Catching a case of the common cold or flu can quickly bring your spirits down. Luckily, there are many essential oils for flu symptoms that provide soothing, comforting relief and support healing.
In this article, I’ll show you my hand-picked list of 10 best essential oils for cold and flu season.
The best thing about essential oils? They are so versatile! Once you’ve got a bottle, there are so many ways to use them. Follow along on my blog for many helpful tips, tricks and recipes!
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.
But first off now, let’s deal with those sniffles, shall we?!
Colds vs Flu – What’s the Difference?
Influenza, also known as the flu, is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory system. Symptoms include high fever, dry cough, sore throat, muscle aches and pains, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and nasal congestion. Some viruses cause vomiting and diarrhea.
It’s important to note that influenza can result in serious health conditions, like pneumonia, particularly for young and elderly people and folks with lung or heart problems.
WebMD1 describes the common cold as a less severe version of the flu and typically lasts for a few days to a week.
Essential oils can help alleviate symptoms and support the healing process, but do check in with a doctor if symptoms are persistent, or if you are vulnerable to complications, or are caring for someone who is vulnerable to complications.
Essential Oils for the Flu
The following is a list of the top essential oils for the common cold and influenza based on personal experience and research. It includes a mix of strong essential oils as well as gentle ones, and offers suggestions for home remedies to soothe symptoms.
When you’re feeling under the weather, reach for the following essential oils:
1. Thieves
Reach for Young Living Thieves when the sniffles hit.
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Thieves essential oil is a blend of lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, clove, and rosemary. It is a popular choice among essential oil enthusiasts. This essential oil is used for colds and flu symptoms because of its anti-bacterial, anti-infectious, anti-viral and antiseptic properties. Thieves® oil can help relieve symptoms from colds and flu. Use it to fight chest congestion, stuffy noses, sore throats, and reducing fever.
Diffuse it in your living space to support your breathing. Running a diffuser with essential oils also helps to get rid of airborne bacteria particles.
2. Germ Fighter
Plant Therapy’s Germ Fighter (Thieves Alternative)
Buy it here for $10.99
This Germ Fighter blend from Plant Therapy includes the same essential oil ingredients as Young Living Thieves®. It’s a blend of Cinnamon Cassia, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Clove and Rosemary.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly version of Thieves, check out Germ Fighter. I’ve also listed 5 more alternatives to the YL Thieves blend here.
3. Respir Aid
Respir Aid from Plant Therapy
Buy it here for $10.99
Plant Therapy’s Respir Aid™ blend includes many of the recommended single essential oils for cold and flu, as well. It’s a blend of Eucalyptus, Pine, Peppermint, Lavender, Spruce, Cypress and Marjoram oils.
With its soothing, fresh scent, Respir Aid™ helps to clear congestion in the airways, helping you to breathe better.
4. Quiet Cough
Quiet Cough Blend from Plant Therapy
Buy it here for $10.99
This essential oil is a KidSafe oil, which means it’s been developed particularly for children age 2+. That said, this oil is just as effective for adults! I personally love this scent.
Quiet Cough is a blend of many fabulous oils (it’s a long list!), most importantly Lemon, Cypress, Lavender and Frankincense. You can read the full list of ingredients on Plant Therapy’s website if you’re curious what makes this blend so lovely.
The oils work together to help with respiratory concerns. If treating a child, dilute it in a carrier oil and apply it as a simple DIY vapor rub on the chest, neck and upper back.
5. Peppermint
Peppermint essential oil
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Peppermint essential oil is effective for soothing headaches, chest congestion and reducing fever. Apply a small amount on your temples to fight head pain and to the bottoms of your feet to reduce fever. Dilute in a carrier oil and rub on your chest for soothing relief of chest congestion. Peppermint essential oil is a great go to oil for cold and flu season. Make sure to dilute it with a carrier oil as this essential oil is strong.
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6. Lemon
Lemon Essential Oil helps during Cold and Flu Season.
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Lemon essential oil is a phenomenal decongestant and is known to be an effective antiviral agent. It’s fresh, uplifting vitamin-c infused scent can bring your spirits up when your down and out with a cold or flu. Add this drop of sunshine to your diffuser to enhance your well being while you’re feeling sick. Purify the air to help you breathe better. Research suggests2 that the antibacterial action of lemon oil can be effective against cold and allergy symptoms.
7. German Chamomile
German Chamomile (Kid Safe) Essential Oil, 5 ml
Get it here
German Chamomile is a gentle and soothing essential oil for colds and flu. This oil will help melt away tension and pain from headaches and muscle aches and pains. Diffuse in the air or add it to your favorite carrier oil and rub on your neck, shoulders, and feet. You may also opt to put 2-3 drops in a warm bath to soothe aching muscles and calm chest and throat pain. A warm compress on the back of your neck could also do the trick.
Plant Therapy offers a lovely German Chamomile Oil for a little under $30.
8. Oregano
Oregano Essential Oil for Cold and Flu
Shop Oregano Essential Oil
Oregano oil is a popular essential oil for colds and flus, plus a long list of other ailments. Studies show its properties are antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-parasitic.
Add Oregano essential oil to a diffuser or personal inhaler to combat viruses and infections. Use multiple times throughout the day to decrease the symptoms of the common cold and flu.
9. Lavender
Lavender Essential Oils from Young Living and Plant Therapy brands
Shop here
Lavender is a common essential oil and its uses are abundant. It is a gentle oil extracted from the lavender plant, which is part of the mint family.
