Fire Cider Vinegar Recipe: A Natural Cold and Flu Remedy

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March 2, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

I tried fire cider vinegar as a natural cold and flu remedy for the first time at the end of last year. This was after getting yet another cold. A cold which I honestly think was being passed back and forth between me and and a guy I’d been dating. The results were quickly noticeable. By day three I felt like a whole new, shiny person. And that undying sinus headache, that typically only Sudafed takes care of, was quick to make a hasty retreat from the first use. Not only did it help immediately, I didn’t have to take any over the counter medication in addition to the fire cider I was taking.

I’ve since recommended fire cider vinegar for natural cold and flu relief to all of my friends. Those who took my advice felt better within two days time, with complete relief in under a week. Those who didn’t, well. Let’s just say their illnesses dragged on for two full weeks. Unfortunately, buying fire cider can be expensive. Therefore, if you aren’t in a time crunch, I recommend making your own to keep in stock for when you need it as a home remedy for colds and flu.

With the new virus now a pandemic, a combo of both fire cider vinegar and elderberry syrup are my go to products for cold and flu season. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of fire cider as a cold and flu remedy, how to make your own fire cider vinegar recipe using raw apple cider vinegar, and other natural cold and flu remedies you can try.

Fire Cider Cold and Flu Remedy

I’ve been an advocate for apple cider vinegar for a number of years now. It all started with a quest to learn how to better manage my fibromyalgia after realizing that pain killers were literally the worst ever way to treat a chronic condition. I tried literally a zillion supplements and remedies during my hunt for a natural alternative. This journey led me to kombucha tea. Then, eventually, to an apple cider vinegar tonic to remedy my gut health.

When I first learned about fire cider vinegar it was during a trademark dispute over the use of “fire cider.” A traditional cold and flu remedy, the term fire cider had been used for centuries as a holistic remedy. That a company had come along and trademarked a well known term used for a natural remedy was concerning to a lot of people. Luckily, some upstanding, prominent herbalists took it upon themselves to fight this trademark. And, after a lot of time and money (much of which was donated to the cause), they finally won. Five years later and Shire City Herbals no longer owns a trademark to the common term, fire cider.

This also sets a precedent that prevents the names for traditional folk remedies from being trademarked in the future. Therefore it’s seen as a win for herbalists. After all, people had been making, using and selling fire cider vinegar long before Shire City Herbals trademarked the name in 2012.

Not only should the name not have been trademarked in the first place, but the claim that Shire City Herbals came up with fire cider vinegar on its own in 2010 was simply untrue. There are decades upon decades of history outlining its use. Rosemary Gladstar, a well known and respected herbalist, also outlined a fire cider tonic recipe in her book, Herbs for the Home Medicine Chest, which was first published in 1999 as a traditional, herbal cold and flu remedy.

What Is Fire Cider?

Fire cider vinegar is a traditional, warming apple cider vinegar tonic. It acts as a holistic decongestant while also supporting immune health. Comprised of onions, garlic, peppers, ginger, horseradish, a lemon or orange, turmeric, raw honey and apple cider vinegar, this spicy folk preparation is perfect as a shooter or an addition to water, oil and vinegar dressings and foods like fried rice or mixed veggies. There are a number of different ways to make fire cider vinegar, although the basics tend to remain the same due to their effectiveness.

It’s easy to customize and, of course, you can add as much honey as you like to taste. It also makes a great addition to non-alcoholic, bloody mary recipe. Unfortunately, it does take a month to steep in a cool, dark location. So if you need your fire cider fix ASAP, you can buy this traditional herbal cold remedy online. Or pick some up at your local co-op like I did!

Keep reading to learn how to make a homemade fire cider vinegar as a natural cold and flu remedy for you and your family.

Traditional Fire Cider Vinegar Recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium organic onion, chopped
10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped
2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped
Zest and juice from 1 organic lemon
1/2 cup fresh grated organic ginger root
1/2 cup fresh grated organic horseradish root
1 Tbsp. organic turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. organic cayenne powder
2 Tbsp. of dried rosemary leaves
organic apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of raw local honey, or to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the ingredients as indicated, by chopping the onion, garlic and peppers. Then grate the ginger and horseradish. Zest and juice the lemon, then combine with the prepared vegetables and spices in a one quart, sterilized mason jar.

Fill the remainder of the mason jar with unfiltered apple cider vinegar. (I love Bragg’s apple cider vinegar with the “mother.”) Then, place a piece of wax paper, or parchment paper, on top of the jar and screw on the lid. (Alternately, you can also use a mason jar with a plastic lid. You just don’t want the acid from the apple cider vinegar eating away at the metal.)

