By Ian Chow, Certified Massage Therapist / Infant Massage Instructor / Oncology Massage Trainer
Length: 4 mins read (750 words)
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Another lock down yet again and with some free time, I started again with the reading, experimenting and doing my own DIY stuff that I can use. In case you missed it, during the last lockdown, I did four DIY items with essential oils (link here). All these items can potentially be a good birthday or special occasion gift in near future. Most of the ingredients, it can be easily gotten from online marketplace.
So, here you go, I am going to share four more DIY items that I made using essential oils:
i). Face mist – use this not only to moisturize my face before sleep (so vain…lol) but at any time if I am feeling a bit down, can just spray to liven up the mood
ii). Oil for rashes – noticed that sometimes the kids or even myself have some rashes after going to the garden or playground nearby our house. Possibly the combination of sweat, dirt and the sensitive skin. I made this as the counter measure.
iii). Bath salt – this is useful for my next staycation bath tub soak.
iv). Body scrub – ever useful especially I do use it every week or so to exfoliate and getting rid of dead and dry skin.
I). Face mist:
Essential oils to use (for calming): Lavender, Chamomile, Geranium
Essential oils to use (for uplifting): Wild Orange, Lemon, Peppermint
Caution: This blend may create phototoxic effect such as rash, blister and redness to some users, if you are expose to the sun after applying it.
Note: I fill at least half of the spray bottle with aloe vera gel, then the other half with distilled water and finally, the essential oils. As a recap, in general, the essential oil ratio used should not be more than 4%. If it is usage for children below 6 years old, it should not be more than 2% and baby below 1 year old, it should not be more than 0.5%.
You may also add rosehip oil that has antioxidant properties and vitamins to spruce up the benefit of the mist further.
ii). Oil for rashes:
Essential oils to use: Lavender, Tea tree, Geranium, Chamomile, Frankincense, Lemon, Cinnamon, Sandalwood
What to choose if you only have three oils? Tea tree, Geranium and Sandalwood
Note: Mix the carrier oil (you can choose either coconut, sweet almond, argan, grapeseed, jojoba and many more) with the essential oils. I use those 10ml roller bottle so it is easy to apply and to carry around too.
For the carrier oil, I personally prefer either coconut or jojoba due to its extra healing properties that these oils contain (even without mixing with the essential oils).
iii). Bath salt:
Essential oils to use: Cedarwood, Bergamot, Spearmint, Lime
Note: The oil combination above is to my liking and definitely differ from person to person. If you are looking at a more calming blend, can use the face mist essential oils combo as well.
For the salt, I choose Epsom salt to mix with coarse Himalayan salt. I use the ratio of 3 : 1 between Epsom salt with Himalayan salt. Certain recipe also recommend adding baking soda, for the oil to dissolve better when it comes onto contact with your skin. However, do note that baking soda in an air tight jar may create high air pressure and may explode. You may want to consider punching some holes on the lid.
And really, doing this is just as easy as mixing all the ingredients together in jar, shake it well, store it and use it in your next hot bath. Try experimenting with different combo of essential oils to find a scent that you like.
iv). Body scrub:
Essential oils to use: Tea tree, Lavender, Spearmint, Clary sage
Note: Like bath salt, I use both Himalayan coarse salt and Epsom salt (same ratio as bath salt) then mix it with the essential oils that I prefer. To make it into a paste like substance, you can add on a few table spoons of coconut oil to the existing mixture. Just be careful of not over doing this step cos you wouldn’t want it to be extremely oily when apply to your skin.
I use tea tree oil in the scrub so it has disinfecting properties and spearmint (which I always prefer than peppermint) to invigorate my mood.
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Ian Chow Massage Therapy 