Category Archives: Personal Care

A dose of salts: 3 steps to a healing bath with essential oil bath salts

Healing baths rejuvenate a fatigued self and help you be at home with yourself. Treating yourself to a luxurious spa-like bath once in a while is simple and easy to do. It is also exciting and relaxing. If someone told you that bath salts work, try bath salts with aromatherapy oils. Yes, essential oil bath salts work great and are made of nothing but natural ingredients. Without any use of synthetics, you can make a simple bath salt recipe to soothe your skin and pamper your muscles. This article will help you by giving tips on how to make your one bath salt without trouble.

Bath salts with aromatherapy oils: To make a bath salt, you should do a few things as ground work. Read all the available safety information about essential oils and learn how to use/blend/diffuse them into your bath salt recipe. Bath salts are allergic to some due to the presence of high salt content. Check if you are allergic by taking a sample bath. Also, do not use oils that are irritating or annoying to the skin. You can end up making stuff that will not just spoil your skin, but also make you more tensed and worked up. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make bath salts at home:


1. Get your ingredients ready: As ingredients, you would require 3 cups of Dead Sea salt, Epsom salt or a blend of the two or three of these salts. Sea salts come in several sizes and if you want, for better effect, you can combine salts of different grain sizes. This would be both appealing and different. However, remember that the more the size of the salt, the greater the time it takes to dissolve in your tub. Next, you will need 15 – 25 drops of your essential oil blend or one or two essential oils. Decide on whether you plan to use essential oil blends or pure essential oils. Since pure essentials can be irritating on the skin, it is better to go with blends that have carrier oils mixed in them. You will also need 1 tbsp of fractioned coconut oil or carrier oil for moisturizing purposes.

2. Make the blend: Place all the salts into a bowl and mix them well. If you plan to include vegetable oils in your salt, mix separately (with salt) and then, add the salt with other salt mixtures and essential oils. Use a spoon or fork to do the mixing work and keep the whole thing on a container that has a tight-fitting lid. Closing the container is important in ensuring that the aroma does not escape the container before bathing.

3. Color your salts: The next in line is coloring. Most people want to color their bath salts. Though this is attractive, too much of coloring can discolor your skin, your bath tub and cause skin irritation. Even if you want to color your salts, color  them light. In light pastel colors. Naturally colored salts like Hawaiian Red Sea salt and Black Sea Pink salt can be used for natural coloring. You can mix them with other salts to get a speckled effect. If you insist on coloring, use FD&C grade liquid dye in a tiny amount (say 1/8 of a teaspoon is enough). Ensure that it is a skin-safe colorant that does not cause any kind of disorientation in your body/skin.

How to use: Add ½ cup of the bath salt made to running water or disperse it well in the tub, before bathing. Some essential oils evaporate very fast, especially ones from the Top Notes clan. If you have used any one such oil in your blend, add the salt only a few minutes before you enter. This would avoid evaporation of oil.

Calm your Chakras with essential oils: Aromatherapy for Chakra healing

Chakra healing is becoming a popular kind of alternative therapy in today’s world. People (even doctors and scientists) believe that there are about seven major Chakras and 21 minor Chakras in the body. This Chakra concept is rooted in Hinduism and dates back to 1000 B.C.. It is something akin to the Chinese healing of ‘Qi’ and the Ayurvedic energy called ‘Prana’. Chakra in Sanskrit is known as “wheel” and the Chakras in our body are nothing by energy centers that connect our physical and spiritual selves. Though they are not visible to the naked eye, the existence of Chakras is proven by the success of Chakra healing.

Chakras and Healing: Why should energy centers heal the body? There is reason. Chakras are not just energy centers, they connect us to our deeper selves like emotions, feelings, thoughts and spiritual body too. There are about seven primary Chakras in the body and each Chakra represents a set of feelings, controls organs and monitors what happens in your body. The Chakra wheel is said to spin clockwise and each Chakra is said to spin at different paces. When there is an imbalance in a particular Chakra, the body part associated with that Chakra is out of tune and this results in ill physical or emotional health.


