I don’t know about you, but I’ve had about enough of winter — the cold, the wet, the dark.  One quick way to beat the winter blahs is to diffuse some energizing essential oils in your home.

Citruses are a great option.  I especially love sweet orange, because it’s energizing and calming (a particularly perfect combination if you have stir-crazy kids in the house!).  It’s also a mild essential oil, safe around young ones, and well-tolerated by almost everybody.

Other citruses also work well, like lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, and lime.  (Lime is one of my daughter’s favorite essential oils!)

Peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary (which is also great for focus — homeschoolers take note!) are energizing options, but should be used with caution around young children.  If your kids are too young for school, you probably shouldn’t diffuse these too close to them, except perhaps as minimal amounts of a blend.  Clary sage is an energizing option, as well (although, in my opinion, it doesn’t smell as nice as the others).

How to Diffuse

The “ideal” option for diffusing essential oils is a nebulizing or ultrasonic diffuser.  Basically, this uses sound waves to “shake” the oil molecules into the air.  (That’s a very untechnical explanation!)  This has the benefit of maintaining the integrity of the oil to a very high degree.  But if you don’t have a diffuser, that’s okay; there are other ways to appreciate the benefits of inhaling the oils!

You can put a drop on a light bulb.  Be careful with this one, though!  Do not put the oil on a hot bulb!  Put the oil on a completely cold bulb and then turn the light on.  The warmth of the light will help release the oil’s aroma.

You can put it in a candle or a wax tart.  Please don’t use paraffin; the smoke from the paraffin candles isn’t healthy to inhale; soy or palm wax, or beeswax, are better options.  Here’s what you do: Light the candle (or heat the wax) until there’s a melted pool.  Then blow out the candle (if you’re using a candle) and add the drops of essential oil to that little pool of wax before relighting the candle (again, if applicable).  Be careful with this, as some essential oils are more flammable than others.  (That’s why we don’t add them directly to a lit candle.)

You can also put a drop on the cardboard tube in the middle of the toilet paper roll.  When the toilet paper is unrolled, that movement will help the aroma disperse into the air.

Plant Therapy 7 & 7 Essential Oils Set 7 Single Oils; 7 Synergy Blends 100% Pure, UndilutedViva Naturals Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser – Large 400ml Tank w/ LED LightsLavish Home Adjustable Full Spectrum Natural Sunlight Lamp with Bendable Neck

An Energizing Blend

Want to play alchemist?  Try this recipe.  We made this for school, and it’s specifically called a “Winter Blahs” blend.  I thought I wasn’t going to like it, because I’m not a big fan of Roman chamomile, but it’s quite nice.

This recipe was found in Aroma 1o1: Introduction to Aromatherapy, by Dorene Petersen, BA, Dip.NT, Dip.Acu, RH (AHG)