breathing in wellness..

I've come down with the first cold I have had in absolute ages. It caught me off guard, disguising itself as allergies and hit me like a ton of bricks. I am over the worst now but am still weak and in need of a pick-me-up. Aromatherapy is just the ticket!

Aromatherapy harnesses the power of traditional medicinal plants to enhance moods or health through pure plant extracts called essential oils. These are usually steam distilled (like making moonshine out of beautifully fragrant plant material!). :c)

It is important to note that "fragrance oils" or "perfume oils" are not essential oils and are more often than not synthetic fragrances artificially created rather than distilled from plants. Be careful as there are synthetic fragrance oils out there labeled as "essences" which is tricky wording, these are not essential oils. You cannot reap the benefits of the plant without it coming from the plant directly so pure essential oils are... forgive me.. essential! ;c) There are a lot of supposedly aromatherapeutic products out on the market now that are made entirely with synthetic fragrances and not surprisingly.. they don't work! Apart from not working, many people are actually quite allergic to these synthetic fragrances so better to stick with the original when you can. Try the real deal with these easy diy tips.

There are several easy ways you can diffuse your own essential oils.

Put a few drops on cotton balls and leave them out in a bowl.

Put a few drops on a handkerchief you carry around with you.

Use a lightbulb diffuser.

Put a few drops of essential oil in water in a potpourri simmer pot.

Light a candle for one minute, blow it out, put a drop or two of essential oils in the melted wax not on the wick, and relight. *be careful, these are flammable

Use a candle-heated soap stone or ceramic diffuser (pictured).

Boil some water on the stove and drop in some essential oils

The last two are my methods of choice today. This is a good recipe for helping alleviate the congestion of a cold and lift your mood while you're at it.

cold-busting aromatherapy blend
15 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil
30 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Add the oils to 2 cups of simmering water. I usually add sea salt to my water to decrease the boiling temperature and time. Keep an eye on it so you do not run out of water or boil over, it should just simmer. This will scent a good area and the added steam helps open things up, too. This is strong so I do not recommend putting your head directly over the steam, however, wafting it toward your face is nice after it has been simmering for a few minutes. This recipe is easily scaled down for use in a diffuser, 1 part tea tree, 1 part lavender, 1 part rosemary to 2 parts eucalyptus.

*Eucalyptus Aromatherapy benefits: purifying, invigorating

*Lavender Aromatherapy benefits: balancing, soothing, normalizing, calming, relaxing, healing.

*Tea Tree Aromatherapy benefits: cleansing, purifying, uplifting.

*Rosemary Aromatherapy benefits: clarifying, invigorating.

I'm feeling better already!