The 7 Chakras of the body are Root Chakra, Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third Eye Chakra and Sacred Chakra. While the Root Chakra represents our core needs for survival, security and sexual needs, the Sacral Chakra is the seat of creativity. This also controls sexual desires. The Solar Plexus represents our identity and self-worth. The Heart Chakras is the seat of love and impacts our ability to give and receive. If you are lonely or feel that no one loves you, then, maybe there is some blockage in your Heart Chakra. For anything regarding positive communication,  the Throat Chakra should be clear, without any energy blockage. The Third Eye or Brow Chakra is the basis of common sense, wisdom, intelligence, dreams, spirituality and intuition. Memory retention is also associated with this Chakra. The Crown Chakra, the crown of all Chakras is located near the brain and influences our physical and mental atmosphere.

Aromatherapy and Chakras: Essential oils can help cure blockage or congestion in Chakras. Some of the oils that guide in balancing Chakras vary according to different Chakras.

1. Root Chakra oils: Located near the tail bone, the Root Chakra is all about understanding our deeper selves. Angelic Root, Myrrh, Frankincense, Spikenard, Vetiver, Benzoin and others. When applied directly, it influences your sense of security and enhances signs of positive productivity.

2. Sacral Chakra oils: Sacral Chakra is also the seat of sexual desire. Oils you can use for the Chakras are – Bergamot, Cardamom, Neroli, Clary Sage, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Rose and others. Sexual problems, emotional dependency and infidelity – all occur due to imbalance in the Sacral Chakra.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra oils: Located above the naval, this Chakra can be healed by Black Pepper, Clove, Cinnamon, Mandarin, Coriander, Cypress, Ginger, Grapefruit, Peppermint, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang and Geranium.

4. Heart Chakra oils:
Seat of love, this Chakra needs to be pampered with Bergamot, Cypress, Lemon, Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Orange, Sandalwood, Tangerine, Melissa, Neroli and others to function in balance.

5. Throat Chakra oils: Basil, Bergamot, Chamomile, Cypress, Spearmint and Peppermint are oils for this Chakra. The oils can improve communication skills and make you a patient listener.

6. Third Eye Chakra oils: Angelica Root, Bay Laurel, Frankincense, Patchouli, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Clary Sage are some of the oils used for Third Eye Chakra.

7. Crown Chakra oils: Crown Chakra, the crown of your whole self, can be balanced with Cedarwood, Elemi, Frankincense, Jasmine, Lavender, Myrrh, Neroli, Sandalwood, Spikenard, Vetiver and Rose.

Application of oils: Mix your essential oils with carrier oils and apply directly on the Chakra region. For the Root Chakra, you can apply the blend either to your feet or on your lower back. Do not apply on genitals or mucous membranes or cuts/wounds. Application of oils, along with positive orientation or Chakra music can help heal and balance your Chakras in a very effective way.

The sweet scent of natural incense: How to make incense at home

Incense and aromatherapy are inter-related like no other. Since ancient times, people have considered it essential to burn incense to clear out odors, to bring in positive energy and create a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere. Our forefathers used natural herbs, resins and gums as incense during religious or ritualistic events and ceremonies. Though incense burning is more common these days, most of the incense burnt are synthetic stuff, made out of chemical fragrances than natural essential oils or resins. One can make natural incense at home using aromatherapy essential oils. This article will elaborate in detail on how to make incense using plant oils.

Forms of incense available: It is not that only ancients used essential oils for incense making. Even our incense manufacturers use them for better aromas. But the problem is, most of such current day incense sticks contain a lot of synthetic materials. Completely devoid of natural stuff, synthetic incense sticks may emit toxic elements in the atmosphere, and slowly turn detrimental to our health.


Incense sticks: Incense sticks are the most common form of incense. They can be dipped or hand-rolled, depending on the manufacturer and their place of production. Dipped incense sticks consist of thin wooden sticks that have a combustible powder coating of charcoal or wood. These sticks are then dipped aromatic essential oils and dried for use. Hand-rolled incense sticks are popular in countries like India and are more natural compared to the dipped ones.

Incense cones: These are commercially available stuff and contain a lot of synthetics. However, you can use essential oils to make natural incense cones. The basic ingredients include a combination of powdered plant substances, aromatic items like resins, gums etc. and combustible powders.

Other incense items: Smudge sticks used by Native Americans use white sage and make long sticks out of them. Then, they bundle them and burn them together. Most of the smudge sticks are made from plant products like Sweet Grass, Juniper Berries etc. Another incense item of significance is the Japanese ‘Koh’. It is an equivalent of spaghetti in structure and shape and is made of powdered wood, herbs, resins and essential oils. Aromatic natural resins like Frankincense, Myrrh, Opoponax and Dragon’s Blood can be burned alone as incense. Woods like Aloeswood, Sandalwood and Cedarwood can also be burned alone, with chips, woods or resins.

