Stuffy Nose!
Try this for a quick home steam: fill up half your sink with hot water and toss in some essential oil. Lean over the sink and put a towel over your head big enough to cover your head and the sink. Turn the hot water back on and take long deep breaths of the steam. If the sink fills up too much go ahead and let some drain out, oil floats so you will not loose any.
Some oils that I find particularly useful for clearing out sinuses are: eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, niaouli and lemon.
Aroma Bathroom Time
Darrel and I came about starting Mountain Essence because essential oils are a product we love to use. As I was sitting in the bath yesterday it dawned on me to share my favorite essential oil ritual.
I have a low flow shower head (in a shower/bathtub combo), if you don’t for this first step please just keep the shower flow on low. The slow steam, the splashing and the noise from the running water are all a big part of the relaxing experience for me. I also must warn that this makes the bathtub very slippery! Make your movements slow and conscious and be sure to warn anyone you share the bathtub with.
First I let the shower run with only hot water coming out until the bathroom gets a bit steamy. Once there is a nice temperature in the room I put the plug in the bathtub and put the essential oils in for the shower to splash on. At this point the water is still only on hot, producing as much steam as possible. The splashing on the oil with all the steam really fills the room up quickly with essential oil. Once the water gets too high and I can no longer be in the tub without burning my feet I turn on some cold water and move the water to the tub (no longer with the shower on). Since I put in only pure essential oils at this point I usually add in some carrier oil to dilute the mixture… a few table spoons full.
Now I’m sitting down in the tub and the water is only a few inches deep. Between the carrier oil and essential oils the tub is steamy, slippery and smells great. I start to massage my legs and coating my whole body with the oil. I massage my feet, hands, ears, knees… I just give each part of my body some loving attention and help it soak in the oil. Deep breathing is a must! The heat and the oils are so relaxing and both are complimented by some deep breathing.
Sometimes at this point I add in a few cups of Epsom and sea salt, it all really depends on how I’m feeling that day.
When I’m done bathing, usually about 30 minutes in to it I pull the plug and sit while the water drains. I will pat dry myself some but I like to let the oil stay on my skin… usually after walking around the house naked for a while all the oil gets absorbed. People often compliment me on my soft skin and I have no doubt it is from this ritual.
You may be wondering at this point what oils I use; well this is really where I experiment. Some of my favorites are Neoli, Lavender, Tea Tree, Anise, Clary Sage, Bergamot, Lemon and Mandarin but I experiment with the whole Mountain Essence line and keep finding great combinations. If I’m feeling under the weather I usually hop on to the Mountain Essence site, look up my symptoms and use the recommended oils for my ailment.
Keep out ants!!
Peppermint and Cinnamon are two great oils to keep ants out. I find that Cinnamon is better than most sprays that kill the ants. I usually put some oil on a q-tip and draw borders in areas I don’t want ants to invade.
I have a house plant that ants just love. To keep the ants out I sprinkle some Cinnamon on top and draw a border with oil around the base. This is the only repellent that has consistently worked for me… give it a try!
You can also make a spray bottle that you use on entry points in to the house. You will notice fewer pests around. What a nice way to deal with unwanted guests, just mark your area with oils and there is no need to use poisons and kill!
Sugar Scrub
Sugar scrubs are experiencing a boom in popularity right now. They’re great for smoothing away dead skin cells while moisturizing the skin. If you’ve ever looked at the list of ingredients, you probably noticed it was very short. Sugar scrubs are a very basic formulation and we at Mountain Essence will show you how to make your own scrubs at home.
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of oil
2 tablespoons of honey
10-15 drops of essential oils
All you have to do is mix everything in a bowl and transfer it to a jar for storage. I like to use a small food processor to mix my ingredients together. It’s a fast way to get an idea of consistency and adjust proportions when thoroughly mixed.
I prefer using granulated brown sugar, but white sugar works just fine. Raw brown sugar tends to clump which translates in to a very rough exfoliant, so make sure to get the granulated variety.
As for which oil or oils to use, you have many options. We suggest grapeseed, jojoba, avocado, almond, or even olive oils. You can mix the oils together to achieve the texture or therapeutic effect you desire. For an extra skin nourishing boost, add a little vitamin E oil to your mix.
Honey, while being great for the skin, also acts as a natural emulsifier to help hold the ingredients together.
One of the great things about making this at home is that you can add a combination of essential oils to personalize your scrub. Bergamot and marjoram is one of my favorites scrub blends.
When we’ve mixed batches of this for our friends, they were a bit hesitant to slather oil and sugar all over their bodies, so the feedback wasn’t instantaneous. It took one brave soul to try it, love it, and convince our other friends that they should try it. Before you knew it, we were being asked for refills. Everyone was surprised that their skin didn’t feel oily, but rather was left smooth and soft with a healthy glow.
