All You Need To Know About Lemon Essential Oil

The citrusy lemon scent is distinct and disperses widely. It’s light and, as many would say, lemony!

Most branded lemon essential oils products are natural extracts obtained from fresh lemon peels using a cold-press method. A lemon essential oil is available as a concentrated extract or a diluted version which you can diffuse into the air or applying topically to the skin.

Why has this essential oil made such a name for itself? Here’s why:

Health Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil

Aids in the reduction of anxiety and the treatment of depression

How do you feel after cleaning your house with a lemon-scented detergent? It’s refreshing and calming! That is part of what lemon essential oil can do for the brain —it calms it down, resulting in anxiety and depression reduction.

There have been several studies on the lemon scent to back up this claim.

The first is a 2006 study by Trust Source that involved a mouse experiment. The lemon essential oil used in this study proved to be a very potent calming and mood-boosting agent. Following stress tests, they exposed the mice to lemon essential oil, and they became calmer.

The same study discovered that the lemon essential oil was the most effective at relieving stress. It outperforms rose and lavender.

Another study from 2016 found that lemon essential oil helped reduce anxiety in people recovering from orthopedic surgery.

Lemon essential oil is highly beneficial to the skin

The first benefit of lemon essential oil for the skin is its antibacterial properties, which help remove harmful bacteria.

As a result, lemon oil is ideal as a wound cleaner because it kills bacteria like E.coli and Staphylococcus on contact. A source at studyTrust confirmed this.

As a result of these discoveries, lemon essential oil is a powerful candidate for preventing inflammation and further infection caused by bacteria. This was confirmed by a lab study in 2017 and in vitro and vivid research in 2018.

Lemon is also a natural skin brightener and toner due to the antioxidants it contains.

It can be a potent morning sickness remedy

Expectant mothers who are suffering from morning sickness can use lemon essential oil to alleviate their symptoms. A study involving 100 pregnant women was conducted in 2014, and the scientists used lemon essential oil as aromatherapy.

The results were astounding, with the majority of the women reporting significant reductions in nausea and vomiting.

It is an effective pain reliever

Lemon essential oil is used in aromatherapy to relieve pain as a natural analgesic. The stress and depressive-releasing effects felt play a significant role in this.

It then tricks the brain into perceiving the pain without going into shock or panic, resulting in a decrease in pain sensitivity.

Clears the respiratory system

Lemon essential oil is also beneficial in alleviating cold and sore throat symptoms. The most effective way to reap these benefits is to use a diffuser to disperse the lemon oil into the air, where you can inhale it as you go about your business.

The vitamin C and antioxidant properties of lemon juice play a significant role in this benefit. However, does lemon essential oil have vitamin C?

How to Make the Lemon Essential Oil?

Unlike most essential oils, which you cannot make at home, it’s easy to make lemon essential oil at home. And while the uses of lemon oil range from detergents to skincare regimens, here is what you will need:

• Lemons
• A carrier oil, preferably virgin coconut, grape seed, or sweet almond oil
• An airtight jar to store the oil

There are essentially two methods to choose from—the cold press and the stovetop method. The latter is the faster method, taking less than a day, whereas the cold press takes at least two weeks.

The stovetop method

The first step is to thoroughly wash the lemons in cold water before peeling off the skin. You only need the yellow part of the lemons because it contains the oil. Place the peels in a bowl and bring water to a boil.

Boil half a pot of water until it bubbles up, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Pour one cup of the carrier oil into the bowl with the peels. Then, place the bowl in the pot of water and leave it to simmer for about three hours.

Allow the mixture to cool for another three hours before straining the liquid into an airtight jar. Keep the pot in a cool, dark place.

The cold press method

You should first clean and peel the lemons. However, you will not have to boil any water. Instead, place the lemon peels in the airtight jar and top with your preferred virgin oil. Then you seal the pot and put it on a sunny windowsill for two weeks, shaking it every day.

After a while, strain the peels, and store the oil in a dark, cool place.

Does Lemon Essential Oil Have Vitamin C?

Now, let’s look at the million-dollar question— does lemon essential oil have vitamin C?

To answer this, we have to look at specific facts regarding vitamins and then narrow it down to vitamin C.

At specific temperatures, all nutrients, whether proteins, carbohydrates, or vitamins, begin to degrade. And vitamin C, in particular, begins to deteriorate at around 70 degrees Celsius.

So, what does all of this mean?

This means that the stovetop lemon essential oil contains no vitamin C because most of it breaks down during the simmering process. Because the boiling water is well above 70 degrees Celsius, it is safe to assume that all vitamin C degrades when the peels and oil are simmering.

Because you don’t use heat in the second method, the cold-press technique, it is logical to say that there will be traces of vitamin C inside lemon essential oil made through this method.

Do You Have to Dilute A Lemon Essential Oil?

