Have you noticed when adding lemon essential oil to your morning glass of water that it just sits on the top? This phenomenon is nothing new. In fact I’m sure you have come across it while making homemade salad dressing, using your homemade makeup remover, or perhaps during a good rain and you see oil slick on the roads while driving. Oil is notorious for hating water.
So how do we make something Hydrophobic (water hating) into something Hydrophilic (water loving)? You need to use a dispersant; a substance that allows oil to easily mix with water.
There are many different types of dispersants out there, many of which are used for cleaning massive oil spills, keeping wet concrete from separating, and even in everyday commercial laundry detergents. Problem is those aren’t the kinds of dispersants you can put in your morning lemon water. They’re full of harmful chemicals and other nasty toxins you shouldn’t ingest.
The “dispersants” I discuss below are not technically considered proper dispersants; however, they have worked wonders on preventing an essential oil mustache. They work by allowing the essential oil to soak into different ingredients therefore emulsifying them to preventing them from just floating on the surface.
*** Just so ya know I will only be discussing how to keep edible essential oils mixed in water, not other liquids like milk, alternative milks, or alcoholic beverages. These alternatives can of course use the methods I talk about below, but usually mixing essential oils in these mediums is easier because of fat content or alcohol content.
*** These simple recipes work well for both 8oz and 16oz of water so choose which one works best for you.
How to Use a Dispersant for Essential Oils
So what can you use?
Here’s a few options to try that have worked relatively well for me:
• Sea Salt
This one is really easy to do especially if you drink a larger glass of water in the morning. Simply add a small pinch of sea salt to a dish and then add 1-2 drop of lemon essential oil. Mix it well and then place it in the bottom of your glass and then fill it with water.
You will notice that the essential oil is effectively mixed IN the water instead of floating on top! You hardly even notice the salt and you get the added benefit of electrolytes. Doing this in a smaller glass of water can lend a saltier flavor so play around with it to suit your taste. I like this sea salt. You can use Himalayan salt too.
• Fresh Aloe Gel/Juice
This one has a noticeable flavor, but I don’t mind it since I tend to enjoy drinking aloe juice/gel on a regular basis for digestive support. If you’re not a fan of the astringent taste, you may want to skip this one.
Mix 1tsp- 1TB of aloe gel/juice with 1-2 drops of lemon essential oil until well combined. Add to your glass, and then fill it with water.
You can also use the edible aloe juice/gel from your local health food store. Just make sure you don’t get the topical aloe! I use this aloe gel and this aloe juice for this method.
• Mashed Fruit
Blending different fruits and then adding lemon essential oil to the puree will make for lightly flavored water. Some good choices include all berries (ripe strawberry is my favorite!), stone fruit, cucumber, and of course citrus.
If you didn’t already know, essential oils contain only trace amounts of vitamins and other nutrients. While you do benefit from their therapeutic aspects, you will not get the vitamins from them as you would a piece of lemon.
However, what’s really neat to note is if you use BOTH lemon essential oil with a slice of lemon in your water, you will actually absorb MORE vitamins from the lemon. Therapeutic grade essential oils like the ones by Young Living actually make vitamins more bioavailable for our body to use! I highly recommend that you still add a slice of lemon to your water for this very reason.
• Baking Soda
This one isn’t my favorite, but it does work.
Use the same method as the salt by taking a pinch of baking soda and mixing 1-2 drops of lemon essential oil. Mix well and add water. This is the baking soda I use.
• Sugar
This is a great one for making amazing lemonade!
For every cup of sugar, fruit, lemon juice, or water add 1 drop of lemon essential oil to the sugar. Mix well. Pour the sugar into the pitcher and then add your fruit and water. Stir until well combined. This tastes and smells SO refreshing and deliciously lemony. I like to use these sugars:
• Organic granulated sugar
• Coconut sugar
• Date sugar
• Honey and Maple Syrup (or other syrupy sweeteners)
This is another great method for dissolving essential oils into water. Simply add 1-2 drops of lemon essential oil to 1-2 teaspoon of raw honey or maple syrup and mix well into cold water. If you’re doing the master cleanse this is a great way to get some extra benefits into your routine.
• Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
For those of us who take this nifty supplement, here’s a way to make it more enjoyable to use.
Since diatomaceous earth is so powdery, I recommend adding 1tsp-1TB of it to the bottom of your glass and then adding enough water to form a paste. Add 1-2 drops lemon essential oil to the paste and mix well. Add water, stir, and then drink it down!
Food grade diatomaceous earth is great for killing parasites as well as supplying a hefty dose of nourishing silicon for smooth glowing skin. This is the brand I use.
• Food Grade Bentonite Clay
For the detox lovers out there, this is the one for you!
Bentonite clay is known for its ability to detoxify the body. Lemon essential oil is known for detoxifying the liver, enhancing lymph drainage, and even improving circulation. Combining the two together makes for a powerful drink.
Simply make a paste with the bentonite clay and water and then add 1-2 drops of lemon essential oil. Stir well. Add water. Mix and enjoy first thing in the morning to help pull toxins from the digestive tract. This is my favorite food grade bentonite clay.
• Collagen Hydrolysate Powder
I don’t know about you but I can’t stand the smell of collagen! However, I know it’s good for me so I continue to take it every day to help support skin, cartilage, and connective tissue health. Lately though, I’ve been adding a few drops of lemon essential oil before mixing it in water and now it doesn’t bother me! Hallelujah! You can get my favorite collagen powder here.
• Gelatin Powder
The same goes for gelatin. It’s smelly in my opinion but I know I need it! Gelatin is fantastic for keeping your skin taught and your joints working smoothly. It’s also great for digestive health so I try to take it daily with the help of lemon essential oil to help mask the odor.
