aromatherapy inhaler recipe: stress less

---

inhaler recipe

Like it or not, stress is part and parcel of life here on earth, and even the most chill of us will experience it from time to time. Interestingly, in small, short bursts (we’re talking 30 minutes or less here), stress actually boosts the immune system and is a natural and healthy function of the human body. When we get beyond that, however—as far too many of us do—we inadvertently invite in a host of troubles.

It’s now estimated that up to 90% of illness and disease may be attributed to chronic stress and the unbelievable toll it takes on the body. While I’m not implying that an aromatherapy inhaler is going to fix all of your problems (sorry, your neighbor will still be a ginormous jerk), it’s a super easy avenue of support when the stress of life settles in. And one of the reasons why I love these inhalers so much is because they're small enough to slip into your pocket and carry on the go! Bring it to work, to that first date, to babysit your cranky niece, to bed—anywhere, really. And then rest easy knowing that stress support is just an easy and accessible sniff away.

I wrote all about how the sense of smell can directly impact how our body reacts to stress, and you can read about it in this post: the limbic system. On the heels of that, today I’m going to share an inhaler recipe just in case you’d like to give this smelling thing a try. I chose the essential oils below because of their ability to positively (and strongly) affect the nervous system (aka: calm us the hell down). Listed beside each oil are the issues they've been shown to support.

Inhaler Essential Oils

• Sweet Orange: anxiolytic; antidepressant; anger; mood swings; frustration; pessimism

• Lime: anxiolytic; antidepressant; negative thinking; pessimism; poor focus

• May Chang: calms the nerves; antidepressant; sedative; mental fatigue; distraction; mental confusion

• Ylang Ylang: antidepressant; calms the nerves; helps lower high blood pressure: mood swings; palpitations; frustration; anger

  
  

Inhaler Recipe

• finely ground sea salt

• 9 drops sweet orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

• 7 drops may change essential oil (Litsea cubeba)

• 7 drops ylang ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata)

• 4 drops lime essential oil (Citrus aurantifolia)

Supplies

• finely ground sea salt

• aromatherapy inhalers

Inhaler Directions

1. Add sea salt to the glass tube insert of the inhaler until it’s about ¾ of the way full.

2. If you have a 10mL glass beaker, add all of the essential oil drops to it. Swish gently for 10 seconds or so to thoroughly combine the oils before pouring over the sea salt. If you don’t possess an adorable tiny beaker, simply drop the essential oils into the sea salt that's already in the inhaler tube. Screw on the cover and cap, but don't slide the tube into the colored inhaler base just yet because you want to let the tube stand upright while the oils settle to the bottom.

3. Once the oils have all reached the bottom and saturated the salts, uncap and cover the holes in the cover with your thumb before shaking gently to further mix up the oils and salt.

4. Put the insert into the inhaler tube and cover. You can start sniffing immediately (I usually do!), but if you allow it to sit for an hour or so, the essential oils will combine and fully integrate. I often find that after 24 hours my oil combinations smell quite a bit differently than they do after first mixing. In that time, the oils have had a chance to better work with each other, creating a unique and beautiful synergy.

5. Breathe deeply as needed to calm the nerves and lift your spirits.

general notes

I always discard the cotton wicks that come with the inhaler tubes because conventional cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed crops there is. It seems rather counterintuitive to be using pure and organic essential oils in conjunction with a highly pesticide-laden wick, so I simply toss it. Fortunately for us, sea salt is an awesome replacement.

I keep an inhaler tucked under my pillow and use it nightly to fall asleep, and they generally last me about six months with daily use. Once the scent of the oils has faded, simply rinse out the insert tube, allow it to thoroughly dry, and then refill with fresh materials.

oil replacements

May chang—also known as litsea cubeba—is an awesome essential oil, but maybe not one that everyone is familiar with. It's on the low end of the price spectrum, which is always nice, and has a strong affinity for the nervous system  (here). If you don't have any on hand, however, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus or Cymbopogon flexuosus) may be used in its place. They're similar oils with similar properties, but Lemongrass lacks the sweetness of May Chang.

Don't have lime? Swap it out with lemon or simply more sweet orange!

cautions

Inhalation is, in most cases, the safest way to work with essential oils, but may chang has some possible cautions associated with pregnancy. If pregnant, I’d simply swap out the may chang for lemon (or even simply more sweet orange!) essential oil. The other oils are generally regarded as safe during all three trimesters of pregnancy, but please check with your physician first.

Not intended for children under the age of 6. The essential oils in this recipe are all child-safe over the age of 6, but please rely on your good judgment as a parent before using. If your child is in sound health and is aware of how an inhaler is supposed to be properly used (i.e. you're certain they won't be tempted to uncap it and eat the salt!), then I would feel safe using it over the age of 6.

It is of the utmost importance that you use only 100% pure and undiluted essential oils in your products. Sadly, many oils on the market today are truly garbage. Not only will synthetic fragrance and/or adulterated oils offer potentially no health benefits, but they greatly increase your risk of allergic reaction. The companies that I trust and rely on are:

• Original Swiss Aromatics

• Plant Therapy

• Mountain Rose Herbs

And that'll do it for today. Happy sniffing :)

Much love,

Melinda

Level 3 Holistic Aromatherapist