Cool Your Heels...with these essential oils

"Sun in Celestia" Public Domain per Wikimedia Commons

The 4th of July has just passed and it's hot as a firecracker here in North Carolina with heat indexes well over 100 degrees F. So here is a lovely, natural way to cool off. Take a few minutes, glass of iced beverage of your choice in hand, and soak your feet. When your feet are cool, it spreads upward throughout the rest of your body (and, of course the opposite is just as true.)

To a foot basin of luke-warm water, add several drops of any one or combination of the following cooling essential oils:


Eucalyptus

Foot Bath by John Frazier, Brooklyn Museum

Peppermint (a little goes a long way)
Spearmint
Lemon 
Lemongrass
Lavender
German Chamomile
Cypress
Vetivert
Juniper

Simple solution, complex benefits. Sit back, sip your drink, and soak those feet. You'll be glad you did!

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! (And keep cool!)

Kate

"Peppermint" Public Domain per Wikimedia Commons

(As always: this post is for information only for adult use and does not replace medical advice. Тest out an oil first by placing a small diluted amount on your arm as a patch test. In particular, those who are or could be pregnant should always refer to their physicians before using any essential oils.) 

Spring Allergies...essential oils to the rescue

To quote Nanki Poo in Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado:

"Pink Azaleas" photo by KL Wood

"Fresh Cut Lavender Flowers" by Lexipexi via Wikimedia Commons

"Lemons" by By Zeynel Cebeci  via Wikimedia Commons

"The flowers that bloom in the spring,
Tra la,
Breathe promise of merry sunshine..."

But for some of us, the flowers that bloom in the spring (tra la) breathe promise of runny noses, itchy eyes, and headaches. There are several essential oils that can bring relief to these less-than-welcome signs of spring. Three of the most popular and effective are:

Lavender- 
A natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. It also has the added bonus of cleansing the air and relaxing mind and body.

Lemon-
A natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. Helps relieve excess mucus and its fresh, citrus scent is uplifting. (Lemon can add to photosensitivity so go sparingly if you are going out into the sunlight.)

Peppermint-
An anti-inflammatory that helps open breathing passages. Its fragrance is energizing.

"Peppermint Plant" by By Gürkan Sengün  via Wikimedia Commons

These three are great individually and fantastic when combined with each other. Diffuse them in a home essential oil diffuser, mix them with a carrier oil of your choice (such as jojoba) or lotion and massage into your skin, add a few drops to your soaking bath, place drops on a cotton ball and inhale, mix with carrier oil in a roller ball bottle and apply to temples, back of neck, and pulse points.

So go out, breathe in Spring, (and carry an essential oil roller ball with you!)

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! (Tra la!)

Kate

(As always: this post is for information only for adult use and does not replace medical advice. Тest out an oil first by placing a small diluted amount on your arm as a patch test. In particular, those who are or could be pregnant should always refer to their physicians before using any essential oils.)