The taste and smell of mint are ubiquitous with the phrase “minty fresh,” and for good reason. The unique qualities derived from mint have been used for thousands of years by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans for their medicinal properties. Moreover, mint essential oil is an excellent source of aromatherapy to use in your diffuser due to its cool, crisp and refreshing scent.

Mint comes from the Lamiaceae family of plants from which we get peppermint, spearmint, and many other popular mint-based products. The main chemical compound is menthol, which is what gives it its characteristic cooling flavor and scent. Moreover, menthol has many benefits, primarily acting to provide relief from irritation and inflammation in the body. 

Mint is present in many facets of our lives, and the ease of its cultivation makes it a popular houseplant. Likewise, mint is extremely beneficial specifically when in its concentrated essential oil state. This is because the scent and vapor can be used in therapeutic settings to relieve stress and/or inflammation.

Mint Essential Oil For The Mind 

Mint Leaves

When diffused and inhaled, mint essential oil has been observed to have many benefits. These include alleviating feelings of stress, anxiety and boosting mental health. Moreover, this essential oil is stimulating for the mind, helps improve concentration, promotes mental clarity, and increases energy. The cooling and invigorating aroma aids with brain fog, clears sinuses and has an incredible scent to perk you up. Likewise, using this essential oil in a diffuser has been observed to be a supplemental and natural aromatherapeutic antidepressant, alongside more mainstream treatments for depression. 

However, the main benefits for the mind that mint essential oil offers are:

1. Concentration And Energy

Mint essential oil has a strong and delicious smell. Just a few drops in your diffuser is enough to give your mind a boost of energy and elevate your concentration. Inhaling its vapor promotes better mental performance, greater focus, and is an excellent natural therapeutic tool.

The reason it has this effect on our mind and concentration is that the menthol found in it helps to stimulate the hippocampus. This is the part of the brain controlling memory, concentration, and mental clarity. Thus, once inhaled, this stimulating scent wakes up our minds to provide a surge of energy and increase our focus.

The benefits from mint essential oil to improve your concentration can be achieved through inhaling its scent via a diffuser or through topical application. It is important that you dilute the mint oil with a carrier oil (like coconut oil or jojoba oil) prior to using it on your skin. Pure mint essential oil can be toxic in large doses.

2. Mental Health

Mint essential oil also has the added benefit of giving us relief from stress, anxiety and/or depression. The delicious and strong smell is naturally refreshing and can help perk up anyone dealing with mental health concerns. 

The best way to use this essential oil to improve mental health is to inhale the steam through a diffuser. Otherwise, you could put a few drops of this essential oil in a bath. By breathing in the vapor you are creating the perfect atmosphere to de-stress and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

3. Headaches 

Mint essential oil is also enjoyed as a pain reliever and muscle relaxer. This is because the menthol reacts with your body to increase blood flow while simultaneously creating a cooling sensation. This cold feeling that menthol produces can act as a mild analgesic and helps to relieve tension from headaches and migraines. 

Simply add 3-5 drops of mint essential oil to your diffuser for some aromatherapeutic relief for headaches. Inhaling the vapor will relieve temporal tension, and some people will even require fewer pain medications to relieve their headaches after this aromatherapy.

Another way to treat headaches is to mix 5 drops of this essential oil with 1 ounce of carrier oil. Rub the mixture onto your forehead, over your sinuses, and onto the sides of your temple. This will allow some relief from the tension in your head and can significantly reduce pain by providing a soothing and cooling effect.

Aromatherapeutic Benefits Of Mint Essential Oil

Diffuser

Mint Essential Oil has many aromatherapeutic properties, which can be harnessed through a diffuser. The powerful scent can relieve inflammation, clear your sinuses, and reduce congestion so you can breathe easier. Moreover, diffusing this essential oil increases your circulation by opening your nasal passages and increasing airflow to your brain. This, in turn, stimulates blood flow and allows for you to have more energy and increased brainpower. 

Inhaling this essential oil also aids in combating insomnia as it improves ventilation, and reduces heart rate and blood pressure. This leads to better sleep quality as it has incredible relaxing properties. Diffusing or adding a few drops of this essential oil to your bath to inhale the steam, are both great ways to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Another way to have a good night’s sleep is to make mint essential oil mist (3-5 drops of mint oil to 2 ounces of distilled water). Spray your pillow with it so you can smell this scent all night. This will increase your relaxation and allow you to have a restful sleep.

Mint Essential Oil For Hair

Woman with healthy hair.

Mint essential oil has incredible therapeutic properties and is known for promoting hair growth, fortifying brittle strands and giving hair a shining glow. This essential oil has naturally occurring antifungal and antibacterial properties which are excellent for scalp issues like dandruff. Simultaneously, the cooling effect from the menthol makes this essential oil the perfect treatment for dry and itchy scalps. 

