How to Use Aromatherapy for Relaxation

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in...The calming aromatherapy essential oils that help with relaxation. You have tried counting to 10--10,000 times, mood music and meditation. Add aromatherapy techniques to relax to your regiment and feel your troubles slide off your shoulders. Learning how to relax with aromatherapy can help with other ailments and pains as well.

1. Know what essential oils to have around. Immerse yourself in the essential oils that specifically target relaxation. Though there are quite a few essential oils that promote relaxation, there are handfuls that work wonderfully specifically to help calm you.
• Keep lavender on hand. You can purchase lavender essential oil online or at a local health store. You can also plant lavender and use the flowers for the same purposes. It grows well in a vegetable or flower garden or in a pot. Though it is common and easy to obtain, do not underestimate the potential of lavender. Lavender is a healing essential oil with many uses, not just for relaxation. Place lavender in your bath or on your pillow or in a diffuser to fill the air around you.
• Get fresh chamomile flowers or essential oils. The oils can be used on your pillow or in a diffuser to calm you and help you fall asleep. Infuse the flowers in hot water to make a tea to help settle your stomach.
• Seek out bergamot, an oil that originates from citrus fruit. The results help you relax by refreshing you. Bergamot is used to make earl grey tea.
• Put sandalwood in your diffuser or bath to help you calm down after a long day. Sandalwood can also be added to a carrier oil to give a relaxing massage.
• Use mandarin to help you fall asleep. This citrus-based oil can be dripped on the top side of a pillow. It can also be used for children. Place on the underside of a child's pillow or at the foot end of the bed.
2. Test out the scents. It is a good idea to smell each of the recommended scents to see which will work best for you. Some people do not find certain scents pleasurable, and thus, would not be relaxed by their presence. Do this prior to purchasing if you can in order to get the scent that most effects you. Keep the oils on hand for the benefit they provide for you. Mixing of essential oils is encouraged to get an array of healing properties.
3. Make a spritzer. Keep it in your car or at the office or at hand in your home, wherever you feel the most tense and stressed and find the need to be rescued by relaxation. Drop a few drops of essential oil into a spray bottle of distilled water. Spray this on your neck and body or into the air around you for a quick breather of calmness.
4. Give your feet a bath and a massage. Add relaxing essential oils to a warm foot bath. Enhance the foot bath with epsom salt or sea salts. You can also use fresh herbs or flowers in the bath. Your feet absorb the healing properties of these ingredients and carry them throughout your body. Massage the feet afterward with essential oils to further relax.