You want to use a metal, hard plastic or glass bowl so that when you later add the oil, they won’t absorb into the bowl, which would happen to one degree or another in a wooden bowl. Epsom salt is cheap. You can buy a 2 pound box of Epsom salt for about $2 at pharmacies and at big-box stores. A 5 pound bag costs about $5, which would leave you plenty for a nice bath soak and a whiff of one of your smelling salt blends.
There are two kinds of sea salt – fine-grind and flaked. Either will work, but because flaked sea salt has less moisture, it will better absorb the oil. [3] X Research source
Another option would be to use a fairly large and thoroughly washed plastic container with a lid, such as those used to hold sour cream, to put the salts in and then shake together. You want to use a metal spoon when mixing for the same reason as you want to use a metal, hard plastic or glass bowl. Later, when you add the essential oils, they won’t soak into a metal spoon.
Other examples of words to include in your search are calming, soothing, uplifting, clarifying, purifying and so forth. You can also do searches such as “essential oils for headaches” or “essential oils for depression. ”
The nine categories are: floral, woodsy, earthy, herbaceous, minty, medicinal/camphorous, spicy, oriental and citrus. [6] X Research source As a rule of thumb, oils from the same category generally blend well together. Additionally, florals blend well with spicy, citrusy and woodsy oils. Woodsy blends well with all categories. Spicy and oriental oils blend well with floral, oriental, and citrus. Minty oils blend with citrus, woodsy, herbaceous and earthy oils. [7] X Research source
You can also find them listed by note type online. Or you can check out a book from your local library that will list both categories and types.
Energizing/mental alertness blend: peppermint (Mentha piperita) as the top note, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) as the middle note and Peru balsam (Myroxylon pereirae) as the bottom note. Relaxing/anti-stress blend: lavender (Lavender angustifolia) as the top note, ylang ylang (Cananga odorata var genuine) as the middle note and vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) as the base note. Soothing/sleeplessness blend: bergamot (Citrus bergamia) as the top note, roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) as the middle note and sandalwood (Santalum album) as the base note. Combat colds/clear sinuses blend: First, therapeutic blends do not need to follow, and typically don’t, the rules of keys and categories of aromatic blends. There are a variety of therapeutic blends, which you can search for online. Here is one, also created for this article: eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), which acts as an expectorant and to relieve congestion[9] X Research source ; ravensara (Ravensara aromatica), which acts as an antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-allergenic agent[10] X Research source ; and bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), which acts as an antioxidant and antiseptic. [11] X Research source
Later you will add 6 drops of oil to the mixed salts, so to make the energizing blend above according to this ratio, you only need to make a blend using at least 10 drops. For 10 drops according to the 30-50-20 ratio, you would add 3 drops of peppermint, 5 drops of rosemary and 2 drops of Peru balsam. [13] X Research source
Amber bottles protect the constituents of essential oils from damage caused by light because they filter out UV rays. [14] X Research source [15] X Research source You can buy them expensively in bulk or individually in a variety of sizes online or at shops like The Container Store. You should also store your blends in a cool, but not cold, place out of the sunlight. Essential oils are volatile, meaning they will react to extreme temperatures by evaporating. [16] X Research source
If you have a lid for the bowl or are using a plastic container with a lid, put the lid on and shake vigorously after you have stirred the oil and salts together well. If you don’t have either of these, you might try pouring it all in a large zip lock bag after you’ve stirred in the oil. Seal it tightly and shake it well, turning it several times in the process, before pouring it all back into the bowl. Remember: If you find that the scent isn’t strong enough, you can always add more. Just do so judiciously and slowly. Undiluted essential oils are strong, and using them is one of those times in which less truly is more. So add 1-2 drops, remix and set it aside for awhile. When you come back, it might be aromatic perfection.
If you have a little left over, that’s fine. If there’s enough, you could put it in a smaller amber bottle for travel or to give to a friend or family member.
You could also give it a name and put it on the bottle. You could even find a photo, illustration or quote online that represented the essence of that batch of smelling salts, print it and adhere it to the bottle.
You could also divide the batch you made and put it into smaller amber bottles. One could be for home use, and you could toss the other in your purse or put it in your pocket for times when you’re away from home.