Shake the jar to combine the ingredients. Then, store the mason jar with the fire cider vinegar in a cool, dark location. You should shake the jar once a day for a period of four to six weeks.

After this time, strain the fire cider vinegar through a fine mesh sieve strainer or cheesecloth. Be sure to squeeze the liquid from the pulp of your fire cider vinegar ingredients as well. You want all the natural health benefits that are found in these particular foods!

Now add the raw honey to the fire cider vinegar. You can adjust the amount to taste. Fire cider vinegar is spicy, but not so spicy I couldn’t stand it. (And yes, I’m a wimp. I buy MILD salsa like a crazy person.)

Your fire cider vinegar is now ready to be used. When not in use, simply store your fire cider vinegar in a cool, dark location or in your refrigerator.

How to Use Fire Cider as a Cold and Flu Remedy

To use your fire cider vinegar, take one to two Tablespoons as needed to naturally relieve cold and flu symptoms. I like to do shots about three times a day when I first start getting sick. (I also chug a glass of water directly afterwards to tame the burn.) However, you can adjust your intake based on what your body needs at the time.

If you drink a LOT of apple cider vinegar, it does have the potential to damage tooth enamel. So you may want to dilute yours in a glass of water instead.

If you like my fire cider vinegar recipe, then be sure to pin it for later.

Alternative Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

If you’re looking for more ways to support immune health throughout cold and flu season, you can also try one of these other natural alternatives.

Homemade Cold Remedy Drink for Symptom Relief
Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend (Homemade Vapor Rub)
How to Make Custom Herbal Tea Blends for Colds & Flu
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Immune Support
DIY Shower Steamers with Menthol Crystals
Sickness Support Bath Soak Recipe with Essential Oils

If you like my natural fire cider vinegar recipe, be sure to follow Soap Deli News on facebook, twitter and instagram as well as on Blog Lovin‘. Or sign up to receive an email whenever I share a new post!

This article is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Information on products mentioned are based on my own personal experience or research and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a physician prior to making any changes that may impact your health.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: cold relief, colds, flu, health, health and wellness, healthy living, home remedies, home remedy, natural remedy, wellness, winter wellness

Homemade Cold Remedy Drink for Natural Relief of Colds and Flu

December 2, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 6 Comments

Support your immune system with this homemade cold remedy drink. Ginger, honey, lemon and optional whiskey combine for a natural cold remedy tea that will help you feel better quickly and help shorten the duration of a cold or the flu.

Life doesn’t stop when you wake up with a sore throat or a stuffy nose. I still have to get up, take Jasper on a walk and keep on working. When I don’t feel good, I prefer to use natural home remedies at my first line of defense. While I’m a huge believe in fire cider vinegar, sometimes my throat isn’t always up for the task of drinking a garlic, horseradish and pepper infused apple cider vinegar tonic. This homemade cold remedy drink is easy on my throat for the days I want something warm and soothing to drink.

At the first sign of a cold, I make this homemade cold remedy drink to give my immune system natural support. It only has three ingredients plus whiskey if you want to add it, so it’s easy to make, even if you don’t feel good. For really bad colds – or even the flu – I alternate taking this natural cold remedy tea with fire cider vinegar – assuming I don’t have a sore throat. Alternately, you can also add a tablespoon of fire cider to my homemade cold remedy drink. As always, however, it is important to seek medical advice or assistance if your cold gets worse or doesn’t improve within seven days.

Homemade Cold Remedy Drink

This homemade cold and flu tea isn’t just for cold symptoms like a sore throat or runny nose; it’s also great for an upset stomach. When you were a kid, your mom probably gave you ginger ale to sip on if you weren’t feeling well.

While drinking soda probably isn’t the best thing to drink when you’re sick due to the sugars, there is some truth in that old home remedy. Ginger, in the right quantities, can help relieve an upset stomach by increasing bile production and kill some microbes so you feel better quicker. This makes it suitable for not just colds, but also the flu. (You can also learn how to make your own custom herbal tea blends for common ailments here.)

Benefits of Natural Cold Remedy Tea Ingredients

The Benefits of Raw Honey

Raw honey is added to this homemade cold remedy drink both for taste and for it’s natural benefits. While some people like drinking lemon water, a ginger and lemon drink is very sour drink and not very palatable for many people.

