Essential oils (Part 1)

I never thought I would develop such a passion for essential oils on the day I discovered them. It was a bit random really, I was in the never-ending search for a miracle solution to help with my skin acne (thanks!), and after trying pretty much all the costly options on the market, the only thing that had changed was my bank account. I have to admit; I was a bit desperate. It was in this mood where there lived almost no hope that I tried an all-natural cream recommended to me by an aromatherapist from my favourite new place (Hunzaroma), and then kind of like a miracle it worked!

Ever since then, I’ve learned to perfect my own recipes, and my bedtime reading is all about devouring the essential oils bible. I use them in everything*. So here I am sharing all of my favourites.

Diffuse :

Perfect to relax or purify the air when everybody feels sick in the house.

Relaxing mix:

10 drops of Lavender

5 drops of sweet orange

2 drops of Roman Camomille

Purifying mix:

10 drops of Eucalyptus

5 drops of lemon

5 drops of Lavender

5 drops of Balsam Fir

Energizing mix:

10 drops of sweet orange

5 drop of Rosemary Verbenon

2 drops of Peppermint or Wild mint

Cleaning with oils

Lemon and tea tree essential oils are a great addition to all the Baleco products or even when added to warm water and vinegar they have great disinfecting properties and will fill your home with the « clean » scent.

When it comes to laundry, I usually fill a jar with Baking soda and add a few drops of lavender, geranium and lemon essential oils to it. I sprinkle it atop my clothes (approximately 15-30ml) before I start the load to soften the water and neutralize odours. (Make sure you do not use this on wool or silk)

I also add a few drops of this mix onto my dryer balls which then add a light scent to my clothes when drying.

Deodorant

You can easily just use Palmarosa oil which is known for its antibacterial and deodorizing properties. I’ve personally done this for a while, and it worked perfectly, but it does have a lemongrass-ish smell, so sometimes some people thought I had put on mosquito repellant.

But it’s always possible to make your own mix using a spray bottle:

Deodorant mix:

20 drops of geranium

10 drops of Palmarosa

5 drops of Ylang-Ylang

Fill the bottle with 90 degrees alcohol or vodka

I could go on and on about my essential oil recipes for pages at a time, but we’ll make the suspense last. I’ll share my secret anti-acne cream recipe in another post, so stay tuned;)!

*Warning: while essential oils are a natural product, they can also be a bit dangerous. Always check with an expert before using them, and do not use with young children.

Places to where to shop for your oils on the South Shore:

Hunzaroma

Montreal:

Coop Coco or Noblessence (which also has some of these oils in bulk!)

My essential oils bible – By Danièle Festy (also available in French at Hunzaroma)