Lemon essential oil: its benefits and how to use it: Femme Actuelle Le MAG


Antiseptic, detoxifying, stimulating … Lemon essential oil is also an ally of the liver, of the skin, or of the intestinal transit. Contraindications to know, dosage, virtues… Marine le Gouvello, naturopath, tells us everything we need to know about this essential oil before using it!

What are the benefits of lemon essential oil?

Lemon essential oil is a powerful natural antiseptic, which helps to cleanse the body, purify the respiratory tract, or the digestive system.

Very “cleansing”, this essential oil will in particular have a targeted action on the liver, helping it to detoxify.

It is also indicated in case of water retention, and for people who suffer from edema.

Also for the skin, the use of lemon essential oil can be interesting. Here again, we will appreciate its sanitizing action. Be careful, being photosensitizing, this essential oil should never be applied pure to the body or face, even for skin care.

How to use lemon essential oil for weight loss?

Lemon essential oil has multiple virtues, since it is also an ally in the case of weight loss research.

Like other lemon essential oils (essential oil of Lemongrass or essential oil of lemon listed), it participates in the destocking of fats, and is a real anti-cellulite boost.

Thanks to its fluidifying action, lemon essential oil will increase blood circulation, and will thus help strengthen the blood vessels, which are located between the fatty cells.

“The accumulation of adipose tissue takes place in areas where venous and lymphatic circulation is difficult, or even absent. This is why it is interesting to come to decongest these areas, to strengthen the small capillaries, to make them more tonics, and thus allow a better circulation of fluids “, specifies Marine le Gouvello, naturopath.

Obviously, as the practitioner reminds us, this is not a magic product! The use of lemon essential oils, with slimming and anti-cellulite virtues, is only of interest as part of a healthy lifestyle, which includes a balanced diet or adapted to the desired weight loss, and the practice of ‘physical exercises several times a week.

But associated with these rules of hygiene of life, lemon essential oil, offers an interesting boost, thanks to its purifying action on the digestive system and fluidifying on the venous and lymphatic system.

The best to dislodge stubborn cellulite? Combine lemon essential oil with other anti-cellulite essential oils: Lemongrass essential oil, Lemon Litsea essential oil, and evergreen cypress essential oil.

Lemon essential oil in water: good or bad idea?

As drinking lemon juice, in the morning on an empty stomach, often comes up in the advice given by naturopaths or nutritionists, to detoxify and stimulate the body after a night’s sleep and keep the figure, one could be tempted to replace the juice of freshly squeezed lemon with one or two drops of lemon essential oil …

However, for Marine le Gouvello, this alternative should be urgently forgotten! “Not only do essential oils not mix well at all on contact with water, but taking lemon essential oil by mouth, like many other references, is not ideal. can indeed be very toxic to the liver, and should only be consumed orally by experienced users … “, she warns.

In addition, as the naturopath points out, drinking squeezed lemon juice in the morning simultaneously allows you to drink water when you wake up: a very good reflex to keep to start the day well hydrated!

To lose weight, for example, you can opt for a large glass of celery juice for breakfast. This vegetable is a great slimming ally: it acts both as an appetite suppressant, as a transit stimulant, and has a diuretic action.

How to use lemon essential oil?

You will understand, as with many other essential oils, you should never use pure lemon essential oil on the body or face, as it can be very irritating.

Unless you are an informed user, avoid taking drops of lemon essential oil by mouth, and prefer a skin application, but diluted.

To use lemon essential oil, Marine le Gouvello therefore recommends diluting it in the vegetable oil of your choice (sweet almond oil, or sunflower oil if you have it in your kitchen cupboards). About 20% lemon essential oil is diluted for 50% vegetable oil (count about ten drops of vegetable oil for 3 drops of essential oil, for example).

If you wish to combine lemon essential oil with other essential oils, for an anti-cellulite action for example (essential oil of Lemongrass, essential oil of Lemon Litsea, essential oil of evergreen cypress …), be careful here again to take care of them. dilute in vegetable oil. In a glass bottle, put 100 ml of vegetable oil, and a maximum of 20 drops of essential oils.

Be careful, even diluted, lemon essential oil should not be applied to the skin before exposure to the sun, at the risk of seeing spots appear. We therefore prefer an application in the evening, before bedtime, to avoid any inconvenience.

Good to know : Before applying your preparation based on essential oil, always remember to test the mixture on the skin, by placing a small amount in the palm of the wrist. Ideally, wait 24 hours to check that the skin tolerates this mixture well, then apply it to the areas to be treated.

Contraindications to know

Lemon essential oil is not recommended for pregnant women during the first three months of pregnancy, and is authorized during the rest of pregnancy, under medical advice.

In the event of a skin reaction, quickly stop the application and put a pure vegetable oil on the irritated area, and massage.

Lemon essential oil: how to choose it well to enjoy its benefits?

While the use of essential oils should be done with care, the choice of essential oils is also important to fully enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy.

To choose a quality lemon essential oil, turn to organic references, and check that the oil is “chemotyped”, that is to say that it has not been made from plants. from different places. “This mention is in a way a pledge of” good way “. It ensures that it was made with one and the same harvest, which avoids the assemblages of plants of different qualities, and avoids having disorganized essential oils at the molecular level. “, explains the naturopath.

To identify chemotyped essential oils, find the mention HECT on the bottle, or HEBBD, which is the equivalent in pharmaceutical quality.

Thanks to Marine le Gouvello, naturopath, www.marinelegouvello-naturopathe.com

Read also :

⋙ Benefits of lemon: 25 health benefits you never suspect

⋙ Essential oils: 9 things to know to use them safely

⋙ Weight loss: the best essential oils for weight loss