Create a Scented Spring Garland
We love this craft – it’s a great one to get the family involved in as you will need to collect porous, natural items to create your garland or wall hanging with. While on a walk or at the beach, keep your your eyes peeled for items like pine or fir cones, stones with holes in, shells and interesting pieces of driftwood or bark. The more porous the material, the more oil it will be able to absorb and therefore diffuse, so bear this in mind when making your selections because you will be stringing and scenting these items. Gather all your finds, and before assembling, apply around 4-8 drops of Essential Oils such as Lemon, Eucalyptus and Bergamot for a fresh Spring boost. The more absorbent materials will be able to soak up more oil so add your favourite Essential Oils to these ones. To avoid mess, make sure you’re working on a tray or in a bowl, so the oils don’t get on your work surface, clothes or skin. Allow your treasures to dry thoroughly (don’t worry, they’ll retain their scent) before threading onto twine or ribbon. Hang this aromatic garland across your mantlepiece, by your door to welcome visitors with fragrance, or along a banister to fill your home with a refreshing Spring aroma. The beauty of this garland is that you can top it up throughout the year – Citronella in the summer to deter pesky flies or warm hints of Cinnamon and Sweet Orange in the winter can be lovely suggestions to ring the seasonal changes.
Aromatic Wax Melts:
Make your own scented wax melts for a fresh and inviting atmosphere this spring – these are simpler to make than candles themselves and also make lovely gifts! You’ll need soy wax flakes ideally and a silicone mould which are readily available online or at hobby retailers. Gather your Essential Oils and materials and begin by melting your soy wax in a bain-marie or wax-melter then add your preferred Essential Oils—try some floral combinations like 3 drops of Jasmine, 2 of Rose and 2 Neroli for a luxurious Spring scent, or 3 drops of Grapefruit, 2 of Peppermint and 2 drops of Lemon for an awakening fresh aroma. When the wax and Essential Oils are combined, pour the melted liquid into your moulds and allow them to set. You can always add extras like dried Lavender, or citrus zest to the molten wax before they set for added texture and visual appeal. To use, simply add to a wax burner and enjoy the comforting scent as they melt.
Aromatherapy DIY facial
Enjoying a pampering facial can be truly special and restorative. You can do your own mini version at home with a few simple ingredients. The first thing you need to do is choose appropriate Essential Oils for your treatment blend. Essential oils are highly versatile so the ones you choose will depend on your skin type. Here are a few suggestions for common skin types:
- Dry or sensitive skin: Roman chamomile, Lavender, Neroli, Sandalwood
- Irritated skin: , Roman chamomile, Helichrysum, Lavender
- Oily skin: Cypress, Juniper berry, Geranium,
- Normal skin: Neroli, Lavender, Palmarosa, Rose
- Mature skin: Frankincense, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood.
Whichever Essential oil you choose, be sure to mix it with a suitable carrier oil before applying it to your face. Choose a nice light carrier oil such as Sweet Almond or Peach Kernel for normal skin, or if your skin is really dry then Jojoba, or Macadamia would be ideal. Alternatively you can add your Essentials Oil to a Base Cream, although we definitely recommend oils if you want to massage the blend into your skin as they have more ‘slip’.
Use no more than four to five drops of individual or blended Essential Oils to every 30ml of carrier oil when applying massage oils to the face. Once you have selected the Essential Oils for your treatment and blended them with your carrier, it’s time to begin the facial massage treatment – you can do this for yourself and build it into your self-care routine, or it’s a lovely way to give a friend or family member a bit of pampering. If you’re massaging a little one under the age of 12, you could just use a carrier oil like the gentle Sweet Almond and do a patch test the day before ideally.
To begin the massage, cleanse the face thoroughly, and pat skin dry. Apply a small amount of the treatment blend onto clean fingers and palms. Spread it evenly over the skin avoiding the eye area. Take care not to apply too much as little goes a long way and you can always add more. Begin at the centre of the brow and swipe outwards, moving your hands away from one another towards the ears and down to the neck. Repeat this motion, but this time start beneath the eyes with your fingers either side of the nose, then move out to the ears and down the neck. Next, place the fingers under the nose at the middle of the top lip and move them towards the ears and down the neck. Apply more of your massage blend as necessary and repeat the motion from the chin. Complete the massage by gently sweeping your fingers up the neck and across the cheek, using light tapping movements. You can complete these steps as many times as you like and slow your movements as you come to the end of the massage. You don’t need to remove any of the oils from your face afterwards as they will be deeply nourishing, but do try avoid direct sunlight afterwards and try not to clog your skin by applying make up either – this is a lovely treatment to do before bed for true relaxation and the oils will be able to be absorbed into your skin as you sleep.
Natural Mini Perfumes
A lovely way to have fun making your own blends is to make them into little pulse point rollerball perfumes. You will need some empty rollerball containers which are available from online retailers in multi-packs – clear ones are lovely if you want to have pretty additions like dried flowers and herbs in your oils. Then choose the base for your perfume – a clear, easily absorbed carrier oil like Fractionated Coconut Oil is ideal. Then, choose your blends of fragrances: Essential oil fragrance characteristics can be classified as ‘notes’ when it comes to perfumery; top notes, middle notes, and base notes. Top notes are usually light, fresh, instant, and tend to evaporate quickly – try any of these to get you started; Peppermint, Lemongrass, or Geranium, This top note is usually the first scent you smell in a blend. Middle notes help to balance the blend and you may not recognise or notice it straight away, but the soft fragrance may become apparent after a few moments. Examples of these could be a subtle Rose, or calming Lavender. Base notes are the heavier scents, grounding the blend with their long-lasting diffusion – Ginger, Sandalwood, and Frankincense. By using natural Essential Oils rather than lab-created synthetic scents, you can feel naturally energised and closer to nature instantly! These rollerballs also make super sweet gifts for friends and teachers especially when presented home-decorated bags or boxes.
We hope we have inspired you to use Essential Oils in creative ways this Spring – you might want to try some of these activities out over some of the bank holidays or half term coming up as they’re a great screen-free activity to keep family members entertained. We always post DIY ideas on our Social Media platforms too, so keep an idea on our Instagram and Facebook pages too!
