. . . These 5 Essential Oils
Have you seen all the hype about Essential Oils (EOs) and wondered if it could boost your running? Maybe. There are many Essential Oils that can soothe sore muscles, reduce anxiety, and help you get a better night’s sleep.
Buy your oils from a reputable source. Sadly there really is no regulation of EOs. As you can see, so far I’ve been buying mine from DoTerra. I signed up for a Wholesale Account, and that gives me a discounts on the oils I buy. The good news is that small bottle goes a long way!
Disclaimer: I am not an aromatherapist or medical professional. Some EOs are not appropriate for everyone (or animals!). Please do your due diligence before using Essential Oils.
Do not put EOs “neat”, or undiluted, on your skin. You need to mix them with a carrier oil because they can irritate your skin if they are not diluted, or sometimes cause sun sensitivty.
The two easiest ways to use EOs is to diffuse them in your home (add them to water and then the diffuser diffuses the EOs mixed with water into your living space) and as an inhaler.
You can buy inhalers for EOs on Amazon. They’re inexpensive and small enough to fit in a pocket on the run. It’s a small metal capsule with a thick cotton wick inside, and holes so that you can open it up and take a sniff. Just soak the cotton wick, put it back inside, and inhale as needed.
You don’t have to invest in a lot of EOs to begin with, and they last a long time. My personal suggestion if you want to give EOs a whirl is to start with these four:
- Peppermint
- Lavender
- Lemon (lemon didn’t make this post, but I use it all the time!)
- Tea tree (also didn’t make this post, but has so many uses)
I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida and Run Laugh Eat Pie for Fit Five Friday.
Peppermint
Want some pep in your step? Then peppermint is your friend! Also helps with:
- Muscle soreness
- Digestion
- Tricks the brain into thinking you’re not working so hard
- Roll some peppermint on your feet to put some pep in your step
- Nausea relief
- Bug Repellent
Lavender
I think most of use have heard of using lavender for sleep. Having something in your tool kit before a big race to help you relax is important. I actually use lavender oil before I go to bed every night. I use a roller ball, and I roll it on my temples (if they’re feeling tight), the back of my neck, and the soles of my feet.
Lavender is great for many other things that plague runners:
- Muscle soreness
- Reduce Allergies
- Helps relieve anxiety
- Helps relieve headaches
I mix lavender and peppermint together with a carrier oil, then apply to my feet in the mornings. Remember, peppermint peps you up, while lavender relaxes you — put together they can help soothe and pep up tired feet (or any other muscle soreness you may be experiencing).
Diffuse equal parts peppermint, lavender, and lemon to help with seasonal allergies.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is well known for its ability to help you breathe easier (Vick’s Vapo rub, anyone?). It’s great pre-race, and in the days leading up to a race because:
- It’s anti-inflammatory
- Helps support respiratory health
Unfortunately, Eucalyptus is highly toxic to dogs.
Rosemary
Although I have Rosemary EO, it’s not one I reach for often. Researching its many benefits, though, maybe I should! I do use it in an inhaler along with peppermint and lemon — when I start feeling tired on the run I will inhale this during a walk break.
- Reduces stress levels
- Reduces mental fatigue
- Reduces muscle soreness
- Reduces tissue inflammation
- Bug Repellent
- Benefits memory
- May stimulate hair growth
Vetiver
I once made the mistake of diffusing vetiver (and another EO) on a long drive. Somehow it got stuck in my mind that Vetiver is good for focus. Oops! It’s actually yet another EO that is good for sleep. Yes, I actually did feel sleepier than normal on my drive back!
- Bug Repellant — especially ticks that carry Lyme Disease (I use this often on hikes)
- Reduces Anxiety
- Helps promote restful sleep
Final Thoughts
This is not an in depth study of EOs, obviously. You may find other EOs more helpful to your running (or life). It’s just a quick introduction to how EOs can support your running.
Do you already use Essential Oils?
Which EOs are your favorites (doesn’t have to be running-related)?
What do you use for muscle soreness? DoTerra’s Deep Blue Rub is another favorite of mine. I use it when I get shots I know will leave my arm sore — it helps a lot!
Chocolaterunsjudy 
I use DoTerra oils as well – I probably use peppermint and lavender the most, though I do like to diffuse cedarwood. I would rather use a natural bug repellant so I’m going to keep vetiver in mind when hiking this summer.
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I do have to say that I haven’t yet found a natural bug repellent that works great & I’ve tried a lot! I have a lava stone bracelet & I’ll usually put some lavender & vetiver on that when I’m somewhere there’s a lot of ticks & use a spray, too.
