I've decided that among all these routines and health rituals that I have been wanting to try for the sake of my mental health, that the first step is actually taking more care of my physical health! Just because I don't feel pain or unwell, doesn't mean improvements cannot be made.
So I want to adopt some Springtime detox rituals. Nothing crazy like shooting water up places it shouldn't go--I moreso am referring to simple, comfortable naturopathic methods with the use of essential oils.
That aside, I'll be quoting an Essential Oils and Aromatherapy book on this because its quite useful~
"Used in therapeutic baths or massage blends, healing oils can help to free the body of impurities and improve health [Jolly: if done correctly]."
I was a licensed massage therapist in CO a year ago. In my studies, I was officially certified to recommend 3 essential oil flavors: lavender, lemon, and orange. This being that they are the 3 safest flavors to use.
Believe it or not, essential oils can be quite dangerous! Some will alter your circulation, blood flow, which affects your cardiovascular (heart) function. Some can affect other systems in your body and may intervene certain medications. I am not an aromatherapist, so I cannot rightfully say what is safe for you or not. If concerned, please please find a local aromatherapist that can most safely confirm if any of these things are safe for you or not!
"To maximize the effects of the bath, dry-brush your skin with a natural fiber brush before bathing to open up pores and remove dead skin cells. Spend a few minutes doing this before you enter the bath. Always [Jolly: important!!] work toward the heart area when brushing the skin."
I quote this part mainly for the directional mention. I am glad this book includes that! In massage therapy, it is always very significant to focus most of our strokes toward the heart. It encourages healthy blood flow. Working away from the heart discourages it. The body subconsciously knows this because any time a therapist doesn't do this, the session does not feel very good comparatively.
Anyways, when soaking in a detox bath, work your loofah or sponge in gentle circles to draw circulation to the areas. It feels good, it is good, and especially if you have sore muscles. A gentle massage while soaking in a warm bath can do wonders.
1 "Detox Bath: Use a jar of plain bath salts or fine sea salts and add a few drops of detoxifying, regenerating lemon oil, along with a couple of drops of fresh, green rosemary oil. Grapefruit oil can be substituted for any one of these oils; it is diuretic and decreases unwanted mucus during detoxification. [Jolly: This can be a thing--sniffles during detox is pretty common] This oil may be an irritant for some, so do a patch test before use."
Patch tests are when you give your arm a good wash with unscented soap, pat it dry, then you put a sample of the essential oil on your skin. Just a little, like a single drop on the underside of your arm. Cover it with lightly a bandaid or something (I'd use self adhesive wrap, cause adhesives can be irritants) for about a day. If you feel any signs of discomfort, don't use that oil.
2 "Use a jar of plain bath salts or fine sea salts and add a few drops of lemongrass, an oil that is good for drainage of body fluids, and calming lavender oil. Do not bathe for longer than twenty minutes, as bathing for longer than this will dry out the skin. Avoid high concentrations of this oil."
OK so lemongrass essential oil is one of those may be dangerous ones. It does affect blood pressure by lowering it. I almost didn't include this piece because when it comes to blood pressure, I just find it hard to recommend these even if I do a full intake form with yall. Just be careful!! It DOES have antifungal/antioxident properties though, and can help with digestive issues, so there are definitely benefits to this oil if its safe for you. ALthough its only animal-tested so even that.. XD patch test it
3 "Juniper oil helps detox the body by ridding it of toxic wastes, improving elimination, and supporting liver function. Add it to a cup of fine sea salts, as these salts encourage sweating, which is another way the body eliminates toxins. Juniper is nonirritating in dilution. [Jolly: By my studies, I believe all oils should be diluted anyways]
During the detox regimen, add two drops of juniper on the pulse points of the wrists each day and inhale its stimulating aroma. This oil helps tone up the glandular system, particularly the pancreas and adrenals."
I'm obligated to repeat the same kinds of caution warnings. But for this one, the book itself DOES disclaim Juniper oil; Do NOT use this if you have any sort of kidney disorder. The book suggests that you can substitute with grapefruit oil, which supports the liver and lymph. But only on a very low concentration. Personally, I would ask a legal aromatherapist for this one if you have any relative conditions.
BUT ALL IN ALL
if you made it past all my bipolar "this is great" but "this is also danger" and choose to try any of these; let me know how you feel afterwords!!
If you have any other rituals for healthy cleansing, feel free to share :vanora_icon:
If you'd like to know specifically how many drops of these oils to use, its usually easy with a quick google search for each one! Healthline website is often pretty accurate as well. I actually cant remember on the top of my head what the typical doses were for lemon, orange and lavender. I think it was like.. 4-6 drops into water.
