Peppermint Essential Oil Uses

November 22, 2020

Written by Sara Reed

Peppermint Essential Oil Uses

Peppermint Essential Oil Benefits and How to Use Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint essential oil is one of those classic, go-to essential oils. It’s great for beginners, is pretty well-known, and has a wide variety of benefits and uses. Peppermint oil is a year-round essential oil with uses for every season and many ailments. Be cautious though, peppermint oil is one of the most popular and adulterated oils on the market these days. Be sure to check the quality and sourcing of your peppermint oil, as well as the Latin or botanical name. Oftentimes we see corn mint advertised and sold as peppermint; these are not the same essential oils! Check your labels or reach out to the essential oil manufacturer to find out the ingredients and purity of your peppermint oil.

One way to know your peppermint essential oil is a quality oil is to check for GC/MS testing. This tests for purity, quality, and adulteration. Another marker of quality is to have the botanical name printed on the front of the bottle, or somewhere easily seen. This way you know what you are getting! A third way you can tell you’re getting a quality peppermint oil is by checking out the packaging and bottle it comes in. Essential oils react with all plastics (except PET) and should always be kept and stored in dark, cobalt blue or amber glass bottles. Most essential oil bottles feature an orifice reducer to help control the flow of the oil, but some will come with a dropper cap. Be sure to check the ingredients label – some essential oils come bottled undiluted (pure) and some will come diluted (in a carrier oil). Most often these are diluted with fractioned coconut oil.

Fractionated coconut oil is NOT our first choice of carrier oil. Whenever a carrier oil is fractionated, it gets stripped of its natural health properties and benefits. This is why we opt to use organic, cold-pressed, and unrefined coconut oil when choosing a carrier. Kokokahn’s essential oils are PURE and Undiluted – the bottles do not contain a carrier oil, just pure essential oil. Kokokahn’s carrier oils are organic, cold-pressed, and unrefined. This way the therapeutic and natural health benefits are kept rather than stripped from the carrier oil.

Peppermint Essential Oil Benefits

Wow where to start with this one! Peppermint oil is seriously loaded with benefits – literally from head to toe. Some of the benefits that peppermint essential oil has to offer include:
• Pain – Sore muscles, tension, stress, and sports injury
• Hair – Growth stimulation and hair loss prevention
• Mood – uplifting and energizing
• Spiritual – supports the Sacral chakra (center for creativity and sexuality)
• Respiratory and Immune Support
• Antiseptic, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties
• Supports concentration and focus
• Digestion Support – Soothes upset tummies including symptoms of IBS
• Helps mitigate itchiness and some skin irritations
• Cooling – useful for hot flashes, hormonal imbalance, and skin irritations

Peppermint Essential oil is a solid choice when it comes to cleaning with essential oils as well. Peppermint oil is antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, AND antiviral. No joke, every cleaning spray I make has peppermint (or spearmint) in it! Peppermint essential oil is very aromatic; it blends well with citrus oils which are also strong cleaning oils. Another use for peppermint oil in cleaning is a DIY drain/sink cleaner. If my drain ever starts to have a funky smell, I bring out the baking soda, vinegar, and peppermint oil. The baking soda and vinegar work to help clear and unclog some of the funk in the drain, and the peppermint oil smells clean and fresh.
Peppermint is a fairly economical essential oil – Kokokahn’s 10ml bottle of pure peppermint oil is less than 15 USD. This is about 200 drops of pure peppermint essential oil – one batch of 16-ounce cleaning spray calls for 40 drops of essential oil at most. It is a good choice for an essential oil to use in the laundry room – you can make DIY laundry detergent or simply add a few drops to your wool dryer balls (which are absolutely amazing things!).

Peppermint Oil Uses

Again, where to start!? Peppermint essential oil is loaded with benefits. It also comes with a wide variety of diverse uses. For holistic and natural wellness benefits it can be used on the body, in the bath, in the diffuser, in the home, and even in household care and cleaning. Do be cautious with peppermint oil since it is a stronger, more potent essential oil. See the safety section BEFORE using peppermint essential oil so that you can get all of its natural benefits without using it incorrectly and potential having negative reactions or side effects.

