Homemade Essential Oil Sleep Balm

I used to have trouble sleeping. I tried herbal remedies. I took homeopathic remedies. They helped. But nothing solved the problem.

Then I discovered essential oils. Every now and then, insomnia rears its ugly head. But, for the most part, I get enough sleep now.

No longer do I spend hours tossing and turning, and thinking about all the things I have to do the next day, which only aggravated my inability to sleep. I worried about not being able to function, due to lack of sleep. Then this thought kept me awake. It was a vicious cycle. I’d been living like this for years, ever since a night work schedule messed with my sleep patterns.

Homemade Essential Oil Sleep Balm

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Then I started hearing about essential oils. I was skeptical. But I finally bought some lavender essential oil. It did help. But then I realized I was using it wrong, putting it directly on my skin. Essential oils need to be mixed with a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, if you plan to use them on your body. Carrier oils are oily mediums that protect your skin. They also help carry the aromatic compounds into your bloodstream.

Lavender oil and other aromatics, such as Roman chamomile and ylang ylang essential oil, have long been used as natural sedatives. They’re popular sleep remedies. Although I can’t promise that aromatherapy will solve anyone else’s sleep problems, I can share my own experience. I’m not a doctor, and I can’t give medical advice. I also can’t claim or promise a natural remedy will result in a certain benefit. But I can tell you how I use essential oils to help me sleep.

Essential Oil Balm for Sleep

I use essential oils right before I plan to go to sleep. I put a drop on a tissue and place it near my pillow. If it’s too strong, I move it away. Another way to use essential oils for relaxation is to put them in a cold-air diffuser. You can run this in your bedroom a half hour before you plan to retire.

Or, you can mix certain essential oils with a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, and massage this on your wrists. However, I notice at night that I’m usually tired. I don’t feel like doing a lot of mixing. I’m ready for bed. This is one reason I decided to go ahead and make an essential oil sleep balm. I could use it right out of the tin, instead of trying to combine oils when I’m tired.

Essential Oil Mixes for Sleep

I’ve gotten used to making my own cosmetics and personal care products. That’s because I want to avoid the junk that’s added to many off-the-shelf formulas. Making a sleep balm would be easy. This I know, because I’ve already made my lotion bars with shea butter.

I already own a decent essential oil collection. But I decided to order another. I’ve noticed that I need to keep rotating them, or else they stop working. I may be unique in this regard. I haven’t heard many other people complain about this problem. But I do need to keep switching my oils around. Wanting to add a new oil to the mix, I bought some Plant Therapy Sleep-Aid. This is a blend of lavender, mandarin, ylang ylang, neroli and valerian essential oils.

Aside from the essential oils, there’s just three things you need to make sleep balm. These are coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax pellets. If you need any of these ingredients, Plant Therapy has them.

USDA Organic Coconut OilPure Beeswax PearlsPure Refined Shea Butter

How to Make Essential Oil Sleep Balm

Sleep balm requires equal amounts of coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax. If you want more of a cream, instead of a balm, you can play around with the recipe and add less beeswax. This is the substance that holds it together, even in the warmer weather. Coconut oil turns to liquid once the temperature hits 76 degrees F.

To make a sleep balm that will fill the inside of a small rectangular mint tin, you’ll need:

An empty mint tin

1/4 cup of organic coconut oil (It’s available here)

1/4 cup of shea butter (It’s available here)

1/4 cup of beeswax pastilles (They’re available here)

6 drops of Plant Therapy Sleep Aid (It’s available here) Or, you could use lavender essential oil, mixed with another aromatic, such as frankincense or cedarwood essential oil.

Melt these ingredients in a double boiler. A double boiler is nice, but not absolutely necessary. Another option is to put them in sturdy stainless steel pan, and melt the ingredients over very low heat. Watch them closely, since you want to prevent the melted oils and wax from smoking.

Remove from heat, and let it cool a little. You’ll need to add the essential oils before it starts to harden. Pour this mixture into the empty mint tin and wait for it to cool. This shouldn’t take long.

Homemade Sleep Balm With Essential Oils

Another advantage of using sleep balm in a tin is that it’s portable. So it’s good for travel. If you’re like me, and need to rotate your aromatics, you can make up a couple of these aromatic balms, with different essential oils, before you go on a trip. Also, if you have extra empty mint tins, you can give your homemade balms away as gifts.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.