A Fresh Start using Essential Oils

The new year is a great time to reflect on what we have accomplished in the last year and decide what changes we want to make moving forward. I’m sure we have all set new year's resolutions for a variety of different things and experienced different levels of success with keeping them. Traditionally, this practice can have us be unnecessarily harsh on ourselves and it's not as good for our wellbeing as we might hope. Rather than setting goals to change ourselves based on societal expectations and standards, the new year also presents the perfect opportunity to pledge to care about ourselves more.  Self-care is a necessity, especially when we are just emerging from the busyness of the holidays and may have put our own needs and feelings on the back burner for a season. The new year is the time to slow down and tend to our own emotional, mental and physical health. We can introduce small changes and rituals that will put ourselves at the center of our own focus for at least a few moments everyday for the whole year long. Self care can help ensure that we're at our best and more capable of taking care of ourselves, our loved ones, and all of our responsibilities. 

Whether we’re looking to enhance our mental, physical, or emotional well being, there are many beneficial essential oils that can help us accomplish a positive self care transformation. Used in both aromatherapy and topical application they can play an important and useful part in the moments and rituals we create for ourselves in the new year. Every essential oil has its own unique properties and some oils have been shown to elevate mood, increase focus, nourish skin and hair, ease muscle pain, and a variety of other things that make them perfect for practicing self care. We must put ourselves in a new mindset for the new year and allow the powerful benefits of essential oils to help us manifest our positive intentions.

These recipes provide a few examples of how to incorporate essential oils into your self care rituals in the new year. 

Inspired Motivation Diffuser Blend

Getting started with self care can be the hardest part especially when we’ve been conditioned to see it as a selfish act rather than the important part of a healthy life that it is. Setting aside just a few moments at the beginning of the day to quietly contemplate or meditate with our thoughts is a great way to start our self care journey for the year. Adding aromatherapy to this ritual can really help to guide our minds to our full potential. Frankincense, sandalwood, sweet orange, and bergamot essential oils form a blend that is focusing, grounding, and mood boosting, the perfect combination to lift our spirits and motivate us to tackle the day. Adding this warm and citrusy blend to our favorite home diffuser can help transform our environment into a haven for self care in the new year.

• 3 drops Frankincense essential oil
• 3 drops Sandalwood essential oil
• 2 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
• 2 drops Bergamot essential oil

Rest and Renew Roll On

A good night's sleep is vitally important for our overall health and mood but it is unfortunately something we often sacrifice for the sake of our many responsibilities and obligations. The first step in vowing to practice more self care in the new year is to ensure we have a solid foundation of restful and restorative sleep. Taking a few moments before bed to gently massage a sleeping aiding essential oil blend into our skin is a great way to help us drift off into a deep sleep. The convenient roller bottle makes it easy to keep this powerful tool by our bedside and glide onto the skin when we need it most while the fractionated coconut oil base acts as the perfect neutral carrier for the essential oils. Lavender, chamomile, and bergamot essential oils all contain potent calming and sedative properties that help the body and mind to relax and slip into dreamland. We can simply roll on the powerful blend, massage it into our skin, and allow the fresh floral sent to usher in a renewing slumber.

Ingredients

• 10 ml Amber Glass Roll-On Bottle
• 10 ml of Fractionated Coconut oil
• 5 drops Lavender Essential Oil
• 3 drops Chamomile Essential Oil
• 2 drops Bergamot Essential Oil

Instructions

Add the essential oils to the bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle to the top with fractionated coconut oil. Replace the rollerball and cap, gently shake, and roll across your skin. 

Negative Energy Cleansing Body Wash

Savoring a few extra moments in a nice warm bath or shower can be one of the easiest ways to add a bit of self care to our daily routines. We can utilize this as a time to cleanse ourselves of the negative energy we may be harboring from the busyness and stresses of life so that we can focus on manifesting a more positive outlook in the new year. A cleansing body wash is a great way to both nourish skin while also ridding our spirit of any negativity. Unscented castile soap serves as a base that is both deeply cleansing but still gentle on the skin, perfect for all skin types. The addition of vegetable glycerin and sweet almond oil help to draw moisture into the skin to leave us feeling silky smooth and hydrated. Cypress, cedarwood, sweet orange, and ylang ylang essential oils come together in a blend that is nourishing to the skin and also helps to clear negative energy and uplift the mood. The sweet and woodsy aroma will linger on our skin throughout the day to help keep our minds focused on positivity and love for ourselves.

