Headache Remedy: DIY Aromatherapy Blend

Headaches are a common by product of unmanaged stress. Sinus problems, dehydration, allergies, overworking, hormonal imbalance, insufficient sleep, excess toxins in the body, emotional distress, inflammation and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders are the root causes of most headaches.

If you are suffering from frequent headaches, drink more water, stretch, sleep, find a way to rid your body of excess toxins, stretch your neck, chest and shoulders and get a therapeutic massage. 

Aromatherapy from pure essential oils stimulates hormone receptor sites in the brain and can trigger a positive chemical reaction within seconds upon inhalation. Application and inhalation of a good blend could the release your nagging headache pain in a fairly short period of time. At least the headache tension will be reduced and at best your headache could be alleviated all together. 

Here is a blend designed to address tension, toxin and hormonal headaches. An alternative recipe can be used for sinus and inflammation headaches or TMJ.

For your headache blend you will need:

•  1/2 ounce of organic sunflower oil
•  Marjoram essential oil
•  Organic French Lavender essential oil
•  Fennel essential oil
•  Lemon Essential oil
•  Rosemary essential oil
•  Geranium essential oil (optional)
•  a 1/2 ounce  blue glass bottle and lid
•  7 clean pipettes or droppers

Blend 6 drops of Marjoram, 1 milliliter of Lavender, 6 drops of Fennel, half milliliter of Lemon, 8 drops of Rosemary and 12 drops of Geranium in your empty glass aromatherapy bottle. Close the lid and give it a shake for 10 seconds. Add your 1/2 ounce of organic sunflower oil. Not all of it will fit, just fill the bottle so that you have a 1/6 of an inch room from the top of the oil to your lid. Tightly fasten the lid and shake for 10 seconds. 

Let your blend sit for 30 minutes so the essential oils can merry together.

Apply your blend to pulse points, temples, sinus and or scalp for rapid headache relief. Inhale as needed. Wear your healing headache blend on your ears, neck or wrists for headache prevention. 

Use 12 drops or so in a warm bath or 5 drops for a facial steam or foot bath. 

Try a headache massage at Urban Sanctuary in Athens, Georgia. Relieving tension headaches is one of our specialties. Also recommended for chronic headache sufferers are our TMJ massage, neck, back and shoulder massages, Deep Tissue, Myofascial and Aromatherapy Scalp massages. It is good to get at the root cause of headaches to alleviate the problem holistically. 

Find ingredients for your headache blend online at Urbansanctuaryspa.com or in our spa store at 810 N Chase St. Athens Georgia 30601.   

Make Your Own Sleepy Time Bath

A night time bath is a great way to release the stress of the day and promote deep and restful sleep. A good blend of sea salts and pure essential oils for aromatherapy will nourish, relax and cleanse your body and calm your spirit.

Here is how you can put together a nice sleepy time bath blend to fill an 8 ounce mason jar or bath container. This makes a great hand crafted gift. It smells delicious and can be used as a bath or a foot soak.

You will need the following:

•  4 cups of sea salt or himalayan salt 
•  8 drops of Bergamot essential oil
•  12 drops of Cedarwood essential oil
•  6 drops of Organic French Lavender essential oil
•  1/2 ounce of organic sesame oil

Blend your ingredients in the order in which they are listed above and enjoy! 

Use 2 tablespoons for a foot soak or 1 half cup or more for an aromatherapy bath.

Miniature bath baggies are a fun gift idea. Portion out one cup of your sleepy time bath blend into 4 potpourri bags and tie with a ribbon or a bread  bag tie. Gift your salts as a one time bath or 3 foot soaks.

12 Great Gifts For Him

• Scalp Massage Gift Certificate $55
• Arnica Muscle and Joint Gel by Naturopathica $28
• Acupressure Neck Pillow by Bed of Nails $39
• Hour Massage Series Package of Seven $480- $540
• Konjac Loofa and  Body Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal $15
• Peppermint Volcano Soap by Level Naturals $6
• Herbal Ease Neck Pillow $45
• Alpha Fit Clarisonic Brush for Men $189
• Cedar and Bergamot Post Shave Elixer from Herbivore Botanicals $22
• Patch Fedora Solid Fragrance $22
• Ninety Minute Deep Tissue Massage $125

10 Great Gifts For Her

These lovely hand  crafted Lavender Neck  and Body Pillows can be used hot or cold.

• Four Seasons Herbal Steam Fig +and Yarrow $24
• Cucumber Wasabi Cilantro Soy Candle In Glass by Level Naturals $19.99
• Brass Cameo Locket crafted by My Sweet Nomsa in black or pink $36
• 2 Hours of Spa Time $190
• Little Barn Apothecary's Cedarwood + Rose Body Scrub $24
• Aromatic Alchemy Essential Oils Blends Kit from Naturopathica $98
• Meadow Bath & Body Oil from Fig and Yarrow $44
• Lavender Neck and Body Pillow by Whispering Willow $39
• Herbivore Botanicals' Coconut Milk Bath $18 or $32
• Queen For A Day Gift Certificate $302

DIY Gifts: Holiday Potpourri

Holiday potpourri can be created for under $2 per baggie. Aromatherapy Oils at Urban Sanctuary.

