulite is a problem. Apply the blend twice a day.
*A 1% to 3% dilution rate (1 to 3 drops of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil) is fine for everyday use of steam distilled lime EO. Stronger dilution rates should only be used for 10 days to 2 weeks at a time.*
12. Fight Free Radicals
Practice lime EO aromatherapy to fight free radicals and boost your immune system. You can also apply lime oil topically for this benefit or take a warm bath with some lime bath oil.
13. Treat Acne
Dab pimples with a 2% to 3% lime essential oil/carrier oil blend. Let it set for a minute or two then spread it around on the surrounding skin. Argan oil and jojoba oil are excellent carrier oils for fighting acne.
They naturally control the skin’s sebum production. Sebum is the thick, oily substance that the skin naturally secretes which causes acne.
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14. Moisturize Oily Skin
Use a 1% lime essential oil/carrier oil blend to moisturize oily skin. It fights bacteria and free radicals that harm the skin without making it too oily. A lighter carrier oil works best for skin that tends to be very oily.
*The maximum safe dilution rate for steam distilled lime essential oil is 15%. The maximum dilution rate for cold pressed lime essential oil is .7%, which is about 2 drops per tablespoon (not teaspoon).*
15. Firm and Tone the Skin
Apply a 1% to 2% lime oil/carrier oil blend to loose skin to firm and tone it, giving it a smooth, younger appearance. Lime oil’s natural astringent properties will tighten the skin right up. You can use it twice a day for this purpose.
16. Treat Psoriasis and Eczema
Use a 2% to 3% lime EO/carrier oil blend to help clear up psoriasis and eczema. Apply it several times a day. Almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil and olive oil are all great carrier oils to use in a psoriasis blend. They all have therapeutic properties that are effective for the treatment of psoriasis and eczema.
17. Reduce Varicose Veins
Apply a 2% to 3% lime essential oil/carrier oil blend to varicose veins and gently rub it into the area. You can use this blend up to several times a day on varicose veins.
18. Alleviate Depression
Practice lime essential oil aromatherapy to alleviate depression. It is wonderful for lifting your spirits but is calming at the same time. Overwhelming concerns and depression will fade a little with every aromatherapy session.
Put 2 drops of lime oil into your diffuser with 1/4 cup of distilled water and run it for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. You can use it three to four times a day. If you like, you can also add a few drops of clary sage essential oil or lavender essential oil.
They will add a wonderful herbal/floral fragrance and make your aromatherapy session even more effective. They both have antidepressant therapeutic properties, too.
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19. Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Enjoy a lime essential oil aromatherapy session to naturally alleviate anxiety and stress. It is very calming and soothing yet uplifting. You can add a few drops of clary sage EO to the diffuser at the same time for enhanced stress-relieving benefits.
Clary sage oil naturally reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that your body produces too much of when you are over-stressed for long periods of time.
20. Improve Cognitive Function
Enjoy lime essential oil aromatherapy to improve cognitive function. Lime essential oil contains chemical constituents that are very similar to lemon essential oil, which has been proven to improve cognitive function.
*Make sure you get pure lime essential oil for ingestion. You don’t want to ingest an essential oil that has been mixed with anything.*
21. Get Rid of Dandruff
Add lime essential oil to your shampoo to treat dandruff. Soap up your hair, let it set for a few minutes then rinse. You can add lime oil to your conditioner, too. I usually just mix up about 1/4 cup of essential oil shampoo at a time.
You can pour about 1/4 cup of your favorite shampoo into a container, preferably glass as essential oils can degrade plastic, and 4 or 5 drops of lime oil.
Was this list helpful to you? Lime essential oil smells so refreshing and uplifting, I was thrilled to find out that it also has lots of therapeutic benefits. This is one of the inexpensive oils, too.
A 15 ml bottle generally costs $8 to $15. With such a great fragrance, as well as antiseptic, antimicrobial and bactericidal properties, this is an excellent citrus oil to use for cleaning.
Please leave a comment to let me know if this list helped and tell me about your own personal experiences with lime essential oil. We’ll just keep adding to the on-going list of great uses. Be sure to share, too, so that others can become aware of all the uses for this essential oil.
References:
1. Ayurvedic Oils: Lime Essential Oil
http://ayurvedicoils.com/tag/ayurvedic-health-benefits-of-lime-essential-oil
2. Sustainable Baby Steps: Lime Oil: Uses, Benefits, and Precautions
http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/lime-oil.html
3. Organic Facts: 11 Impressive Benefits of Lime Essential Oil
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/lime-essential-oil.html
4. Hopewell Essential Oils: Lime, Distilled
https://hopewelloils.com/lime.php
5. Rocky Mountain Oils: Lime Essential Oil
https://www.rockymountainoils.com/lime-usa.html