Ingredients

• 8 ounce Amber Glass Bottle
• 4 ounces Unscented Liquid Castile Soap
• 1 ounces Vegetable Glycerin
• 1 ounces Sweet Almond Oil
• 2 ounces Distilled Water
• 30 drops Fir Needle Essential Oil
• 30 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil
• 25 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil                                              
• 15 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Instructions

1. Measure liquid castile soap, vegetable glycerine, sweet almond oil, and essential oils into a bowl and stir thoroughly to combine.
2. Add water, a little at a time, while stirring gently to avoid creating too many bubbles. 
3. Allow any bubbles to dissipate and pour the mixture into the bottle. Some settling may occur so shake well before each use.

Balancing Hair Growth Rinse

The new year is a time when many of us may be making resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle and take better care of our bodies. Something that is often overlooked when it comes to self care rituals is our hair. The new year is the perfect time to really enhance our hair care routines for the luscious, healthy hair we’ve always dreamed of. We can create our own products using beneficial essential oils for something that is natural and completely personalized. A simple hair rinse is a great addition to help us manifest beautiful healthy hair for the new year. The diluted apple cider vinegar base works to reduce the build-up of product on the hair for that extra clean and clarified feeling. It can also help to balance the scalp's pH level to bring life back to dull or frizzy hair. Rosemary, cedarwood and lavender essential oils come together to stimulate hair growth, strengthen hair follicles, and soothe dry scalp while leaving a unique woodsy, herbal scent to linger in the hair. Taking the time to care a little more for our hair can be just the thing to boost our confidence and increase the value we place on ourselves this year.

Ingredients

• 16 ounce Amber Glass Bottle
• 12 ounces Distilled Water
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 20 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
• 20 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil
• 20 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients and shake well to mix.
2. After shampooing and conditioning your hair, pour the mixture over your hair and rub it gently into your scalp. 
3. Dry and style hair as normal.

Confidence in Me Candle

It can be difficult to indulge in self care when we’re not feeling good about ourselves in general. Self confidence is one of the keys to living a more successful and happy life, making it something many of us may vow to increase in the new year. Focusing on the flickering flame of a beautifully scented candle can help us turn our focus on the fire within ourselves and build up our courage and self love. The soy wax and wood wick used in this candle ensure a long and clean burn so that we may enjoy the amazing benefits for days on end. Courage combines Black Spruce, Frankincense, Ho Wood, Chamomile, and Geranium essential oils in a grounding and calming blend that can help us to reduce our fears and anxieties so we can focus on raising our self esteem. Burning this candle at the beginning of the day while we perform all of our morning rituals can help us to find our inner strength and create a natural armor of confidence to carry us through the day all year long.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of soy wax flakes or pastilles 
• 1 wooden candle wick with a metal base
• 1 8oz heat safe container
• 1 wooden skewer or chopstick
• 1 clothespin
• 5ml Courage Blend

Directions:

1. Mix the essential oils in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add soy wax to a double boiler and heat until fully melted, stirring will help speed the process. 
3. Turn off heat at 185°F, and add the essential oil mixture. Stir for 2 minutes, and remove from heat. 
4. Adhere the metal end of the wick to the bottom of your container using a wick tab sticker, super glue, or hot glue (in a pinch you can use your wax, but it’s not recommended). Press the end in the center of the bottom of the container.
5. Straighten the wick and secure it at the mouth of the container with a clothespin resting on the top.
6. Once the wax cools to 135°F, slowly pour the wax into the container.
7. Let the candle sit for 24 hours, until fully set. Once set, remove the clothespin and trim the wick to 1/2 inch above the surface of the wax.