Whatever your favorite means of relaxation, aromatherapy can enhance the soothing and restorative effects. Whether you like a bath, nap, massage, yoga, deep breathing or simply sitting with your feet up, including some essential oils in your life can help elicit peaceful relaxation for your body, mind and spirit.
Researchers have proven that essential oils have a measurable effect on brain wave patterns. When stimulating oils, such as Rosemary are inhaled, bets brain waves (which indicate a state of alertness) are amplified. Alpha and theta brain waves, indicative of relaxation, are increased with oils that are regarded as calming, such as Jasmine, Lavender, Cedarwood family, Frankincense and rose.
How Essential Oils Ease Stress
Essential oils give flowers, herbs, spices and fruits their characteristic scents. These fragrant plant essences do far more than just giving us pleasant aromas. Once in the essential oil form they are highly concentrated with potent healing properties and are effective for easing a variety of physical and psychological disorders.
When essential oils are inhaled or applied to the skin, the aromatic molecules enter the bloodstream and re circulated throughout the body. Used in this way, they help alleviate some physical maladies, including digestive upset, headaches and muscle tension associated with stress. Scents are detected by olfactory cells in the nose, which communicates with the brain. The olfactory nerve pathways are a direct link to the limbic portion of the brain, which is the seat of emotions, memories, intuition and sexual response. For this reason, the sense of smell-of all of the senses—is the most influential trigger of memories and emotions.
Bathe Away Stress with Essential Oils
Soaking in a warm bath is an effortless way to take a time-out from the stresses of daily life. Adding essential oils to the water takes the bath from a pleasant experience to a truly restorative ritual. Don’t underestimate the emotional lift that you’ll get from taking a few minutes to create a soothing and beautiful atmosphere, even you guys out there: Light a few candles, put on some relaxing music, and have a thick, soft towel and cozy robe nearby.
Depending on the oils you choose, you can create a deeply relaxing bath that will prepare you for a good night’s sleep, or a bath that will help you unwind from a busy day while restoring your energy for an evening out.
Baking soda, Bath salts (Epsom, Dead Sea, Pink Himalayan), full fat milk or Heavy whipping cream are excellent additives for helping evenly disperse the essential oils. Baking soda and milk will help soften the skin, while the Salts are rich in magnesium, which relaxes the nervous system and muscles. You must add a touch of carrier oil to taste as this will help give the essential oils something to bind to, this way the small molecules will not just float on top, evaporate and create a less therapeutic bath.
Tension Taming Bath
Geranium (Rose or China) 5 drops
Clary Sage 3 drops
Orange, Sweet 2 drops
Additive of choice 1/2 cup
(Baking soda, milk, bath salts)
Carrier oil of choice 1-2 Tbsp.
Mix all ingredients together in a small glass container. Add to a bathtub of already run warm water and soak for 15-30 minutes.
Mood-Mending Bath
Lavender, France 5 drops
Chamomile Roman 3 drops
Bergamot 2 drops
Additive of choice ½ cup
Carrier oil of choice 1-2 Tbsp.
Chamomile, Lavender and Bergamot soothe the mind and spirit and help ease the anxiety and depression that often accompany stress. Mix all ingredients together in a small glass container. Add to a bathtub of already run warm water and soak for 15-30 minutes.
Restful Sleep Bath
Vetiver 3 drops
Lavender 5 drops
Bath Salts 1 cup
Carrier oil of choice 1-2 Tbsp.
This bath is perfect for preparing your body and mind for deep, restful sleep. In India, vetiver is known as “the oil of tranquility.” The smoky scent of Vetiver blends well with Lavender.
Mix essential oils and Salts in a small container. Add to a bathtub of warm water. Soak for 20 minutes in a dimly lit bathroom, gently towel dry and go immediately to bed.
Soothing Rose Petal Footbath
Lavender 5drops
Patchouli 2 drops
Epsom Salts ¼ cups
Baking soda ¼ cup
Dead Sea Salt 2 Tablespoons
Rose Petal 2 Tablespoons
Carrier oil of choice 1-2 Tbsp.
Stones or marbles (optional)
A footbath can be just as relaxing as a full bath. You’ll need a basin large enough to hold both feet. To enhance your relaxation, include marbles or smooth round stones in the bottom of the basin for massaging your feet. Lavender and patchouli are calming and deodorizing.
Position the basin on a towel in front of a comfortable chair. Fill basin with comfortable warm water and add the mixture of essential oils and salts. Add stones or marbles, if desired. Sprinkle rose petals onto the water.
Relax and soak your feet for at least 15 minutes.
Lavender-Geranium Soap
Castile Unscented body soap 3.5 ounces
Distilled water or Hydrosol .5 ounce
Lavender 20 drops
Geranium (Rose or China) 10 drops
Bergamot 10 drops
Place essential oils into the soap, stir together well, and place in a PET plastic or glass container.
