I recently started reading about and experimenting with
mixing my own essential oil sprays. Essential
oils are the pure, concentrated oils that are found in plants. These oils contain all of the nutrients,
scents and flavor of the plants they were derived from. Essential oils are highly concentrated and
they are usually mixed with water or carrier oils to dilute them. An internet search for “mixing essential
oils” will bring up a wealth of information on how to get started and
suggestions for combining your own oils.
As I’ve been adding essential oils into my life I’ve learned
a lot about how versatile they are. Many
people use them for home remedies and first aid. Others enjoy mixing scented massage
oils. One of the main reasons I started
mixing essential oils was because I was no longer able to find two of my
favorite floral perfumes. I decided a
little experimenting would be fun. I
purchased a few basic essential oils, a gallon of distilled water, some almond
oil, and some dark blue spray bottles. I
also bought a glass salad oil mixing bottle with ounce marking down the side. This bottle works great for measuring and
mixing the sprays. While I have yet to find the magic recipe for my favorite
purchased scents, I have found a couple of sprays that I use very often.
One of the sprays I make is
Germ Fighter Essential Oil Blend
which I purchased from Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B005VSXTMM/thbusa-20
This oil is a pre-mixed blend of five essential oils. Legend
says these oils were used by thieves
during medieval times to protect themselves from the plague and other diseases that
could be caught from their victims. A university study showed the oils in this blend
were 99.96% effective against airborne bacteria. In my latest batch of this spray I used 5 oz.
of distilled water plus 20 drops of the essential oil. This made enough for three 2 oz. spray
bottles. I keep one bottle in the
bathroom, one on my kitchen cupboard and one in my bedroom. I use the spray both to freshen the air and
to spritz on my hands occasionally.
My other favorite mixture is a lavender spray which I spritz
on my bed linens. I find the lavender
scent very relaxing and have used it in combination with geranium, bergamot and
sweet orange oils. I usually mix 4 oz.
of distilled water plus 15 drops lavender oil plus 5 drops of geranium,
bergamot or orange oil.
A couple words of warning before using essential oils. The oils are extremely powerful and some are
not recommended in certain circumstances (such as while pregnant). Also essential oils can be toxic to
cats. Cats' livers are not the same as
humans' livers, and they lack the ability to properly metabolize the compounds
in essential oils. This causes a buildup of toxins that could kill your cat. So,
always make sure you do your research before using essential oils.
Learning all the fine points of using essential oils can
take time, but there are dozens of easy aromatherapy recipes that anyone can
make. I’ve given you a couple of my
recipes. Search the internet for other
free scented oil recipes and decide what recipe you want to try first. Have
fun!
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