You could use white sugar to sweeten this drink, but white sugar has a lot of empty calories and little nutritional value. Raw honey, however, is full of enzymes and nutrients that help support a healthy immune system. Therefore it makes a much better alternative over sugar as a sweetener for a natural cold remedy tea.

I only use local raw honey in my homemade cold remedy drink. Most honey on the grocery store shelf can barely pass as honey. It’s been process and pasteurized. By the time it hits the shelf, most of the nutrients and enzymes have been killed by the processing it.

Raw honey isn’t pasteurized or processed. Sometimes it’s filtered to remove debris, but it keeps the nutrients and enzymes to promote better health.

Raw honey is naturally antibacterial and can even kill some types of fungi. When you eat or drink raw honey, it can help kill germs inside your body.

Honey is also high in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect healthy cells in the body by reducing free radicals. This helps support your immune system over time.

For immediate relief, honey can help reduce mucus and reduce coughing. It also coats the throat, which can soothe a sore throat for almost immediate relief. In fact, I eat raw honey by the spoonful at night if I’m coughing and can’t get to sleep. It really works incredibly well at soothing irritation in my throat.

I always recommend buying local honey. This helps support your local economy, and there is some evidence that eating local raw honey can help reduce allergies by exposing your body to pollen from your area.

Don’t forget that children under one-year-old should not eat any honey either alone or in a drink like this one.

The Benefits of Ginger

I add ginger to my homemade cold and flu tea because it can help relieve a stomach ache and reduce nausea.

Two compounds in ginger, gingerols and shaogals, are anti-inflammatories. They can help reduce inflammation from a sore throat so you feel better quickly.

Ginger is also naturally antimicrobial. It can kill bacteria and some viruses, including the rhinovirus that causes colds.

Over the counter cold medication can relieve your symptoms, but it can’t kill the virus that caused your cold. However, ginger may be able to kill the virus naturally. This can help shorten the duration of your cold. (Source.)

Although ginger is most known for relieving a stomach ache, it can cause an upset stomach if you take too much. If you get an upset stomach, limit this natural cold remedy tea to once a day.

The Benefits of Lemon

Lemon, like all citrus fruits, is high in vitamin C. Boosting vitamin C can help reduce the duration of a cold and help you feel better. Several studies have mixed results about the benefits of vitamin C for colds, but many people swear that taking extra vitamin C helps them feel better.

Lemon juice can also help reduce phlegm so you feel better right away. Drinking this homemade cold remedy drink before bed can help you sleep better by reducing phlegm help stop coughing temporarily.

For long term benefits, lemons are high in antioxidants that can help reduce free radicals in the body.

Like honey and ginger, lemons are also antimicrobial. They can help kill both bacteria and viruses in the body. This can also help shorten the duration of colds.

The Benefits of Warm Water

It’s important to drink this homemade cold remedy drink warm because the warm water also has benefits for your body.

The warmth can help open nasal passages, which helps reduce a stuffy nose and helps you sleep. It also helps lubricate your throat to make your sore throat feel better.

It’s important to stay hydrated when you are sick. Drinking plenty of water will help you feel better.

The Benefits of Whiskey

Adding whiskey to this natural cold remedy tea is optional. Alcohol can help dilate blood vessels in your body. This helps thin mucus, which can help you breathe better. However, you need to make sure you increase your water intake so your body stays hydrated. Otherwise, including alcohol in your homemade cold remedy drink can actually have opposite the intended effect.

Also, if you do add whiskey to your homemade cold remedy drink, be responsible. Don’t add it if you may be driving.

Homemade Cold Remedy Drink Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1 inch fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ounce whiskey (optional)

Directions:

To make my homemade cold remedy drink, grate the ginger or slice into thin slices and then mince. (For best results, you want the ginger to be in very small pieces.)

Then place the grated or minced ginger inside a teapot or medium sized bowl.

Pour the boiling water over the grated or minced ginger. Let this steep for three minutes.

While the ginger is steeping, place the lemon juice and raw honey in a mug.

Strain the ginger out of the water and pour over the lemon juice and honey. Then stir well until the honey is dissolved.

You can add more honey to taste, if desired.

Next, add whiskey if you’re using it.

How to Use My Homemade Cold Remedy Drink

You can drink this homemade cold and flu tea three or four times a day to relieve your cold symptoms naturally. If your stomach gets upset from the ginger, just use ginger tea once a day and drink warm water, honey, and lemon the rest of the day.

Tips for Reusing Your Ginger

You can reuse the grated or minced ginger you used for your first cup of homemade cold and flu tea. I reuse mine two or three more times before I discard it. Just steep the ginger for a few extra minutes for the second and third steep to get more ginger out of it.

More Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

If you like my recipe for making a homemade cold remedy drink, then you may also enjoy some of my other natural cold and flu remedies.

Fire Cider Vinegar Recipe for Natural Cold Relief
Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend (And Homemade Vapor Rub)
How to Make Custom Herbal Tea Blends for Colds & Flu
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Immune Support
DIY Shower Steamers with Menthol Crystals
Sickness Support Bath Soak Recipe with Essential Oils

For more natural ways to care for your body throughout cold and flu season, be sure to visit my Home Remedies Pinterest board. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: cold relief, colds, flu, ginger, health, health and wellness, healthy, healthy living, herbal remedies, herbal remedy, home remedies, home remedy, honey, immunity, lemon, natural remedy

Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend: Make A Homemade Vapor Rub Cold Remedy

October 12, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 8 Comments

Try this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe to make your own homemade vapor rub cold remedy for symptom relief from nasal and chest congestion. A simple and effective home remedy for fast cold relief when you’re fighting a cold or the flu.

How to Use An Aromatherapeutic Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend

When I get a cold, there’s nothing worse than not being able to breathe through my nose. While shower steams with menthol work wonders in the morning, taking a shower every time my nose gets stuffy isn’t a realistic option. Especially not at night when I’m trying to sleep. That’s when a breathe easy essential oil blend comes in handy. Whether you make your own breathe easy essential oil recipe or use a ready made breathe easy essential oil blend, you’ll be set for all the congestion challenges seasonal colds throw your way.

There are three easy ways to use the breathe easy essential oil blend. You can use your breathe easy essential oil blend in an essential oil diffuser at night or include it in an essential oil shower steamers recipe. Alternately, you can also use it in a simple remedy for homemade vapor rub. Keep reading to learn how to make a breathe easy essential oil recipe as well as where to buy a premade essential oil blend. Then try out your breathe easy essential oil blend in my simple (super easy!) homemade vapor rub cold remedy.

Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend Recipe

Support respiratory function and promote a healthy immune response with this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe. This natural plant-based blend can be used in your diffuser as well as in my homemade vapor rub recipe. Use it to support easy breathing, revitalization and clear airways throughout winter.

Combine in an amber glass jar with a reducer or glass dropper and shake to combine.

Alternately, if you prefer, you can buy this specific blend premade in order to avoid buying multiple essential oils from Edens Garden. Or try the Respire blend from Spark Naturals, which also contains tea tree and clove essential oils. Formulated with a combination of peppermint, melaleuca (tea tree), eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon and clove, this blends aids in relief of congestion and other respiratory symptoms caused by colds and flu.

Once you’ve made an essential oil blend to use for aromatherapy, you can use your formulation to create your own homemade vapor rub recipe as a natural cold relief remedy.

Homemade Vapor Rub Recipe for Nasal & Chest Congestion

Ingredients:

2 oz. beeswax pastilles or cera bellina wax (recommended)
4 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
3 mL Respire or Breathe Easy essential oil blend (or .1 oz.)
.05 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the beeswax. Place the beeswax in a double boiler and gently heat until melted. (Alternately, you may use cera bellina wax to give this homemade vapor rub recipe a gel-like texture! It’s such a seriously fun wax to play with.)

While the beeswax melts, weigh out the carrier oil into a separate container.

Next weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil. Stir until the menthol crystals dissolve.

Once dissolved, measure or weigh out the breathe easy essential oil blend. Then combine with the carrier oil and menthol mixture.

Once the beeswax has melted, remove from heat. Then stir in the carrier oil mixture with the menthol crystals and essential oils.

Now pour the homemade vapor rub into a 6 oz. glass jar or three 2 oz. glass jars. You can also use metal tins.

Allow the homemade vapor rub to cool completely, then screw on the lids and label as desired for personal use.

To use your homemade vapor rub as a natural remedy for fast cold relief, rub a thin layer on your chest or upper back at nighttime. It will help to soothe coughs and may also offer relief from nasal and chest congestion as well as sinus pressure and headaches.

Yield: 2 - 6 oz. jars.

Homemade Vapor Rub Recipe

Materials

2 oz. beeswax pastilles
4 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
3 mL Respire or Breathe Easy essential oil blend (or .1 oz.)
.05 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions

Using a digital scale, weigh out the beeswax. Place the beeswax in a double boiler and gently heat until melted.

While the beeswax melts, weigh out the carrier oil into a separate container.

