AROMATHERAPY

Aromatherapy - Locker Room Scents

Locker rooms, changing rooms and communal showers could have been designed for the continuation of many species of bacteria, viruses and fungi.

I dare say none of us would ever enter one, if we had a microscope available to show just what a community of little microbes harbour and indeed flourish there.

The floors and benches in these places could routinely be washed down with anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fugal essential oils - it would also give the whole place a lovely aroma - and with the choice available, something in keeping with the masculine or feminene would be no problem to find.

To be realistic, however, such measures are unlikely to have ben taken, and so it is wise to use essential oils on the areas one uses to keep oneself free of everybody else's 'hanger on'.

Certain rules should be common sense. Never use anybody ele's towel, for example - always use a fresh towel of your own. Put a small towel on the bench before you sit on it, and keep a towel for just this purpose, putting a few drops of protective essential oil on it before you set off to the gym or wherever.

Wear shoes that you have already dusted with a bacteria buster powder to avoid the spread of fungal infections. Don't eat food in locker rooms and try to avoid putting your fingers in your mouth. Wash your hands thoroughly before leaving.

Try to get the windows opened to ensure a fresh circulation of air. If you have your own locker spray it with anti-bacterial oils, and if you share it with others put a tissue with essential oil in a corner and leave it there.

As so many sprays and body preparations are used in locker rooms, nobody will care or even notice if you spray around a bit. Ther are many essential oils you can use, but the oones that follow are quite acceptable aromatically in public changing rooms. All have antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties, while those marked with an asterisk also have anti-viral properties.

Locker Room Bacteria Busters

Niaouli - Lavender - Pine - Lemon - Ravensara -Oregano - Thyme - Cinnamon - Eucalyptus - AV1 (Dermatect)* - Bergamot

Bacteria Buster Dusting Powder

Mix in these proportions.Put the talcum powder in a blender and drip the essential oils, already mixed together, into the talc through the hole in the lid of the blender. Blend un til all the particles are evenly distrubted, package and use as required.

Locker Room Spray And Wipe

Blend the essential oils and add 1 tablespoon vodka or pure alcohol. Use 10 drops in a hundred mls of water.

Shake well before use in the sprayer. If using as a wipe, use the same dilution as for the spray but pour it on the cloth you use to wipe down surfaces.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie Ann Worwood

Aromatherapy- Stress & Sports - Jacuzzis

Relaxing in your own jacuzzi, with warm water bubbling on your back and essential oils relaxing you, is a very different matter than sitting in the chemical stew which is what most communal jacuzzis, with their constantly recycled water, resemble.

Any of the oils listed in these paragraphs would be fine, and although the essential oils if used over a long period of time will cause residue to build up in the pipes, this can be cleaned away with the usual cleansing programme you should be using.

If you ate compeletly hooked on the idea of communal jacuzzis and want to ask the neighbours to share yours, I suggest you aquaint yourself fully with the Bacteria Buster list of essential oils - and use them.

HOt TUBS
Hot tubs are the tradition in Japan, where the whole family will happily soak with the neighbours. The difference between japanese and Western cultures, however, is that the Japanes wouldn't dream of getting into a tub without having washed thoroughly beforehand, and certainly not if they had any bacterial, viral or fungal infections.

In fact, if the manager of any such establishment is reading this, he or she might like to bear in mind that there are excellent oils for rheumatism and arthritis and a special tub could be put aside for sufferers of these conditions.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy; Valerie Ann Worwood.

Aromatherapy-stress & Sport - Saunas

Saunas are extremely useful but they can leave you a little depleted unless you are able to roll in the snow afterwards!

Oils to use in the Sauna are those that promote the elimination of waste products and debris theough the skin. Use them in the ater that yiu throw on the coals or other heat source.

ESSENTIAL OILS FOR THE SAUNA

EUCALYPTUS - BIRCH - PINE - ROSEMARY - LEMON -LlIME - LAVENDER - GRAPEFRUIT - NIAOULI - BERGAMOT - CYPRESS.

Although not generally thought as a Sauna scent , the following synergistic blend is effective, gentle and relaxing, and it has a very nice fragrance.

RELAXING SAUNA SYNERGISTIC BLEND

Make up these proportions and use 4 drops at a time.

STIMULATING SAUNA SYNERGISTIC BLENd

Make up these proportions and use 4 drops at a time.

Eucalyptus lemon and Eucalyptus peppermint are very good oils to use singly in the Sauna - they clear the head and respiratory tract as well as helping to eliminate waste.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie Ann Wormwood.

Aromatherapy-stress & Sport-Showers

Taking a warm shower after a work-out is one of the best things you can do, not only to make you feel good (all those negative ions you are inhaling are so beneficial) but to help eliminate the lactic acid that causes muscle ache. A shower with just soap and water cannot provide the deep cleansing your body requires, but using essential oils will help eliminate waste products from the body, preventing sore and aching muscles.

Before taking a shower, rub the body with a clean flannel on which you have just 3 neat drops of essential oil, rub it all over yourself and then shower in the normal way.

A combination of equal parts of rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus peppermint would be ideal for this purpose.

After showering, massage the muscles with a muscle relaxant oil or toning oil, depending on what you want to achieve.

ESSENTIAL OILS TO USE BEFORE AND IN THE SHOWER

Lavender-Eucalyptus Lemon-Rosemary-Birch-Lemon-Niaouli-Eucalyptus-Juniper-Eucalyptus Peppermint-Bergamot.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie Ann Worwood