Rest easy with this simple homemade sleep rub, made with simple ingredients and essential oils that will help support a healthy rest!
If you have trouble sleeping, or if you don’t get enough sleep, you can find yourself suffering from a myriad of health issues.
From headaches and high blood pressure to weight gain, lack of sleep can have a profound impact on your health. Lack of sufficient sleep can also weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to the common cold & flu.
Thankfully, with a few simple changes you can sleep easier at night.
This sleep rub is wonderful to slather on your kids at night – or, the bottom of your feet under a thick pair of socks.
Where to Apply Essential Oils/
The bottom of the feet, wrist and behind the ears are 3 of the best places to apply essential oils to your body. You should aim to apply essential oils to the feet over any other part – for many reasons.
Less Sensitive: The bottoms of the feet are the least sensitive part of the body. That makes them the perfect place to try out essential oils. When you are applying essential oils to the bottom of the feet, they are absorbed quickly because the feet has larger pores.
Since the feet are the least sensitive, they are the best place for those hot oils like Oregano, Peppermint, Thieves and Clove.
Easy Absorption: The feet have the largest pores of the entire body. This allows the essential oils to be absorbed more quickly and to reach the bloodstream faster. There are only two places on your body that have sebaceous glands – these glands cover the body and help waterproof the skin.
The feet and hands are the only two places on the body without sebaceous glands. Because of that, items applied to those areas are absorbed more quickly.
Reflexology Points: The feet are full of reflexology points. You can find reflexology charts online that show pictures of the feet with corresponding internal organs or body parts. Reflexology allows for each reflex point of the feet to act as a sort of mirror to correspond to a particular organ in the body.
Picking the Right Essential Oils
This sleep rub combines several essential oils to include Cedarwood, Lavender and Peace and Calming. ‘
You can use all 3, or if you prefer, keep it simple and use Lavender on it’s own – which is incredible for helping them relax at night.
If you are struggling with rest at night, Cedarwood is one of the best essential oils to use to achieve support. We usually combine Cedarwood with Lavender in the diffuser for the bedrooms, and within just a few minutes we are sleeping soundly. But you can apply topically, too.
The scent of Cedarwood can induce the release of serotonin, which is converted into melatonin in the brain. Melatonin induces fatigue and calm, restorative sleep.
If you are using for your kids, you can forego the Cedarwood and use Lavender – it’s gentle for children and will help support a healthy rest when applied to their chest, back or bottoms of their feet.
Homemade Sleep Rub with Essential Oils
The homemade sleep rub is relatively easy to put together – it only takes a few minutes! This is how we put ours together.
Ingredients
- 1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 C. unrefined coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp beeswax pellets
- 20-25 drops essential oil (we use Cedarwood, Lavender and Peace & Calming)
- 2 – 4 oz ball jelly jars, 4 oz. each
Instructions
- In a glass canning jar, combine the coconut oil, olive oil and beeswax.
- Pop in the microwave and melt at 25 second intervals until completely liquified.
- Carefully remove from the microwave – remember, it’s glass so the jar will be somewhat hot.
- Allow to sit for a minute or two on the countertop, then add the essential oils – use an combination you wish.
- Stir to combine, then pour immediately into (2) 4 oz jelly jars.
- Push to the rear of the counter, and cover with a paper towel.
- The jars will harden as they cool – recipe makes (2) 4 oz jars.
I often go home exhausted and feeling stressed out after work. Glad I found this. Thanks for posting!