At the beginning of the year, I introduced myself to essential oils. I was curious about them and the purported benefits of aromatherapy. Until then, my only exposure to them was during visits to the day spa. Right before COVID was a thing, a neighbor invited me to attend an introductory session at her house, as she had just signed up to sell for one of the major essential oil multi-level marketing (MLM) companies. I learned the basics of essential oils during that session, and wanted to try some, but I’m not really a multi-level marketing kinda girl. Instead, I found Revive for my first purchase, an on-line retailer of high quality, 100% pure essential oils. No MLM-strings attached, with free shipping, too.
After 6 months of using them, I am a fan! Years ago, Monte made me a wooden box out of mahogany boat scraps. It would be a perfect storage box for my essential oils, as they need to be stored in a dry, dark place to maximize their shelf-life. I drilled out cylindrical voids in a few pieces of wood to create two tiered rows inside the box to hold the bottles of my essential oils. I’m in love with this storage box. It smells amazing every time I open it.
I have found various ways to enjoy my essential oils. I haven’t become a fan of ingesting them. But, I use a diffuser to disperse the oils in the air, especially when I am doing yoga, a workout, or just working in my office/studio at home. Sometimes I use a single oil, sometimes I blend a few together. Revive has their own blend called “Sleep” that I really enjoy diffusing around bedtime.
Please remember that 100% pure essential oils should not be applied to skin undiluted. They should be mixed with a carrier oil or other liquid.
Dabbling with essential oils (pardon the pun) has expanded my repertoire of DIY projects with these that each incorporate several drops of oil:
Yoga-mat de-funking spray
- small spray bottle (mine holds about 4 ounces)
- 3 parts distilled H2O
- 1 part witch hazel
- 5 drops tea tree oil (note, tea-tree oil may not be pet-friendly, eucalyptus is another option)
- 5 drops lavender oil
Mix all together in a spray bottle. Just spray on your sweaty yoga mat and wipe off with a dry, clean towel.
Foaming soap
- foaming soap dispenser (Note, make sure it is for foaming soap, which is different than a regular liquid soap dispenser.)
- 3/4 cup distilled H2O (Put this in the foaming soap dispenser first to cut down on creating foam inside the bottle while mixing.)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp pure-castile liquid soap
- 1/2 Tbsp fractionated coconut oil
- 5-7 drops of your favorite essential oil
My foaming soap dispenser holds 8.5 ounces and the above amounts work for that size dispenser. If yours is a different size, adjust quantities accordingly, but make sure to allow enough room for the foaming mechanism on the spray insert to fit without causing the contents of the bottle to overflow.
Hand-sanitizer (or hand-cleaner, whatever)
- 2 parts rubbing alcohol (99%)
- 1 part aloe vera gel
Mix together in dispenser of your choice.
Anti-chafe cream:
- 1 part fractionated coconut oil
- 1 part corn starch
- 4-5 drops essential oil of your choosing
I find this helps alleviate chafing on my skin when working out. You may want to tweak the amount of corn starch to create a consistency you prefer. I keep mine in an old face cream jar and rub a little on my arms or my legs if things are experiencing a bit of friction.
Sheila365 
Very neat. I love essential oils but have not really used them at home. This may get me interested.
Do it! 🙂