This will probably come as no surprise to many/most of you, but alternative/natural therapies such as the use of essential oils and I generally aren’t bff’s. I’m a hard-out science, evidence based consumer of Big Drug Company Medicine. Lead me to the chemist and show me a box of Codral and I’ll pop open those foil packets and happily get on with my day!
But, I’m also not naive – I’m totally open to trying new things and experimenting with natural products that have helped so many people I know.
So, I’ve been road-testing three of the more well known and easily accessible Essential Oil variants and have found multiple ways to incorporate them into our family’s daily routines with (surprising? – to me lol) benefits.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
As I’m writing this I’m also tucked up in bed, man-flu-ing hard out – with a raging head cold. I feel like my head is actually filled with solid concrete. When I first lit my oil diffuser and added a few drops of Eucalyptus oil to the water I couldn’t smell it at all (despite the fact that Dave rushed in exclaiming ‘What are you cleaning? You’re supposed to be resting?!). Now, my sinuses have cleared enough to enjoy the super fresh scent of the Eucalyptus oil. I’ve also dabbed some undiluted oil onto the neckline of my jammies to help keep me breathing easy.
The easiest and probably most effective use I’ve discovered so far, is dabbing undiluted Eucalyptus in the bottom of our interior rubbish bins and letting it dry before popping bags in. Gone are yucky smells and instead of odour, I now get a fresh burst of Eucalyptus every time I open our kitchen pedal bin. I’m also doing the same with Ethan and Dave’s rugby gear bags – SUCH an improvement!
Lavender Essential Oil
I’ve documented the troubles we are having with Nix during the night quite extensively, so the first job on my Lavender Hitlist was trying it out as a sleep aid.
I’ve been rubbing it on the soles of his feet and dabbing some around the neck of his pajamas before bedtime which does double duty as it helps calm him down and simply be ‘still’ before we begin our nighttime rituals of reading books and talking through our day. Adding a ‘scent’ as a cue that it’s bedtime is genius as kids can tune out verbal cues in a second if they want to. I’m stoked at the definite calming effect lavender has on Nixon, he is settling to sleep much faster and he is sleeping longer – not waking up at 4.40am is a MASSIVELY positive endorsement if you ask me!
There are a couple of other ways I’ve been using the Lavender Oil:
- Both of the boys have asthma and are really struggling with it this winter, rubbing Lavender Oil on their chests is recommended to help with that hard-to-shift asthmatic cough so we are now adding this to our daily routines too.
- Lavender Oil is great for stress relief! I keep a bottle on my desk and dab it on my temples if I’m feeling anxious or, if the whole household needs to chill out, I pop a couple of drops with water into our diffuser.
- Dave and Ethan both play rugby and are covered in bruises from sprigs, elbows and whatever else they run into on the field. When applied immediately, Lavender constricts the blood vessels. reducing the effect of bruising. We will definitely be trying this out after their Saturday games for the rest of the rugby season.
Tea Tea Oil
Ok, this oil has fast become indispensable around our house!
Dave and I both run multiple times each week and Ethan and Dave have rugby training and games 4 days a week, which results in loads and loads of stinky, smelly workout clothes to wash each week. When added to your washing machine cycle, the antimicrobial properties of Tea Tree Oil help kill odour causing bacteria and leaves clothes smelling amazing – even those gross synthetic running shirts!
We are also trialing By Nature Tea Tree Oil as a spray cleaner by adding 10 drops to a spray bottle containing ½ cup white vinegar and 3 cups of water. I’ve been using it on our benchtops in the kitchen and am loving that we’ve been able to remove chemical cleaners from our food prep area. (Just make sure you research safe ratios first, as Tea Tree can be toxic to pets and humans if taken orally undiluted).
There are some big name Essential Oil brands that are now available worldwide through multi-level marketing companies ::shudder:: such as doTerra, but I’m stoked that my first foray into Essential Oils has been with products that are made in New Zealand and are available from stores I shop in all the time (ALL THE TIME lol) like The Warehouse.
By Nature have recently released their own NZ made range of Essential Oils to complement their simple, honest and uncomplicated skincare range that is available in supermarkets and from The Warehouse nationwide.
By Nature Lavender, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Essential Oils are 100% pure, natural oils and of the highest quality, contain no nasty chemicals, no parabens, are not tested on animals and are made in New Zealand which makes them amazing value at only $5.99 each!
Find out more here and enter to win a By Nature Skincare pack for you and a friend valued at $120 each! Just comment below with which By Nature Essential Oil you would like to use at home and you’re in the draw to win!
Competition closes 17/7/16, NZ residents only. Thanks so much to By Nature for these gorgeous oils and for sponsoring this post – I now love using them at home!
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