4 Totally Doable DIY Aromatherapy Projects Using Essential Oils

5 Totally Doable DIY Aromatherapy Projects Using Essential Oils

Aromatherapy, sometimes referred to as essential oil therapy, is beneficial in so many ways. Not only can it make you feel better, but your house will smell wonderful too, which is why we’ve rounded up some of our favorite DIY aromatherapy projects using the revitalizing tinctures.

The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) says aromatherapy can be defined more specifically as “the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize, and promote the health of body, mind, and spirit.” The article goes further to say “It seeks to unify physiological, psychological, and spiritual processes to enhance an individual’s innate healing process.”

In other words, if you need a lift or a boost, then sometimes the best medicine is simply taking in the fragrant scents from a candle or a warm tub full of bath salts. The only thing better might be in actually making them yourself, especially if you find simple homemade projects to be good for the soul. We do suggest, though, that you get started on these before your stress levels get out of hand, that way you’ll be ready to treat yourself to some much-needed R&R anytime the need arises.

1. Relaxing Bath Salts

Slipping into a warm tub filled with yummy aromatherapy bath salts can be the perfect way to end a hectic day. The Queen of Crafting, Martha Stewart, has made the process super simple with her no-fail, three-step, five-ingredient recipe for homemade bath salts found here.

The secret to the beautiful appearance of homemade bath salts, aside from the simplicity of their ingredients which is just coarse sea salt, Epsom salt, baking soda, and essential oils, is the use of food coloring. We’ve all heard about how bad those artificial dyes can be for us, so why not try a brand with fewer chemicals like India Tree. Once you’re done honing your essential oil combinations, store these in a beautiful glass jar, and if you’re feeling really ambitious, make some pretty labels by tying tags around the bottles’ necks that distinguish the different scents.

2. Aromatherapy Candle

This type of project may sound overly complicated, but it’s actually quite simple as long as you’ve gathered everything you need to complete this DIY successfully. With some soy wax flakes, a fresh new wick, and a few other items, you’ll be on your way to making beautiful homemade candles at home in no time.

The tutorial found here is very thorough and provides some useful tips for candle making, including how to add some actual dried herbs into your candles to compliment the fragrance, such as lavender bits mixed into a lavender scented votive. And, if you feel like your candles are lacking a little oomph, have some fun with the containers and with color.

You can choose from almost anything that’s not plastic, as long as it’s safe for very hot liquids, including vintage jars and glasses, metal containers, or even cute little dip bowls like these. For some color, round up a few crayons and cut off bits when boiling the wax flakes then add them directly into the mixture. A little bit goes a long way – use approximately 1/8 inch of a red crayon per 16 fluid ounces of wax to get a pastel pink color.

3. Household Spray

We have two versions available to this project. The first is a mood altering spray that emits a light scent into the air to calm, uplift, invigorate, or help with whatever is bothering you. The second is a stronger room deodorizing spray that can be used in the bathroom to cover up those, um, well, you know what we’re talking about.

For the first one, you simply need to fill a mini spray bottle with 4 ounces of water and your favorite mixture of essential oils. The recipe can be found here and she has some suggestions for combinations depending on your mood. For the second one, the concept is very similar, aside from the fact that it’s much more concentrated and therefore calls for many more drops of essential oils. Find the stronger recipe here.

4. Scented Oil Sachets

These no-sew scented sachets are a great way to infuse a suitcase, sock drawer, closet, or car with your favorite essential oil fragrance. These are super simple to make and require zero sewing skills – fabric, fusible bonding tape, and the scented filler is all you need to complete this project – the bow tying ribbon is completely optional.

The tutorial can be found here, and there are many variations of this that you can make simply by using rice and essential oils as your sachet filler, rather than just dried herbs or potpourri. You can also have fun changing up the fabrics, they used burlap, although something substantial is all you really need.

For ideas on how to combine essential oils, check out Aroma Web’s emotional wellbeing column with more than fifteen recipes that are categorized for your convenience by emotional need.

Now that you’ve seen a few of our favorite aromatherapy projects using essential oils, you should be well on your way to getting some much-needed rest, relaxation, reinvigoration, or a remedy for whatever ails you. Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page!

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Image of Oil, Soap, and Lavender via Shutterstock

Jamie Duncan

After starting out in public relations, Jamie finished college with a BFA in interior design. This combination of writing and design knowledge, coupled with her fashion and lifestyle expertise, has paved the way for an exciting freelance career. Her work has been published in magazines and online, plus she’s managed PR campaigns, and is no stranger to copywriting. Jamie’s a vegetarian and cruelty-free product fanatic. Connect with her on Twitter and check out her website to learn more.