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9/22/2024

Happy Sunday, Reader!

Are you a bath person?

I'm not. Even if I use my essential oils, candles, etc., I just find that I can't sit there for long. But nearly EVERY person loves a good shower! Especially because you can easily infuse your favorite essential oils into the shower, too!

How do you incorporate aromatherapy into your shower time? And why should you consider a shower over a bath?

Read on to find out!

Why should you shower?

Great Sleep:

Research has shown that a warm shower before bedtime can help you fall asleep faster, better, and even improves the quality of your sleep. This is actually due to the change in our core body temperature after showering. When you get out of the shower, your body goes to work to lower your body temperature a degree to 3, and this mimics the natural drop in body temperature from our natural circadian rhythm and melatonin production.

Physical Health:

They instantly relax and soothe sore muscles, and they can also boost levels of the feel-good hormone, oxytocin. Breathing in the steam also has significant health benefits, especially in conjunction with essential oil use, helping us to clear out nasal congestion, calm inflammation in the sinuses and lungs, and opening airways.

Improved Thinking:

A relaxing shower also helps us to clear our minds!

It's been proven that thinking in the shower can give us the best ideas! From creativity and productivity, shower thoughts can be some of the most useful thoughts in your day. Songwriters have written songs in the shower, and even authors have conquered writer's block or gotten a new idea in the shower!

Crazy but true!

Science has shown that we have "shower thoughts" because we tend to feel safe in the shower. It's a place we're not likely to be bothered. It's familiar and comforting. It's a time when we're free from distractions.

Brain-wise, during showering, our prefrontal cortex (which is the part of the brain that manages rational thinking, comprehension, and decision making) is actually relaxed because we're usually operating on autopilot (automatically) in the shower. Our mind is freed up to wander, daydream, and allow healthy creative thinking to surface.

Consider adding some aromatherapy to upgrade your shower experience, and homemade shower steamers are perfect (recipe just below).

Shower steamers made with essential oils can:

• Create a spa-like environment in your shower as the calming and lovely scents are released. You can use different essential oils to create different goals, such as stress relief, relaxation, better sleep, or invigoration and energy!
• Be a quick, easy, safe way to use essential oils in your life. They're just plain convenient! Place them on the shower floor, and enjoy the steam! That's it!
• Help you wake up in the morning! Yes, just as some essential oils can help you sleep better, there are others that can energize your and wake up your mind...even better than a cup of coffee!
• Provide benefits to your respiratory system. Some essential oils can go to work to boost the immune system if you're struggling with cold or flu, and also open airways and clear congestion.
• Improve your mood! If you've used essential oils, especially quality ones, I'm sure you've had this experience.
• Keep your shower clean! There is NO residue from shower steamers!
• Be easily taken on trips as they're small, compact, and lightweight.
• Make great gifts!

Since we're edging into cold and flu season (again), I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes with you today.... I think you'll enjoy this one!

IMPORTANT: If you don't want to go to the bother of making shower steamers, you can do what I often do, and just drop several drops of essential oils just outside the water line of the shower. The vapors will rise up with the steam.

I've got several beautiful blends for you just below, after the steamer recipe.

Shower Steamers: Wake Up and Breathe Clear

This recipe is for people over the age of 10 because of the cineole in the eucalyptus and rosemary and the menthol in the peppermint essential oils. You can substitute with the other blends below.

I'll specifically include a blend just below you can use for children PLUS some others you can try, too. Here's the basic steamer recipe with the adult blend of essential oils.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups baking soda

1 cup citric acid

2 tbsp polysorbate 20 OR 1 tbsp water

40 drops eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) essential oil

20 drops rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil

10 drops peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil

If you want, you can also add some pretty dried flowers or herbs!

Directions:

Add the essential oils to the baking soda and mix together REALLY well. This will take a few minutes with a fork. Add the citric acid, and mix again...really well. Now take either the polysorbate 20 OR the water and S.L.O.W.L.Y. as possible, even in drops with a pipette or dropper, add the liquid while mixing with a fork or a whisk.

Avoid starting the fizzing action that will take place when water is added to the citric acid and baking soda. That's why SLOW is the word of the day with steamers.

You want the mixture to feel a little like slightly moist sand and to hold together when squeezing a bit in your hand.

At this point, pack the mixture tightly into silicone molds or even little cupcake cups. Let dry for at least 24 hours.

Pop them out and store in an airtight jar in a dry place.

To Use:

Just take one or two and place them on the shower floor. The aromatic steam will rise as the steamer dissolves.

Lovely!

NOTE on Polysorbate 20 versus water: Polysorbate 20 is a safe chemical used in cosmetics formulations that in shower steamers helps hold the dry ingredients together really well and it doesn't activate the fizzing reaction between the citric acid and the baking soda.

If you want to use water instead, you'll use half as much. Either way, drop the liquid very very slowly into the dry ingredients because you do NOT want the fizzing going on at this stage...only in the shower!

Children's Version OR for Boosting Immune Function Steamer Blend:

Just swap out the essential oils in the above recipe for these--

40 drops orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)--literally lifts the mood!

20 drops fir (Abies spp) essential oil

20 drops pine (Pinus spp) essential oil

For Waking Up Steamer Blend

40 drops grapefruit (Citrus paradisii) ***take care with individuals who have high blood pressure

20 drops peppermint (Mentha x piperita)

Relaxation Steamer Blend

40 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

30 drops black spruce (Picea mariana)

You can see there are so many wonderful ways to incorporate essential oils and herbs into your daily life, and this is one of them. I hope you enjoyed these recipes and ideas!

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Especially if you haven't been to our Five BEST Herbs for Your Home Medicine Chest FREE workshop yet, you need to come!

Why?

1) It's FREE and is a wonderful way to learn about five herbs that are great starters for a home apothecary

2) These medicinal herbs are ALL easy to find and easy to grow. You can even buy them in the grocery store.

3) You'll find out more about how a natural home apothecary is way better than expensive and toxic drugs

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If you find you can't make it live and in person, and if you want the information and guide, please register anyway because I'm generously sending along a replay for a couple of days that you can watch on your own.

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​Be sure to subscribe to my channel, because I'm planning to GO LIVE several times this week to share some herbs vs drug information you don't want to miss!

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Happy, happy Sunday!

Enjoy this beautiful day the Lord has made!

Joe and I are off to church in a couple of hours, and then out to gather hops and the rest of the echinacea...and maybe some usnea in the forest I hope!

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Don't forget to register for the Five BEST Herbs FREE workshop! Please forward to a friend who might be interested too---sharing is caring!

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