Alot of people have been asking me recently what do I do with my time in the mornings when I'm not looking after the twins. Well most of it isn't glamourous and is the same as any other mum, so washing up, mountains of clothes washing and ironing, cleaning and cooking. However once that's all done,  I make up and fulfil my online orders and sometimes I make bespoke orders for clients who have specific requests. And if I still have left over time I may write a Facebook post or blog post - but as you can tell from the lack of activity, that hasn't been happening!

A client of mine has recently been diagnosed as having an over-active immune system so the body thinks its under attack all the time and is on high alert which has repercussions for the body on an ongoing basis - prolonged stress can cause a number of issues. She is a mum of 2 and also has a high powered full time job and is finding the balancing act of the two very very challenging. Throw in some rampaging hormones on top and you can only imagine the result. 

Although a great believer in the power of essential oils, she also isn't a massive fan of baths and she also rarely has the time! This got me thinking - there are a number of people out there who are the same, just cannot relax in a bath, don't see the point when a shower will do, or don't even own a bath!  In this instance how do you get the benefits of essential oils?  

There two ways to get essential oils into your system. 1) via inhalation and 2) via the skin.  So if you aren't a bath person, obviously you can invest in an aromatherapy diffuser and inhale the oils. But if you are out and about this isn't going to work ... you need something that's going to get into your system in one quick go. Which really means massaging the oils into your skin. Most essential oils cannot be applied directly so they need a carrier - typically oils or via a body lotion. 

So this means allowing a bit of time and effort.  The thought of shower oils is great as in theory you are getting the benefit of the oils and having a shower at the same time. However as we know oil and water don't mix. So just like the aromatherapy shower gels, it becomes a wash off product and only a fraction of the oils will actually be absorbed into the body. 

Ive spent the last few weeks trying to find the perfect solution!  I've tried to blend a shower oil that creates a lather. Despite using numerous different oils, I've come to the conclusion that it only works if you add a surfactant (naturally derived foaming detergent) and that then makes the product a wash off product and no better than a shower gel. It also bizarrely I found, changes the smell of the product. 

After a lot of fails I found that the only way to truly get the oils into your system is to massage a 100% oil and essential oil blend into your body before showering and leave it on for several minutes - then you can hop in the shower and rinse the oil off.    The additional benefit of this is that your skin is so beautifully smooth afterwards and you do get the lovely lingering smell of the oils. 

Because of all my experimenting my skin is super soft and I'm in a wonderful zen like state at the moment as my blend of choice is Neroli and Frankincense.  Not the strongest of smells but utterly beautiful and extremely powerful oils for stress and the immune system (frankincense is anti-inflammatory). Maybe that is why I managed to get around to writing this post?!