An aromatherapy shower is a great alternative if you do not have time for a bath, or as a way of setting a relaxing tone for your day. Lavender, Geranium and bergamot create a spicy-sweet bath and shower soap that combines relaxation with mood brightening.
Aromatherapy Massage for Relaxation
There is nothing like massage for deep relaxation of body and mind. Unknotting tense muscles allows energy to flow unimpeded and calms the central nervous system. Adding essential oils to massage oil greatly enhances the relaxing benefits of massage.
Spirit Soothing Massage Oil
Almond, Sweet Oil 3 ounces
Jojoba Oil 1 ounce
Sandalwood 10 drops
Rose 5 drops
Orange, Sweet 10 drops
Mix all oils together in a tightly capped bottle (PET plastic or glass) and shake well. Store in a cool, dark place.
Sandalwood rose and Orange sweet will create a restorative and soothing massage oil blend.
Calming Massage Blend
Almond Sweet Oil 3 ounces
Jojoba Oil 1 ounce
Lavender 10 drops
Chamomile Roman 5 drops
Tangerine 8 drops
Ylang Ylang 2-3 drops
Mix all oils together in a tightly capped bottle (PET plastic or glass) and shake well. Store in a cool, dark place.
This sweet, floral essence is deeply relaxing and gently uplifting at the same time.
Aromatherapy for Meditation & Deep Relaxation
Aromatherapy can be a perfect complement to meditation, yoga, deep-breathing exercises, and other practices that cultivate relaxation. An uncomplicated way to use your essential oils is to diffuse them in a room using an electric diffuser.
Taking slow deep breaths is one of the quickest ways to calm your body and mind. When you take a few moments to focus on your breathing, you have the opportunity to change your perspective and let go of stress. To practice a quick, relaxing breathing exercise, begin by exhaling completely. Inhale slowly through your nose, and then exhale through your slightly opened mouth, stretching the exhalation to be twice as long as your inhalation. Repeat this simple exercise three times, ending with a long exhale. To help anchor this practice, repeat frequently throughout the day. Meditation on the breath is both convenient and practical because you can do it anywhere.
Essential oils that are particularly beneficial for breathing exercises and meditation include those that have been used for centuries in spiritual practice, such as Frankincense, Myrrh and Sandalwood. However, any relaxing oil is appropriate. When you begin to associate specific essential oils with relaxation and meditation, your body and mind will immediately shift into a receptive state of being.
Meditative Blend
Sandalwood 50 drops
Frankincense 25 drops
Rose 10 drops
Combine the oils into a dark colored glass bottle with an orifice reducer cap, 5ml bottle will do. You can place 3-6 drops into a diffuser, place 1 drop on your shirt, create a spray, etc.
Serene Blend
Geranium (Rose, Egypt, Bourbon) 30 drops
Lavender, France 30 drops
Bergamot 20 drops
Rose 10 drops
Combine the oils into a dark colored glass bottle with an orifice reducer cap, 5ml bottle will do. You can place 3-6 drops into a diffuser, place 1 drop on your shirt, create a spray, etc.
Find Instant Relaxation with Essential Oils
When you need instant relaxation, essential oils as mists are a perfect solution. Small PET plastic or glass bottles with spray tops can be used to mist, your body, face, room, or bed linens and will provide an immediate sense of relaxation and well-being. Place one by your bedside, stash another in your purse and keep one at work so that you have aromatherapy relief available whenever you need it.
Stress Busting Spray
Lavender, France 10 drops
Frankincense 5 drops
Geranium (Rose or China) 5 drops
Distilled Water 4 ounces
Witch Hazel or Vodka 1 teaspoon
Mix essential oils with vodka or witch hazel in a 4-ounce PET plastic or glass bottle. Add water and shake well before each use.
Mood Calming Spray
Cedarwood Atlas 10 drops
Bergamot 10 drops
Ylang Ylang 2 drops
Distilled Water 4 ounces
Witch Hazel or Vodka 1 teaspoon
Mix essential oils with vodka or witch hazel in a 4-ounce PET plastic or glass bottle. Add water and shake well before each use.
Remember to use your essential oils safely:
1. Use only pure essential oils made from plants---never synthetic (also known as “fragrance”) oils.
2. Do NOT use essential oils undiluted on the skin.
3. Keep oils away from your eyes.
4. Do NOT take essential oils internally unless you have seen a qualified Clinical Aromatherapist. (These are the people who have gone to school for Clinical aromatherapy and not just sales people of essential oils, don’t be afraid to ask)
5.Do NOT use essential oils without a practitioner’s guidance if you are elderly, convulsing, suffer from a serious health condition, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
6. Keep oils out of the reach of children.
7. Do NOT use photosensitizing oils, such as the citrus oils, before spending time in the sun or tanning booth.
If you have any questions or need help in creating your own blend please contact us.
Amber LaBorde and Kimberly Seymour Co-Owners of Botanically Rooted
Botanically Rooted.
1024 West Gate City Blvd.
Greensboro, NC 27403
336-294-7727
Inquiries to: fulfillment@botanicallyrooted.com