10 Reasons You Need A Bottle Of Pine Essential Oil In Your Life

While you probably wouldn’t want to take a bite out of a tree, you might be surprised to find that pine essential oil offers numerous beneficial properties to your health as well as your home.

Pine needle essential oil is extracted through a process of steam distillation from pine needles. The oil may be sourced from any of several species of the genus Pinus. Some of these include the Dwarf Pine (Pinus mugo), Long-leaf Pine (Pinus palustris) and Scotch or Norway Pine (Pinus sylvestris

Pine essential oil is known for being refreshing, invigorating and cleansing. It has a potent woody aroma (which you’re probably quite familiar with.) Some say the scent is similar to that of a forest combined with a hint of balsamic vinegar.

Pine oil also has a long, interesting history that dates back to ancient Greek times. The oil was even used by Hippocrates himself!

The potent active ingredients and beneficial organic compounds of pine trees are primarily found in the needles. As such, pine needles are considered to be the most important part of the plant. Similarly, pine needle essential oil has a wide variety of uses for natural health and beauty, as well as around the home. The following are ten of the best.

1. Pine Essential Oil Relieves Pain

Pine essential oil offers soothing properties that make it ideal for relieving pain. Its stimulating nature brings blood to the surface of the skin. By doing so, it helps to flush out toxins and accelerate cell regeneration to relieve pain at its source. Scientific studies have even proven pine essential oil to be an effective treatment for pain caused by burns.

Scientists from the Medical College of Georgia conducted research as a follow-up to anecdotal evidence collected over a decade showing it was effective for treating burns. They found that pine oil was able to significantly counteract injury caused by scald burns in mice. This supported the hypothesis that a pine oil-based treatment could be developed to offer effective in-home care.

The healing properties of pine oil also make it effective for reducing swelling and irritation associated with chronic joint pain. When used topically – such as by adding it to a warm bath or a massage oil – pine can also help relieve acute pains and muscle aches.

2. Pine Essential Oil is Anti-inflammatory

Pine needle essential oil is a natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. Thus it may be used as a natural substitute for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Pine essential oil has also been used to help combat free radical damage, as well as chronic inflammatory responses which often result in swelling or pain, and may possibly even contribute to chronic diseases like cancer and arthritis.

3. Pine Oil Offers Relief From Headaches

Pine needle essential oil can help to reduce toxins from the air and surfaces around your home. Because environmental pollutants are among the most common triggers for headaches, pine oil is also a potent natural headache remedy.

Certain types of fungi and bacteria are known to cause headaches, as well as respiratory problems and some skin conditions. In one study, researchers from Lithuania’s Vilnius Pedagogical University investigated the activities of Pinus sylvestris extract to determine its environmental benefits. They discovered positive results for using pine oil as an anti-microbial – particularly against bacteria.

Pine essential oil is also effective for relieving stress and boosting one’s mood which can further work to reduce headaches.

The next time you have a headache, try rubbing a few drops of pine needle oil (diluted in a carrier oil) onto your chest and temples. Or to prevent headaches, simply add a few drops of pine oil to your diffuser and breathe in the aroma. Alternately, take a bottle of the oil with you whenever you’re on the go. Then you can directly inhale from it as soon as you feel a headache coming on.

4. Pine Essential Oil Boosts Energy and Mood

Pine oil offers invigorating effects on both the body and the mind. It can help relieve mental and physical fatigue, as well as improve focus, alertness, and memory. Pine essential oil encourages positive feelings while boosting self-confidence. As such, it can even provide relief from symptoms of depression.

To enhance your energy levels and mood, you can diffuse a few drops of pine essential oil in your home or office. You can also use it as a natural perfume when you need extra focus for a difficult work project, studying, taking a long drive, or any other situation where the remaining alert is important.

5. Pine Needle Essential Oil Is A Natural Decongestant

Pine needle essential oil has long been used as both an expectorant and decongestant. This is because pine oil helps to loosen phlegm in the lungs, allowing it to be eliminated.