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I only use them in my humidifier. I like the way lavender smells. I grow it in my garden and then pick it when it is dried out.
Vetiver sounds interesting for hiking.
For muscle soreness. I use sometimes ibuprofen cream that I bought in Bermuda and voltaren which you can now buy without a prescription. But luckily don’t need them often. Knock on wood
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As I said to Michelle, I have a lava bead bracelet. I put some vetiver on that when I hike & use bug spray. I’ve never actually found a tick on me yet but sometimes they’re too small to see.
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I do A LOT of hiking and I have never found a tick on me either. My cats, OTOH, have them all the time.
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My cats never got ticks & I didn’t use preventative with them. Most of my dogs never did until they were older/sick.
Although about 5 years ago we were in ME with Lola & the ticks were relentless!
Luckily Mr. Judy is good at pulling them off.
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My cats are outdoors in the woods all the time. I am good at pulling them off when they get big. I also find them on the floor. They must fall off. Lol
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I just looked up Vetiver and this is what is says:
“In a 2016 animal study, researchers concluded that inhaling vetiver oil improved alertness and brain function. Vetiver oil may help your brain feel more awake if you’re struggling to focus on a task or remain alert to what’s happening around you.”
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Trust me, there are better oils for focus (and depends on your source, too). Not to mention I inadvertently ran the experiment on myself & it did not go well!
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Not into EO at all but am interested in repelling ticks.
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People are so into these! Admittedly, I’ve never used them at home but have had them at spas and massages etc. I could see myself using a diffuser at times. Thanks for the info
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Diffusers are great. I love my portable one!
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Very interesting! I bought some a few years ago when I was searching for ANYTHING to help with some foot pain I was having. I’m not sure it helped, but I really didn’t know what I was looking for. I should try them to help with my sleep!
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You pretty much can’t go wrong with lavender for sleep!
One problem with EOs is that they’re not regulated & there are a lot of brands that aren’t great. Do terra & Living Young are generally considered goid, but more expensive. OTOH, they last a long time!
I do have another brand I want to try I just haven’t gotten around to it. It’s Revive Oils — I think — I’ll probably get ads on FB for them now!
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I love essential oils and put some lavender oil in my diffuser on my night stand and run it every night without fail. I have others as well that I’ll use like Peppermint and Lemon. I’ve never heard of Vetiver before but it sounds like a great one to add to my repertoire!
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I mainly use vetiver when I’m hiking. The jury is still out on it working. I haven’t found a magic EO for bugs yet!
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Interesting! I used to be “into” essential oils when I was young (21) but I always put them directly on my skin. I didn’t know anything about them really I just knew it was hip and cool in Portland at the time and wow some of the ones I had smelled sooooo good. I think about EO’s now and how they could help me especially with sleep. Something to maybe dive into!
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Good thing you didn’t have any sensitive ps from putting them right on your skin! I didn’t realize at first that you shouldn’t either, and also had no problems, but I always figure why borrow trouble? I do just put some on my lava stone bracelet sometimes. I’ve never actually cleaned that, though, & I wonder if I should & if so how?
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I like lavender. I use tea tree oil and vitamin E on my scalp because sometimes I get dry scalp. It is worse in the Winter. I’ve never heard of vetiver but now am curious about it.
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I haven’t heard of using vitamin e on the scalp, but I use peppermint mixed with my shampoo sometimes. It feels revitalizing!
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Yeah, vitamin E is great for the hair, scalp, face, etc. Now I need to try peppermint with my shampoo.
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We use tea tree oil all the time for skin issues (diluted with water) but FYI you’re not supposed to use it on cats!!! We recently (foolishly) put it on our cat’s cut (because we put it on our own cuts all the time) and then realized it’s toxic for cats! I had a panic attack and called the vet who told me to wash it off and don’t do it again. So be careful with your pets! Other than that, essential oils are great- I should use more of them.
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Tea tree is really toxic to dogs, too. Cats are more sensitive to essential oils in general, although there are some that are good for animals, too.
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I do love peppermint and citrus oils, as well as eucalyptus. Truth be told, lavender makes me anxious and sick to my stomach. Isn’t that just hilarious? The one thing that’s supposed to be soothing has the exact opposite effect.
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That’s too bad that you don’t like lavender! Everyone is different though. Most people get sleepy with things like NyQuil — it makes me wired! I definitely don’t take it anymore.
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