Winter marks a shift in the amount of daylight available to us which creates an imbalance of melanin in our body. Longer nights slows down the nature, the skin dries up and a general sense of fatigue sets in. Not just the skin, but for a lot of people, their sinuses and joints begin to dry out too during winter. The result is that irritated mucous membranes produce more mucus which becomes an open invitation for cold, flue and other bacterial infections to manifest. To take care of your overall health both mental and physical, to feel good in these otherwise dark wintry days, to smell amazing and fresh and keep fungal and bacterial infections at bay, we list out some of the most useful essential oils for winters and how you can use them!
1. Lemon oil
Are you a fan of the zesty, tangy lemon essence too? You will find this in everything from hand soaps to shampoos to cleaning agents, lemon oil is the father of all essential oils for its usability and fruity fragrance. But apart from its commercial value, it is also an excellent ingredient for herbal formulations crafted for your skin. Diluted lemon oil has D-limonene that aids your fight against wrinkles, improves circulation and skin tone. It is rich agent of skin repair and is anti-inflammatory in nature. The fragrance has mood enhancing quality too. A study showed that among rose, lavender and lemon essences, lemon had the strongest anti-stress affect on the participants of the study.
2. Lavender oil
It is
· Analgesic
· Antispasmodic
· Calming
· Sedative
· Antiseptic
· Antimicrobial
· Antifungal
Rashes, allergies, skin cracking-bacterial infections during the winter are a real threat for your body and skin. Inflammations emanating from the persistent dryness of the skin are another trouble you must manage in the winters. For that, handy comes the lavender, which is bountiful when it comes to its antibacterial, antidepressant and anti-inflammatory properties. Have a stuffy nose, allergies or even a common cold? Grandmas would reach out for the lavender oil in the medical cabinet. Lavender oil is indispensable in winter for its excellent moisturizing and hydrating properties. Lavender oil is also calming and is medically proven to induce sleep in the elderly according to a study.
3. Marjoram oil
More commonly used as a spice in the food, marjoram oil is extracted from the flowers, leaves of the plant. It is known to be used for treating common cold, digestive problems, dryness, improving appetite, relieving menstrual pain, regularizing muscle spasms, inducing sleep, reducing anxiety and headaches caused due to anxiety and stress. For its stress relieving and relaxing properties it is known to have found a mention in the Greek mythology, where Aphrodite, the goddess of love, grew the herb in her garden.
4. Cinnamon oil
A popular antioxidant, cinnamon oil is a gift for your skin when it comes to free radicals, treating the acne and cancerous skin cells. Sweet, spicy and warm, it is most commonly used in aromatherapy. It has analgesic, anti-septic, antimicrobial and detoxifying properties that make it a much sought after EO for many an herbal formulation, in treating skin diseases, sleep disorders, and muscle and joint pains. A known decongestant, tt is also good for regulating blood circulation, improving your brain functions, relaxing the hippocampus, and boosts the health of your heart and arterial functions.
5. Lemongrass oil
Many vouch for the deeply sensual, sweet and appetizing aroma of lemongrass oil, not the least because it has anti-cancerous, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to go with the heady aroma it gives off when the oil is extracted from a steam distillation of, as the name suggests, lemongrass. For hair problems and issues related to fungal infections, dryness of scalp and flaky skin, lemongrass oil comes widely recommended for its anti fungal properties.
6. Clary Sage
Used by the Egyptians in their medical formulations, for hormone regulating properties, ability to treat vision disorder and as a flavor of wine, clary sage has come to become an exotic herbal essence used in various premium herbal personal care products today for its aroma, flavor and therapeutic values. Studies on women undergoing postmenopausal syndrome showed, inhalation of the diluted clary sage oil produced calming and anti-stress effect (reduction in stress hormones like cortisol) and mood alleviation. Known for its excellent analgesic properties, it is known to help women manage menstrual pain, when combined with essences of marjoram and juniperberries. It has linalyl acetate which is anti-inflammatory.
Lot of us may have an obvious question in our heads by now. How can we have the benefits of all these essential oils within an ideal blend? How much should the quantities be? Should we blend two of them or three of them and what is the procedure to extract them? RELAX! Leave it to the professionals at Shankara to craft the perfect and most harmonic EO blends for your skin and body that use extracts from all the above essential oils and more, bringing the best of Ayurvedic wisdom from the east and the knowledge of natural actives in the west. Made into perfection, so when the oil drips on your skin, and you rub it evenly, gradually and lovingly, you can feel the goodness of all these essences seep into your body tissues, making you relaxed, hydrated as the aromatic richness wafts through the space you walk in. Feel the stress dissolve away!
This uplifting and balancing oil (Harmonizing Oil) features the perfect blend of powerful herbs and essential oils to restore balance. The lovely scent is complementary and offers emotional balance.
· Uplifting and balancing body oil
· A feminine blend of powerful herbal and essential oils for emotional and physical benefits
· Specially formulated for women
· Warming and nurturing of the skin
