Eucalyptus and Lavender Essential Oil Blends: Usage and Benefits

Lavender and Eucalyptus are two of the most commonly used essential oils. Each of them has a wide range of uses, from helping with sleep and anxiety to pain, respiratory congestion, cleaning and more.

Can you blend lavender and eucalyptus oil?

Yes, you can combine lavender and eucalyptus oil. The two blend beautifully for a fresh, slightly sweet, woody smell.

A blend of lavender and eucalyptus oil has many uses, from helping with coughs and colds, pain, headaches and sinus congestion to improving mood. A blend of the two oils can often have more powerful effects than each oil on it's own.

So, which benefits do lavender and eucalyptus oil blends have and how to use them?

Helping with sleep

If you’re having trouble sleeping due to congestion, a combination of eucalyptus and lavender is perfect. The eucalyptus will help clear your airways while the lavender helps you drift off to sleep. You can:

• Try adding a drop of lavender oil and a drop of eucalyptus oil to a teaspoon of carrier oil and rubbing it on your chest, throat and the soles of your feet.
• Put a drop of lavender and a drop of eucalyptus on a tissue and put it under or beside your pillow
• Make a lavender and eucalyptus diffuser blend by adding 2 drops of lavender and 2 drops of eucalyptus to a 100 ml diffuser. If your diffuser is larger, you can add more oils as needed – eg for a 300 ml diffuser, use 6 drops of lavender and 6 drops of eucalyptus. Diffuse while you sleep.

If you’re having trouble sleeping for other reasons, eucalyptus oil might not be the best choice but lavender oil could be. A study in a sleep lab found that being exposed to lavender at night increased the percentage of deep wave sleep. The participants of the study reported feeling more energetic in the morning after using lavender oil. Several other studies have found that lavender increases sleep quality, helps people fall asleep and decreases the number of times people wake up in the night. Lavender is by far the most well studied essential oil for sleep problems.

Beside of using pure lavender oil you can also try combining lavender with other essential oils like bergamot, sandalwood, chamomile and ylang ylang to see what works best for you.

Helping with colds, coughs and congestion

Eucalyptus is great when it comes to fighting colds and flus, opening the airways, reducing mucous, easing coughs and relieving sore throats. It’s both anti-viral and anti-microbial, which means it can help fight cold and flu viruses and also kill bacteria that cause sinus infections.

This study found that an emulsion of water and eucalyptus leaves extract completely stopped the replication of the swine flu virus.

Eucalyptus oil reduces mucous and also helps to loosen up existing mucous so you can cough it up more easily. And it’s a natural anti-inflammatory and painkiller, so can help relieve sore throats, headaches and muscle pain.

While lavender isn’t found quite as often as eucalyptus in recipes for coughs, colds and congestion, it is anti-inflammatory and can help soothe coughs, especially if they are caused by asthma. It can also help reduce the pain and swelling associated with sinus infections. It will also help you get to sleep at night, and a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to help your body to fight off a cold.

Try adding a couple of drops of lavender and a couple of drops of eucalyptus to a bowl of just boiled water. Then drape a towel over your head and the bowl and inhale the steam for a few minutes. Alternatively you can use a diffuser, add the oil to a tissue and sniff it, or mix a drop of lavender and a drop of eucalyptus with a teaspoon of carrier oil and rub it on your throat and chest.

Easing pain and headaches

Lavender oil and eucalyptus oil both reduce pain, inflammation, swelling and even headaches. They make a great combination for any kind of pain that involves inflammation, like sprains, strains and rheumatoid arthritis. And with lavender’s outstanding benefits for sleep, a combination of lavender and eucalyptus is perfect to use at night if pain is making it difficult for you to sleep.

Improving mood

Eucalyptus is an invigorating, uplifting essential oil that’s well known for improving alertness and focus. What's less well known is that it also helps with stress. This Korean study found that eucalyptus reduced anxiety in patients when inhaled before selective nerve root block.

Lavender is well known for it's relaxing effects and is widely used for anxiety, depression and moodiness.

Used together, they can have complementary effects for improving your mood. Try diffusing 2 drops of lavender and 2 drops of eucalyptus when you’re feeling anxious, down or emotionally exhausted.

Making your home smell fresh and cheerful

A lavender and eucalyptus room spray can help to enliven the atmosphere in your home. It’s perfect when you want to create a relaxed atmosphere but you still want to be productive and get things done.

Mix 8 drops of lavender and 4 drops of eucalyptus with 2 teaspoons of 80% proof or higher alcohol in a 200 ml spray bottle and shake it well. This step is important as it will dissolve the essential oils and keep them from separating from the water. Fill it up with distilled water, shake well again and you are ready to spray it into the air.

Cleaning

Eucalyptus and lavender are both powerful, natural anti-bacterial cleaners that will make your house smell fresh and clean without harmful chemicals.

You can make an all purpose cleaning spray by combining 30 drops of eucalyptus, 15 drops of lavender, 100 ml of vinegar and 350 ml of distilled water in a 500 mm dark coloured spray bottle and shaking well. Spray the cleaner onto hard surfaces and wipe them clean. For stubborn marks, you can leave the spray on for a few minutes before you wipe it clean.

Don’t use this cleaning spray on marble or granite as the vinegar can damage them. Also be careful with hard wood floors – always patch test first!

We hope you enjoyed our article and could get some insights and inspiration. How do you use lavender and eucalyptus oils and what are your favourite blends? You can let us know in the comments.