Peppermint essential oil uses include:
• Single note or blend in the diffuser – add 5 to 6 drops
• Coconut Honey Hair Mask
• Cooling Himalayan pink salt foot soak
• Aromatherapy inhaler
• Pain relieving roll on
• Headache soothing massage oil
• Energizing, sore muscle soak bath oil
• All-Purpose cleaner
• Countertop spray
• Laundry Add-In
• Cooling foot rub
• Upset Tummy Aloe Spray
• Sports injury soother oil
• Airway-opening shower steamer
• Concentration and focus diffuser blend

IMPORTANT Peppermint Essential Oil Safety

Peppermint essential oil is a beginner-friendly, versatile oil but it comes with some safety warnings and good things to know before using it. Peppermint oil is one of the more popular and adulterated oils on the market today. It comes with loads of misconceptions and misinformation. Hopefully, we can help by sharing some tips and safe use practices!
An extremely popular misconception about peppermint essential oil is that you can or should consume it orally. We advise against ingesting peppermint essential oil here at Kokokahn. Peppermint is a strong oil and can cause burning, especially when used undiluted. Using peppermint essential oil undiluted is another unsafe way to use this oil. Unless you are diffusing, always dilute peppermint essential oil. Peppermint has a high chance for skin irritations and using it undiluted can cause your body to develop a rash and allergy to the oil.
People who have an increased sensitivity – such as pregnant woman, children under 5, immunocompromised individuals, some elderly people, and those with high blood pressure, heart disease or asthma – will want to be cautious when choosing to use peppermint essential oil. You will want to dilute the peppermint essential oil in these situations – or opt for spearmint instead, as you should do with kids under 5 and pregnant women.

General Essential Oil Topical Dilution:

1. For children ages 2-10, pregnant women, sensitive skin, senior citizens with compromised health and the face and neck areas.

• Add 5 to 6 drops of any one or combination of essential oils to 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons carrier.

2. For healthy adults and children over 10.

• Add 8-10 drops of any one or combination of essential oils to 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons carrier.

3. For pain relief and short term (less than 2 weeks) topical use in healthy adults and children over 12.

• Add 12-15 drops of any one or combination of essential oils to 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons carrier.

Do not use essential oils topically on children under 2, cats, birds, or small animals.

Peppermint essential oil safety for pets

We love using aromatherapy with our pets – but we always to have to be sure it is safe to do so. Cats, for example, cannot be exposed to essential oils – especially topically. Cats do not have a way to get rid of or expel the essential oils. Essential oils are actually toxic to cats. Do not use ANY essential oils topically on cats, birds, or small animals like hamsters and ferrets.
Is peppermint essential oil safe for dogs? Always consult a holistic vet before using essential oils with your dog. That said, when peppermint essential oil is used properly with animals like dogs and horse, they can benefit greatly from aromatherapy. Check out our video on essential oil safety for animals here. Use this guide when using peppermint essential oil topically with dogs and horses:

Animals 5-15 pounds
Add 3-4 drops essential oil per ounce of
aloe gel or jojoba oil.

Animals 16-40 pounds
Add 5-6 drops essential oil per ounce of
aloe gel or jojoba oil.

Animals 41-60 pounds
Add 8-10 drops essential oil per ounce of
aloe gel or jojoba oil.

Animals over 60 pounds
Add 10-12 drops essential oil per ounce of
aloe gel or jojoba oil.

1 ounce is approx. 2 Tablespoons

Peppermint Essential Oil Benefits for Hair

Peppermint essential oil for hair can help promote growth and combat hair loss. Using a conditioning hair mask can be an interesting way to use peppermint essential oil for hair. Try this DIY recipe on your hair – keeping proper safety in mind!
Honey Coconut Hair Mask with Peppermint + Citrus Essential Oils
For this hair mask you will need:
• 3 Ounces coconut oil – cold-pressed, organic, unrefined
• 2 Tablespoons of raw, local honey
• Dash of cinnamon
• 15 Drops Peppermint essential oil
• 5 Drops Citrus Kiss or Orange essential oil

So, this recipe is super simple, just measure out your coconut oil and honey, stir to combine. Add in your essential oil drops and stir again. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a little extra drizzle of honey and give one final stir (after admiring your beautiful work!). This hair mask looks like a dessert and smells like one too! Apply this mask to your hair and leave on for 2 hours or overnight. When leaving on overnight, use something like a shower cap to contain the mask and oils. Rinse off and repeat once a month or when needed.
The coconut oil has uber moisturizing properties and a delicious aroma. Coconut oil also helps to nourish the scalp and to support hair growth as well. Honey works to add moisture and shine, while the cinnamon is supportive to circulation and stimulation of the scalp.

