Morning shower, daily skin care, your never ending commute to work, all of these routines become second nature and perhaps a bit dull & monotonous, but they needn't be. Infuse your routines with interest and healthy benefits by incorporating essential oils into your many daily activities. The various delightful aromas and supportive qualities that essential plant oils offer can transform a humdrum grind into a healthy living vibe.

Peppermint = Get Up & Go!

That so-called natural commercial shower gel you are using likely contains synthetic surfactants, stabilizers, preservatives and chemical fragrances... all things you don't need in your routine. Create your own simple & natural aromatherapy shower soap by adding a few ingredients to plain unscented liquid soap:

8 ounce bottle of natural, unscented liquid soap (oil-based Castile type)
1 teaspoon jojoba oil
24 drops peppermint essential oil
24 drops tangerine essential oil

Mix jojoba and essential oils, add to soap and shake until well incorporated. Apply a quarter sized amount to wash cloth or scrunchie and gently scrub skin.

World's Best & Most Natural Body Moisturizer

Lose those gunky, expensive, synthesized lotions & creams. Jojoba oil is light and absorbent enough to use every day, won't clog pores, matches your skin's natural pH balance and is preservative-free! Follow your shower with a light application of essential oil-charged jojoba while your skin is still wet (this will seal in moisture), then pat yourself dry.

4 ounce bottle of jojoba oil
24 drops lavender essential oil
24 drops Rose Otto, or Jasmine Precious Essential oil

Add essential oils to jojoba, shake well to incorporate and apply to skin.

Calm & Happy Commute & Office Time

Essential oils like lavender, geranium, neroli, and chamomile will help diffuse stress, anxiety and anger. Add a bit of uplifting, citrusy sweet orange, grapefruit or lime and you have the recipe for emotional balance and a positive attitude. Diffuse an appealing mix of these oils in your car and/or office and take your work to a higher level.

Aura Cacia Car and/or Room Diffusers
Essential oils (listed above)

Apply an equal number of drops of calming and balancing essential oils to the diffuser pad and plug the unit in to release the balancing, natural aroma.

Aura Cacia will be exhibiting at the Yoga Journal Yoga Conference in San Francisco, January 14-16. The marketplace is free and open to the public, so stop by and say hi if you're in the area!

JANUARY FREE GIVEAWAY

Aura Cacia Kids Foamy Bubble Bath FREE with every online order! Click here for details.

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ESSENTIAL OIL OF THE MONTH

CLARY SAGE

Sweet, herbal, fresh and floral with a bit of earthy muskiness, the aroma of clary sage essential oil is intriguing and unique. The plant is native to the sunny areas of the Mediterranean and seems to capture the scent of hazy, warm summer days. If a sunny Impressionist painting of a French hillside covered in mauve and lavender hued flowers could exude a scent it would be the aroma of clary sage. The aromatherapy benefit most associated with essential oil of clary sage is balance. In skin care applications it will calm hot & dry skin while it energizes dull & oily skin. Clary sage inspires the same balancing effect on emotions, mental function and the various systems of the body. It is often used during menopause to cool hot flashes, calm anxiety, diffuse anger and alleviate sadness.

Balanced Being Aromatherapy Diffusion
3 tablespoons water
3 drops clary sage essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
1 drop patchouli essential oil
Candle lamp diffuser

Mix ingredients. Place in the well of a candle lamp. Light candle to release subtle aromatherapy effects.

Cool Complexion Balancing Facial Aromatherapy Mist
4 ounces purified water
18 drops clary sage essential oil
6 drops peppermint essential oil
Bottle with spray-mist cap attachment

Mix ingredients in the bottle. Apply 2-3 spritzes to cool the skin or as a balancing toner in your skincare regime.