Adding several drops of mint essential oil to your hair can really help remedy issues with your tresses. This can be achieved by adding a couple of drops of this essential oil to a carrier oil and gently massaging it into your scalp. You will likely feel a cooling and tingling sensation from the menthol which promotes blood flow to the area. This in turn encourages more hair growth for people experiencing hair loss or breakage.

Mint Essential Oil For Skin

Woman with clear skin

The cooling sensation that mint provides may help to soothe inflammation, itchiness, dryness, and other irritation. Moreover, as mentioned above, the menthol present in mint encourages blood flow to the area it’s applied. This promotes quicker healing of wounds while bringing relief to any pain at those sites. If you’ve been bitten by a bug, you can also use mint essential oil as a soothing remedy for itchiness.

Not only does mint essential oil clean the skin, but it also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. It can be used as a supplemental treatment for acne and other skin conditions like rashes and/or hives.

Additionally, in terms of skin protection against the sun, mint essential oil has the highest sun protection factor (SPF) value of all other essential oils. This does not mean that you can negate wearing sunblock – you still definitely need sunblock! However, by diluting your essential oil (1:4 of essential oil to carrier oil), you can enjoy the oil’s high SPF value while outside.

Mint Essential Oil For Nails

Perfect nails

The antifungal properties in mint essential oils are excellent for nails and their aromatherapeutic attributes allow for your nails to have a clean and fresh smell to them. This helps your nails remain glossy, strong and healthy!

Essential Oil Blends

Mint Essential Oil

Due to its versatile and delicious smell, mint is an extremely popular addition to essential oil blends. Each blend has its own unique scent and can be used for different aromatherapeutic purposes. Moreover, the combination of different essential oils leads to added benefits as it utilizes the synergy of all these powerful extracts into one blend.

Some of the recommended essential oil blends to use in your diffuser are:

1. Mint, Wild Orange And Frankincense Essential Oil For Energy

To give yourself a boost of energy, mix mint, with wild orange and frankincense essential oil. Add one drop of each of these essential oils to your diffuser to get the full effect of this luxuriously scented blend.

The mint will help boost your energy, while the wild orange adds an enticing and delicious smell. The sweet, citrus scent from the wild orange will also leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated. Finally, frankincense is known for promoting feelings of calmness and relaxation. Thus, by combining these essential oils, you can create an aromatic powerhouse. This will allow you to feel a gentle boost of energy in a relaxed and calm manner.

2. Mint, Lemon and Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil For The Blues

If you are dealing with feelings of sadness, there are holistic and more natural remedies that you can try by using different essential oils. This blend in particular is excellent for lifting your mood and helping to alleviate symptoms of depression. Putting two drops of each of these essential oils into a diffuser will help elevate your mood and provide you with more energy.

This blend has this effect because mint has chemical components that are known to heighten your mood and energy. Moreover, lemon essential oil is used to fight exhaustion, minimize anxiety, and relieve stress through its molecular structure and refreshingly tart scent. Finally, ylang-ylang essential oil has a calming and relaxing effect on people who use it. It is said to help regulate your blood pressure and heart rate, which helps to slow your breathing.

3. Mint And Tea Tree Oil Blend For Supple Skin

Creating a blend of mint and tea tree essential oil will leave you feeling refreshed with a delightfully cool sensation. Likewise, this incredibly smelling DIY concoction will allow you to unwind when adding 2 drops of each to a diffuser. 

Alternatively, you could add these essential oils to a carrier oil to make a DIY moisturizer for your elbows and the soles of your feet. Simply melt one cup of coconut oil and one cup of shea butter. After cooling it slightly, add 5 drops of mint and 5 drops of tea tree essential oil. Stir for 5 minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

The mint essential oil has the benefit of hydrating your skin, while also naturally cleansing it and calming any irritation. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties which are soothing when topically applied, leaving you with smooth skin. When inhaled, tea tree oil helps reduce anxiety, combat insomnia, and relieves symptoms of congestion.

Conclusion

Mint essential oil is wonderful and versatile for both your body and mind. Specifically, when diffused, its aromatherapeutic benefits are stimulating for the brain and improve concentration, mental clarity, and energy. The cooling and invigorating aroma also aids in alleviating brain fog with its incredible scent which perks you right up. Simultaneously, topical application of this essential oil leaves you with supple, smooth skin, and alleviates dryness, irritation, and itchiness.

The real gift of this essential oil is its versatility. This is because it works magic when inhaled and is excellent when topically applied to the skin for a range of issues. Thus, the consensus is in, and mint essential oil has our full approval as a fantastic product to use in your everyday life.