How to use essential oils in a burner.

A couple of years ago I moved into a little studio and it only had a shower -no bath!  Since I do love a bath I made sure I had the odd treat at a friends house so I didn’t miss out on this luxury.  Anyway, one evening after work, I decided to take a shower which is unusual as my routine is generally to do this in the morning, as it seems more refreshing rather than relaxing.  I went about it in a totally different way though, since I couldn’t incorporate the oils in the same way I would in the bath.  I got out my little ceramic burner:

This is a simple devise used to scent the atmosphere in a room with essential oils.  You put a tea-light in the bottom part, fill the top bowl area with water, and sprinkle essential oils of your choice into the water.  As the candle heats the water it warms the essential oils too and they release their molecules into the room, including the scent.  It’s useful to choose a burner that has quite a deep bowl for the water, because as it is heated by the tea light, it evaporates and when there is no water left the essential oils can burn onto the surface making it difficult to clean.  Between 6 and 12 drops of essential oil should be enough in the burner, depending on the desired effect (blend inspirations below).  My bathroom was quite small so a few drops had a good impact on the room, but you can use more if you feel like it.

The tea-light in the burner already gives a little glow to the room, so I switched off the light and lit a few more candles, and it felt very special -I honestly had never taken a shower by candle light nor taken the time to prepare the room in this way.  It was a bit of a revelation to realise the difference it made to how I felt, and often became part of my night time and even morning time ritual.  It actually felt more nurturing than a bath at the time.

Choosing the oils to scent the room is a big part of the ritual, and I like to go with what ever I feel at the time, but here are some ideas to get you started but have a play yourself, as I notice that we all have different styles to blending so you will probably come up with something completely different but perfect for the moment, and if not, it’s all part of getting to know them and what you like.

Blends for your burner:

First thing in the morning: 4 drops of Eucalyptus, 2 drops of Peppermint, 4 drops of Lemon.

For winding down in the evening: 6 drops of Lavender, 6 drops of Mandarin.

Some thing in between: 6 drops of Geranium, 4 drops of Orange, 2 drops of Thyme.

You can just use one oil if you like or as many as you want…

Remember that inhaling the oils is the fastest way their molecules enter your body, so it is still an effective method of using them.

Another very quick little trick for using the oils in the shower is to  take a bottle of essential oil in to the shower with you, and once the heat is up, and the steam is rising, simply sprinkle 3 or 4 drops onto the floor below, and you will experience a brief surge of oils as the steam releases the molecules upwards.  This trick works well with strong scented oils like eucalyptus or peppermint as they release their scent immediately, something like rose or myrrh would not be appropriate as they are slower to release and will dissappear down the plug hole before your nose knows it!

If you would like to buy candles scented with essential oils you can buy Sweet Pea & Tea Rose or Neroli Blossom & Lavender from me directly -see Shop for details.