As a child I was highly allergic to wasp stings. Each sting was always worse than the last and eventually, a wasp sting meant a trip to the hospital. As a precaution, I began carrying an EpiPen (to prevent anaphylactic shock) in the outdoors in case of a sting.
A few years ago while camping in Colorado, I forgot to take along my EpiPen. On the last day or our trip, a bee flew in through the open window of the truck and stung me on the arm – the first sting I’d had in years.
At first I was really panicky, as we were in the back country and no where near a hospital. Thank goodness I had some essential oils with me and I remembered that lavender oil could help with bug bites. So I put a few drops onto the area of sting and gently rubbed it in. I kept putting more lavender on every 5-10 minutes. Long story short, my arm never got swollen or my skin red and I never had a reaction.
This amazing essential oil saved our camping trip and also saved me a trip to the hospital. Nowadays I take lavender oil with me everywhere I go and haven’t carried an EpiPen since.
A universal oil
Lavender is the essential oil that I use most often day to day. While there are stronger oils for a MRSA skin infection, you just can’t beat lavender for sheer number of uses. In fact, I consider this fragrant oil one of the top 10 additions to anyone’s natural medicine cabinet.
ometimes called the Universal Oil, lavender’s calm, comforting and inviting smell make it a favorite ingredient in many beauty and cosmetic products. Lavender is also a popular soothing oil for massage therapy. Because of its mild antimicrobial and skin regeneration properties, lavender is an excellent choice for insect bites, as well as minor scratches and scrapes.
Lavender oil is mild and safe and easy to use undiluted on the skin. It’s also the perfect oil to air diffuse when you want to feel more relaxed. Adding this oil to your shampoo, lotions and other beauty products is great for younger skin, too. And lavender is my number one favorite oil to add to bath salts for a calming, hot bath.
Sensitive MRSA skin infections
Lavender oil has some unique benefits for skin infections on sensitive areas of the body, such as the face or nose. The oil is mildly antibacterial and can be used by itself for skin infections. However, combining it with another oil, such as tea tree oil, gives you the tissue soothing benefits of lavender along with the infection support of tea tree.
A 50/50 mixture of lavender oil with tea tree oil is a good ratio for most skin infections. But for highly sensitive skin areas, this mixture can be diluted in a carrier oil to minimize burning and sensitivity.
As with most essential oils, a little goes a long way and more is not always better. Using too much oil or not diluting it enough can sting, burn and could even damage highly sensitive areas. And only the highest quality therapeutic grade oils should ever be used for support with infections.
To your very best health,
Michelle
