Aside from acting as an insect repellent, essential oils can be used in many more ways during the summer months. During the last few days, I have used them in ways that have come close to saving my life. Ok, I may be being a bit dramatic but that is certainly what it feels like.
This past Saturday I went tubing down the Chattahoochee River with some friends. The day consisted of lazily drifting down the river in a tube and due to the fact that the river was extra slow, the entire trip took about 7 hours. The sunscreen I applied before leaving only helped so much and I ended up getting quite the sunburn. As soon as I got home I blended Roman Chamomile Chamaemelum nobile, Lavender Lavandula angustifolia and Palmarosa Cymbopogon martini var. motia into some aloe vera gel and applied it to the sunburn. Not only did the soothing and cooling nature of it immediately feel good on my skin, but 3 days later and peeling isn’t an issue….. nor is a shower (which is usually painful for me with sunburn). I am still applying it to my skin as many times as I remember and that usually ends up being 2-3 times a day. I chose Roman Chamomile for it’s unbeatable soothing quality, Lavender for it’s pain relieving, cooling & soothing characteristics as well as the fact that it is cell-regenerative for the skin (making Lavender crucial for any kind of burn) and Palmarosa because it’s an all around wonderful skin tonic that is calming, cooling, hydrating and anti-inflammatory. So far so great.
The heat index for Atlanta was 103 yesterday and although I haven’t checked it today, it feels about the same. My husband and I woke up yesterday morning to find that our A/C was not coming on. We called our trustworthy heating and A/C company and they are coming out on Wednesday. A sooner appointment wasn’t in the cards and due to past experiences we didn’t want to go with anyone else. Needless to say I have been spending a ton of time in stores and my air conditioned studio lately. When that isn’t possible, I have been misting myself with a body cooling spray I made with Peppermint Mentha x piperita, Spearmint Mentha spicata and Lime Citrus aurantifolia essential oils. I probably do not even have to explain way I chose these particular essential oils as just reading them most likely brings about the feeling of a cool and refreshing experience. And it is. It is a very cooling and refreshing experience. I am really loving this spray and it is probably not going to leave my bedside table for quite some time. In fact, I think I may make another one now to keep with me at all times this summer.
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5 comments
Kim Thornton says:
June 15, 2010 at 5:16 pm (UTC -7)
I wanted to thank you again for the insect repellent spray and the wonderful bath mix you made for me! The scents are amazing, and I’m so in love with them! Thank you again for your wonderful work and your wonderful advice!
Dale says:
June 15, 2010 at 7:43 pm (UTC -7)
Also – not sure if I mentioned it but make sure to shake the insect repellent before each use since oil and water don’t mix.
Dale says:
June 15, 2010 at 7:44 pm (UTC -7)
So glad to hear you are enjoying them!
flutter (Anne) says:
June 21, 2010 at 9:49 am (UTC -7)
I may be the only person who reads this on RSS, but you may want to give a heads up via the old URL if you can for those RSS folks out there.
As always, am really enjoying reading your blog!
Dale says:
June 21, 2010 at 10:08 am (UTC -7)
Thanks Anne. http://www.attunearoma.wordpress.com will still lead someone to this site since I got the domain via wordpress. I’m not sure but I think it would still be OK?