water magic: essential oils for a relaxing soak

photo source

remember the iconic TV commercial Calgon Take Me Away? It promoted the idea of a relaxing bath as an escape from life’s stressful worries. a very effective campaign given the cult status of the catch phrase since its launch in the 80s.

bubble baths were the norm when I was a kid but have since been replaced with showers, but when I find the time to indulge, they still have the same effect – to relax and soothe – both nerves and skin. for a little indulgence, adding a few drops of essential oil is very beneficial for your skin and your senses.

skin is the body’s largest organ, both for ingestion and elimination. aside from being the largest organ, it’s also a major part of the immune system, offering a barrier of protection. environmental elements, stress, emotional trauma, lack of proper nutrition – all takes a toll on our skin. essential oils offer many therapeutic benefits by stimulating circulation, relaxing the nervous system and generating cell renewal, to name a few.

essential oils can be purchased at your local health-food store.  for baths containing essential oils, you may either use the essence alone or mix it with vegetable oil. essential oils do not always dissolve easily in water; mixing them with a few drops of vegetable oil allows them to be dispersed properly by the water and absorbed by your skin. pour the oils into your bath after you have been in it long enough to adjust the temperature. if you pour them directly into running tap water, they tend to evaporate quickly.

NOTE: Pregnant women should avoid rose and jasmine oils due to their stimulation properties. If you are pregnant and would like to enjoy the benefits of essential oils, I suggest speaking with your doctor first. Can never be too safe during pregnancy. 🙂

here are a few pampering essential oil bath recipes to try:

Soothing:

• 3 drops rose oil (anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory)
• 3 drops jasmine oil (disinfectant, great for cramps/spasms)
• 3 drops sandalwood oil (increases circulation, soothes nausea)
• 3 drops frankincense oil (moisturizing, anti-aging)
• 3 drops ylang ylang oil (calming)

• 4 drops sandalwood oil
• 4 drops vanilla oil (antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and protects the body from wear and tear)
• 4 drops ylang ylang oil
• 4 drops ginger oil (stimulating, relieves depression, mental stress, exhaustion, dizziness, restlessness and anxiety)

Relaxing:

• 5 drops of ylang ylang
• 10 drops of rose
• 5 drops of patchouli (healing, astringent)

2 comments on “water magic: essential oils for a relaxing soak”

1. Bee

   February 27, 2012

   

   nice memories with the commercial….u’re showing your age! ; )

   Reply
   • suite7beautytalk

     February 27, 2012

     

     Thanks! Such a classic commercial, I was a kid when it debuted but I love being an 80’s baby….age shown & all. : )

     Reply

thoughts? Cancel reply

Enter your comment here...

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Email (required) (Address never made public)

Name (required)

Website

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Notify me of new comments via email.

Notify me of new posts via email.

Δ