Using a sauna is one of the best things you can do for yourself to relax, recover, and detoxify – a pivotal tool in creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Yet, there are still ways you can improve your sauna experience even more, one of these being the use of essential oils.
In addition to the wonderful aroma these handy oils produce, they have many purposes; the most noted being to kill bacteria, clear your lungs, and make the sauna smell great.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils, in scientific terms, are concentrated hydrophobic liquids containing aroma compounds from plants. These aroma compounds are what give off the extreme fragrance. This oil is generally extracted from plants by distillation, which is often performed by using steam.
Another process in which this oil can be extracted is through expression or solvent extraction.
These oils are considered “essential” because they contain the “essence of” the plant’s fragrance (the characteristic smell or fragrance of the plant from which it was derived). These aromas are often super concentrated so only a few drops are needed to fill the whole sauna with an inviting scent.
Health Benefits Of Essential Oils
Essential oils improve the sterility within the sauna while also making it smell great. Essential oils are also known to be very therapeutic. In fact, they are often used for aromatherapy to alter one’s mood and psychological well-being. Some even believe aromatherapy can be used to treat disease, pain, and anxiety. It is also used to enhance energy, memory, and promote relaxation.
Two different theories exist as to why essential oils work. One is the influence of the aromas on the brain, usually impacting the limbic system through the olfactory system. The second is the direct pharmacological effects of the essential oils. While the above theories and benefits have not been 100% proven, there are still some positive studies that hint to the fact that they can help the body and mind. Try it for yourself and see!
How To Use Essential Oils In A Sauna
Essential oils should not be placed directly on the wood of your sauna. We recommend placing a few drops of the essential oil in a saucer or small bowl, and then set the bowl on the bench or in the drink holder area. Within a matter of minutes, the cabin of your sauna will fill with your chosen aroma.
The Best Sauna Essential Oils
When it comes to choosing the best essential oils, it boils down to personal preference. Certain scents will appeal more to you than others. With that being said, there are still certain aromas that most people enjoy. Here are a few that most people tend to like…but our advice? Try what sounds good to you until you stumble upon your favorite.
Eucalyptus
The health benefits of eucalyptus oil are well-known and wide-ranging. It's used as an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, decongestant, deodorant, antiseptic, antibacterial, stimulant, and other medicinal qualities. Eucalyptus essential oil is colorless but has a distinctive taste and odor.
Although eucalyptus essential oil has most of the properties of a typical volatile oil, it’s not very popular as an aromatherapy oil because relatively little was known about it until recent centuries. The numerous health benefits of eucalyptus oil have attracted the attention of the entire world and have stimulated a great deal of exploration into its usage in aromatherapy and conventional medicine.
Eucalyptus essential oil is obtained from fresh leaves of the tall, evergreen eucalyptus tree. The tree, scientifically classified as Eucalyptus Globulus, is also known as a fever tree, blue gum tree, or stringy bark tree, depending on where it is located in the world.
Birch
The health benefits of birch essential oil can be attributed to its properties as a tonic, disinfectant, stimulant, antidepressant, analgesic, detoxifier, antirheumatic, antiarthritic, diuretic, antiseptic, astringent, febrifuge, germicide, insecticide, and depurative substance.
There are several types of birch: the white birch, silver birch (Betula Pendula or Betula Alba), black birch, sweet birch, and cherry birch. Birch varieties are categorized as deciduous trees and have been used as a decorative tree as well as a medicinal plant since ancient times.
The main components of birch oil are salicylic acid, methyl salicylate, betulin, and betulinol.
Pine
The health benefits of pine essential oil include its ability to reduce inflammation and associated redness, protect against sinus infections, clear mucus and phlegm, cure skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, boost the immune system, fight fungal and viral infections, stimulate the mind and body, and protect your home and body from a wide variety of germs.
The numerous health benefits of pine essential oil have made it one of the most important essential oils used in aromatherapy. Pine essential oil blends well with many other oils, including cedarwood, rosemary, lavender, sage, labdanum, and juniper, and can be widely used in making aromatherapy mixtures. It has very low toxicity for humans, so it is one of the safer essential oils, although some people are sensitive and can suffer from mild respiratory irritation when inhaling too much of this powerful oil.
Peppermint
The health benefits of peppermint oil include its ability to alleviate pain, indigestion, respiratory problems, headache, nausea, fever, and stomach or bowel spasms. Due to the presence of menthol, menthone, and menthyl esters, peppermint and peppermint oil find wide applications in the manufacturing of soap, shampoo, cigarettes, toothpaste, chewing gum, tea, and ice cream.
Peppermint is a cross between watermint and spearmint and is native to Europe. Historically, the herb has been known for its medicinal uses, and its impressively long history often gives it the prestigious title as the world’s oldest medicine.
Unlike many other herbs and essential oils, numerous health benefits of peppermint and peppermint oil have been studied and proved by the scientific community. As a result, peppermint oil is also sold in the form of capsules and tablets and is even prescribed by doctors of alternative and modern medicine.
Citrus
The health benefits of lemon oil can be attributed to its stimulating, calming, carminative, anti-infection, astringent, detoxifying, antiseptic, disinfectant, sleep-inducing, and antifungal properties. The benefits of lemon oil include its ability to treat stress disorders, fever, infections, asthma, obesity, insomnia, skin disorders, hair conditions, stomach problems, and tiredness.
Lemons are one of the most popular citrus fruits in the world and are widely used for culinary purposes since they are a good source of vitamins and aid in digestion. It also adds a pleasant taste and aroma to food. Furthermore, lemon juice is one of the most popular drinks in the world as it is very healthy, delicious, and inexpensive.