Club Benefits
It's the first half of January, and you know what that means: thrift stores flooding with unwanted Christmas gifts.
In fact, January brings increased thrift store donations as people get rid of holiday presents they never asked for. And according to a survey by Vistaprint, the top two re-gifted items are: aromatherapy sets (35%) and scented candles (34%).
How can essential oils be used for better sleep?
A lot of people are put off by essential oils because they don't know how to use them properly. After all, few come with directions, leaving many to wonder what exactly you're meant to do with these little bottles of scent.
However, once you know how to use them safely, they can be the perfect addition to your nighttime routine.
"To use essential oils safely for sleep, you should know first and foremost to never put them directly on the skin," Glaser warns. "This can cause severe irritation and blistering, ranging in seriousness based on the type of oil."
While you shouldn't put essential oils on your skin directly, Glaser tells us you can still use them within a topical solution. "If you want to use them topically (on your skin), combine them with carrier oils such as coconut, argan, jojoba, avocado oil, sweet almond oil," says the aromatherapist.
If you were given an essential oil roller, even better, as you don't need to grab a carrier oil and concoct a DIY sleep solution.
"The best way to use an aromatherapy roller before sleep is to roll the applicator ball directly on your inner wrists, temples, and back of the neck," Glaser advises.
(You can also use your aromatherapy roller when you try the French woman sleep hack.)
What are the best essential oils for sleep?
According to Glaser, essentials oils are great for use with aiding sleep, if you know the right ones to use.
While there is always the classic sleep-inducing lavender (usually the star of essential oil collections), Glaser says you can use the lesser-known scents in your collection for a relaxing mixture of scents.
"The deeper, grounding aromas such as cedarwood, German chamomile, and sandalwood all support sleep," the scent expert shares. "These work even better when mixed with a relaxing middle note [the defining scent] or top note [the immediate scent] such as lavender, lemongrass, or sweet orange."
You can also incorporate some essential oils into your morning routine, using an invigorating scent to wake you up, says Glaser, such as eucalyptus, rosemary, and peppermint.
Can you use an essential oil diffuser for better sleep?
The great thing about diffusers, Glaser says, is that you can use essential oils without a carrier oil and to turn your whole bedroom into a soothing scent landscape.
"Simply drop six to 10 drops in a water-filled diffuser for every 100 square feet of space in the room," she says. "Thicker essential oils tend to clog diffusers, so be careful to use a blend of top and base notes to even it out."
Another great thing about diffusers have a function that turns off on its own after two hours.
"So, you can simply set it to run for half an hour to an hour before bedtime in your room and it will automatically shut off at the designated time," suggests the essential oil specialist.
How can you use candles for better sleep
Now we come to candles, the most-given, but much-unloved Christmas present.
"Aromatherapy candles are a much-gifted item, though you do have to be sure it is actual an essential oil candle rather than a fragrance oil scent," Glaser warns.
According to the aromatherapist, heavy fragrance oils can pollute your home air, cause headaches, and be overly potent as to disrupt your sleep. Also, be sure you steer clear of paraffin wax candles for air purification purposes.
However, If you were gifted an essential oil candle that has a base of beeswax or soy, they can be wonderful sleep aids. If the candle has a cedarwood, sandalwood, lavender or sweet orange notes, Glaser says, the better.
"Light an hour before bedtime to not only enjoy the grounding, calming scents," says the expert. "But also to let the warm flicker of the flame calm down your central nervous system."
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