DRIVING & ESSENTIAL OILS

The following is an excerpt from an article entitled Tales of the Road from Forbes.com

“Alfred Hitchcock once said that conversation is the enemy of good wine and food. I wonder what he’d say about conversations on the weather. Or in our days, about conversations on traffic. In much of the world that has been snared by its clutches, traffic has become the new weather that occupies our bored banter. Traffic is the cherry on top of the double digit growths.

Beyond the nuisance, is there anything wrong with a little traffic? Turns out that traffic can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate and stress. A study that examined heart attack survivors found that being stuck in traffic was an independent risk factor and that the patients had more than double the risk for a heart attack when they were in traffic right before their event. Is it the stress of traffic, that precipitated the heart attacks? Probably, but there is little we can do from the comfort of our cars to combat traffic. What we can combat is our stress.

The Sweet Smell of …
New research shows that the smell of cinnamon or peppermint may curb driver fatigue, increase alertness, and ease frustration behind the wheel. Chew on some cloves, or use air fresheners or auto diffusers with fragrances of these essential oils to keep you calm.”

Many of us have used dōTERRA essential oils in our home and in the work place for these very reasons, however, if you’re like me you probably spend a fair amount of time in your car. Below are just a few ways you can enjoy your favorite stress relieving scents while driving:

GEL AIR FRESHENER:

Supplies:

2 Cups of Distilled Water

2 Tablespoons of Salt

Food Coloring

Glass or Plastic Jars/Lids/Containers

4 Plain Packages of Gelatin

dōTERRA Essential Oil

Plastic Wrap

Ribbon

Instructions:

Heat to a boil one cup of distilled water and two tablespoons of salt in a saucepan adding as much or as little food coloring as you’d like to obtain the desired coloring. A clear gel air freshener will result if no food coloring is added.

Mix the packages of plain gelatin into the remaining cold cup of distilled water.

Upon boiling, remove the distilled/salt mixture from the heat and add the gelatin/water mixture. Stir until the gelatin crystals are dissolved.

Add the essential oil of choice to the air freshener container (10 drops works well). Add the gelatin mixture to the jars – it will look cloudy but will clear upon cooling.

Allow the containers to set at room temperature overnight. If you need to cool the mixture faster, place in the refrigerator for a few hours but be aware that the scent will permeate the refrigerator.

Cover the containers with plastic wrap and a coordinating ribbon. Feel free to be creative!

To release the scent simply remove the plastic wrap.

HANGING AIR FRESHENER:

Supplies:

Fabric (new or from clothing you no longer wear)

Cardboard (or very stiff paper)

Glue

Hole Punch

String

dōTERRA Essential Oils

Instructions:

Cut the material and cardboard into the same desired shape. You can often find patterns online but be creative, any shape will do!

Take the two pieces of material and place a few drops of your favorite essential oil  on each.

Glue the material to the cardboard on both sides, if you sew stitching the two pieces together also works.

Whole punch the completed design and tie the string through the hole, place on the rear-view mirror in your car.

If the scent fades simply apply a few more drops of essential oil!