Self-Reflection Sundays – Essential oils

If you’re in London today, this Sunday has been met with rain and dreariness, but don’t worry your pretty little socks, this Self-Reflection Sunday is all about essential oils which should hopefully brighten up your day!

I’m an essential oil lover – this went up a notch after the birth of my first daughter. I don’t know about you, but after I started having children, all the things that I believed were right and fundamental to living a wholesome life were made essential as part of my life routine.

My children were introduced to essential oils as soon as they flew out of me in the birthing pool. I wanted to birth both my girls at home, but unfortunately I couldn’t because I needed antibiotics during labour; the hospital staff didn’t quite know how to react when I turned that birthing room into my own! My partner had classical music and essential oils ready for the big task ahead. What a dude.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are oils derived from sections of plants. Here’s a list of the bulk of essential oils and where they are extracted from:

Flowers Cannabis, Chamomile, Clary sage, Clove Hops, Hyssop, Jasmine, Lavender, Manuka, Marjoram, Orange, Pelargonium (Scented geranium), Plumeria, Rose, Ylang-ylang

Leaves Basil, Bay leaf, Buchu, Cinnamon, Common sage, Eucalyptus, Guava, Lemon grass, Melaleuca, Oregano, Patchouli, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Spearmint, Tea tree, Thyme, Tsuga, Wintergreen

Peel Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Tangerine

Resin Benzoin, Copaiba, Frankincense, Labdanum, Myrrh

Berries Allspice, Juniper

Bark Cassia, Cinnamon, Sassafras

Rhizome Galangal, Ginger

Roots Valerian

Seeds Anise, Buchu, Celery, Cumin, Flax, Nutmeg oil

Woods Agarwood, Camphor, Cedar, Rosewood, Sandalwood

Essential oils are often used for aromatherapy because of the healing effects ascribed to the aromatic compounds. I can attest to this.

When my first born was six months, she began to experience eczema. After a visit to the doctors following an outbreak, she was prescribed a steroid cream; surprise surprise. I was warned to only use this cream for a maximum of seven days as it would begin to cause my daughters skin to thin! I was flabbergasted that our doctor thought it was OK to give a baby something so damaging – seven days before skin thinning told me that the moment I applied that cream to her skin, was the moment the harm would start.

I knew I’d have to find a natural alternative and knew that there would be an essential oil that could help her skin. I’m into gentle treatments; our bodies are seriously temples. After some thorough research into the best oils to deal with eczema, I decide to try one of my favs, Frankincense (The King of oils). I dropped a few drops into her bath every night and I kid you not, her eczema cleared up in five days.

I’m not here to claim that essential oils have magical powers and will heal all ailments; I just want to inform you that in many cases, essentials oils can help to deal with both physical and mental imbalances you may be experiencing.

Outside of specific healing purposes, how can we use essential oils in our daily lives?

There are some real oil connoisseurs out there; I am not professing to be one of them. There are four ways I use essentials oils in my day-to-day routine:

Bath and shower

We use a mix of essential oils in the bath; the mix depends on how we’ve been feeling that day. Frankincense and lavender feature in every bath, but if the girls have had a highly emotional day, we add some chamomile. If they have a cold, we’ll add some eucalyptus and turmeric. There are so many ways we combine the oils and the girls just love it! If you like to have showers, you can sprinkle a few drops of your favourite essential oil or blend and enjoy the soothing and energising effects of steam inhalation.

Meditation

When I want to have a deeper meditation session, I will 100% use essential oils in the forms of diffusers and body rubbing. Meditation is always about creating a calming space for me, so my favourites here are Chamomile, Lavender and Ylang-ylang.  

Diffusers

Using essential oils in your diffuser is an easy way to freshen up your environment without toxicity. It’s also a way to influence the mood and feel of your surroundings. Handy tip – if you live in a green area like me and mosquitoes are your asbo neighbours, then adding Citronella to your diffuser is alike calling in the mossy extermination squad on hand!

Perfume

Dilute your essential oil of choice with a carrier oil such a jojoba, coconut, olive and avocado. You can either carefully dab your homemade perfume in select places, or if you’re like me, you can rub yourself head to toe and make people’s eyes weep as you pass them.

Essential oils for specific uses

There are particular oils you can use for specific purposes – whether it be emotional or physical. I’ve listed some examples for you below:

• Stress relief – rose, lavender, jasmine, cedar wood,
• Cleansing – peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, clary sage
• Grounding – frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh, patchouli
• Anti-bacterial – tea tree, grapefruit, cinnamon, eucalyptus, thyme, lemon
• Anti-inflammatory – peppermint, lavender, bergamot
• Sleep – lavender, chamomile, marjoram, sandalwood

Essentials oils are really affordable and I’d recommend finding out more about them; the benefits I’ve experienced are too good not to share.

Sending light and love always.

DiDi x