Do-it-yourself holiday potpourri. This is a very fun gift to make. Potpourri can be put together for less than $1 or $2 per baggie depending on what you have around the house or yard. Adding essential oil drops for aromatherapy will add to the cost, however it's probably worth it. Pure essential oil drops in the blend will make the potpourri last longer. It also transforms your potpourri from a lovely decorative gift to a lovely gift with healing and stress relieving properties.

You will need:

• 5 small fresh rosemary or juniper bush clippings
• 5 pine tree or fir tree clippings
• (I clipped my Christmas tree and wreath)
• a colorful, hardy winter flower
• a 6 1/2 x 5 7/8 inch BPA free sandwich bag
• 3 drops Bergamot essential oil
• 2 drops Frankincense essential oil
• 3 drops Wintergreen essential oil

Throw your clippings in a bowl. Cut your rosemary, juniper and fir into big pieces, thumb length approximately. Cut the winter flower and pine into smaller pieces to make shake. Suit your own aesthetic. Mix your pieces with bare hands or salad tongs.

Using a dropper, drop 3 drops of Bergamot essential oil, 2 drops of Frankinsense essential oil and 3 drops of Wintergreen. Mix again to evenly distribute the aromatherapy oils. Let your potpourri dry for 15 minutes and pour into a sandwich baggy. A ziplock bag will lock in the scent. Tie in the middle with a bow.

Multiply the ingredients above by however many gifts you'd like to make.
Variations: A large baggy leaves room to gather and tie at the top for a more dramatic presentation. Add pine cones for contrast. Substitute Peppermint or Orange essential oil for Wintergreen and Bergamot to cut your cost. Frankinsense is a warm and heady holiday scent, but not loved by all. Suit your own nose. You will have a large quantity of your essential oils left over after this project, since it only requires 8 drops per bag.

Read about the healing properties of essential oils and how to use them.

 

How To Make Your Own PMS Remedy

 PMS remedy ingredients available online and at Urban Sanctuary.

PMS is no joke. Anyone who suffers from it can attest to that, as well as anyone who lives with someone who does. The fatigue, body aches, inflammation, upset bowels, headaches, muscle cramps, water weight gain and irritability that show up for many women prior to the start of the monthly menstrual cycle are a DRAG!

This aromatherapy blend is a wonderful stress reliever and healing agent focused on targeting the most common symptoms of the much dreaded and often endured PMS.  

PMS  Remedy Ingredients List:

• Rose Geranium Essential Oil 12 drops
• Clary Sage Essential Oil 8 drops
• Organic Lemon Essential Oil 6 drops
• Organic French Lavender Essential Oil 10 drops
• Organic Grapefruit Essential Oil 10 drops
• Organic Sunflower Carrier Oil 1 ounce
• 5 clean droppers
• 6 cups of sea salt, Epsom salts or Himalayan

Blend in a clean bowl and store in an air tight glass jar with a lid. Use 1/4 to 3/4 cup of PMS salts to soak your body for relief from aches, cramps and irritability. Inhale salts blend for stress relief and energy re-balancing. Carry a small vial on the go to use for emergency PMS relief.

Try this blend and have a professional massage to ease your premenstrual woes.  Urban Sanctuary, in Athens, Georgia, is open 7 days a week and proudly offers a great variety of targeted pain and stress relief massage modalities.

Please write us and tell us how you like this blend!

DIY Holiday Gifts: Energizing Aromatherapy Salts

Aromatherapy salts make a great holiday gift or party favor. If you make your aromatherapy salt blends in big batches to portion out in a dozen or more containers, you can really stretch your gift list dollars!

Have fun blending your salts. It is not time consuming and there is lots of room for variation and creativity. Get the kids involved!

This recipe yields approximately 6-12 gifts depending on the size jar you choose. Substitute 6 ounce clear potpourri bags to yield more gifts from your batch.

This blend can be used for smelling salts and foot soaks. Not recommended for a body soak (too tingly) due to the quantity of peppermint oil.

Aromatherapy has many well being benefits, including stress relief, relaxation, increased energy, relief from headaches, PMS, insomnia and much much more.


You will need:

• 12 cups salt
• 32 drops Organic Peppermint essential oil
• 32 drops Organic Rosemary essential oil
• 16 drops Lemongrass essential oil
• mason jars and lids
• sprigs of fresh rosemary or pine clippings
• decorative ribbon or raffia

Dump your salt into a big mixing bowl. We recommend using Epsom salts, Sea salts or Himalayan salts for their healing and pain relief benefits. Choose a bowl that will not be reused for food. The essential oils will forever flavor any future foods blended or served in this bowl. A clean beach bucket or paint bucket will work for mixing also.

Drop your Organic Peppermint essential oil, Organic Rosemary and Lemongrass and blend thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Let the blend sit for 10-30 minutes and portion out into your mason jars or potpourri bags. Tie the containers with a bow and tie or tuck your decorative sprigs onto the container. Use a marker to write on the jar or a note card with instructions for use.

Instructions for use: Inhale this energizing blend as needed for a boost. Use 2-4 tablespoons in warm water for an energizing foot soak.

Do have the window open while you make your energizing salt blend. These essential oils will seriously pep you up. Rosemary and Peppermint are powerful natural stimulants, so use sparingly to avoid getting over stimulated. If you suffer from insomnia, do not make this blend at night. You may feel as though you drank coffee before bed.