Last month, I uploaded a video on Youtube, sharing with you
6 Ways to Cope with Stress & Anxiety. May wasn't a good month for me, the reason why I decided to film that video was because I was struggling a lot during that period of time. In that video, I mentioned that one of the ways was to incorporate calming scents while meditating/doing breathing exercises.
So today, I will be sharing with you the 2 essential oils and aroma diffuser I have been loving and using over the past month and a half that really helped me get rid of my stress, anxiety and insomnia.
First up, the essential oils. These two were recommended to me by my friend and she helped me ordered them online via
iherb.com. Even though they ship from the US, it only took about 6 days for them to arrive! Shipping was also free-of-charge for orders above $40. I use both essential oils only at home before I go to bed as I feel like the scents were too calming to be used at work. It made me feel so relaxed that I wanted to fall asleep at work!
The first essential oil is the
100% Pure Lavender Oil. This is probably my favourite out of the 2 because it has a light and sweet floral scent that is not too overpowering. I don't think anyone would hate the smell of lavender! Lavender is also known for it's calming abilities thus, I always feel more relaxed and calmed down after I have used this. Love how they provide a "recipe" for easing headaches. I haven't tried it out yet because I lack of the 2 other oils but I definitely will one day!
The second essential oil is
Peaceful sleep, Sleep Blend. The reason why I got this was because I was having troubles falling asleep. This one had a stronger scent and it is more citrusy than the pure lavender one, as you can see, it contains Orange and Tangerine. I have never owned any citrus scented oils or candles, so this was definitely a new experience for me. Definitely feel like this was not as calming as the lavender one but I love it for it's unique, pleasant-smelling scent.
If you think you need an aroma diffuser to enjoy these oils, think again! There are actually many various ways to use essential oils, here are some of my favs:
I love the pillow mists from Bath & Body Works, but if they don't offer a scent you like, why not make your own? I have tried making my own with these essential oils and it's really quick and easy! All you need is a
spray bottle,
water, and your
favourite essential oil(s). Depending on the amount of water you have, mix in 2 - 3 drops (
it's really concentrated because they are natural so you don't need a lot!) of essential oil with water and the mixture into a spray bottle. And you're done! Your very own pillow mist, I love spritzing it literally everywhere. Not only on my pillows but on my sheets, on my curtains, in the air,... Everywhere!
Who wouldn't want soft skin? Homemade body scrubs are easy, cheap and super effective! All you need is an
exfoliant, a
base oil, and
your favourite essential oil(s). Exfoliants will be the rough bits that will help scrub out all your dead skin cells. The most common exfoliants are salt, sugar, and ground coffee. However, if you're planning to customise the fragrance of your scrub with the essential oil, I'd recommend salt or sugar as coffee has it's own fragrance. The base oil will help put your scrub together so it doesn't fall apart, and it will also help provide moisture and extra smoothness to your skin leaving it baby soft! Common base oils are sunflower oil, sweet almond oil and macadamia oil. Last of all, to give your scrub a nice fragrance, put 6 to 7 drops of essential oil (depending on how much scrub you made) to your mix. Now your homemade scrub is ready to use!
Ran out of bath products to put in your bath? Here's a no-brainer way to spice up your bath. Simply add a few drops of essential oil in your bath and... You're pretty much done! I think this would be perfect for an easy night in, or when you're too tired to bother lighting candles beside your tub and deciding which bath bomb to use.
These are only 3 out of hundreds of ways you can use essential oils, depending on which scent you got. Overall, I highly recommend Lavender for anyone who struggles with high levels of stress and/or anxiety to ease muscle tensions. Or even if you are struggling with insomnia. Essential oils can get a little pricey when purchased outside, but these ones are so incredibly affordable and of such good quality! iHerb has a huge selection of other scented essential oils so if you're searching for some good ones, definitely check them out. And may I just say that this blog post is not sponsored, everything I say is based on my true experience and I bought everything mentioned here with my own money!
Personally, I like using my essential oils with a humidifier. Humidifiers help diffuse the aroma and also helps add moisture to the air, preventing your body from drying out when you're asleep in the air-conditioned room. I got my humidifier from
Upgrade Your Life, BestDeal. I chose Type B as it is slightly bigger than Type A and it can last up to 3 hours while Type A can only last for an hour.
The whole set came with the aroma diffuser, an instruction manual, a wall charger and a measuring cup. I also opted for the 3-pin external plug because... I live in Singapore and that is our default plug. So every night I will fill it with water, all the way up to the maximum which is 100ml. Then I put in approximately 5 to 7 drops of essential oil, depending on how strong I want the scent to be.
The best thing about this humidifier is that it has a good selection of time for you to choose from. Once the time is up, or when the water is used up, this humidifier will shut down on its own so you can sleep in peace! Usually, I'll go for the 180 minutes. You can choose to on, or off the mist function but I like it switched on as I find it really mesmerising to watch the mist disappear into the air. As you can tell, there is also a "Light" button and it has 2 different settings. Press it once and it will be bright, press it the second time and it will be slightly more dim. I love using this as a bedside lamp because... Why not? Saves the trouble of switching on an additional lamp. Of course, you can also choose to turn the light off if you love to sleep in complete darkness.
All in all, I love my humidifier and I have been using it every single night. Comparing it to other humidifiers sold outside, this one's definitely a lot more afforable. If you're interested in aromatherapy, this will be worth getting. However, if you're looking for a humidifier to run for a longer period of time, there are other humidifiers out there that can run for up to 10 hours. That'd be a better choice if you're looking for one to put in the office or living room. Personally, I only use my humidifier when I go to bed, so I feel like 3 hours is more than enough.
Labels: beauty, lifestyle, skincare, stress relief, tips
E-Mail 
Youtube 