Next weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil. Stir until the menthol crystals dissolve.

Once dissolved, measure or weigh out the breathe easy essential oil blend. Then combine with the carrier oil and menthol mixture.

Once the beeswax has melted, remove from heat. Then stir in the carrier oil mixture with the menthol crystals and essential oils.

Now pour the homemade vapor rub into a 6 oz. glass jar or three 2 oz. glass jars. You can also use metal tins.

Allow the homemade vapor rub to cool completely, then screw on the lids and label as desired for personal use.

Breathe easy diffuser blend for colds. Try this natural breathe easy essential oil diffuser blend recipe in your essential oil diffuser to support respiratory function and promote a healthy immune response with this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe. This natural plant-based blend can be used in your diffuser as well as in my homemade vapor rub recipe. Use it to support easy breathing, revitalization and clear airways throughout winter.

Like this recipe? Then you’ll also want to try my recipes for DIY shower steamers with menthol crystals and a sickness support bath soak! As well as check out my post on other natural ways to fight colds and flu including how to make an elderberry syrup to support your body’s natural immunity. Plus don’t forget to pin this post for reference later!

Where can I buy homemade vapor rub?

Not ready to make your own homemade vapor rub from scratch? Try one of these artisan made, petroleum free cold and flu salves instead.

You can also explore more herbal home remedies here. Also be sure to check out my eucalyptus & orange essential oil blend recipe. It’s one of my favorite aromatherapeutic essential oil blends and has a number of uses for health, home and beauty. Or discover more DIY ideas by visiting my Essential Oils & Herbs board on Pinterest as well as my Home Remedies board.

Want more great ideas? Then be sure to follow Soap Deli News across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: aromatherapy, cold relief, colds, diffuser blends, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, fall, flu, health and wellness, healthy living, home remedies, home remedy, self care, vapor rub, winter

DIY Shower Steamers Recipe with Menthol Crystals

August 1, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 10 Comments

Learn how to make DIY shower steamers with menthol crystals and eucalyptus essential oil as a natural home remedy for stuffy noses caused by colds, flu and seasonal allergies. Easy natural relief from congestion caused by colds or allergies, this easy shower steamer recipe is a must for back to school season. Learn more about this home remedy as well as the benefits of menthol crystals when used to promote health and wellness.

Shower Steamers for Natural Symptom Relief from Seasonal Allergies, Colds & Flu

My seasonal allergies have been terrible this year. I mean generally they aren’t great, but I’ve had to pull out the big guns recently. Meaning I stood in line at the actual pharmacy to buy Sudafed. Unfortunately that didn’t work quite as well as I’d hoped, being that it was a last resort. So I made DIY showers steamers with menthol crystals as a last ditch effort to avoid getting a sinus infection. And they worked great at easing my allergy symptoms by opening up my nasal passages so I could breathe better. Better than the Sudafed, in fact. They also conquered that irritating sinus headache I’d had for two days straight.

With back to school right around the corner, there’s really no better time to make your own DIY shower steamers. After all, if you have kids, you know that schools are a cesspool of germs and viruses. When my son started kindergarten I’d had him out of daycare for over year. He got community acquired pneumonia his first week. Of course, seeing as how he inherited my stubborn streak, he ran around like a little chicken with his head cut off anyway. It took two months for him to fully recover.

And of course there are the joys of sports practices. Whether my son was struggling through a cold, or suffering with seasonal allergies himself, I quickly learned that yes, all boys hock loogies the size of a small country.

No one wants to over medicate their kids if they don’t have to. After all, you want them to develop a healthy immune system while also avoiding the overuse of antibiotics. At the same time, however, you don’t want them to suffer either. It’s no fun struggling to breathe through your mouth or fight a sinus headache. Luckily, shower steamers with menthol crystals are a great natural remedy for chest and nasal congestion.

What Are Menthol Crystals?

Menthol crystals are derived from a species from the mint family known as mentha arvensis. These flowering plants, which are found in the mint family known as Lamiaceae, include corn mint, field mint and wild mint and contain the organic compound known as mentol. The menthol is extracted from the plant by freezing the essential oil of said plants, then removing the resulting menthol crystals through a filtering process.

Menthol crystals have a number of therapeutic properties that make them useful in aromatherapy as well as medicinal and cosmetic applications. The medicinal properties they are believed to exhibit make menthol crystals analgesic, anesthetic, antibacterial, cooling, circulation-stimulating, expectorant, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, decongestant, antiemetic and antitussive. While cosmetically they offer antibacterial, invigorating, soothing, cooling, circulation-stimulating and skin plumping properties.

