As soon as the calendar flips to November, it seems like store shelves are flooded with peppermint candles, lotions, candies and other products.
Want to make your whole house smell like the holidays? Here are 3 wonderful ways to use peppermint oil and peppermint extract:
1. Minty hot cocoa: Save a trip to the coffeehouse and instead, mix up your own peppermint hot cocoa with this super simple recipe:
- 1 cup vanilla flavored almond milk
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons agave nectar
- 1 drop peppermint extract
Heat milk in a saucepan. Combine cacao and agave in a small bowl, pour into milk and continue to heat until steaming. Add peppermint extract before serving.
2. Luxurious lip balm: Enjoy the soothing power of shea butter and the refreshing tingle of peppermint with this homemade lip balm! The best part? No weird chemical additives or unpronounceable ingredients.
- 1/2 Tablespoon cocoa butter
- 1/2 Tablespoon shea butter
- 1/8 cup organic coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon beeswax, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon raw honey
- 1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 3 drops peppermint oil
Combine cocoa butter, shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler, heat very slowly on low. Add beeswax and stir until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in honey, vitamin E and peppermint oil. Pour into tubes or tins – mixture will solidify within a few hours.
3. Room refresher: Add a burst of minty freshness to that musty basement (or other room) by combining a few drops of peppermint essential oil in a spray bottle with water. The particularly aromatic qualities of peppermint oil may also help keep spiders and rodents from coming in when it gets cold – so be sure to spray in doorways and crevices.