*The BEST calming oil recipe is at the bottom!*
Do I sell oils? No. Do I think that they will cure cancer? Also no. Do I love them? Obvs!
If I were a drink, I would most likely be a Science with a splash of Woo-Woo, which makes this the perfect drink…er…post for those caregivers who want real information and don’t want to lose their shit on their Loved Ones.
And it’s reeeeeeally easy to do so when you’re dealing with dementia.
On your best day, it’s tough being a caregiver, and on the worst? We’re not going there, but let’s just say that drowning in a bathtub of rose sounds pretty good on those days.
Essential Oils are all the rage, and with the rage comes fake, cheaper products. I bought a pack of cheap oils one time, and the Tea Tree smelled like turpentine! So make sure you are buying quality products!
What Does That Mean?
- It’s in a smaller bottle-don’t buy anything higher than 4 ounces, it will most assuredly have fillers that aren’t JUST the essential oil.
- Make sure you’re buying them in glass bottles. the chemical process doesn’t mix well with plastic, so the only way to buy the good stuff is in glass!
- There’s no Latin name after the description. This is news to me, too!
- DON’T BUY THE SUPER CHEAP STUFF! I wouldn’t necessarily just buy the oils from Young Living or DoTerra, but I would also refrain from buying the oil packs at TJ Maxx.
Before I go onto the list of deliciously smelling oils that will keep you from losing it, I should say that there is no right smell. If you love it and it makes you feel happy, even for a moment, then it’s done it’s job. I am obsessed with peppermint, and although it’s normally not considered a calming scent, it calms me down, and that’s all I really care about. My calmed-down ass.
I do NOT need to Chuck Norris or Liam Neeson anyone today. Or any day, really.
Essential Oils That Will Help You From Giving an Ass-Whoopin’
Disclaimer: If you’re looking for studies shown that they calm you down, this is the wrong post for you. Also, drowning yourself in these oils will not make your life better. But it may keep people from talking to you, so there’s a bonus.
Lavender
Lavender is the obvious choice for calming, but I will say that it’s not my favorite smell. pulling the buds from the stem? Amazing. From the bottle, I could take it or leave it.
Great way to use it: Put some drops into wool balls and toss ’em in the dryer. You can do this with any oil, but sometimes it really dulls the screams through my sweatshirt.
Ylang Ylang
Not just a funny name, it has an amazing smell! Ylang Ylang is a yellow, star shaped flower that originates in Southeast Asia and Australia and is known to reduce anxiety.
Great way to use it: Not feeling frisky? Use this oil for a little sexy-time! It’s properties are known to “increase sexual desire”, so muster any energy you have left and damnit, reconnect with that partner that you’ve been neglecting because taking care of people is hard.
Frankincense
Frankincense comes from the resin of boswellia and is known for more than just a weird gift from one of the Wise Men to Jesus. Clearly they didn’t look at the registry.
Great way to use it: I have put this in a roller ball with other scents (and a carrier oil) and I really lose the urge to kill someone after a few minutes.
Orange
Right? I thought that was interesting, too!
Great way to use it: If you have to speak in front of people, take a whiff of orange to help decrease the stage jitters!
Vetiver
I honestly had no idea what this was until Instagram started selling fragrances to me. It’s one of the scents that earthy and doesn’t make me smell like I walked out of Hollister in 2002. Vetiver itself comes from the oil of the vetiver grass plant that’s native to India. It’s properties have been shown to be as anxiety ridding AS VALIUM, CAN I GET AN AMEN???
Great way to use it: An IV would be preferable, but in this case, get your boo to massage it in or put it in a diffuser.
THE BEST calming recipe
In my opinion, the Aveda smell is the most calming scent. Period. There are many ways I have tried to recreate said smell with my own recipe, but I found while rabbit-holing on Pinterest did I fine this amazing recipe:
In a diffuser, add:
Peppermint: 3 drops
Rosemary: 3 drops
Lavender: 2 drops
Bergamot: 2 drops
Orange: 2 drops
Ylang Ylang: 2 drops
Sit back for like 2 minutes (because that’s all the time you have) and breathe it in!
So there you have it.
Five essential oils that will deter you from going to jail this week.
In all serious, I say this every damn time, caregiving is not for the light-hearted, and it certainly ain’t for sissies, as my residents tell me. This is not meant to be taken as medical advice…I mean, come on, did you read this? Not exactly a dissertation. I do hope, though, that you will try some of these oils for their calming properties. You need it.
If we can’t laugh at this stuff, we’ll cry until there aren’t any more tears, and my concealer can’t handle that shit.
Have a great day, darling.
