Essential Oils That Are Perfect For Bath Time
Aromatherapy is a wellness practice that dates back thousands of years. Used in ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and India for their healing, spiritual, and therapeutic properties, essential oils were even key in preserving ancient artifacts like documents and mummies. Today, pure plant oils remain in style. In fact, they made the journey from magical ingredients of medicine to mainstream over-the-counter wellness products available at the local supermarket.
While some claims about the medicinal powers of essential oils have been rightfully dubbed exaggerated or even flat-out inaccurate, one claim holds true. Scientists studying essential oils at Monash University report that the oils can have a profound impact on a person's mood based on their antioxidant effects on the human brain (via Neuroscience News). If you're looking for an energic uplift, try a citrus scent like sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, or lemongrass. If a truly relaxing bath is what you're after, however, check out the following guide. Just remember, avoid the essential oil mistake of putting a concentrated amount on your skin. Instead, follow Aura Cacia's advice of diluting your essential oils by adding 6-12 drops to a carrier oil, ensuring a safe and relaxing bath time experience.
Lavender
Lavender is arguably the essential oil most well-known for its relaxing effects. Lavender essential oil is frequently added to commercial bath salts, oils, and even nighttime soaps and lotions meant for babies. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed it to be so relaxing that it is considered a mild sedative and is frequently used for insomnia and other sleep disturbances. If you're seriously stressed, tense, and exhausted, a lavender oil bath is exactly what you need.
Create a relaxing lavender oil bath by adding a high-quality, single-ingredient lavender essential oil to the carrier oil of your choice. Jojoba and sweet almond oil are two very popular options. Alternatively, you can dilute your essential oils by mixing up a batch of bath salts. Simply stir together ½ cup Epsom salt, ½ cup sea salt, ½ cup baking soda, and 10-15 drops of the essential oil. Add a few tablespoons of your new homemade oil or salt to your hot bath and agitate the water well. Then, soak away.
Rose
If you've ever watched a cheesy rom-com or read a sappy romance novel, you've heard of adding rose petals to bath water. Perhaps the reason roses are associated with romance isn't just their dopamine-boosting properties. Rose essential oil has been shown to fight stress, anxiety, and depression, enhance relaxation, and even relieve pain and premenstrual symptoms, according to Healthline. If you're trying to balance a thriving career with maintaining a household, a relationship, social ties, and perhaps parenting duties, stress may be sabotaging your sex life.
If you'd like your rose bath oil to double as a moisturizer or a sexy massage oil, choose a non-sticky, hydrating carrier oil like avocado or sweet almond oil for dilution. If you fall in love with the effects of rose oil baths, you can also carry the power of your rose essential oil with you by wearing an aromatherapy diffuser pendant when you dry off and return to everyday life.
Ylang ylang
Ylang ylang may be the most underappreciated hero of the essential oil world. While this oil is unknown to many, those that do know and love it have discovered its ability to melt away anxiety to the point that it can even produce a detectable decrease in blood pressure for certain individuals, per Healthline. Some even claim that its mild sedative effects relieve their tension headaches.
As an added bonus, ylang ylang essential oil has been used as a folk remedy to boost feelings of confidence and sexual desire. This makes it the perfect essential oil to add to a pre-date night bath. Mix it up with a carrier oil or bath salt mixture and prepare to emerge a relaxed and confident sex goddess. Just be sure to perform a patch test a few days before your first ylang ylang bath, since some people are allergic to certain compounds found in the plant.
Chamomile
Chamomile is rivaled only by lavender in its quest to be known as the best essential oil for relaxation, sedation, and sleep. Nearly everyone who has experienced insomnia at some point in their lifetime has received the age-old advice to try a cup of chamomile tea for a restful night of shut-eye. In addition to its power of sedation, Healthline explains that chamomile has shown promise in relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the pain and inflammation associated with some chronic pain conditions such as osteoarthritis.
If you're feeling stressed, tense, achy, and tired at the end of a very long day, a chamomile essential oil bath is exactly what you need to effectively unwind. As with ylang ylang, chamomile does contain certain compounds that can trigger allergic reactions in certain people. If you are allergic to ragweed, daisies, or marigolds, you may also be allergic to chamomile. Be sure to perform a patch test before adding the oil to your bath time ritual.
Juniper berry
Juniper berry — the same fruit that famously flavors gin — is also a powerful natural relaxant. Rather than lulling you to sleep like its sedative counterparts lavender and chamomile, juniper berry essential oil is known for inducing emotional and even spiritual relaxation, Aroma Web says. If you've recently experienced the emotional turmoil of an argument with your partner or suffered a friendship breakup, this is the essential oil for your next bath.
Since juniper oil also exhibits strong antibacterial properties, adding it to your bath oil or salts may help with clearing up any body acne you might be struggling with. You may even notice that your bathtub looks and smells cleaner after your juniper berry oil bath. Just keep in mind that you don't necessarily have to choose only one relaxing essential oil per bath. If you know and love two or more of these oils, create your own unique blend by mixing a few drops of each into your carrier oil or bath salt blend.