Due to their inherent chemical makeup, menthol crystals are a popular choice for a number of medicinal applications. You may be most familiar with menthol crystals from the over-the-counter product, Vicks VapoRub, in which they are a key component.

Benefits of Menthol Crystals in Shower Steamers

Menthol crystals have a number of benefits when used in aromatherapy. Whether you have a stuffy nose, chest congestion or even a sore throat, menthol crystals have been historically used in aromatherapy to relieve the symptoms of colds, flu and allergies. Not only do menthol crystals help promote easier breathing and offer temporary relief from nasal congestion, they can also be used to soothe sore throats, alleviate fever symptoms, coughs, headaches and sinus related discomfort. Additionally, their aromatherapeutic properties also support immunity and can help with nausea.

While menthol crystals also have a number of both cosmetic and hair care applications, for this purpose I chose to use menthol crystals as a key ingredient in DIY shower steamers. As, when used as a decongestant agent, menthol crystals in combination with eucalyptus essential oil, offer natural symptom relief from stuffy noses and sinus headaches.

Precautions for Using Menthol Crystals in Shower Steamers

It is important to note that menthol crystals are not recommend for use by children ages 7 and under. Likewise, if you are pregnant or nursing you should consult a physician before using menthol crystals. You should also seek out guidance from your doctor before use if you have cancer, heart-related ailments, skin disorders or hormone-related ailments. Additionally, do not use menthol crystals if you have an open wounds as high levels of absorption may be toxic and take care to keep menthol crystals out of contact with mucous membranes.

The maximum dilution rate for using menthol crystals is 5% in order to protect respiratory system and skin from any distress or discomfort.

How to Make DIY Shower Steamers

Made with menthol crystals and eucalyptus essential oil for their aromatherapeutic benefits, these easy DIY shower steamers are the perfect addition to your morning shower. Just take care not to mistake them for bath bombs. As soaking in a tub filled with menthol crystals is likely leave your lady parts in an overly frigid state.

You make shower steamers in much the same way you would make bath bombs. The main difference is, however, you don’t need additional dry ingredients in your shower steamer recipe aside from the baking soda and citric acid. Nor will you need to use more expensive oils or butters to bind these two ingredients together. As you aren’t soaking in a tub with your shower steamers, you can use an inexpensive carrier oil instead. Additionally, you’ll find that DIY shower steamers harden and dry out much faster than bath bombs as the menthol crystals recrystalize once the shower steamers are made.

Like bath bombs you are working with citric acid. Therefore you may want to use a face mask or respirator to avoid inhaling this ingredient should it become airborne. I also highly recommend wearing gloves to make your DIY shower steamers so you are able to protect your hands from the cooling action of the menthol crystals and eucalyptus essential oils.

You don’t necessarily need a bath bomb mold for this recipe. I used my favorite heavy duty round bath bomb molds to make my shower steamer with menthol crystals. However, as these mold rather easily, you can also use a meat baller for smaller sized shower steamers, or simply mold them into balls with your hands. Other than that, if you need additional tips on making shower steamers, you can find tips and tricks for molding and unmolding bath bombs here.

Shower Steamer Recipe with Menthol Crystals

Ingredients:

10 oz. baking soda
5 oz. citric acid
3 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond or fractionated coconut oil
.5 oz. eucalyptus essential oil
.5 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the carrier into a small glass measuring cup. Then weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil, then stir until the crystals have dissolved. Then weigh out and mix in the eucalyptus essential oil. Set aside.

Next, weigh out the baking soda and citric acid into a large glass or ceramic bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together until they are evenly combined throughout.

Now pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, slowly mixing as you go. Mix thoroughly then use your hands, a meat baller or a bath bomb mold to form your shower steamers.

If using a round bath bomb mold, loosely pile the ingredients into each half of the mold. Then lightly pack. Follow with additional mixed ingredients, lightly tap down, then firmly press both sides of the bath bomb mold together. Then unmold your DIY shower steamers.

Repeat until all the ingredients from the shower steamer recipe have been used. Then set your finished shower steamers with menthol crystals aside for several hours, until dry.

Once dry, wrap your DIY shower steamers tightly in foodservice film or store in an airtight container until ready for use.

