Lemon & lime Essential Oil
Lemon & lime are often mistaken as being the same. Nutritionally that is the case, but as essential oils, not so much.
The oil from both is taken from the skin – as is the case for other citrus essential oils – sweet orange, mandarin & bergamot. Each of these essential oils has a different aspect to it.
Lime essential oil is great for assertiveness and tiredness – creating an alert mind and helping with memory or short term recall.
Lime is your go-to essential oil when you have one of those meetings where you’re feeling a bit tired even before the meeting and you have to deal with negativity or people who might need more managing than you feel like you are able to give on that day or at that time… lime essential oil will pick you up & put you in the driver seat.
Lime essential oil is also a diuretic and is used in massage therapy for fluid retention. Lime is a great oil to use if you are feeling bloated or retaining fluid.
Lemon essential oil is more of a mental reset.
It clears the mind (especially so when used with eucalyptus) and inspires positive thought processes. Lemon essential oil is great for lethargy, irritability – general grumpiness. Lemon is kind of a happy pill in many ways.
Lemon essential oil is commonly used in skincare – it is effective on broken capillaries – interestingly, as it does not contain Vitamin C – Vitamin C is often indicated for reversal of photodamage and cellular repair of the endothelial cells (those are the cells lining capillary veins. This is a one cell barrier and thus is easily compromised). Adding a drop of lemon vitamin C to your skincare will help reverse broken capillaries and will help greatly with sebum regulation and with skin moisturisation.
Both lemon and lime essential oils have antibacterial properties, both are fantastic for protection against oncoming colds – if you have the flu going around, diffuser these two together – two drops of each, with one drop each of tea tree and eucalyptus to stay well and carry on!
While some essential oil providers recommend drinking a drop of lemon vitamin C to aid digestion, diffusing it should be sufficient. The is no added benefit in drinking the essential oil – it adds no acidity to the digestive system – lemon essential oil is strongly alkaline.