If you note, aromatic oils play a part in all the above forms of incense. Though this is good, when commercially used, these aromatic substances are mixed with synthetics and sold. This can be toxic to people with respiratory problems and others who are allergic to certain chemicals. To avoid such overuse of synthetics, it is better to use natural plant products. Below is a recipe on how to make incense at home:

How to make incense at home: Combine 1 part of Frankincense powder, 1 part of Myrrh powder, 1 part of Sandalwood powder, 3-4 parts of Makko powder and 4-5 drops of essential oil of your choice. This one part can be one tbsp of something. Mix the ingredients with a spoon or fork in a bowl and add water drop by drop. Bring the mixture to a dough like consistency and add essential oils of your liking. You can use Frankincense, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver or Orange. They work well when it comes to making incense. Once the mixture is ready for use, make them into cones or roll them using your hands into sticks. Dry the cones/rolled sticks on wax paper for 2 to 3 days and use after that.

Celebrate love, honey: 5 sensual aromatherapy tips for lovers

Love is an inherent drive to great accomplishments. It animates and ushers joy into our lives. It brings a sense of physical and psychological well-being, easing out even the stressed and troubled mind. To honor your love and your loved one is an act of gentle warmth and affection. Aromatherapy can help you do that in the best way possible.

Essential oils to increase libido: Sometimes we hardly remember the magic of love. We forget the pleasure we derive in the presence of our loved ones. In this maze of routines, 9 to 5 jobs and fast-paced life, we forget the excitement and euphoria that love brings. Aromatherapy can pep up your mood toward love and sensual enjoyment and open up your body and mind to sex. Tapping into your senses, you can reawaken your libido using sensual aromatherapy recipes. Since smell is connected to the limbic system, there is an instant emotional and physical response from your body. This can change your moods and switch your gears from work to play. Some of the essential oils that can be used in aromatherapy are – Black Pepper, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Clove, Jasmine, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Neroli, Pine, Rose, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Patchouli.


You can use these oils in many ways – as incense, in the diffuser, as bath oils, massage oils, as face and body tonics etc. Below are a few aromatherapy tips to reawaken your libido and enjoy private time with that special someone:

1. Sensual Bath: You can use essential oils to prepare an aromatic, sensual bath for the two of you. Bathing relaxes you and sets you in mood for love. For inducing your sense of mischief and playfulness, use 1 drop of Rosemary with 1 drop of Patchouli, 2 drops of Bergamot and 2 drops of Orange. For tuning yourself and your someone into love and romance, add 2 drops of Rose with 4 drops of Sandalwood. This blend contains oils that are aphrodisiacs that work in harmony to induce the masculine and feminine energies in you and your partner.

2. Seduction Lotion: Take an un-perfumed body lotion and add a few drops of your chosen oil to it. Rub on your body slowly and steadily to relax and soothe your tensed muscles. If you want to the lotion to be more seductive, add 3 drops of Orange, 3 drops of Neroli and 1 tbsp of Sweet Almond.

3. Passion Lotion: Love without passion is nothing. To bring in moods of passionate love, combine 2 drops of Bergamot with 1 drop of Black Pepper, 1 drop of Patchouli, 2 drops of Sandalwood and 1 tablespoon of Sweet Almond oil. When used on the body, this lotion will set in a mood of passion and boost your libido energy.

4. Sensual Massaging: Nothing works sensually like a massage. The very act of massaging can make you sensual and in mood for love. To relax and reconnect to your sensual side, use the following aromatherapy massage blends on your body. For softer breasts, massage a blend combined with 1 drop of Ylang Ylang and 1 teaspoon of Sweet Almond. For hand-holding, add 1 drop of Rose to 1 teaspoon of  Jojoba oil. To play footsie, add 1 drop of Jasmine with 1 drop of Ylang Ylang and one teaspoon of Jojoba oil.

5. Scent your bedroom: Scent your room with aromatic sensual oils for a romantic and blissful evening. Combine 3 drops of Lavender with 3 drops of Marjoram in an oil burner or diffuser.