While I am delighted the weather is getting warmer, I do miss the pleasure of sinking into a bath full of essential oils. Our shower steamers are the answer… lots of gorgeous fragrance without sacrificing a tank of hot water! The wonderful thing about a home-made steamer is that you can inhale all those fabulous soothing scents and tailor them to your own requirements; I love a mixture of lavender, frankincense and bergamot at bed-time to aid relaxation and sleep. Sweet orange is fabulous to perk you up if you’re a morning shower person, while a 50/50 mixture of eucalyptus and peppermint makes an excellent decongestant if you have a cold.
The steamers should be stored in a glass jam jar to preserve their fragrance and should last for a good 6 months; if you find the aroma has dissipated a little you can always add a couple more drops of oil just to give them an extra little burst of essential oils. A couple of words of caution though; these have a stronger concentration of oils than bath bombs so should only be placed at the base of the shower lest they irritate your skin. As ever, please be careful with essential oils too, and avoid if you are pregnant or have ongoing medical conditions.
Materials
100g bicarbonate of soda
50g citric acid
50g cornflour
40 drops of skin safe essential oils (I always think 20 drops of lavender makes a lovely base, then play around with the other 20 drops)
A few dried flower petals such as rose, or lavender buds
A spray bottle (I found an organic hand sanitiser bottle and popped it through the dishwasher!)
- Prepare your moulds by sprinkling in a few petals.
- Mix together 100g bicarbonate of soda, 50g citric acid and 50g cornflour in a ceramic bowl, using the back of a spoon to smooth out any lumps.
- Sprinkle over 40 drops of your favourite skin-safe essential oils (I use 20 lavender, 10 bergamot and 10 frankincense for a bedtime scent).
- Spray with just a little water so the mix has the consistency of wet sand, then pack into silicone moulds or ice cube trays. If it starts to fizz you have added too much moisture so add a little cornflour to rescue it.
- Allow to dry for 24 hours and carefully remove from the mould.
- Pop one in the shower at bedtime, ensuring you keep it as far away as possible from the spray so it lasts longer… as the steamer melts the fragrance will be released. Store in a clean dry jam jar to preserve the fragrance (my special jar used to house gherkins rather than jam!).
