AHHHH…..ROMATHERAPY!

Are you familiar with “essential oils” at all? Have you only heard of them but hadn’t actually used them or know what/how to use them? If you’re like us, we'd heard of natural oils but had no reason to use them…until now. We stumbled across a “recipe” that turned out to be what we now call AHHHH...ROMATHERAPY! The product and process incorporates fun into a productive, reusable project with repeat value that we absolutely love! Here are four reasons we find it to be an educational experience, and how we create it.

We stumbled into the realm of natural and organic products a few years ago, and have appreciated many benefits of going “au natural” and “green.” During our ventures into this newer, healthier realm, we stumbled into making many of our own natural products like shampoos, conditioners, bug repellent, lotions, soaps and body washes. Talk about FUN and AROMATIC! Essential oils (when used properly and sparingly) can not only make your dwelling smell fantastically great, but your hair and skin can be smooth and freshly scented all day!
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Body wash is one of our favorite ways to use essential oils. Here are four reasons we enjoy mixing, measuring, and making our own sudsy body soap.

1. ADVENTUROUS! We get to explore many different fragrances of natural essential oils. There are so many different kinds, and when we decided to venture into essential oils, that was our first time visiting that section of nutrition shops with purpose. We continue to discover many new words, ingredients, products, fragrances, uses, and more - each time we visit. Familiarization is fun and purposeful.
   
   
2. ACADEMIC! We get to make, mix, and measure a variety of ingredients. We learn how certain ingredients dissolve or melt, bend or blend, separate or integrate with each other. We can observe various colors changes that mixed ingredients create together. Then we can feel, see, and smell the ingredients, exciting our senses in a fun, unique way.
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3. ADVANTAGEOUS! Not only are we “playing” with fun, new products and ingredients, but we’re creating products that are great for our bodies, too! Each recipe yields a few weeks supply so it’s not just a one-time experience. The benefits of making body wash linger into next week…
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4. AROMATHERAPEUTIC! Trying saying that three times. :) While exploring these many scientific benefits, our home just smells wonderfully inviting. Ahhhh…romatherapy! :)

We would like to thank “Honeysuckle” over at YouTube for her wonderful recipe that we stumbled upon last year! She provided a great video and steps on how to make this great body wash, which we’ve included below. As she mentions, this body wash is great for cleansing, softening, and scenting the skin.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup HONEY - Raw, Organic, Unpasteurized (or Unfiltered)
• 1/3 cup COCONUT OIL (Melted) - Extra Virgin (NO hydrogenated, refined, or bleached)
• 15-20 drops ESSENTIAL OIL (we like Jasmine, but also use tangerine, rose, or lavender)
• 3/4 cup CASTILLE SOAP - Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Baby Mild (contains olive oil)
• Glass MEASURING CUP - for blending ingredients
• Metal SPOON - for blending ingredients
• Clear Soap DISPENSER for storing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add raw honey, melted coconut oil, and 15-20 drops of essential oil (depending on how strong you’d like your fragrance to be) into measuring cup
2. Gently stir to blend (soften) ingredients
3. Slowly add in Castille soap and stir without whipping bubbles into the mix
4. Continue to gently stir until honey is blended well (make take a few minutes)
5. Pour mixture into soap dispenser
6. Shake well before each application and enjoy!

This body wash lathers wonderfully well with a soap pouf. If you’re not into strong fragrances, try using only a few drops of the essential oils, or choose a softer fragrance on your next batch. Whatever you do, try creating this body wash and tweaking it to your preference. It will be a great big ball of a grand experience you will share with your kids.

We hope you venture off to your local nutrition store and see what you can discover, together! Leave a comment below sharing your thoughts about essential oils and how you've used or included them in your home and/or school.

Don't forget to friend and follow us on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Enjoy! :)

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
Greg Anderson (Author)

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