The first time we required help from aromatherapy was when Mike suffered from car sickness. To help him overcome this I simply put two drops of peppermint onto a tissue and told him to inhale.
My own routine before going for a walk is to massage my feet with a mixture containing camphor, lemon grass and tea tree, mixed with some base oil, normally almond. This helps keep my feet healthy and hopefully prevents the walker's nightmare of blisters!
As Mike gently swatted a few flies away, before being stung by a wasp, I was able to dip a cotton bud into a bottle of lavender oil and applied it to the sting to bring relief. To help against being attacked by insects, wearing a wristband with two drops of eucalyptus on it can sometimes prevent being bitten or stung. Eucalyptus can also help hay fever sufferers like myself - to stop a nose from running, use in the same way as for travel sickness, simply substitute eucalyptus for peppermint.
As we reached the ten mile stage and the prospect of three large hills to negotiate, we needed a mental boost, so a five minute rest took place, which included a few inhalations from a paper tissue which contained a couple drops of basil. This stimulates the brain and can also be of benefit when studying for or during exams etc.
Mission accomplished and the end of the walk. On arriving home, I have a fifteen minute soak in a warm bath, with two drops each of rosemary and ginger to ease the aches and pains and any joint swelling which may normally occur. Ready-mixed massage oil can also be purchased, which contains the two oils. You will only need an amount of oil the size of a 10p piece to enable you to give a good ten minute massage to a joint such as a
knee. However, should you suffer from high blood pressure, do not use rosemary oil.
When buying aromatherapy oils, always buy from a reputable dealer / practitioner as some oils on sale now are blended oils, which obviously makes them weaker. The price of full strength oil is around £3 per 10ml bottle. Ready-mixed massage oils sell for between £3 and £4 for a 30ml bottle. Also on sale now are 10ml roller-ball bottles which can be used for insect bites/stings, sunburn and athlete's foot. These cost around £3.
As mentioned earlier, regarding rosemary, some oils should not be used by certain people so always seek professional advice. Epileptics should be very careful when using aromatherapy oils and I would also advise pregnant women to avoid aromatherapy oils, with the exception of lavender oil.
I have found the use of aromatherapy oils beneficial to me, before, during and after my walks. Mike now has his own supply of “nice” smelling oils!
