DIY Frugal Version ~ On Guard® or Thieves® Protective Oil Blend

As the seasons change, so do the needs of the household which creates a lovely rhythm and pattern of seasonal homemaking. During the autumn and winter months, the prudent woman looks to her home apothecary. She stocks it carefully with preventative medicinals such as elixirs, syrups, herbal honeys, teas, vapor rubs, tinctures, essential oils, etc., for the cold and flu season ahead.

Now, while we love essential oils (and use them daily), they can get quite expensive, especially for larger families to keep in stock! It is nice to know that a frugal and easy alternative exists when it is necessary. For the most part, a trip to the pantry, spice rack and/or your backyard will provide all the ingredients needed for our  "Four Thieves" Protective Oil Blend. The homemaker has now become an herbalist...

The following recipe is an excerpt from our Ebook, 100+ DIY Projects to Make with Fruit Scraps. It is from the chapter "The Medicine Cabinet", which features a selection of home remedies and food supplements for your health such as medicinal and protective oil blends, salves, tonics, booster powders, immune support products, etc. This particular recipe is the thrifty counterpart to the “protective” blends sold by the essential oil companies. As this is an infused version instead of using concentrated essential oils, this blend can be applied directly (without diluting) to the body to provide healthy immune support. It can also double as a medicinal massage oil for sore muscles.

Four Thieves Protective Oil Blend

What is wonderful is that the main component is something most people throw away and we will glean from in our recipe! It is orange peel and is the first ingredient found in one of the famous essential oil blends (look behind your bottle)! The orange peel boosts immunity, detoxifies the body, is antiseptic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic and boasts antioxidant properties amongst other things!

Ingredients (chosen for their antibacterial properties):

• 1/4 c. dried orange peel* (instructions on how to dry orange peel is found here)
• 3 tbsp. whole cloves
• 2 tbsp. broken cinnamon sticks or cinnamon chips (in a pinch you can use ground cinnamon)
• 1 tbsp. dried eucalyptus leaf (or rosemary) *
• 1 tbsp. dried rosemary (or eucalyptus) *
• oil (i.e., almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, olive or sunflower oil)

* If you do not have the rosemary or eucalyptus leaves, you can replace them with other common antibacterial herbs such as lavender or bay leaf. If you have neither, simply add in more citrus peel in its place for a frugal option. You could also use lemon peel instead of orange but the aroma won’t be as pleasing for this particular blend. Also, look outside, you may be surprised to see a eucalyptus tree nearby or rosemary and lavender plants growing!

Place all the ingredients in a coffee grinder (or blender) and process until powdery. Pour mixture into a small glass jar. Mark the outside of the jar (a black marker works great) where the mixture ends as you will want to add enough oil to cover the spices by about 1 – 1 ½ inches (since the spices will float as you add the oil, the black marker line will be a helpful guide). Add the oil and stir until you reach the appropriate volume. Cap the mixture and let this infuse for 2 - 4 weeks in a warm sunny spot (the longer it sits the stronger it will be). Shake daily for a stronger infusion.



When time has elapsed, strain product through a fine piece of cotton (or muslin) and bottle. Label and store in a cool, dark area (like the pantry).

Yield: Approx 1/ 3 cup

Shelf Life: 6 – 12 months depending on the shelf life of the oil you used. 

Product Label: Free for your personal use. Just copy, paste and print label for your homemade blend!

Feeling frugal? Store this blend inside recycled essential oil bottles, preferably one with similar qualities to further infuse the blend (i.e., a recycled orange, lemon, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus or rosemary essential oil bottle). No need to rinse the bottle first as you want to benefit from any of the residual oil left behind! Fill up a multitude of bottles and hand them out to all the members of your family (sans the toddlers please)!

Suggested Use: Massage oil into throat, neck, back of neck and/ or to the bottom of feet during the cold and flu season (or when sickness threatens). When congested, rub liberally into the chest area. This can also be used as a massage oil for sore muscles.

If you enjoyed this frugal recipe, we share 100+ more ideas on how to creatively use up those nutrient-rich fruit scraps in our Ebook here! Recipes include balms, bath salts, perfume, scrubs, easy-to-make fancy soaps, facial products, potpourris, room sprays, sachets, candy, syrups, shrubs, desserts, healthy and delicious beverages, medicinal oil blends, salves, tonics, digestive aids, health supplements, snacks, seasoning and spice mixes, tea blends, homemade vinegars, recipes for canning syrups and jelly, herbal honey, and much more! Happy kitchen-crafting, ladies!

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