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Most days bring a wild mix of exciting and dull moments. We try our best and work hard to meet the needs of each day. Most of us know that treating ourselves well is imperative to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it’s easy to forget. Melissa oil can serve as a reminder to take time to enjoy the simple things and designate space in our lives for rejuvenation.
With a lemony and floral aroma, Melissa is a wondrous essential oil often used in aromatherapy to lift your spirits. Like a calming stroll on the shore, Melissa essential oil calms the mind and lessens feelings of anxiety.
A luscious aromatic herb with a sweet aroma, the Melissa plant has serrated leaves and petite white and pink flowers. Both the flowers and the leaves are put through a steam distillation method to extract and capture the essential oil. Try mixing it with resin-based essential oils to create something special.
Botanical Name: Melissa officinalis
Origin: Bulgaria
Method: Steam Distilled
Plant Part: Flowers/Leaves
Note: Middle
Family: Lamiaceae
Synonym: Lemon Balm
Blends Well With: Frankincense, and other resins
Aroma: Lemony, sweet, bright, and floral
Consistency: Thin
Color: Clear – Pale Yellow
Safety: Keep out of reach of children. If pregnant or under a doctor’s care, consult physician. Avoid contact with eyes. Do not use internally unless instructed by a licensed aromatherapist or physician.
Adult Max Dilution: 0.9%
Shelf Life: 2-3 Years
Pet Safety: Essential oils are generally safe to diffuse around adult cats and dogs intermittently. Ensure the room you’re diffusing in is well-ventilated and that your pet can leave if desired. Discontinue use if you notice any adverse reaction. Avoid topical use and diffusing around young pets, small animals or pets with health problems.
- Essential oils need a lot of plant material to make even one small 5 ml bottle. Melissa makes no exception. However, one major reason that Melissa is so expensive is that the essential oil is made from the flowers of the plant and the plant gives low yield and is seasonal making it a more scarce oil to come by as well as the consideration of high labor costs. So in the end, the cost it takes to make a small bottle gets passed onto the end user in figuring the price of the oil.
- Essential oils are powerful, concentrated substances so a little goes a long way. Two of the most effective ways to use them is by way of inhalation and topical use. Ingesting Melissa essential oil is rarely necessary or recommended, no matter the brand. Ingestion can lead to adverse reactions such as medication contraindications, mucous membrane irritation, sensitization and nausea if done incorrectly. Therefore, if you wish to take essential oils internally, we strongly recommend consulting with a knowledgeable professional with experience in internal use.
- Melissa officinalis has a captivating lemony aromatic that carries hints of grass. It is deeply calming, sweet and relaxing and is sometimes referred to as Lemon Balm. It does carry antimicrobial and antifungal properties that can make it work well in cleaning blends but because of its price tag, it may be better to save this essential oil for issues that have to do with skin issues such as eczema and inflammation for headaches or for depression and sleep for its uplifting and CNS sedative actions.
- Melissa essential oil is made via steam distillation. In steam distillation, plant material is placed in a still, water is added, then heat is applied to the unit. As water heats, plants release their essential oil, the oil rises with steam droplets that are sucked into a pipe and the oil and water are then separated. While it may not be possible to make Melissa essential oil at home, you can make aromatic hydrosol water that contains many of the same therapeutic benefits as an essential oil. Click here for instructions on how to make your own hydrosol.
- Melissa has qualities that make it useful for pain relief, recovery blends and as an antidepressant, sedative and actions as an anti-inflammatory. To understand what other oils may be a good substitute therapeutically, we should look at its main components which are Geranial, Neral and b-caryophyllene. Looking at Lemongrass, it does contain all of these oil components - more so of geranial and neral but less so of b-caryophyllene. Another potential substitute for Melissa is Lemon Verbena which carries the same main components as Melissa plus this particular essential oil also contains some d-Limonene.
Apply Topically: Our Single Essential Oils and Synergy Blends are 100% pure and undiluted. To apply to the skin, dilute with a high-quality Carrier Oil. See our dilution chart here. We recommend performing a skin patch test when using a new essential oil topically, especially on sensitive skin.
Diffuse & Inhale: Breathe in your favorite essential oils using an essential oil diffuser or personal pocket inhaler. For instructions on how to use your diffuser, please refer to the diffuser's product page.
DIYs: Explore simple and fun recipes on The Drop, our essential oil blog with expert tips, EO news, and informative reads.
CHEER: Add to a personal inhaler and inhale as needed: 5 drops of Melissa, 5 drops of Lime and 5 drops of Basil. Or add 5-6 drops of Melissa to your Scent Ball Diffuser and diffuse for 30-60 minutes.
RELEASE: Add to a personal inhaler and inhale as needed: 5 drops of Melissa, 5 drops of Lavender and 5 drops of Mandarin. Or add 5-6 drops of Melissa to your Car Diffuser and diffuse for a more relaxing drive.
INSECT SPRAY: In a 2 ounce spray bottle add: 5 drops of Melissa, 5 drops of Cedarwood (Himalayan), 4 drops of Lemon Eucalyptus and 6 drops of Rosemary, then fill with Lemongrass hydrosol and Polysorbate 20 (manufacturer's recommended amount). Shake well before each use.
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