Essential oils can be incredibly versatile and are so easy to use in many different ways in our day to day lives. In this blog we look at a few simple ways we can incorporate them to support our bodies and our minds!
Looking after your Body
The skincare industry in the UK is worth billions of pounds: The array of products these days is incredibly wide and boasts promises of de-creasing wrinkles, fading age spots, and eliminating all manner of skin problems. Of course, one of the simplest and cheapest ways to keep your skin healthy and youthful looking is to simply maintain a regular skin care regime that includes easy, time-tested tips that work.
Relax: First, and most importantly – turn off your phone and divert any possible distractions such as children, work or housework. Next, choose a few of your favourite essential oils to vaporise during your aromatherapy-style ‘me-time’ session. We love a combination of 2 drops of lavender, 2 drops of geranium and 1 drop of roman chamomile essential oil to your aromatherapy diffuser, or if you prefer something ready-made, our Relaxation Essential Blend is ideal. Pop on some relaxing music or calming sounds, and light a couple of candles for a low-lit mood enhancer. An Aromatherapy bath can be a great way to absorb the therapeutic properties of the oils into your body. After running the bath, add your chosen essential oils ensuring you agitate the water well or use a Bath Dispersant to spread the oils evenly into the water. Some of the most relaxing essential oils include clary sage, Roman chamomile, geranium, lavender, marjoram sweet, neroli, rose and sandalwood. These are fantastic de-stressers to pamper your body and calm your mind.
Exfoliate, tone, moisturise: As your skin grows and repairs itself, the outer layer of dead cells gradually renew in an ongoing cycle. To encourage this process and reveal the fresher, newer skin beneath, we recommend that you exfoliate your skin at least once a week. Mechanical skin exfoliators which use abrasion and movement to remove skin rather than chemical peels are preferable as they are much kinder to the skin, and don’t contain synthetic nasties. You can easily make a home-made exfoliator using half a cup of caster sugar or salt (this will act as the exfoliant) and add a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil until the sugar is combined with it and forms a paste-like consistency. Add 5-8 drops of the essential oil of your choice and rub in circular motions over your skin (avoiding the face as this recipe would be too harsh for fragile skin). Our gorgeous Himalayan Salt Scrubs are ideal for body exfoliation as they are 100% natural and are available in Detox or Relaxation blends of Essential Oils.
The perfect skin toner to follow this would be a spritz of Rose Hydrosol which will tone, hydrate and maintain the natural pH balance of the skin, and is perfect applied to the face and decolletage. A quick, circulation-boosting facial massage with Rosehip Oil is extremely therapeutic. It’s a wonderfully rejuvenating oil which helps to support tissue regeneration which in turn helps to improve an even complexion, soften scar tissue, and improve appearance of stretch marks. These daily practises are so simple and easy to adopt into regular routines.
Essential oils for hay fever and Summer Allergies
There are several Essential Oils known to ease the symptoms of hay fever and outdoor, seasonal allergies. The particular symptoms that you experience will determine which essential oil would be best for you. The Essential Oils below are some of the most suitable and effective choices for easing these. They cannot be taken internally but can be used by inhaling on a tissue, in an aroma-inhaler or diffusing.
- Chamomile Roman – An effective oil that soothes and eases aches, relaxes head tension and calms.
- Cypress – Research suggests that this Essential Oil could help to suppress coughing through relaxation.
- Eucalyptus – A clearing oil that can ease tension.
- Lavender – Helps to soothe and de-stress.
- Lemon – A clearing and soothing oil that can be refreshing after feeling stuffy.
- Melissa Type– A soothing oil that can help you calm your breathing and bring relief.
- Peppermint – Can soothe stuffy sinuses.
How to use Essential Oils for Hay Fever and Seasonal Allergies
There are lots of really easy ways to use essential oils to ease the symptoms of hay fever and summer allergies. The very easiest way is also the most effective; just inhale 2 or 3 drops of Essential Oil placed on a piece of tissue… Our Breatheasy Blend is ideal to pop in your handbag for days out. There is no faster way to get essential oils into your system, plus this method is ideal when you are outdoors and away from home. Massaging the sides of the nose, forehead, temples and the back of the neck with a blend of oils in a carrier also brings soothing comfort for many sufferers. A gentle massaging action around the nose really helps to soothe those streaming eyes and mucous membranes.
Car journeys can be testing for people with allergies, especially if taking a country route through fields of grasses and crops, but a car diffuser which simply plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter socket is a simple way to use oils during daily travel. Insert the refill pad into your AromAbout, then apply 5-10 drops of your chosen essential oils to the pad through aperture and you’re ready to go! Or our Aroma-rolls are great to keep in your bag, especially our Breatheasy blend to help you clear and soothe stuffy noses.
When you are at home you can add your essential oils to an aromatherapy diffuser so that the air around you is diffused with the soothing aroma to help clear your sinuses; this works especially well to aid a good night’s sleep when you put your aromatherapy diffuser in your bedroom and run it overnight.
Essential Oils in the Home
Who doesn’t love the fresh scent of clean clothes, but if you use dryer sheets to add fragrance, we have a more sustainable and cheaper way to add scent to your laundry. Pop 5 or so drops of Lemon Essential Oil or an oil or mix of your choice, onto a reusable dryer ball. Pop this in with your drying load to achieve a fresh, clean scent – it’s also good for your machine as dryer sheets can potentially get caught in the machine’s filter, plus it is cheaper!
To build using Essential Oils into your daily routine, it’s a great idea to have a stock of basic oils you can go to time and time again, such as lavender, lemon, peppermint and eucalyptus, plus a carrier oil like grapeseed or rosehip oil – these are so versatile, and if you keep them in a dark and cool space, they will last for ages and will always be on hand.
