Keep Calm & Stay Beautiful: Aromatherapy Routines to Help You De-Stress
It’s the holidays—a joyous, but often stressful, time of the year. It’s when many of us find ourselves just needing to catch a breath from the gatherings, shopping, and just the frenzy that has come to characterize the season.
We’re here to tell you it’s okay to stop and take a breath. Or take a few deep breaths. Your body and your psyche needs it.
To help you get back to YOU, we’ve put together these calming routines—all centered around aromatherapy—to help give you sanctuary from the season. We’re big fans of aromatherapy, and that’s why we use it in our Pharmacopia better-for-you natural body care products. The reason: aromatherapy is focused on the use of powerful essential oils extracted from plants to help reduce stress and boost mood.
1. Give yourself some self-love. You don’t need to book a massage to reap the benefits of touch. Simply taking time every day to slowly massage in a body lotion with essential oils will help your body and your brain to slow down. You can try it after a shower or bath, or anytime you need a pick-me-up during the day.
We love our uplifting, yet soothing, Citrus Body Lotion for this purpose. Rich in powerful essential oils like bergamot (a type of citrus fruit), our natural Citrus Body Lotion can give you the much-needed boost you need. Breathing in these heady essential oils will help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms you down. In one study, inhalation of bergamot essential oil was found to decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
You can also spend a few extra minutes shampooing your hair with our Citrus Shampoo by giving your scalp a tingling finger-tip massage. The goal is to incorporate relaxation into your day without having to block out time for it.
2. Elevate your hand washing routine. Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day to carve out “me time.” We get it. That’s why one of our favorite simple self-indulgences is to use essential-oil-infused cleansers—like our Verbena Body Wash— in place of traditional hand soap. (All our natural body washes can do double duty by the bath or sink!) With aloe vera, coconut oil, chamomile and green tea extracts, plus mood-boosting essential oils of orange, mint, and more, just a simple suds-up is an immediate way to help you feel happier, no matter what you have on your plate.
Studies have shown that citrus scents can actually stimulate the brain’s limbic system, which is responsible for emotions. One study, in particular, showed that inhaling the scent of orange oil can reduce feelings of anxiety—something we can all use, particularly during holidays!
3. Invigorate with mint at your desk. Sitting down with a cup of peppermint tea midday is a surefire way to help you slow down and relax. Research has also shown that peppermint essential oil can also help enhance mental clarity and alleviate feelings of fatigue.
That’s why we love to keep a bottle of our Verbena Body Lotion on our desk for a midday boost. The lotion—formulated with skin-softening shea butter, jojoba oil, aloe vera, and more—helps keep dryness at bay on hands and arms. But this natural Body Lotion is also infused with essential oils of mint, basil, and more help us to stay clear headed and focused.
And then there’s our Mint Argan Body Bar—a deliciously sudsy soap infused with essences of peppermint oil. Keep a bar by your sink or in your shower for a guaranteed refreshing pick-me-up.
4. Suds up with lemongrass. This essential oil, extracted from a tropical grass called Cymbopogon, is not only known for its fresh, lemony scent, but also for its ability to calm the body and the mind. One study found that lemongrass essential oil—found in our Verbena Collection—helped to reduce anxiety.
Keeping our Verbena Body Bar on hand for showers or baths is a guaranteed way to destress. Formulated with shea butter and vitamin E, this body bar (like all our natural body bars) leaves skin feeling soft and renewed—just like your spirits! (These body bars are also TSA-friendly, making them the perfect way to ensure you have a way to de-stress when you’re away from home.)
5. Set up a diffuser, and take long, deep slow breaths. Diffusers help to disperse essential oils in the air for optimal benefits; all you need to add to the diffuser is three to four drops of an aromatic oil. (We’re loving the sustainable Vitruvi Stone Diffuser that’s vegan and cruelty free.) Setting one up in your home and/or office will allow you to get through the day with essential oils doing their plant-based magic in the background.
One of our favorite essential oil scents to diffuse for the season: cedarwood, which comes from cedar evergreen trees. This essential oil has a grounding and calming effect—ideal for creating a peaceful atmosphere during what can often be a chaotic holiday season. Close your eyes and be transported to a peaceful forest. You can also find cedarwood in our Verbena Collection—from Shampoo and Conditioner to Body Wash, Lotion, and Body Bar.
If you’re looking for other ways to relax and de-stress this season, and all year long, be sure to check out our Home Spa Hacks where you’ll find easy ways to turn your space into a blissful retreat.
Whether you’re giving yourself a scalp massage in the shower or enjoying a cup of peppermint tea in the afternoon, know that it’s the little things you incorporate into your day that can make the biggest difference in your mood, energy, and happiness. Wishing you happy, healthy, relaxing holidays from all of us at Pharmacopia!
