Let’s talk peppermint oil. You may have heard about its miraculous benefits. Or, depending on who you ask, maybe you’ve been warned not to touch the stuff. Sound familiar? Yeah, us too.

We know there are two sides to every story, so to find the middle ground we’ve rounded up a bunch of blog posts touching on the benefits, risks, and best ways to use peppermint oil. What we found made us laugh AND cry.

Young Living

The  Young Living blog praises peppermint oil for its health benefits. They’ve even included scientific references, all promising that the oil will do wonderful things for your bod, from improving workouts to supporting the liver and lungs.

But to be fair, Young Living also manufacture the stuff, meaning you won’t necessarily get the most objective opinion. However, they’ve got some really great suggestions on how to use peppermint oil in your day to day. Check it out:

- Cure a headache by rubbing a drop on the temples and the back of your neck

- Relieve digestive upset by dabbing a tiny dose of peppermint oil on your tummy

- Stay awake by rubbing a drop of oil under your nose

Stockpiling Moms

The Stockpiling Moms blog shares  33 different (amazing!) ways to freshen your lifestyle with peppermint oil. They all sound wonderful, but here are a few in particular that we’ve already started working into the routine:

- For your feet: Soothe overworked dogs with a cloth soaked in cool water and a couple drops of peppermint oil. Ahhhhhhh…

- For your hair: Mixing a teensy bit of peppermint oil to your shampoo stimulate and re-energize your scalp. If dandruff is a problem for you, peppermint oil’s antiseptic properties can even help reduce dandruff. Goodbye snowflakes!

- For your home: Peppermint oil is antifungal AND antibacterial which means it a fantastic natural cleaner. For squeaky clean countertops, add a few drops to a spray bottle filled with water.

Wellness Mama

Wellness Mama gets real about the  risks associated with using peppermint oil, and essential oils in general. While she admits to using these highly concentrated products on the reg, she also warns us that, “with great power comes great responsibility.” This post is full of amazing info and we highly recommend checking it out in detail. A few points in particular really blew our minds:

- 256 pounds of peppermint leaves go into one single pound of peppermint oil — talk about concentration!

- Undiluted oils can cause serious irritation or allergic outbreaks in people with sensitive skin. To protect your skin, always dilute in a carrier oil like almond or coconut.

- Pregos beware — when ingested, essential oils can actually break through placenta and harm your baby! Peppermint is on the high risk oil list, which isn’t to say you CAN’T use it, but it’s a good idea to check with your doctor first.

The Hippy Homemaker

In her post on  where to buy essential oils, Hippy Homemaker teaches us that not all products are created equally. And she shares some pretty shocking bits. For example, did you know descriptions like, “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” are actually trademarked phrases made up by the oil companies? Hippy Homemaker did TONS of digging and found that there isn’t even an organization certifying essential oils AT ALL.

So who can you trust? Hippy Homemaker’s recommendation is simple: do your homework. Get to know a company before you use their product. Here are a few things she looks for in particular:

- Does the company promote harmful uses of oil?

- Are they selling oils of endangered plants?

- Are they sustainable?

Huge thanks to Hippy Homemaker for the extensive research — be sure to check out her post to get all the informative details on her quest for the most ethical essential oil brands.

What it all boils down to is that peppermint oil has wonderful benefits — as long as it’s used safely. It’s up to you to do your research and decide how you can work it into your routine.

We want to know about your personal experiences using peppermint oil. Share in the comments below!

Image courtesy of eHow.com