I used to get a lot of Sinus headaches and infections. This is not a magical cure-all for it. However, Eucalyptus proves to be a fantastic home remedy to relieve the aches and congestion for me and for many others. Bath and Body Works has a line of fragrances called “Stress Relief.” Whenever I had Sinus issues or felt them coming on, I would soak in a nice hot “Stress Relief” bubble bath. A few months ago there was a post on Pinterest that inspired me to experiment with essential oils and start making my own remedies. The blog, “Frugal by Choice” has the original recipe I started with to make these sinus relief cubes. It is a great recipe, but I changed it up a bit.
The ingredients are: Baking Soda, Epsom Salt, Eucalyptus Oil, Spearmint Oil, and Water. I used an ice-cube tray for this project (that is only specifically used for this). I have used muffin and cupcake trays, but the liners seem to bleed onto the metal and stain it. Plus, I don’t like mixing the use of these pans because this project is very inedible. The best tray to use is the silicone ice cube trays. The cube slides right out when it is dry and they come in all kinds of cute shapes and styles.
I poured about 2 tbs of Epsom Salt into the disposable glass and added 15-20 drops of Eucalyptus Oil and 10 drops of Spearmint Oil. In a mixing bowl I combined 1/2 cup of Baking Soda and Water (I think about 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup)…It was just enough water to make the mixture a thick paste and then I added the Epsom Salt mixture. I sprayed the ice-cube tray with cooking spray (I think this helps it not stick and now I use Coconut Oil Spray) and then scooped all of the mixture into the cubes.
Once the mixture was all in place I added another 3-5 drops of Eucalyptus Oil and 2 drops of Spearmint to each cube.
After 2 days of sitting around and drying I turned the tray upside down and hit it lightly until the cubes came out. Some did not survive, as you can see. These will be added to more Epsom Salt and will make a great Detox Bath…this is what I just learned about, by the way. =)
Use the cubes in a hot shower, but place it where the water does not directly hit it. Be careful, as this can make the floor slippery. As the cube dissolves the fragrance and steam will do all the work.
The cubes will not hold the fragrance forever. So far I have noticed they lose their effectiveness after about 2 weeks. I highly recommend these for anyone suffering from a bit of a cold or sinus. I have noticed warning labels that say Pregnant women and babies should not be exposed to the oils in such concentration.