Shower Steamer Recipe with Menthol Crystals

Learn how to make DIY shower steamers with this easy 5-ingredient shower steamer recipe with menthol crystals & essential oils as a natural home remedy for stuffy noses caused by colds & seasonal allergies.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Materials

10 oz. baking soda
5 oz. citric acid
3 oz. carrier oil, of choice
.5 oz. eucalyptus essential oil
.5 oz. menthol crystals

Tools

digital scale
bath bomb mold or meat baller
large glass or ceramic bowl
glass Pyrex measuring cup
utensils for mixing

Instructions

Using a digital scale, weigh out the carrier into a small glass measuring cup. Then weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil, then stir until the crystals have dissolved. Then weigh out and mix in the eucalyptus essential oil. Set aside.
Next, weigh out the baking soda and citric acid into a large glass or ceramic bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together until they are evenly combined throughout.
Now pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, slowly mixing as you go. Mix thoroughly then use your hands, a meat baller or a bath bomb mold to form your shower steamers.
If using a round bath bomb mold, loosely pile the ingredients into each half of the mold. Then lightly pack. Follow with additional mixed ingredients, lightly tap down, then firmly press both sides of the bath bomb mold together. Then unmold your DIY shower steamers.
Repeat until all the ingredients from the shower steamer recipe have been used. Then set your finished shower steamers with menthol crystals aside for several hours, until dry.
Once dry, wrap your DIY shower steamers tightly in foodservice film or store in an airtight container until ready for use.

More Natural Remedies for Cold & Allergy Symptom Relief

If you’re looking for more natural alternative for symptom relief of cold and allergy symptoms, then try one of these natural remedies.

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Amyris Essential Oil Usage & Benefits (Plus Easy Essential Oil Recipes to Try!)

February 25, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon

The March Simply Earth essential oil recipe box brought with it a few surprises. Not only did I discover amyris essential oil for the first time, I also learned a few other interesting things when making my amyris essential oil recipes. Keep reading to learn about the the usage and benefits of amyris essential oil. Plus discover the natural amyris essential oil recipes I tried.

About Amyris Essential Oil

To be honest, before receiving amyris essential oil in my Simply Earth essential oil recipe box, I’d never heard of it. I literally had to look it up. As it turns out, this thick, viscous essential oil is often used as an affordable alternative to sandalwood essential oil. Known as West Indian Sandalwood – though it’s not actually related to sandalwood – amyris essential oil boasts a rich, warm woody aroma that blends well with a number of other essential oils. These essential oils include cedarwood, citronella, conifer oils (like balsam fir or pine), cypress, frankincense, geranium, jasmine absolute, lavender, lemon, oakmoss, patchouli, sweet orange, tangerine, ho wood, rose absolute, vetiver, ylang ylang and sandalwood.

Considered generally safe for use, amyris essential oil is nontoxic, non-sensitizing and non-irritating. Despite this, it should still be diluted with a carrier oil for topical use. (A patch test on skin is recommended prior to use.) Additionally, it is important to note that amyris essential oil is not intended for oral consumption. And, as with other essential oils, always consult a medical professional if you are pregnant or nursing prior to use.

Amyris Essential Oil Usage & Benefits

Amyris essential oil has a number of uses and benefits. It’s commonly used as a fixative in perfume recipes in addition to a number of other cosmetic and therapeutic applications.

Studies show that amyris essential oil has antiseptic, sedative, decongestant and emollient properties. In addition, researchers have also found that amyris oil contains potent antibacterial and antifungal properties. Specifically, it’s effective against 12 strains of multidrug-resistant bacteria. These include Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella paratyphi, as well as Candida albicans fungi.Due to this oil’s high emerol content, it also makes an effective insect repellent. Not only does it deter biting insects, such as mosquitoes, it also repels brown dog ticks, blacklegged ticks and lone star ticks.

Due to its inherent properties, amyris essential oil is well suited for natural remedies that support the immune system. They also make this oil a beneficial ingredient in recipe formulations that focus on calming the mind, relaxing muscles and aiding with sleep. So it’s no surprise that amyris essential oil offers a variety of aromatherapeutic benefits that aid with both sleep and common illnesses such as colds and flu.

Simply Earth Essential Oil Box

Now that you’re caught up on the basic ins and outs of amyris essential oil, I want to share a few highlights that can be found inside the March Simply Earth essential oil box.

Not only does the March box come with a bottle of amyris essential oil, three other essential oils are also included. They are blood orange essential oil, coriander essential oil and a digest essential oil blend which aids with nausea, bloating and gas. (If you’re new to Simply Earth’s essential oil boxes, you can learn more about what’s inside and how they give back to the community here.)

