Ever noticed how a smell can take you back to your childhood (no, I am not referring to stinky boy smell from your brother), and make you feel as though you were standing right there in that moment again? I love it when that happens….or at least most of the time!
There’s a lot to be said for the lovely smell of fresh flowers in the spring, the fresh clean scent after a shower and even the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven. Of course, we also have the yummy smell of squishy worms slithering about after a rainstorm, wet dog, old milk that “it was an accident mommy” spilled in the back seat of the car that “someone” conveniently forgot to mention (but we won’t go there).
Smells define our world! When our sniffer is working optimally, we can tell the difference between 4000-10,000 smells – woah! Our olfactory system (that’s smelling ability – big word eh? I know. Sometimes I surprise myself!) is connected really well to our memory and can enhance our mood, relax our body, help alleviate stress and so much more!
This is why I have a deep love for aromatherapy! What is this exactly?
And if the technical definition doesn’t float your boat – let’s just say that aromatherapy is the use of essential oils (highly concentrated extracts from plants) to help make you feel better and to make your environment smell super yummy in a naturally chemical-free manner! Gotta love that!
How Can We Use Them?
Essential Oils can be used alone or combined with other oils/carrier oils to create your own blend! We use them in our bath water, we use them in our diffuser and I mix them with water in a spray bottle for a wonderful non-toxic room freshener! Here’s a great chart from NAHA (National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy)…
Ways To Dilute the Essential Oils:
Aromatherapy Formulations:
There are many companies selling essential oils and I highly recommend looking for oils that are therapeutic quality and organic! My favorite place to purchase oils is through a company called Mountain Rose Herbs because I have found their products to be high quality and affordable!
Do you already use essential oils? What’s your favorite oil/oil blends? What company do you prefer to purchase from?
We’d all love to hear your thoughts! Essential oils are an amazing and natural way to enhance your surrounds – just make sure you read all the safety info on them K?
Image Credits:
http://rainshadowlabsblog.com/tag/natural-essential-oils
http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm/category/14/essential-oils.cfm
I use Tea Tree oil…currently that is all I have. Get mine at Trader Joes.
I use it in the vaporizer when someone can’t breathe at night…mainly the boys….use in the washer…add to homemade cleaning products so, far that is it at the moment.
Would love to hear how others use their oils.
Oh I love tea tree! I also have lavender and cinnamon in a spritz bottle for a room freshener, yum! Someone told me once that my house smelled like a spa after I sprayed it LOL! I took that as a compliment
Where’s a Trader Joe’s? Online? I love that you put it in a vaporizer – never thought of that! Thanks Melinda! 
We go to Indy for the Trader Joes….and when on vacation we search for them and just stock up on things we “need”.
Thanks, so much, for including the info on how to use essential oils! Here’s a couple of ways that I use them: I take a cotton ball and pour a few drops of oil on it and then vacuum it up. As I continue to vacuum, it scents the whole house. I also add a few drops to my vinegar & baking soda cleaning solution … makes it smell so good!
LOL! That’s hysterical! I never thought of the cotton ball idea
You’re brilliant! Oh and the cleaning solution – perfect! I love doing that too and I bet tea tree would be great for this since it has antibacterial properties! What oil do you use?
Great info here!