This one can be weird to mix since it gels up so you can either:
1. Add the lemon essential oil to 1TB of gelatin powder. Mix well and then sprinkle it in a thin layer over warm water (If you dump it in it will clump horribly). Mix by hand or in a small blender and then drink up.
2. Or, you can mix it in hot water though you will lose much of the essential oil through vaporization.
You can get my favorite gelatin powder here.
Which Dispersant is Best?
Honestly it depends on what you have in your house. The dispersant that causes the least irritation is the one you should go for, so something like aloe gel would be one of the best options. The point of this is NOT to give the water flavor. If you want lemon flavor, do yourself a favor and use a REAL lemon that actually has vitamins and minerals. Essential oils do not offer anything nutritionally, they are only meant for therapeutic use. For more info on whether or not you should even be eating essential oils please read this post: Can You Ingest Essential Oils?
An Important Thing to Note
Using these methods will take away some or most of the flavor of the essential oil you’re using. The reason for this is because the oil is getting absorbed into the ingredient you’re mixing it into so using this method doesn’t allow for the full lemon flavor you may be expecting. Instead the flavor will be very subtle since you’re not drinking the oil straight from the top.
Why even bother mixing it into something else if you can’t enjoy the flavor? Here’s the deal: I have a really sensitive body and drinking water with 1-2 drops of lemon essential oil that is just floating on the top is really irritating on my lips and in my mouth. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there so I wanted to find a way to make it enjoyable as well as comfortable for those you still want to take therapeutic grade essential oils this way.
Also, more is not better! Even though you can’t taste the oil as strongly, I CANNOT recommend adding MORE oil. Essential oils are incredibly strong and you really only need 1-2 drops for 8-16oz of water. If you need more of a lemony flavor squeeze in some fresh lemon and utilize those vitamins!
*** ALSO, I only use Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils for oral use. They are tested to be 100% pure and I trust them wholeheartedly. You can find out how to get these amazing oils HERE. You can read more about lemon essential oil here.
Have you found any effective methods to help mix essential oils with water?
C.L. says
Loved the studys you linked to. Very interesting to a scientist like me. I was looking for the best dispersant for a linen spray and came across this article. Great read!
Diane says
So where is the scientific data proving lemon oil helps purify the liver? Just wanting verification before ingesting.
Tash says
Here's a few studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25272759
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5089748/
Also, please make sure you are under the guidance of a certified aromatherapist before ingesting any essential oils 🙂
Lou says
I am trying to mix carrier oils , essential oils and water. And was told that I could use 100 proof moonshine to keep them from sepperateing. Do you know if this works and if it is safe to apply to your skin? Thanks lou
Tash says
Hi Lou!
I know that alcohol with help mix the essential oils better when the mixture is shaken. I think using 100% alcohol would do the trick though. As for using it on the skin, it may burn if used in large quantities. I make a 60-proof deodorant and it feels like aftershave even when using hardly any essential oils.
Al Novello says
I have started using a person trained in Holistic. She started by giving me 4 small bottles filled. I take 10 drops from each bottle 3x a day. She won't tell whats in these little bottles. Because I take meds when I had triple bypass I want to be careful what I ingest. I make my lemon water by simmering left
over lemon pieces and 2 fresh lemons. I then add the contents to my blender and process. It's a little thick so I add Tart cherry juice or pomagrante juice or both and Have a glass in the AM and drink when I am thirsty. Great getting info from you.
Uncle Al
flor says
I'm making a citrus air freshener spray, can i use himalayan pink salt instead of alcohol or vodka
Tash says
Hi Flor!
You can but make sure the spray top is strong or the salt with clog it. 🙂
diana moore says
Does witch hazel work? I have the alcohol-free version.
Tash says
Hi Diana!
Since with hazel is a lot like water, it won't work as well as other dispersants especially if it's alcohol free. The alcohol is what helps mix the EOs a bit better.
Fatima says
Hi Tash,
I want to know that can I filled the lemon EO water in the plastic bottle instead of a glass? I want to bring out the EO water.
Tash says
Hi Fatima!
If you are using the water bottle once, it may be fine but I am not sure it the oil will leach plastic chemicals into the water itself if you do this. Glass is always better because it is non-corrosive and does not react with essential oils. Best of luck 🙂
flore says
when making an esencial oil spray can i use sea salt / himalayan salt instead of vodka as an emulsifier? if so how much?
Tash says
Hi Flore!
How big is the container you want to use?
Peter says
Hi Tash.
I have a 500ml mixture of various essential oils, alcohol and water, but the oils still stay on the top...how much salt would I need to disperse 6.5ml of oil in 435ml of water pls?
Dean says
Hi Tash,
I want to make sprays as well for myself and i have been using distilled water but would like to add something else to disperse the oils, any ideas? Veg glycerine, witch hazel? I have some non cptg oils i could test it out i guess, would love your thoughts. Thanks! Dean
Tash says
Hi Dean!
What are you using the sprays for? 🙂
Lizme says
If you add the oil onto ice cubes and then add the water, it really helps disperse the oil through the water.
Tash says
Good to know Lizme!
Beth says
Thank you, I am hoping to make a spray for a friend of mine so she can apply melaleuca to her breasts after nursing her baby because the baby has Thrush. Which dispersant would you recommend for that?
Tash says
Hi Beth!
This is a tough one! I'm not sure how essential oils would affect a nursing baby even if you use them between nursing sessions. EOs can be absorbed into the breast and even breast milk and infants are very sensitive. I would honestly recommend using probiotic rich yogurt applied to the breast instead.
johncho katha says
thank you.