Imagine coming home from a stressful day when nothing beats the feeling of sliding into a hot bath and letting all worries and stress slip away. Adding scented candles in the room and essential oils to warm bath water can only enhance and improve the whole experience. The mental health benefits of a relaxing hot bath are known and appreciated by anyone looking for some time to refresh and relax. A good warm bath can even boost your mood.
But the benefits of bathing go beyond just calming the mind. A bath is one of the most accessible and beneficial forms of self-care. Warm water can help relieve sore or tense muscles, and adding essential oils can boost the overall benefits of a bath. The plant extracts can add a lovely fragrance and may have some health effects, and best yet, it's easily accessible through any herbal supplement store.
There are some fundamental physical benefits too. In fact, warm baths have been shown to benefit everything from sore muscles, colds, flu, and sleep, to blood pressure. But did you know that dripping some essential oils into the tub can take these benefits to the next level and improves your health and well-being even further?
Essential oils aren't the same as scented products. Pure essential oils are made through distillation from a plant by pressing or steaming, which helps retain the natural smell and flavor of its source, i.e., the flora it came from. The scent, absorption, and how it affects the body depend on the unique composition of chemicals it extracts from. With the right concentration, you can use these as a body product, in baths, or as aromatherapy.
Fragrances in essential oils contain molecules. These molecules move along the nerves in your nose directly to the emotional center of your brain, known as the amygdala. Interestingly, the oil's molecules can also be absorbed through your skin. This results in essential oils that alleviate your physical symptoms and boost your mood.
Studies show that essential oils can help with some mental and physical issues. They can even be used along with standard medicine or therapy to treat a condition.
The fragrance is perhaps the best oil for patients with anxiety and sleep disorders. And when applied with a carrier oil, it can also be used as an anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antioxidant, and antimicrobial.
Applying peppermint oil can help reduce muscle aches, itching, joint pain, and headaches. The scent can improve mental functions and reduce stress.
It can be applied directly to the skin when combined with carrier oil. It's a great skincare product known to balance the skin's oil levels, calm irritation, and itchiness, soothe cuts and scrapes, and even the skin tone.
Applying frankincense oil can be easily absorbed through the skin. But should be applied with a carrier oil. It is used as a moisturizer, skin tightener, to reduce scars, and for healing and antibacterial purposes. At the same time, its fragrance is able to improve stress levels, lower heart rate, and induce relaxation.
Essential oils should not be a replacement for any treatment your doctor has already prescribed. It is advisable to first consult your doctor about adding aromatherapy to your treatment plan.
If a relaxing, soothing bath is what you're looking for, then adding essential oil will give you the best results. But it's important to do so safely. If this is your first time using essential oils, then do a patch test.
Take a small amount of diluted oil and dab it on your skin, then watch and pay attention to the spot for 24 hours. Make sure you don't have irritation or an allergic reaction.
Using a carrier oil to dilute the essential oils will help the solution disperse better in a bath. Vegetable and coconut oil are two popular carrier oils.
Essential oils have a strong natural fragrance. Only three to twelve drops per teaspoon of carrier oil would be enough for the whole tub.
Always check the label before buying. Ensure it lists the ingredients and purity information and is in a dark glass bottle.
If you're looking for a complementary and easily accessible therapy that helps you mentally and physically, essential oils are the way to go. The soothing and external effects will help relieve stress and irritation and heal and soothe the skin leaving you and your skin relaxed and refreshed.
