Gallimaufry Grove: My 4 Favorite DIY Essential Oil Blends

The Essential Oils Craze is still in full swing, and since I was using essential oils before they were cool, I thought I'd help you guys out with some recipes. I'm nice like that.

A little caveat: I regularly use essential oils in all kinds of ways -- skin care, hair care, baths, diffusers... I don't, however, ingest them. Nor do I recommend that you ingest them. I don't care how safe the multi-level marketers tell you they are. These are highly concentrated plant oils. There are just too many unsafe-to-ingest ones out there, and too much wrong information. I've even seen some of the most dangerous ones recommended internally by websites and companies. Liver damage, anyone? I know your favorite aunt drinks a bottle of essential oils daily. I know you put them in your tea. I don't and I'm happy that way. Moving on...

A second caveat: These are therapeutic blends, not aromatherapy blends. Some of them smell heavenly, but some may take a little while to get used to. That is because some therapeutic oils have a strong, assertive scent. It isn't necessarily bad, it's just different. After you've used them awhile, you really don't mind the strong ones anymore. My family never seems to mind them. My husband once forbade me to bring incense into the house ever again, so he does notice these things.

*To make the recipes, I put the drops directly into a clean essential oil bottle (I use leftover empty bottles from oils I have used up), swirl gently to mix, then allow the blend to sit for a few hours to meld the oils together. I label the bottles as I make the blends, because there is no way I'll remember what is in each of those little brown bottles. I use them as I indicate in the following recipes.

My 4 Favorite DIY Essential Oil Blends:

1. Angela's Stress Blend

Because, you know, I deal with people who don't like how I look, people who don't like what I say, and people who just don't like anything about me - and that's just in the ministry. I also homeschool kids who sometimes don't want to do their school work, and sometimes our cat wants to eat our bird, and sometimes dinner doesn't get started on time and the laundry needs done. And then there are the tough days...

How I use this blend: I usually put about 20 drops in a nice, warm bath with about 2 cups of Epsom Salts. Bliss. After my bath, I crawl in bed and pretend the day didn't happen. I sleep deeply and wake up refreshed and less stressed. Sometimes I skip the bath and just use a diffuser.

2. Breathe Blend Hack

This is a hack I made after I paid over $40 (!?!) for DoTerra's Breathe Blend. I used the ingredients of the original and used the scent of the original to tweak and tweak and tweak until I had something very, very similar. It isn't exact, but it works beautifully and actually seems to be stronger than the expensive original.

How I use this blend: This is wonderful during allergy season, respiratory inflammation or infection, colds, and asthma attacks (This is not a replacement for proper medical care, just a nice addition. Be wise, folks.) I also use this when I want the house to smell wonderfully clean and fresh. I diffuse this into the air.

3. Kids Calming Blend

How I use this blend: This is great for ADD/ADHD, lack of focus, hyperactivity, etc. It seems to have a cumulative effect. That is to say, if I diffuse this daily during school, I might only see only a little difference on day one, but by day three, things are going much more smoothly. I try to diffuse this often. ;)

4. Angela's SleepyTime Blend

How I use this blend: I usually use this in a diffuser in the bedroom at night. Sometimes I will put 10 drops in my 5 year-old's bath to help her wind down and get her ready to sleep.

And there you have it. These are the blends I use most often in our home. We love them because they really do help. It doesn't hurt that we think they smell good, too.