How to Use Essential Oils for Sore Throats

You wake up one morning and find that you’re dealing with an itchy, scratchy throat. It’s not enough of a concern to make you pick up the phone to make a doctor’s appointment, but it’s enough of an issue that you know that you’ll be uncomfortable for most of the day.

It’s annoying, but you just have to deal with it, right? Actually, there are some remedies available to you at home that you can use to help soothe your throat. Learning how to use essential oils for sore throats is a great way for you to aid with the discomfort and help you to get on with your day.

In this tutorial, we’ll cover:

  • Best Essential Oils for Sore Throats
  • How to Use Essential Oils for Sore Throats
  • Blending Essential Oils for Sore Throats
  • Using Essential Oils for Sore Throats Through Inhalation
  • Using Essential Oils for Sore Throats Through Topical Application
  • Warnings about Using Essential Oils for Sore Throats
  • When to Seek Professional Help

Best Essential Oils for Sore Throats

Check out the second use on Dr. Oz:

How to Use Essential Oils for Sore Throats

You’ll need to gather the following items for all essential oil blends:

  • Your chosen oil or oils
  • Empty bottle to store blended oils

You’ll need to gather for inhalation:

  • Your chosen oil or oils
  • Inhaler or,
  • Aromatherapy diffuser or,
  • Steam, which requires:
  • Bowl
  • Hand towel
  • Pot of very warm water for steam
  • Cotton ball

You’ll need to gather for topical application:

  • Your chosen oil or oils
  • Carrier oil or unscented lotion

Blending Essential Oils for Sore Throats (step-by-step instructions)

Step 1: Choosing Your Oils

If you are going to create a blend of essential oils for your sore throat treatment, choose your oils, keeping it to three or four oils that are effective as a mucolytic, anti-bacterial and anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, and those that help ease pain. Our recommendations are listed at the top of this article.

Step 2: Blending Oils

One popular blend for sore throats incorporates a few of these essential oils. Try blending 10 drops lavender (Lavendula angustifolia), 10 drops lemon (Citrus limon), 5 drops Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora), and 5 drops peppermint (Mentha × piperita). 

Blend in a glass container. Graduated cylinders work nicely for blending. Pour your newly blended oils into a glass bottle for essential oils, which can be found at Amazon specifically for essential oil storage. Seal tightly.

Step 3: Storing Your Blended Oil

Check shelf life of each oil, the shortest shelf life being the shelf life of your new blend. Blending more than you need prepares you for the next time someone gets sick and you need to have your remedy on hand and ready.

Using Essential Oils for Your Sore Throats (step-by-step instructions)

Step 1: Determine the Right Essential Oil or Blend of Essential Oils that is Right for You

The first step is to determine the essential oil or blend of essential oils that you want to use for your sore throat.  When choosing oils, keep in mind safety, age, application and what aroma appeals to you when you begin. Or, until you feel more comfortable making your own blends, perhaps try the blend we recommend. We’ve chosen safe essential oils for you. As a reminder, they are:

Step 2: Decide the Right Treatment Method

The next step is to decide which treatment method you want to use to soothe your sore throat. You can use the inhalation method, which helps to get the essential oil right to the source, and if used with steam can help to further hydrate the tissues of your throat that are aching.

If you choose topical application, blend 2%, or 18 drops per ounce, to the carrier or unscented lotion. Prior to application, clean the area with a warm cloth to open pores.  Apply liberally to throat and chest area and repeat as needed. If you have the time, warming the area makes the skin more receptive to topical treatment.

Step 3A: Use Essential Oils for Sore Throats Through Inhalation

There are a few ways that you can use essential oils for sore throats through inhalation. One of the easiest ways you can use essential oils is by simply adding a drop or two to a cotton ball, being careful not to touch skin directly, and inhale or put them inside of your pillowcase to sleep with the soothing scents.

Steam is another method of inhalation. Bring a pan of water to a boil and remove from heat. In a large glass bowl add water, no more than 2 drops of essential oil blend, place a hand towel over your head, and inhale deeply, keeping your eyes tightly closed to protect them.  Doing this for 10 minutes is very effective.

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If you own an aromatherapy diffuser, this is another method of using essential oils for sore throats through inhalation. This is not a necessary step as there are other ways to inhale essential oils, but if you already own one, it can be useful for this type of treatment.

Step 3B: Use Essential Oils for Sore Throats Through Topical Application

Essential oils can be easily absorbed into the skin, which makes it so that the oils can do the work that they are intended to do for you. You can sometimes rub and massage the essential oil into your neck and throat area without diluting it, but for most people, this is going to cause irritation. You’re trying to avoid more discomfort, so it’s best to dilute this with a carrier oil or unscented lotion.

A carrier oil, like coconut oil, or unscented lotion will make it easier to spread this essential oil in the impacted area. Plus, this may come in handy for more than just sore throats. Depending on the oils you use, you may find that this works on sore muscles or just helps to relax you after a long day.

Step 4: Repeat Treatment

You may find that your initial treatment didn’t work well enough to get rid of your sore throat or that it doesn’t go away for long. With this homeopathic treatment, you’re able to repeat the regimen to get relief for your sore throat. You may notice that you need several treatments, and that’s normal.

You may find that the essential oils that you used aren’t working for you, so it may be beneficial to try another or a different blend. If you find that this sore throat persists and the essential oil remedy is not working, you will probably want to move on to contacting a professional.

Warning about Using Essential Oils for Sore Throats

There are a few things that you want to keep in mind when you are using essential oils for sore throats. One of the first things is that you need to use essential oils that are meant for consumption, so they should be therapeutic grade.

Also, you rarely want to use essential oils without diluting them as they are too strong not to irritate your skin, or even worse, the sore throat that you’re trying to soothe in the first place. Even diluted, some people may find that they have a sensitivity to essential oils, so do a small patch test first before doing a full treatment with the oil.

When to Seek Professional Help

You may think that your sore throat is just some irritation from allergies or another issue, but there’s the possibility that it could be a sign of something worse going on with your body. If your sore throat is accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, it’s probably a good idea to seek expert help from your trusted medical professional. Also, if your sore throat has lasted a week or longer, you should schedule an appointment to be seen. It’s still possible that there’s nothing serious going wrong with your body, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion

A sore throat can derail your day. It makes it difficult to speak. It makes you feel uncomfortable. It’s an inconvenience and it seemed like there was nothing you could do about it… until now.

With the knowledge you need to start using essential oils for your sore throat, you can get back into your day without any thoughts on how irritated your throat feels. You may find that it takes a few tries to find a perfect blend and method of using the oil to get relief. But if you stick it out and don’t give up, you’ll have a go-to sore throat home remedy to turn to whenever your throat starts to give you trouble. Just remember that a medical professional is necessary to consult whenever your symptoms are more than just a sore throat.

We want to hear from you! Have you used essential oils for your sore throats in the past? What oils do you think work best for you? Are you going to try this next time your throat is itchy and irritated? Be sure to comment below to let us know, and share the word on essential oils as a home remedy.