Peppermint’s gentler sibling: it contains less menthol, so it does not cool as sharply, and it can be considered more readily for children.
Where it comes from
Plant part used: leaf. Extraction method: steam distillation. Typical origin: United States.
Steam distillation means that hot steam passing through the plant carries the volatile compounds with it. The steam is cooled, and the water and the oil separate on their own — the oil floats on top.
What it smells like
Aroma notes: soft, sweetish mint, gentler than peppermint.
If you are meeting it for the first time, do not sniff straight into the bottle. Hold it a few centimetres from your nose and waft the aroma towards you — that way the stronger oils will not hit you, and you will pick up the finer notes too.
How people use it
- Diluted on the abdomen after eating.
- In the diffuser while studying.
- One drop in water as a mouth rinse, where the labelling allows it.
- Diluted on the nape of the neck.
Recipes
The ratios are worked out, and one drop is roughly five hundredths of a millilitre. Where a companion oil is listed, feel free to swap it for whatever you have at home — the drop counts stay the same.
Abdominal massage oil
What you get: 30 ml, lasts weeks.
- Measure fractionated coconut oil into a 30 ml bottle.
- Add 9 drops of Spearmint — one and a half per cent, deliberately mild.
- After a meal, put some in your palm.
- Massage your abdomen clockwise for five minutes.
The direction is not superstition: it follows the path of the large intestine.
Study diffusing
What you get: one study block.
- Fill the diffuser with water up to the line.
- Add 4 drops of Spearmint and 2 drops of Tamer.
- Switch it on and study for twenty-five minutes.
- Air the room for five minutes, and only then start the next round.
The break is not an optional extra: after ten to fifteen minutes your nose adjusts to an aroma and you stop registering it.
Child-friendly foot oil
What you get: 10 ml.
- Put fractionated coconut oil into a 10 ml bottle.
- Add 1 drop of Spearmint — half a per cent, which is the right amount.
- In the evening, after a bath, massage it into the child’s feet.
- Pull on socks so it does not get smeared about.
Not at all under the age of two, and for a baby always ask the paediatrician first. Minty and eucalyptus oils are left out for small children.
What to pair it with
These suit the same situations, so they sit well together in a blend:
- Tamer — shared topic: Digestive comfort
- Thinker — shared topic: Focus and study
- dōTERRA SuperMint — shared topic: Digestive comfort
Safety and storage
Always patch test a new oil on a small area of skin, diluted, and wait a day. Keep it away from eyes and mucous membranes. In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, with a chronic condition or while taking regular medication, seek professional advice first.
In dark glass, somewhere cool, tightly closed. Heat, light and air all age it: citrus oils keep for roughly one to two years, woods and resins for years. It does not need to go in the fridge, but the bathroom windowsill is the worst place for it.
Questions
How much should I use?
For adults, daily whole-body use usually works out at around two per cent: that is roughly twelve drops in thirty millilitres of carrier oil. For sensitive skin and for children, considerably less. The dilution helper on the home page works out the number of drops for your bottle.
What should I dilute it with?
Fractionated coconut oil is the easiest, because it stays liquid, has no scent of its own and does not go rancid. Sweet almond, jojoba and grapeseed oil are good choices too. Essential oil does not mix with water, so for a bath always disperse it in something fatty or in salt first.
What should I watch out for?
Always patch test a new oil on a small area of skin, diluted, and wait a day. Keep it away from eyes and mucous membranes. In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, with a chronic condition or while taking regular medication, seek professional advice first.
How long does it keep?
In dark glass, somewhere cool, tightly closed. Heat, light and air all age it: citrus oils keep for roughly one to two years, woods and resins for years. It does not need to go in the fridge, but the bathroom windowsill is the worst place for it.
