The popularity of cloves can’t be disputed for they are found to be an integral part of worldwide cuisines! If you love the scent of cloves, it will delight you to learn that the essential oil of clove buds is found to be really high in antioxidants too, and that it greatly benefits your health.
The essential oil of clove buds has a warm, spicy aroma. It is produced through steam distillation using the flowering buds of the clove tree. Essential oils can also be produced using the stem and leaves of the clove plant, but in terms of fragrance, the flower buds are found to give off the very essence of the clove aroma. The aroma, by the way, comes from its 85% Eugenol content. Eugenol contributes greatly to the oil’s therapeutic properties and at the same time, is also why clove bud essential oil should be used with caution. Due to it’s powerful antimicrobial properties, the essential oil of clove buds is very useful for relieving all kinds of pain, including dental pain, it can also be quite irritating to the skin for some people.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable benefits of clove essential oils and how you can safely use it as a part of your own wellness routine.
Uplifting and comforting
Aromatically, clove bud essential oil possesses a strong, warm, spicy aroma that uplifts the spirits and lends a feeling of general wellbeing. It blends well with other spicy essential oils. It also blends well with essential oils in the citrus, wood and floral families- try it with bergamot, lavender, and cinnamon bark essential oils! It’s a strong oil though, so you should use it sparingly for aromatic uses, such as diffusing into the air.
Use it in oil pulling!
Used primarily in Ayurvedic medicine, oil pulling is an ancient oral detoxification procedure that is simply done by swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes. For the best result, go for organic coconut oil and add 2-3 drops of clove bud essential oil to it. Oil pulling is really effective procedure that has been used for centuries as a traditional Indian folk remedy to cure and prevent bad breath, bleeding gums, cracked lips, throat dryness and tooth decay in addition to strengthening gums, jaws and teeth.
DIY NATURAL MOUTHWASH
Clove bud essential oil is a natural germ-buster and this includes those nasty decay and bad breath causing germs that tend to accumulate in our mouth, especially after meals and snacks. Try this DIY natural mouthwash for fresh, clean breath, minus all those chemicals found in conventional mouthwashes!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of distilled filtered water
- 1 tbsp alcohol-free witch hazel
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tsp carrier oil*
- 10 drops of essential oils (you can use combinations of any three of the following together with your clove bud essential oil: Lemon, grapefruit, orange, cinnamon, chamomile, frankincense, myrrh, peppermint and spearmint.
Mason jar for storage
Method:
- In a small glass, mix essential oils with a carrier oil of your choice, witch hazel, and baking soda.
- Fill glass with distilled water.
To use:
- Swish in your mouth for 10-15 seconds and rinse.
- This recipe makes several applications, and you can store remaining mouthwash in mason jar.
* Please do not use regular coconut oil, for it solidifies easily and may clog your drain pipes. Instead, try any, or a combination of these oils: Avocado, Fractionated Coconut, Grapeseed, Jojoba, Sweet Almond.
Feeling nauseated? Sniff on this!
Nausea is a normal symptom of pregnancy as well as certain illnesses. It’s not a pleasant sensation, that’s for sure! If you happen to be suffering from a bout of nausea, try this: Fill a small glass spray bottle with distilled water and add in three to five drops of clove essential oil, together with three drops each of lemon and eucalyptus essential oils. Spray onto your pillows when you’re about to go to bed. You can also use this same combination in your diffuser to help combat nausea.
Add it to your favourite skincare product
The eugenol in clove bud essential oil is known for its antibacterial properties and has been found to be effective in curing acne, wherelse its high antioxidant content also makes it an excellent anti-aging agent! To address acne, try mixing two to three drops of this essential oil to your anti-acne product for added benefits – As mentioned before, it’s a strong oil, so please use it sparingly. The oil’s stimulating properties also helps to exfoliate dead skin, and increases blood flow which helps revive the youthfulness of your skin, whereby adding it (very sparingly) to your favourite anti-aging cream or face oil will do wonders for your skin, allowing you to see marked differences, quicker!
Hair beautifier
Clove essential oil, when used correctly, is also capable of improving the health of your hair and scalp, resulting in a more luxurious head of hair. It helps to boost blood circulation which reduces hair fall and also promotes hair growth. Clove essential oil also lends the much needed shine to dry and dull hair. Just 3 to 5 drops of clove essential oil mixed with olive oil can also work as a great rinse-off conditioner. For best results, apply the mix on damp hair, and wrap your head with a warm towel for twenty minutes before rinsing off with cold water. Do this at least twice a week for best results!
For treating minor skin issues
Clove essential oil contains a multitude of antiseptic properties, and when used correctly, it can help to hasten the healing of minor skin ailments such as cuts, wounds, fungal infections, insect bites and stings from insects. It’s important to dilute the clove oil with some carrier oils, jojoba being one of the best due to its high absorbency rate. Diluting clove essential oil with some carrier oil will prevent your sensitive skin from possible irritation or in some cases, burns, that can be caused by direct application.
Use with care
Clove Oil is also known for its pain-relieving benefits and it’s often recommended for use with dental pain. Although numerous sources suggest applying a drop of this useful oil on its own to a painful tooth or area of pain on the gums, it’s wise to keep in mind that this is a somewhat potent oil and it would never do to ‘accidentally’ apply a bit too much and result in ingesting a bit too much too. For this purpose, and the fact that it can also irritate people with sensitive skin, using it at full strength for any purpose is generally not recommended, especially for young children. Instead, dilute about 15-20 drops of clove essential oil into 80 ml of warm water and gargle with this.