Peppermint Essential Oil Diffuser Benefits

Peppermint essential oil can be used to support respiratory wellness, along with immune support. Peppermint oil also has antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. An essential oil diffuser is a great, simple way to get these benefits. Peppermint essential oil can be used in the diffuser by itself, or as part of an essential oil blend. Some good respiratory and immune-supporting essential oils to pair with peppermint in the diffuser are black spruce, eucalyptus, spike lavender, and orange. As a good rule of thumb, keep drops limited to about 6-8 in the diffuser. If diffusing around cats, make sure not to keep them in the room without a way out, or diffuse in close proximity. Always have an exit and access to fresh air.

Peppermint Essential Oil for Bugs

Peppermint oil can be used to keep away bugs and insects like mosquitoes, fire ants, and no-see-ums, and even fleas. So, you can use peppermint essential oil to keep bugs off yourself, your family, and your doggies. Check out this video for a DIY flea repellent recipe here. When using peppermint oil for bugs, be sure to use the proper dilution rate and avoid using it undiluted. Use about 8-10 drops per ounce of carrier; for those with sensitivities use about 6-8 drops instead. A blend of aloe gel and jojoba or sunflower oil is a great base for natural bug spray with peppermint oil. The jojoba or sunflower oil helps to add moisture and hold onto the essential oils longer.

Peppermint Oil for Headaches

Peppermint oil is especially beneficial in painful situations – headaches are no exception. Peppermint essential oil soothes sore muscles, tension, and supports concentration and focus. All of these benefits assist in calming achy, throbbing, deep, and dull head pains. To use peppermint essential oil to ease a headache you can try:
• A headache busting roll-on
• A soothing bath soak
• Pain relieving massage oil
• Stress and Tension aromatherapy neck rub
• Achy Temples roll-on
A few synergistic essential oils to pair with peppermint oil for headaches include clary sage, sweet basil, eucalyptus, and French lavender. All of these oils provide support for easing headaches. If you suffer from tension and stress headaches, it may be beneficial to practice stress relief exercises such as meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises. Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercises.
To make a headache busting roll-on grab an empty roll on bottle and add
• 2 Drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 Drop sweet basil essential oil
• 1 Drop French lavender
• 1 Drop clary sage
• 1/3-ounce jojoba or sunflower oil

Add in the essential oils first, then top with the jojoba oil; this mixes the oils into the jojoba. Be careful not to overfill your roll-on bottle so you can avoid leaks.

Peppermint Oil for Digestion and Upset Tummies
Peppermint essential oil can be used to help soothe digestive upset and stomach discomfort. It also helps to calm the gastric muscles and can provide relief from nausea. Peppermint hydrosol is gentler than peppermint essential oil and can be ingested in small amounts to soothe tummy issues. Peppermint essential oil can be added to aloe gel to make a tummy soothing topical spray. In addition to peppermint oil, you can also include ginger, chamomile, and aloe gel. Add 1-2 drops of each oil to 1 ounce of aloe gel for a tummy soothing spray.

Wrapping up Peppermint Essential Oil

Although we went over a lot about peppermint and different ways you can use, there are even more ways to use and benefits than just what is listed above. Peppermint oil is a potent oil with so many applications in daily life. One of the most important things is knowing how to use this essential oil safely and effectively. Hopefully, you feel more confident in using peppermint essential oil! What are your favorite ways to use peppermint oil? Let us know!

We welcome questions, comments, and feedback – please reach out with anything you may have! Send us an email or shoot us a message on social media. Thanks!