Aching muscles, headaches and skin irritations can be relieved with hot or cold
compresses. Adding essential oils improves the effectiveness of a compress and help target specific conditions. Making an aromatherapy compress at home is a quick and easy way to provide soothing relief for ours or our family's aches and pains.
1) We place water in a large bowl, and decide to make a hot or cold compress. Hot water increases circulation and a cold compress reduces swelling.
2) We add 6 drops of essential oils for every 2 cups of water used. We select oils based on the condition the compress treats. Eucalyptus and lavender help relieve muscle and headaches, hamomile alleviates pain from rashes, sunburn and cramps, ginger oil warms stiff muscles.
3) We place the clean cloth in the water, then saturate it with the water and wring out.
4) We use plastic wrap or a towel to hold the aromatherapy compress in place, especially when using on legs or arms.
5) We re-soak and apply aromatherapy compress multiple times, as necessary.
Important:
- we should Alternate hot and cold compresses for some conditions such as muscle aches.
- we should use hot water when making up a compress to soothe menstrual cramps.
- we should always check for skin sensitivity or allergies to the essential oils we choose. Some essential oils can irritate sensitive skin, we need to keep this in mind!
- we store essential oils in areas out of the reach of children. Avoid using peppermint oil in compresses for children under 6 years old. Thanks to eHow for this tip!
Labels: Aromatherapy, Aromatherapy guide, daily Aromatherapy tips