Dilution will be determined by the state of the lemon essential oil when purchased. If you have a concentrated extract that lacks a carrier oil, you must dilute it with one. Virgin coconut, sweet almond, or grapeseed oil could are good carrier oils.

In this case, you should use at least 12 drops of lemon essential oil per ounce of base oil.

On the other hand, if the lemon essential oil is homemade with a carrier oil, there is no need to dilute it further.

If you want to use the oil topically, you must dilute it first. If not weakened, it can cause burns and irritation to the skin’s outer layer, causing more harm than good.

Can You Ingest Lemon Essential Oil?

The consumption of essential oils has been a contentious topic for some time now, with some advocating for it and others opposing it, but here is the truth.

Essential oils that have not been food-graded thus not safe to consume, whether as a drop in water or as a food additive. First and foremost, you must never ingest any product that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved simply because it does not meet consumable safety standards.

Lemon essential oil compounds, like most essential oils, are unstable elements that can become poisonous if consumed. As a result, the answer to this concern is an absolute NO!

Nevertheless, if you intend to use it in water or baking, ensure that the lemon essential oil you use is food-grade certified to rule out poisoning completely.

Can Lemon Essential Oil Cause Diarrhea?

Diarrhea is a potential sign and symptom of being exposed to high volumes of almost any substance, including lemon essential oil.

In addition to diarrhea, you may experience nausea, headaches, dizziness, and drowsiness. If this occurs, contact poisons and control health care professionals immediately to obtain medical assistance as soon as possible.

The essential oils that can help with diarrhea are sweet orange, eucalyptus, lavender, thyme, clove bud, roman chamomile, tree tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, oregano, and peppermint essential oils.

Can Lemon Essential Oil Cause Headaches?

As previously stated, headaches are one of the adverse symptoms of poison ingestion. Headaches may also occur due to excess inhalation.

On a lighter note, if you inhale enough lemon essential oil, it can help relieve headaches and migraines. This simply means that your body’s reaction depends on the mode of use, concentration, and duration.

Can Dogs Have Lemon Essential Oil?

In general, essential oils have been used to calm down dogs in stressful situations such as going to the vet. But when it comes to lemon essential oil and dogs, there is no clear answer as to whether it is safe or not.

Some sources maintain that citrusy oils are highly toxic to dogs, while others contend that lemon essential oil is a powerful immune booster for canines.

Regardless, applying it to the animal’s fur is highly discouraged because it irritates the dog’s skin. Air diffusing is the best way for them to care for the furry friend. Also, if using it in a diffuser, use minute concentrations and make sure the lemon essential oil is organic.

Where Can I Buy Lemon Essential Oil?

Lemon essential oil brands are available from various sources, including physical stores and online e-commerce stores, notably Amazon.

Examples of lemon essential oil brands’ best sellers on Amazon are the Ola Prima 4 oZ, the Majestic Pure 4oZ, the Gya Labs lemon essential oils, and Handcraft lemon essential oil, among many more.

The price tags of these lemon essential oils depend on the brand, the bottle’s volume, and other specifics the company has put in place.

What Else To Do With Lemon Essential Oil?

Despite the uses highlighted above, here are some additional ways you can use lemon essential oil.

Air Freshener

Lemon has a very alluring and rejuvenating scent as an air freshener. And this is because the flavonoids and terpenes responsible for these scents are present in the essential oil.

You can use the lemon essential oil as an air freshener by diffusing it into the air. Another method is to dab cotton balls with the concentrate and places them in strategic locations around the house or inside a car to slowly dissipate the lovely citrusy aroma.

Cleaning and laundry

You can also use lemon essential oil to clean surfaces and laundry because of its antibacterial properties. And having one’s space and clothes smell divine after a cleanse is stunning.

Additionally, you can use it to remove hard water buildup. You can mix with baking soda and water for this purpose. This mixture dissolves the sediments and opens the pipes.

Furthermore, you can use the oil to remove tough fingerprint stains from stainless steel, detach bubble gum from hair, remove crayon marks from walls, and clean grease from cooking surfaces.

Bottom Line

As previously stated, lemon essential oil has numerous health benefits. It relieves stress, alleviates pain, improves mood, and has countless other uses.

But, in response to the question, “Does lemon essential oil have vitamin C?” we came up with both a no and a yes. It depends on the extraction technique used. A batch of lemon essential oil made on the stovetop has no vitamin C, whereas the cold press has plenty.

So, if you want to reap the many benefits of vitamin C, be patient and wait the full 2-3 weeks before using your homemade lemon essential oil. Anyway, good things take time, don’t they? So give it 14 days and receive the entire vitamin C reward.

Emily Cummings

I currently work as a medical receptionist, but my ultimate goal is to work as an occupational therapy assistant. Helping others achieve a better quality of life is something I’m after. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. Learn more about me.