Over the next several weeks, Female IQ thought it would be fun and helpful to share information about essential oils. Essential oils are a great way to incorporate self-care into your day-to-day routine and can be a minor life tweak with major benefits.

Please know not all essential oils are created equal so it’s crucial that you really consider your source when purchasing an essential oil. Young Living and doTERRA are two respected companies with what I believe to be superior products. Nine times out of 10, essential oils from gas stations or pharmacies like Walgreens are not good quality and may even be slightly toxic.

For the first post about essential oils, Female IQ wanted to highlight peppermint oil. When starting an oil collection, peppermint should be your first purchase. It just has SO many uses.

Headaches

My oldest daughter suffers from headaches, especially during her menstrual cycle. To combat her headaches, I started making her a special smoothie. In a blender, I combine 1 cup oat milk, 1/2 organic banana, 1/4 cup organic blueberries, 1 handful spinach, 1/4 avocado, 1 tablespoon organic instant coffee, 1 tablespoon cacao, 1 scoop protein powder or collagen powder, 1 dropper full of liquid stevia and 2 drops of peppermint essential oil.

You can also rub peppermint essential oil into your temples or massage into your scalp to ward off a headache.

Fitness

To avoid overheating while working out, you can apply peppermint essential oil to places like your neck, arm pits or chest. I apply it to my arm pits before a long run, especially in the summer. I keep a spray bottle with water and 15 drops of peppermint essential oil in my tennis bag and spritz my face and chest between games. And following hot yoga, I like to put a few drops of peppermint oil on a damp washcloth and apply to my forehead during savasana.

For muscle recovery, you can add 15-20 drops of essential into an Epson salt bath and soak for 10-15 minutes.

Energy Boost

Do you ever experience an energy dip during your day? For me it’s often around 4pm. Because I do not want to consume coffee that late in the day (because it would affect my sleep schedule), I add 2 drops of peppermint essential oil to 28-ounce water bottle. (Added bonus, peppermint essential oil can curb cravings so peppermint infused water might stop you from snacking before dinner.)

As for kids, every morning I diffuse 8-10 drops of peppermint essential oil in the kitchen. As my girls eat their breakfast and talk about their hopes for the day, they breath in the peppermint and perk up.

You can also put 1-2 drops of peppermint essential oil in your palms, rub the palms together and then take 3 deep breaths, inhaling the invigorating scent.

—Becca Edwards, founder of Female IQ