There are also a number of great essential oil recipes. These recipes include the following:

Digest Essential Oil Rollerball Recipe
Mood Lifting Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipe
Anxiety Away Essential Oil Inhaler Recipe
Magnesium Whipped Body Butter Recipe
Magnesium Oil Sleep Spray Recipe
Essential Oil Sickness Support Bath Soak Recipe

My two favorite essential oil recipes from the March box were the sickness support bath soak recipe and the magnesium oil sleep spray recipe. Both of these recipes use amyris essential oil as a key ingredient. You can learn how to make two amyris essential oil recipes from the March Simply Earth box below. Or subscribe to Simple Earth now! (A la carte essential oils and other materials including containers, carrier oils and diffusers are also available for sale without a subscription.)

Easy Amyris Essential Oil Recipes

Magnesium Oil Sleep Spray Recipe

Magnesium oil is not an oil. Believe it or not, I had no idea. I was also somewhat skeptical about an external application of magnesium oil actually helping with pain and sleep issues caused by fibromyalgia. Once, I tried this recipe, however, I was stoked to find it helps not just with sleep. It also calmed the fibro flare ups I’ve been having in my wrists and arms lately. Pain that often makes it difficult to type. Simply spray it on and massage in.

This magnesium oil sleep spray recipe does contain water. However, the magnesium flakes (a salt) used in this recipe naturally preserve the water. Therefore no additional preservative is needed.

What are magnesium flakes?

Magnesium flakes, or magnesium chloride, differs from Epsom salt. Epsom salt is actually magnesium sulfate. While both are absorbed by skin, magnesium chloride is better suited for topical applications. Magnesium flakes therefore are well suited for stress relief, sore muscle recovery, improving circulation, headaches, joint pain, restless leg syndrome and cramps.

Notes about the recipe.

Magnesium flakes are included in the Simply Earth essential oil box. However, you will want to purchase more magnesium flakes, along with the fractionated coconut oil (available from Simply Earth), once the supply they send runs out.

Because I live with fibromyalgia, I did make a substitution in this recipe. Instead of water, I used witch hazel for its anti-inflammatory properties. While you dissolve the magnesium flakes in boiling water, I was able to dissolve them in the witch hazel by simply stirring the two ingredients together.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon magnesium flakes
1/2 cup boiling distilled water
1 Tablespoon fractionated coconut oil
6 drops blood orange essential oil
4 drop amyris essential oil

Instructions:

Dissolve the magnesium flakes as called for in the recipe in 1/2 cup boiling water.

Meanwhile, in a small glass bowl, stir the essential oils into the fractionated coconut oil.

Next, pour all of the ingredients into the spray bottle (provided.)

To use, simply shake the bottle then mist onto your pillow at bedtime. Or spray onto arms and/or legs as needed and massage in.

Sickness Support Bath Soak Recipe

Simply Earth’s sickness support bath soak recipe is wonderful not just for boosting immunity to fight off illnesses, it also can help with sore muscles and body aches associated with the flu. It’s also effective at calming your body as well as relieving nausea or a distressed digestive system.

Made using amyris essential oil and magnesium flakes, this homemade detoxifying bath soak recipe also contains Epsom salt (not provided) and lavender buds (included.) As this bath soak recipe is diluted in bath water, I actually doubled the amount of essential oils called for in the recipe. (By the way, this smells absolutely AMAZING!)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons magnesium flakes
1/2 cup Epsom salt
1 Tablespoon fractionated coconut oil
6 drops Amyris essential oil
4 drops Digest essential oil blend
2 Tablespoons dried lavender

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix the magnesium flakes and Epsom salt together.

Using a separate glass bowl, combine the essential oils with the fractionated coconut.

Now add the salt mixture to the oils and mix well to ensure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout the bath soak.

Then mix in the dried lavender buds. Spoon the bath soak into a small glass jar or container until ready for use.

To use, simply pour the entire contents of the bath soak into warm running bath water.

Can’t wait to get started using this amazing essential oil? Subscribe to Simply Earth today! Use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE to get a free bonus box with your first order. Plus receive a gift card for $40 off your next order!

For more simple essential oils recipes, sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter to discover more of my original beauty and skin care recipes and projects to try throughout the new year! You can also follow me on facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: amyris essential oil, aromatherapy, bath tutorial, beauty box, beauty kit, beauty recipes, cold relief, colds, detox, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, flu, health and wellness, healthy living, home remedies, home remedy, immunity, magnesium, mineral bath soak, natural alternative, natural remedy, natural skin care, nausea, self care, simply earth