DIY Life

I've indulged, oh yes, I have indulged. Last Friday, I spent the day at the spa. Before you go getting all jealous and resentful, it was my tenth wedding anniversary and the only time that my husband and I have ever done something like this together.

Did we enjoy our day there? Indeed we did, but what struck me the most was my phytotherapy massage. This was basically a Swedish massage using essential oils. Yes, it was a simple concept, but they really targeted mind, body, and spirit naturally during this treatment:

• the massage itself was all about the body, relaxing the muscles
• the relaxing music created an atmosphere ripe for calm, stress release, even meditation; just plain mental quiet
• it was an all-natural treatment, using only essential oils (from plants, hence the phyto-)
• the essential oils could be focused on what you needed the most; I chose the relaxing blend to help me zone out for the hour

After the break I'll tell you how you can create a phytotherapy massage experience at home.

If you have a family, you're probably in a state of constant chaos, and romancing your man might not rank high on your list of things to do. You've spent hours coordinating your children, and helping them make monogrammed cuff links and hand print crafts. They'll present these to Daddy first thing Sunday morning, and you'll all enjoy a family day, celebrating Dad.

When the day comes to a close, and the kids are tucked in, don't retire to your separate laptops... instead, turn up the heat, and spend a little time letting him know how appreciated he is. This isn't about modeling sexy lingerie (though I'm sure that would be a welcomed surprise!) or buying him expensive concert tickets. It's Father's Day, so spend some time reflecting on the wonderful ways that he contributes to the family, and thanking him for being such a great parenting partner.

So, what does a dad find romantic? I surveyed some of the men in my life, and it turns out they are pretty easy to please. So many dads are busy balancing work and family that all they really want is a little break.

After the jump, I'll share some husband-certified ways to spoil him this Father's Day.

The power of scent is phenomenal. It is the sense most linked to memory, and without it, we'd only taste five flavors. Inhalation is one of the most effective ways to get a substance into the bloodstream. And certain smells can even alter our moods.

Knowing how effective essential oils can be at mood enhancement, it makes sense that we'd want to get the essential oils into our environment in the most effective ways possible.

Diffusing may very well be the best way, and this is simply dispersing the essential oils throughout a room so you can inhale them, either for enjoyment, medicinal purposes, or quite possibly even spiritual healing.

Being down in the dumps, depressed, or just downright sad is just not fun. If you've got a mild case of the frumps, the Ririan Project has ten tips for you to trick yourself into feeling better.

Some really spoke to me, like wearing blue (for calming), and cleaning a room to eliminate visual confusion. I know certain colors (usually neons) make me feel tense and hyper, and blue does have a relaxing effect. And cleaning helps me on several levels: getting rid of the clutter makes a calmer environment and makes me feel satisfied with my progress. Crossing cleaning off the list lifts a huge weight!

One thing Ririan's list touches upon is the fact that nice smells, like a lemon, can help. Aromatherapy? Now I give just a little more credence to this list, because that is the pinnacle of all-natural mood alteration. Essential oils work better than any lemon will; try sniffing lavender for a relaxing calm, sandalwood for spiritual relaxation, and orange for a cheery calm.

Some other tricks that made Ririan's list were chopping food, eating ginger and broccoli, and clearing your mind. What tricks do you use to ease the blues?

[via Mercola]

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals, to soap-making, body care products, and other useful blends.

You have soft, smooth feet from our pedicure of two weeks ago. Your face is aglow with healthy skin after last week's facial. What about the rest of you?

Get ready to pamper yourself (or a loved one) with the gift of relaxation and cared-for skin -- all over!

After the break, I'll share recipes for relaxing bath salts, a detoxifying body scrub, a gentle hand scrub, and body oil, along with packaging ideas to make lovely gifts of these homemade products.

Heat therapy bags sooth sore muscles leaving. They are the perfect way to end a stressful day. They also make great Christmas gifts. The store bought ones are pretty bland in design and don't typically have essential oils or other special touches. Sew, Mama, Sew has a fabulous tutorial on making your own rice heat therapy bags. Here's what you'll need to make your own bag:

• Fabric scraps
• 1/4 yard of linen
• 1/4 yard of muslin
• 2lbs short or medium grain rice
• Essential oil of choice
• 4" long of 3/4" wide Velcro

Kristin's tutorial will show you how to turn those materials into a fashionable heat bag. I haven't used a heat bag with essential oils but I imagine the aromatherapy would be an added luxury in this soothing bag. She also talks about making a freezer bag. Calling it the "Boo-Boo bag", it's great for little ones when they hurt themselves. You could choose bright kid's fabric and make healing fun. Another project is the eye therapy bag. It refreshes tired eyes with flax seed. The bags have removable and washable covers which is really handy. She's thought of everything in this thorough tutorial and the super cute bags will make great stocking stuffers!