Aromatic Journeys: How To Use Essential Oils For Car Air Freshening?
It's time to ditch those chemical-scented, stinky car air fresheners that promise to make your car smell like lavender and apples. You can clean the air in your vehicle naturally by using aromatherapy. Essential Oils are natural plant or flower extracts that have been condensed into liquids by steam distillation. These oils contain water, fat molecules, aldehydes (a form of alcohol), esters, ketones, and nitrogen-based compounds such as nitrones and nitrosyl chalcones. All of these items work together to make it possible for an oil’s scent to last for a long period, unlike plastic contraptions that need constant refilling and replacement.
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Aromatherapy or scent therapy is a well-studied practice that has been used to improve health and lifestyle. In the medical field, aromatherapy is used to treat anxiety or depression, while in the culinary world, essential oils have been used as flavorings and preservatives. This article will explore the uses of essential oils for car air freshening, so you know how to use them correctly.
Best Essential Oils For Car Air Fresheners:
1) Lavender Essential Oil
The lavender essential oil has a floral, sweet fragrance with overtones of camphor. Commonly referred to as Lavandula angustifolia, lavender is used in aromatherapy for its calming scent. Lavender’s scent has natural anxiety-reducing qualities. It also enables you to focus on a task or activity at hand, much like any other scented oil does. However, it will not leave a lingering fragrance like the rest of its kind does.
2) Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Eucalyptus essential oil has a minty aroma with citrusy notes. It’s commonly used in aromatherapy for its uplifting qualities since it is believed that this scent relieves stress and depression, especially those associated with pain.
3) Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil has a minty, spicy smell that has been used in aromatherapy as a muscle relaxant because it stimulates the circulatory system. This scent also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal qualities, so you can use it to clean or deodorize your car.
4) Lemon Essential Oil
The lemon essential oil has an uplifting, citrusy scent with a hint of floral and herbal undertone. It is used in aromatherapy to boost mental clarity and help you overcome fatigue.
5) Vanilla Essential Oil
Vanilla is a sweet-smelling extract that smells like a combination of cream and vanilla beans. It comes from the fruit of the vanilla bean, an orchid native to Mexico with fleshy green leaves, a yellow or white tubular flower, and black seeds. The scent is pleasant and warm, and it has a slight musky smell.
6) Bergamot Essential Oil
Bergamot essential oil has an orange fragrance with a hint of floral overtones. The oil comes from the fruit of the bergamot tree (Citrus aurantium subsp. amara), which grows in warm coastal regions throughout the Mediterranean, Asia, and Africa. The citrus oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange has a sweet and sour smell.
7) Palmarosa Essential Oil
Palmarosa essential oil has a light, herbal, and slightly floral scent with woody undertones. It is well known for its positive effect on the mind, which makes it great to be used in aromatherapy. Its uplifting scent can help you overcome fatigue or stress after a long day at work.
8) Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree essential oil has a sharp, earthy smell with medicinal properties that are antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. The oil is extracted from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia tree, which is native to Australia. It’s commonly used in aromatherapy to treat infections due to its antiseptic properties.
How To Use Essential Oils For Car Air Fresheners?
Step 1: Prepare an essential oil carrier oil
Choose a carrier oil that is light in color and free from additives. For maximum effectiveness, some aromatherapists recommend using oils that are free of additives, as they can sometimes weaken or destroy essential oils’ therapeutic properties. Other oils include almonds, grapeseed, jojoba, and sunflower seed oil.
Step 2: Place the essential oil you want to use in the carrier oil and heat it until the two are combined
Aromatherapy experts recommend using a thermometer to ensure that the temperature of the carrier oil reaches a minimum of 130ºF (54°C). Ideally, it should be around 160ºF (71°C).
Step 3: Pour the contents of the carrier oil into a bottle and cap it
Place your essential oils in a bottle with a lid, seal it, and insert the bottle in your car’s air-conditioner or car interior vent. The thermal mass of your vehicle will help keep the scent fresh for longer.
Step 4: Attach an essential oil diffuser to one of your car’s vents, if possible
If you can’t attach a diffuser to one of your car’s vents, you can use a potpourri dish placed on the dashboard to disperse the scent throughout your vehicle.
DIY Air Freshener For A Car With Essential Oils:
Recipe 1: For Freshness In The Car
Ingredients:
- 10 drops of peppermint essential oil,
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract,
- 2 tablespoons of vodka,
- 1 cup of boiling water, and
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
Method:
- Pour the boiling water into a bowl and add the baking soda.
- Stir it until it dissolves. Allow this mixture to cool down. Then add the peppermint essential oil and vanilla extract.
- Place a teaspoon of this mixture on a clean dishcloth or paper towel. Wring it gently to release all the excess liquid.
- Fold the rag in half and twist it to close tightly so that all excess air is trapped inside without leaking out.
- Place it in your car's air-conditioning vent or underneath the dashboard.
Recipe 2: For Freshness In The Car
Ingredients:
- 10 drops of lavender essential oil,
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract,
- 2 tablespoons of vodka,
- 1 cup of boiling water, and
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
Method:
- Pour the boiling water into a bowl and add the baking soda.
- Stir it until it dissolves. Allow this mixture to cool down. Then add the lavender essential oil and vanilla extract.
- Place a teaspoon of this mixture on a clean dishcloth or paper towel. Wring it gently to release all the excess liquid.
- Fold the rag in half and twist it to close tightly so that all excess air is trapped inside without leaking out.
- Place it in your car's air-conditioning vent or underneath the dashboard.
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FAQs:
1) How to use a car air freshener with essential oils?
You can use an essential oils diffuser or an essential oils potpourri container (usually found in the automotive section of a store). If the diffuser doesn’t fit in your car, you can place a potpourri dish under the dashboard.
2) Can I use my homemade liquid scent with essential oils?
If you want to use your homemade liquid scent for a car air freshener instead of buying one, make sure it’s completely safe for human skin. Some fragrant ingredients are toxic and can cause allergic reactions. However, some aromatherapists recommend using a neutralizing essential oil (such as lavender) to dilute the effects of aromatic oil on the body.
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