Aromatherapy/Botanicals Tip of the Week

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In the few weeks that I've been doing these Tips, I've noticed I haven't yet done one specifically for aromatherapy, so today I'm going to focus on the use of eucalyptus in aromatherapy.

In addition to being a beautiful plant, eucalyptus is also a really useful tool in aromatherapy. It can be helpful for a variety of ailments, including joint and muscle pains, poor circulation, and arthritis. However, at the request of my mom (who seems to always be suffering from sinus congestion), I am going to provide you all with a super quick and easy recipe for clearing stuffy sinuses.

My mom had asked me to create an essential oil blend that she can carry around with her to use whenever she needs, so I purchased a small 1-ounce bottle. I figured this size would be small enough for her to carry in her purse and take wherever she goes. As the carrier oil, I used jojoba oil because it's what I had on hand. Plus, jojoba oil is really great for moisturizing the skin, so if she wanted she could even place a few drops on her wrists instead of just taking a whiff of the oil in the bottle. To the jojoba oil, I added some eucalyptus oil. You can adjust this to your preference, but I put enough in hers so that it would clear her sinuses.

If you don't want to carry around a bottle of oil or you want something a bit more soothing, you could also inhale the eucalyptus fragrance as a vapor (like a homemade Vicks Vaporizer!). Simply boil water, add 2-3 drop of eucalyptus oil, and keep your face over the hot water, covering your head with a towel to keep in the vapors. When doing this with eucalyptus oil, be especially careful not to open your eyes because the oil can irritate them. This is particularly nice when you have a cold during the winter because the eucalyptus helps open the sinuses and the warm vapor helps soothe any irritation.

That's all for today, come back next Friday for my next Tip of the Week!  :)