April 28, 2017
Homemade Products Using Essential Oils!
I have always been interested in aromatherapy and essential oils, but it wasn’t until recently that I have become fully immersed in the power of essential oils, above and beyond merely using them in my home diffuser.
I am now hooked on making my own home and personal care items using essential oils – which are basically the essence of plants.
I could do an entire blog post on what essential oils are, the benefits etc. but here I wanted to focus on how easy it is to make your own products. What could be better than getting rid of all the chemical-laden products we use to clean our home or use on our bodies and replace it with the purity of plant-based oils for a fraction of the cost? As I’ve used various air freshening, household cleaning and bath and body products I’ve noticed reactions that I have to these items and have looked for more natural ways of doing the same thing.
I am still fairly new to this so I have experimented by making these products: a pillow/linen spray to help with sleep, foaming hand soap, facial serum, household cleaner, a natural version of Vicks VapoRub (which contains some terrifying toxins when you research it), and dozens of roll-ons to help myself and others with various ailments.
The first thing I made with essential oils was a lavender-based pillow and linen spray to help me sleep as I struggle with insomnia.
How to make it
- a pinch of Epsom salts
- 10 drops of pure lavender oil
- water
- a small spray bottle
Add your Epsom salts and lavender oil to the empty bottle. Fill remaining bottle to the top with water. Give it a shake to mix it all together and you’re ready to go! It’s so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you haven’t done this years ago.
The next realm that I stepped into were roll-ons targeted for particular ailments/concerns. You simply take one of the glass roller bottles (as seen in the bottom of the first image above), add your essential oils to it then fill it with a carrier oil (I often use fractionated coconut oil and apricot in these). I’ve mixed a nice assortment of citrus oils (sometimes with a little peppermint) in a roll-on to use in the afternoon when I need a little boost. I have made roll-ons to help others with depression, headaches, arthritis etc. but my favourite has been one that I’ve made to help with my chronic digestive issues. As soon as I feel my pain starting, or if things just don’t seem ‘right’, I’ll apply my digestive roll-on directly to my stomach (in a clock-wise motion). It has been such a lifesaver.
You can experiment with various carrier oils depending on what you’re making (i.e. I don’t want a very heavy oil in my facial serum as it’s too much for my skin).
I have also been quite excited about making my own foaming hand soap after spending a lot of money on the chemical-laden, artificial foaming soaps at a popular retail chain. Using castile soap as a base, I like to add some vitamin E oil, then water and your oils. Voila! The key here is to find a place that carries the empty bottles with the foaming pump and then you just keep reusing the bottles.
Currently I am diffusing pure orange, lavender and peppermint oils and I absolutely love this blend!
I want to experiment next with homemade lotions and lip balms as my lips are super sensitive and I get hives from any sort of lip gloss/stick and my lip balm choices are also quite restricted.
There are many local health food stores that carry all the products you need to get started (from the oils themselves to the containers and other contents) and also several online retailers that I have yet to try. It is really important to make sure you are purchasing pure essential oils. They aren’t cheap but you will notice the difference if you buy some of the cheaper ones which are often diluted and not processed to the same standards. I use much less oil with these pure oils than when I was using the cheaper versions.
You can find lots of ‘recipes’ online and on Pinterest to help you get started. It’s also good to do a little research as you’ll want to note which oils are safe to use topically (i.e. on the soles of your feet) and which should be diluted. It’s also really fascinating to learn which areas to apply the oils – this is when you’ll really being to feel the healing power of essential oils. If you are just starting out, I strongly recommend playing around with a diffuser at first. There are no set rules with how many drops of what to include; it’s all about personal preference and what smells good to you.
Have fun experimenting!
Jackie
