Along with pumpkin-spice-everything comes crisper nights and crunching leaves along pathways. It's a time of harvest, gratitude and celebrating togetherness. But, fall is also the season of refocusing on the final projects and goals of the year and getting back into a less laid-back routine from summer. Days get shorter and nights longer, and our internal clocks adjust to the natural rhythm of our surroundings.
Essential oils are excellent for making fall body butter and promoting healthier sleep. Enticing our sense of smell and touch reduces stress and slows our minds for a peaceful sleep. We recommend massaging these shea body butters close to your nose for the whole experience. Try rubbing a small amount on your neck or chest before bed.
We've put together a list of calming essential oils for all your senses while drifting into dreamland.
- Eucalyptus
Not just for koalas! Adding eucalyptus oil to your shea butter soothes aches and pains. With sweater weather comes cold and flu season, making sleep difficult. Use eucalyptus as a rub on your chest for clearing congestion, opening airways and settling sneezing and coughing.
- Lavender
Lavandula Angustifolia, native to the Mediterranean, is the best type to use for a relaxing sleep. Lavender increases slow-wave sleep by slowing down your heartbeat and relaxing the muscles.
- Chamomile
Itchy skin is the worst when trying to fall asleep. As expected, nature has a solution. Like shea butter, the health benefits of chamomile are centuries old. From ancient Egypt to ancient Greece, chamomile continues to be used to reduce anxiety, heal wounds and alleviate skin rashes. So besides drinking chamomile tea to induce a good night's rest, you can mix the essential oil into a shea body butter and spread it over dry, itchy skin.
- Sandalwood
Earthy and rich, sandalwood smells like a walk in a nurturing forest. A phrase that made it to the mainstream is the " grounding " technique. Having a sense of stability and settledness is crucial before we rest and rejuvenate via sleep. Enriching your shea body butter with sandalwood essential oil can be used as a massaging oil before journaling, meditation or any other serenity ritual before bed.
Which oils have you tried for a better night’s sleep? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Not sure how to make your shea body butter for better sleep? We've found this easy video on how to make body butter:
**Be sure to check the label of the oils before adding them to your body butter. Not all oils are safe for children and can cause allergic reactions or reactions with other medications. If you're unsure about a specific essential oil, test it out on a small patch of skin first or consult your herbologist or naturopath.**
Read more:
https://restonic.com/blog/can-lavender-help-sleep-better-3749
https://www.healthline.com/health/chamomile-oil#benefits
https://www.sleep.com/sleep-health/54321-grounding-technique
Picture credit: https://unsplash.com/@all_who_wander