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Reduce Stress This Holiday Season

With Aromatherapy

How do you feel when you wake to the smell of bacon frying? Bread baking? Do you like the sounds of birdsong or ocean waves? How about the scent of lavender to calm or energize your morning and provide the day's first pick-me-up? Natural, soothing sounds can wake you gently instead of an alarm blasting you out of bed. Aromatherapy scents with flowers and herbs set up the expectation that maybe the world can be a beautiful place - even before your morning coffee.

The way you start your morning tends to color your experiences of the day. There's no law that says your moment of waking should be stressful; don't you get enough stress in the daytime?

If you’ve shopped for aromatherapy products before, you’ve probably noticed that most of them are lavender. It’s true that this herb has calming properties, but it isn’t the only aromatherapy choice out there, and it’s not for everyone. You can get essential oils for nearly everything, and can experiment with spice, herbs, flowers and woodsy scents to find the things you like best.

Rules of Aromatherapy Blends

The first rule of aromatherapy is to know yourself.  Scent is a highly individual thing. We all have different associations to the smell of roses, to Old Spice aftershave and to freshly baked cookies. All this is to say that the smell of sweet orange oil may make one person feel cheery and another unbearably sad. It all depends.

Aroma researchers have found that in general, men like the smell of vanilla and the smell of lavender. That’s no reason to choose either scents as a perfume though; men are also crazy about the smell of pizza! Most people love the smell of something sweet baking, and one do-it-yourself aromatherapy is to bake a loaf of bread. Other activities that have a therapeutic element include taking a bubble bath, drinking a fragrant wine, walking through a eucalyptus grove, or hanging out in a cedar sauna.

Some years ago, psychology researchers found that piping the smell of the ocean in to the air significantly helped people feel less depressed. (They weren’t sure if it was going to the beach or just the smell of the beach that worked on depression, so they tried it with just the smell, and it worked).

Ideally, aromatherapy will help you feel happier, rejuvenated, stronger and calmer. Try to avoid scents that bring back unhappy memories or that make you feel heavy and sleepy (unless you’re using aromatherapy for insomnia).

Here are some recipes to aid in relaxation this holiday season.  They can be shared with your significant other. Go ahead and indulge – you deserve it.

All-Purpose Face and Neck Massage:

3 drops violet oil + 2 drops rose oil in 20 ml of carrier oil. Add vitamin E for extra richness.

Anti-Tension Massage:

2 drops petitgrain oil + 2 drops lavender oil + 2 drops sandalwood oil in 20 ml carrier oil. Apply on the neck, shoulders, and temples.

Backache Massage:

2 drops eucalyptus oil + 2 drops lavender oil + 1 drop lemon oil in 20 ml carrier oil. Focus on areas of tension with fingertips.

Bedtime Massage:

3 drops sandalwood oil + 2 drops chamomile oil in 20 ml of carrier oil.

Calming Back Massage:

4 drops ylang ylang oil + 3 drops jasmine oil + 2 drops geranium oil in 20 ml of carrier oil.

Sensual Body Massage:

2 drops patchouli oil + 3 drops geranium oil + 3 drops rose oil in 20 ml carrier oil.

Stimulating Body Rub:

1 drop peppermint oil + 1 drop myrrh oil + 2 drops lavender oil in20 ml carrier oil.  This is an excellent winter rub.

Uplifting Massage:

2 drops bergamot oil + 2 drops orange oil +2 drops petitgrain oil in20 ml carrier oil.  Good for an early-morning body rub.

Fran Loudas is a Certified Aromatherapist, Certified in the Design and Production of Aromatherapy Skin Care Products, Certified in Custom Blending of Essential Oils, an Oriental Diagnostics Specialist and Herbal Remedy Maker. She has taught many workshops on Perfume Blending, Aromatherapy 101, Your Home Spa, Herbal Dream Pillows, Aromababy and Aromatherapy Before, During & After Your Pregnancy. Fran also teaches at the Barnes & Noble University. She owns her company, www.infusionbath.com, using her extensive background knowledge to make these products - something she very much enjoys doing as it allows her to be creative while at the same time making natural body and skin care products.