Furthermore, pine needle essential oil can offer relief from a sore throat, as well. By reducing the amount of phlegm in the respiratory tract, pine oil allows the body to fight off infection faster, reducing recovery time.

One great way to use it is to combine the oil with both eucalyptus essential oil and coconut oil and rub it into your chest, neck and upper back to help open up nasal passages.

6. Use Pine Oil To Treat Acne & Other Skin Conditions

One of pine essential oil’s most valuable benefits is for treating skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, warts, boils, athlete’s foot and dry, itchy skin. It’s so effective, some dermatologists even prescribe pine oil specifically for these purposes.

Furthermore, pine essential oil has antioxidant properties. When used topically, it helps to fight free radicals and reduce their negative impact on the skin. Effectively, this works to prevent or fade the appearance of wrinkles, sagging and other signs of premature aging.

Before using pine needle essential oil on the skin, be sure to first perform a patch test to determine if you may be allergic.

7. Pine Essential Oil Is Great For Freshening Your Home

Pine essential oil is great for freshening your home. It is a natural deodorizer as it eliminates the microbes which cause odors and contamination. It can even kill airborne pathogens like influenza and common cold viruses.

You can use pine oil to deodorize rooms by adding a few drops to your diffuser. For an especially effective and aromatically pleasing blend, mix pine with Neroli and Cedarwood essential oils. You can also add these oils to a glass spray bottle filled with water. Then spritz around furniture, the seats in your vehicle, or anywhere else you spend a lot of time.

Additionally, you may wish to saturate a few cotton balls with the oil mixture. Then hide them in bathrooms or any other odiferous locations around your home to naturally freshen the air.

Not only will pine help produce purer, fresher air quality; but it can help you feel more alert and even be more productive, as well!

8. Pine Essential Oil Amplifies the Benefits of Massage

Getting regularly massaged with pine essential oil can actually enhance the relaxing effects of this type of therapy. It will help to alleviate mental stress, make you feel energized and boost your mood, all at the same time.

When used on a regular basis, pine oil may also significantly reduce or eliminate anxiety and nervous tension.

Frequent use of pine needle essential oil can even improve concentration and memory!

9. Use Pine Needle Essential Oil To Cleanse Your Carpets

As pine essential oil is one of the best natural deodorizers for your home, it also works wonders for cleaning carpets and removing stubborn odors. You’ve probably noticed that many store-bought cleaning products are pine scented, sometimes with actual pine oil. There’s a good reason for that – it’s extremely effective! But there’s no need for all of those added synthetic chemicals. Pine needle essential oil makes an ideal natural cleaner on its own.

To use it, just mix about 20 drops of the oil into a bucket of water. Mix well, then scrub it into any stains and smelly areas. This can be done by hand or by using a carpet cleaning machine to steam it into your carpets. There’s no need to remove it afterward as pine oil is non-toxic. And it will continue to work – killing odor-causing bacteria and other microbes – long after you’ve finished scrubbing it in. As an added bonus, it will also continue to fill your home with the fresh, clean scent of pine!

10. Pine Needle Essential Oil Can Be Used To Kill Fleas

Fleas are the bane of both a human’s and pet’s existence, making everyone in the household miserable when they’re around. Fortunately, pine essential oil comes to the rescue once again when it comes to eradicating fleas. That’s because it helps to dissolve the insects’ waxy coating which protects them from the elements. Pine oil can also deter fleas from entering (or staying in) your home as they can’t stand the smell.

Interestingly, Native Americans employed the use of pine to ward off fleas and lice by stuffing pine needles into their mattresses.

To use the oil against fleas, add several drops into a spray bottle of water, along with about a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol (to help break up the oil). Shake well and then spray on your carpets, furniture, dog beds and anywhere else these annoying insects might be hiding.

You can also mix 3 – 4 drops of pine essential oil into a bowl of warm water. Then soak a brush in the mixture before brushing your dog’s coat. Do not apply the oil directly to your dog’s skin. It must be diluted and then applied only onto the brush. Rinse out the brush thoroughly several times during the brushing.