As an essential oil for colds and flu it has anti-septic and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s wonderful as a neck and shoulder rub to relax tense muscles and ease headaches. Place a few drops on a cotton ball and place under your pillow to help you get some much-needed rest. Add a carrier oil and create a decongestant rub.
Lavender oil also has a ton of other benefits, so if you do add it to your medicine cabinet, it will continue to serve you even long after cold and flu season is over.
10. Eucalyptus Oil
This Eucalyptus Oil is Certified Organic and under $10 for the bottle.
Shop Here
Eucalyptus oil eases the respiratory system during colds and flu. Diffuse it to support breathing through stuffy noses or create a soothing rub with your favorite carrier oil for your chest and shoulders. Eucalyptus oil is often used in cough drops and ointments. Create your own home remedies with your favorite diffuser and carrier oils.
How to Use Essential Oils for Cold and Flu
When you’re sick, finding relief is your utmost priority.
Once you’ve chosen the oil(s) you want to use, here’s what you can do with them:
- Steam inhalation. Add a few drops of the recommended essential oil into a bowl of hot water. Lean over the bowl and drag a towel over your head to keep the steam in. What I like about this method is the steam facial you get from it, plus its effectiveness as an instant decongestant. Also, you get to be up close and personal with your favorite oil and it works well.
- Diffusing. When I’m sick, my diffuser is my best friend. I bring it with me to every room I lay in. The cold-air diffuser distributes the oils throughout the room, but you don’t get the concentrated results as with the steam inhalation method.
- Hot Bath. For an effective solution when you’re sick, I recommend using your favorite essential oils in a hot, steamy bath. This will essentially diffuse the essential oils while you enjoying the steam hot bath. It’s similar to steam inhalation in the way it helps to decongest your nose and chest.
Final thoughts
There are many beloved oils that work to alleviate symptoms of colds and flu.
What’s so wonderful about essential oils is the various uses you can get out of each one. Once you’ve bought a bottle, it is useful for so many things! Lemon works as a great decongestant and it also makes a nice cleanser for your kitchen counters; lavender is great to help in sleeping and it can soothe burns, cuts and scrapes as well.
While the effects of a cold or flu can leave you feeling miserable, just know there are many essential oils for cold and flu for you to choose from. Finding what works for you based on your personal preference will lead to your own essential oil first aid kit in no time. If you already have a few preferences, please share what works for you in our comments section below.
Hope you feel better soon!
References
¹ https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-cold-symptoms#2
² https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/47/5/565/858508
Linda
Can you tell me which company’s oils are ingestible?
Emma Carter
Hi Linda, yes, I have an article on edible essential oil companies here. Hope it helps!
Lynn Mettam
Hi
Is marjoram and oregano oil the same ? I understand the plants are very closely related & used interchangeably in cooking.
Also do you have more information about safety around pets as I have 3 cats & am a bit concerned I might be improving my health but damaging theirs.
Many thanks for your great site which is helping my renewed interest in essential oils.
Lynn
RMae
I am just learning about oils so bear with my questions please. I want to use oils that are good for aromatherapy and for health care too. Is there a difference in oils for these uses? Are they one and the same?
Howard Picard
I use a blend of 50% Oregano, 30% Peppermint & 20% pure Coconut oil, all “Essential Oils”, in a roll on applicator & run the soles of feet during the winter months or anytime that I feel a cold coming on. This has worked tremendously for 2 years. I also use the Breathe Vapor Stick as needed. Age 78 with a lung condition Emphysema. Can you confirm my blend as an effective blend to use? For me it works??? Thank you!
Daniela
Oregano is one oil I will always have at home. I use oregano almost every day and even to my laundry. For flu and cold I diffuse oregano oil mostly in the evening before going to bed. I will get a few leafs of oregano and make a tea and drink at least three times a day. I also diffused it in my basement and feel better when down there. The mold used to bother me and cause me to cough.I use oregano on a daily basis and it has always been wonderful.
Emma Carter
What’s your most recent favorite diffuser blend? Let me know, I’m always looking for new inspiration! :)
Patty Gondron-Groover
I personally find doterra oils to be really good. Onguard is great for prevention of flu and other illnesses. Stay well everyone.
Kathy
Thanks for posting this information. I was searching for the best essential oils to try when dealing with the flu and so I was happy to find your website and found the information very useful. I have been doing some of my own research and I feel it is important to post a warning addressed to people with pets to warn them of the dangers of using certain essential oils around cats/dogs. Not all essential oils are dangerous (some are even beneficial) but some (containing polyphenolic compounds) are dangerous because they interfere with a cat’s liver detoxification processes. Most of the dangerous ones (to cats) are listed above (oregano, tea tree, thyme, cinnamon, clove, citrus oils…). For dogs, essential oils can trigger a range of issues from allergic and skin sensitivities to interference in their natural body processes. The lists of dangerous ones are not necessarily identical to the list for cats but clove and thyme are examples of ones which are dangerous to both animals. All this to say that I think it would be helpful to add a note to inform people they should research whether the oil they are diffusing is harmful to their pets. Thank you!
Emma
Thanks for this input Kathy. I will look at updating some of my articles and address the caution around pets. Thanks again!
Alice
Thank you for sharing this information. I have benefited from using essential oils and I’m going to add oregano and eucalyptus as we are currently fighting the flu.
Marcus Blaisdell
Emma, you’re beautiful. Glad to be first to comment on your first blog on a great website that seems to have a lot going for it. I googled to learn about essential oils for colds and yours came up second. I have learnt a lot. I’ll purchase from the links, and wish you the best going forward.