Try it yourself and be sure to share your favorite blends or recipe modifications with us here!
Aromatherapy Inhalers
Ever wonder what you can do with empty lip balm containers? In the spirit of recycling and reusing, we suggest you make an aromatherapy inhaler with your favorite essential oil blend! It’s a simple way to carry around your favorite scents with you wherever you go.
Clean out your empty lip balm container with a mild, preferably unscented soap and let it dry. Stuff the container about halfway with some fiber from a cotton ball or pad using a toothpick or other suitable implement. The stuffed half should be the bottom half.
Place a drop or two of your favorite oil or blend on to the cotton fiber inside the container. Cap it and and breathe when necessary!
Keep a lavender one next to your bed to ensure a good night’s sleep. Maybe a lime inhaler would be a good way to give you a little extra zing the last few hours of your work day. It’s an inexpensive, earth-conscious way to keep aromatherapy at your fingertips (or noses) every day!
Scented Greetings
When sending cards this holiday season, why not add a special touch to those warm greetings to friends and family?
So many different aromas evoke the season we are in. For me, I enjoy doing lots of holiday baking and the ginger in gingerbread cookies and the warm, spicy smell of cinnamon are two of my favorites. Mandarin and Ginger also make a good combination. Others may prefer the icy scent of a peppermint or the ancient aromas of frankincense and myrrh.
To make scented greeting cards, just add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to a cotton ball and keep it in a small box or ziploc bag with your cards for at least 24 hours.
You can also sent the tissue paper used in gift-wrapping in this manner. Our sense of smell and memory are closely related, so if you’ve got a special gift to give this season, use some scented tissue paper to make sure they never forget the moment they open it.
Oatmeal Mask
It was when I got chicken pox as a child that I first learned how great oatmeal is for the skin. After emerging from my oatmeal bath, my skin felt amazing! As I was already interested in skin care at a young age, I began experimenting with various formulations and would like to share some of my discoveries.
I prefer my oats ground. You can either use a blender or food processor to turn those oats in to a fine powder. This will create a smoother paste and make it easier to apply. Place your ground oats in a container, reserving some in case you dilute things too much in the next step.
Depending on your skin type, you can create the mask base with several ingredients. Add a little at a time until you create a smooth, thick consistency. If you add too much liquid, you may find you have a runny mask! Here are some suggestions for creating your base:
Dry Skin: avocado or olive oil
Oily Skin: apple cider vinegar or witch hazel
You can also use honey, milk, or water to create your paste. I like adding a little bit of honey even when using another base ingredient to keep the consistency firm.
Adding a few drops of essential oils to your mix will not only enhance the therapeutic benefits, but also make it smell a lot nicer! There are so many essential oils with benefits for your skin, but here are a few that we suggest:
Tea Tree Oil: good for oily complexions and other problematic skin conditions
Lavender: great in a relaxing night mask and helps balance combination skin
Frankincense: good for dry or mature skin
Ylang Ylang: relaxing and exotic while useful in balancing sebum in oily skin
Peppermint: cools your skin and leaves it feeling fresh
After mixing everything together, simply scoop some of the mixture on to your fingertips and pat it on to your skin using your fingertips and leave on until the mask has dried. To remove, simply rinse off with warm water and enjoy your supple, smooth-to-the-touch skin.
Peppermint Pesticide
Peppermint essential oil has a neverending list of wonderful properties that should make in a mainstay in your aromatherapy cabinet. Not only is it useful for alleviating breathing difficulties and cooling one down, both physically and emotionally, but it’s also a fresher alternative to getting ride of mice and other unwanted household guests.
When we think of insect or rodent repellent, it usually involves some pretty harsh-smelling chemicals. Peppermint essential oil, however, does an admiral job of keeping the little buggers (pun intended) away!
Just place a few drops of peppermint essential oil on some cotton balls or pads and place them in the areas affected by rodents. To make ants think twice about entering your home, you can sprinkle a few drops on a strip of cloth and lay it near their entry point to reaffirm your borders. They won’t cross the line!
Remember to refresh the oil every few days to keep your defenses up.
Scented Flames
As winter settles in, those lucky enough to have a fireplace begin to experience the intimate, calming sights and sounds of a warm fire in their homes. Outside, neighbors pause and breathe in a different, yet familar scent in the air. “Someone’s got their fireplace going…” is a common refrain heard at the beginning of the winter season.
Yes, a warm fire is truly one of the most simple and beautiful indulgences to grace a winter home. We would like to share a way to make that fire even more special by using essential oils.
Place a single drop of essential oil on one of your logs (real wood, not a chemlog) at least 30 minutes before you start your fire to allow it to soak through the wood. Remember, essential oils are highly flammable and you’ll only need one scented log in your fireplace at one time.
We suggest using an essential oil that hearkens to the season and stirs memories, such as frankincense or cinnamon.