Oh Oils - Multi Award Winning Aromatherapy for Bath, Body and Home

Beating the "back to school blues"

Are you or your child worrying about going back to school?

Going back to school is stressful for families at the best of times, the dreaded shopping for uniform and school shoes, was there any holiday homework they should have finished by now (that they haven't even started yet!), anxiety about new teachers and old friendships. Not to mention the exams - 11+ round the corner and GCSEs and A levels more important than ever.

If your child needs to go over anything or needs help with revision Oh are pleased to introduce our partnership with EasyA 

EasyA is a totally brilliant way of tutoring, No waiting for your next session but help when your child needs it.

EasyA is the UK's first on-demand maths tutoring app, allowing students to get expert maths help instantly. Students simply snap a photo of their question and are matched with their own Oxbridge tutor who can help right away! Dom, co-founder of EasyA, has shown me the benefits of their on-demand tutoring.

All EasyA tutors have extensive teaching experience and are trained by EasyA's academic team before being accepted to teach on the platform. EasyA specialises in helping 11+ through to GCSE level maths students. 

 This back to school season, EasyA is offering Oh Oils subscribers 20% off their first month's tutoring sessions. To redeem this offer, please email hello@easya.co.uk, quoting code OhOils2020.

 For further information, please visit www.easya.co.uk or contact Dom, co-founder, at dom@easya.co.uk.

Right now, with some kids off school for 6 months, getting back into some kind of routine is more difficult than ever. Add anxiety about Covid -19, new school routines and classroom groups - it's all pretty overwhelming.

If you're tearing your hair out and trying to cope with it all, you're not alone!

Things that other people have found helpful include:

Talking - I don't mean sitting them down and earnestly asking if they're worried about anything, just creating a time that's for the 2 of you - walking the dog, driving somewhere, cooking together, anything like that. And Listen.

Getting back into term-time routine - Try to ease them back into earlier bedtimes and wake up times to make school day mornings less of a shock to the system

Try these essential oils to ease your stress and anxiety.

LAVENDER (recommended Oh blend Summer Haze)

Well known for its relaxing and calming qualities, lavender contains linalool which has a sedative effect, relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, increases circulation and lowers cortisol levels in the bloodstream. 

BITTER ORANGE  (recommended Oh blend Let it Go)

All the citrus fruits are good for uplifting the spirits but Bitter Orange and Bergamot are the best. A study by Mei University in Japan found that people who inhaled orange were able to lower the dosage of anti-depressants they took and the orange oil returned their endocrine and immune systems to normal levels.

BERGAMOT (recommended Oh blend Let it Go)

Is wonderful for helping ease stress and that overwhelmed feeling. Bergamot has been shown to reduce pre-operative anxiety in patients waiting for minor surgery (2013 - Evidence Based Complementary Medicine)

CHAMOMILE (recommended Oh blend Summer Haze)

Trusted for centuries for its soothing and sleep inducing qualities, chamomile is a base note. Base notes have grounding properties. Rose, Jasmin and Vetiver are other good base notes for grounding. According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, chamomile may actually "provide clinically meaningful anti-depressant activity".

CLARY SAGE (recommended Oh blend Serenity)

Much underrated, clary sage is a great essential oil. It can relax muscles and has a powerful effect on hormones which makes it a great choice if PMS or menopause are driving you crazy. Research published in the Journal of Phytotherapy Research says "clary sage could reduce cortisol levels by 36% and has an anti-depressant like effect."

JASMIN (recommended Oh blend Queen of the Night)

Another base note, Jasmin is famous for it's heady floral scent.  It's less well known for its remarkable therapeutic benefits. It can help improve both mood and sleep. A 2002 study at Wheeling University showed that Jasmin cut down restless sleeping, improved sleep quality, increased daytime alertness and lowered anxiety even better than Lavender!

VANILLA ( all Oh blends use a small amount of vanilla in the base notes)

Not just for the kitchen, vanilla is a useful essential oil. It's another grounding base note. It can have sedative effects on the body, can reduce hyperactivity, quiet the nervous system and lower blood pressure.  It contains Vanillin hydroxybenzaldehyde which is an effective anti-depressant and mood lifter.

The essential oils I've talked about are fine for children but make sure they are diluted to .5% if you are applying directly onto their skin. 

Choose your favourite - or any combination.

Use in a diffuser. if you don't have a diffuser, put a drop or two onto some cotton wool or a tissue and place in the corners of your room - Put a few drops on a tissue and inhale - Put a few drops in your bath or on a sponge or flannel in the corner of your shower - Use a rollerball - Inhale straight from the bottle - Rub a drop between your palms, cover your nose and mouth and breath deeply 3 times (this is called cupping). My favourite - put a few drops in your hair and brush through - you'll smell lovely all day!

Essential oils are little powerhouses and you need much less than you think. We have become used to the strong smells of commercially created scents but, believe me, tiny amounts of essential oils are all you need.

Everyone is different and their reactions to essential oils will be too. Some will gain massive benefits and some may not feel much difference but another oil may work better for them. 

Please do not apply essential oils undiluted to your skin (again, for some, this is fine but others may find their skin gets irritated). You should not use them when you are pregnant without advice from a properly trained aromatherapist. I don't recommend ingesting essential oils. Be careful with the citrus oils if applying to your skin - you should avoid direct sunlight for 8/10 hours.

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment