Easily Create Your Own Home Spa Experience with Aromatherapy Oils
We deserve to take good care of and pamper ourselves at home more often. This is not to say we can duplicate the treatment at favorite spa or a great massage - just that when we regularly carve out a little chunk of time for "me" here and there our bodies, minds and spirits will benefit greatly.
Essential oils, can give us a wide range of emotional, physical, and emotional benefits. The most refreshing of the oils are the citruses, such as lemon and grapefruit, and the conifer oils such as spruce, pine, and fir. But refreshment can also come from relaxation and deep rest, assisted by lavender, clary sage, RutaVaLa, or geranium essential oils.
Sweet fragrances are particularly important for refreshment, as the Charka Samhita of Ayurveda says: "Sweet smells maintain youth, vigor, and give a long life. As a rejuvenator, they increase sensual enjoyment."
Such oils would be: Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Frankincense, Sandalwood, and Copaiba.
Aromatic plants and essential oils are some of the worlds' most potent antimicrobial substances. The purification of atmospheric toxicity and cleansing of airborne pathogens is one of the greatest benefits, especially when used in diffusers. Therapeutic-grade essential oils also help lift the spirit from depression and calm the agitated mind, removing the impurities of stress and unhappiness from our consciousness - orange and lavender are particularly good choices for this.
Unfortunately, many aromatherapy products such as scented candles are contaminated with synthetic aromatic chemicals (which are not essential oils). These unwanted synthetic scents can cause headaches, allergies, and even cancers. A much better choice would be to use natural, unscented bee's wax or soy candles with natural wicks, and then use your Young Living diffuser for scenting the air - this will provide real wellness benefits.
Some essential oils can act as gentle stimulants to the limbic system of the brain, increasing alertness and concentration, enhancing the capacity for learning, improved memory, and assisting many other cognitive functions. A wide range of essential oils offer these benefits, such as: peppermint, lemon, rosemary and melissa.
For those times when we cannot abandon our worldly responsibilities, the simple ritual of inhaling an essential oil (take a quick sniff straight from the bottle), or diffusing, or rubbing a drop on the back of your neck, is a way of stepping outside the confines of routines and habitual negative thoughts.
Aromatic oils and unguents discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs still contained their fragrance thousands of years later, such as those used in embalming of mummies, do not decay and their aroma continues through the millennia. Some fragrances, such as essential oils of sandalwood, vetiver, and patchouli get better with age, becoming priceless treasures after a hundred years.
The ingredients our ancient ancestors used for incense and perfumes were derived from plant essential oils and were relatively harmless. Today, adulteration and toxic ingredients make many kinds of incense, essential oils, perfumes, scented candles, and aromatherapy products quite hazardous to our health - there is no 'therapy' in that.
There are a zillion creams, lotions, and potions on the market that claim to be natural and organic. Please check the labels carefully to see if any ingredients are: propylene glycol, sodium laurel sulfate, or DEA (diethanolamine), or TEA. If they are, they are not truly natural ingredients and it is best to avoid them entirely. These ingredients are known to be carcinogenic. So whether they temporarily plump the skin to erase wrinkles or not, having regular exposure to a carcinogen is not worth it.
Showers are to clean the body while baths are said to heal the mind and body and so are used ritually to cleanse the spirit. Hydrotherapy has been a system of therapeutic bathing rituals for therapeutic purposes to aid in the healing of various systems of the body. It has been prescribed since before the Roman baths with their distinct and separate rooms of various temperature baths. Full body immersion is the key to cleansing the body of illness.
In a bath or hydrotherapy treatment, it is important to use three baths per week of 20-30 minutes each. A simple bath is infused with 8-10 drops of essential oils. A nice choice is 1 drop each Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange, 2 drops Patchouli, and 3 drops Ylang Ylang or geranium, mixed in 1/4 cup of Sea Salt or Epsom Salts, which is then stirred into the bath water.
A Note on Bath Salts
Did you know that bath salts aren’t just for the bath; they can be used for the shower as well. Bath Salts, also known as Sea Salts, are tremendously therapeutic.
Himalayan Pink is a pure, hand-mined salt found naturally deep inside the pristine Himalayan Mountains with a high mineral content. This 250 million year old, Jurassic era sea salt is known for its healing properties, used by health professionals and spas.
EuroSpa Salt is a European spa salt harvested from the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Ceara Bath Salt is pure natural sea salt for making Bath Salt, Salt Scrubs, and Aromatherapy Treatments. This high mineral bath salt will increase the quality of any bath salt or spa recipe.
See the Resources page for finding a nice selection of salts for bathing and cleansing the skin.
Bath Salts in the Shower
You can easily take Sea Salts from the bath to the shower, receiving vital benefits of Sea Salts in a similar way you do in the bath. Simply pour a handful of Sea Salts into your hand, and add either V-6 or YL Shower Gel Base, add a few drops of your chosen YL essential oil and very gently massage into the skin. This will exfoliate dead skin cells, revealing a super glow to the skin, and you’ll receive all the beneficial nutrients and detox benefits that Sea Salts offer the skin and body.
Oftentimes, the scent that you find most pleasing will have the healing action that you need. Essential oils can remain in the body for between 4 and 24 hours before being eliminated through the lungs and kidneys - and the healing effects may continue long after the essential oil has let the body. Therapeutic essential oils are holistic in the sense that they have no toxic buildup or unwanted side effects.
15-Minute Full-Body or Foot Bath
This is one of the most luxurious ways to enjoy your favorite scent; a perfect treat after a long day at work or doing house chores. In a small bowl, simply mix a total of 5-10 drops combined of Peppermint, Lavender or Copaiba (or any combination of the three) into your chosen salt, stir until thoroughly mixed. Then, add to your bath water.
Note: for baths, always use a natural Sea Salt or Epsom Salts with your essential oils, these act as a dispersing agent for the essential oils and will help to keep your essential oils more evenly mixed in the bath water.
Steam Facial
For every cup of water, add one drop of your preferred essential oil. Disperse the oil by stirring the water gently (no need to use salt in this treatment). Wrap your hair in a towel and hold your face 10 - 12 inches over the bowl while keeping your eyes closed. Steam for 3 - 5 minutes.
Soothe Away Stress and Anxiety
Essential oils can have a balancing effect on anxiety and stress by calming the nervous system and restoring a sense of peace and equilibrium. Secondly, by working into the DNA and emotional centers of the brain where the abuse memories or core beliefs are imprinted and stored.
Popular Young Living Single Oils for Anxiety: Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood.
Popular Young Living Blends for Anxiety: SARA*, Hope, Joy, Peace & Calming, Inner Child, Grounding, Trauma Life, Valor, Forgiveness, White Angelica.
See Tips and Recipes for more easy ways to pamper yourself at home.
