Raindrops Keep falling

I recently had the opportunity to have a raindrop massage. It was delightful and relaxing. You lay on the table (or be seated in a chair), have essential oils dripped on you (like rain) and they are massaged in. The session is finished with a foot massage with oils. 

It was awesome.

But expensive. 

I knew I could do something similar with my oil stash. 

It's not really the same thing, but it worked well.

I used:

Chamomile

Lavender

Rosemary 

Peppermint 

Frankincense 

Mandarin

Eucalyptus

The big man was my (not so willing) guinea pig. I dripped the oil on him, massaged it in, and then put a warm towel on him.

He liked that part the best. 

I also did a foot massage. That was the second favorite part for him.

Shake your Body

As I transition to all things crunchy, I decided to make my own body spray out of essential oils in place of chemical laden perfume that May or may not have been tested on animals.

I was surprised how easy it was to create my own signature blend. I bought a glass spray bottle, jojoba oil (with I already use for aromatherapy) and went to work combining scents. Since it's summer, I decided on a citrusy blend and it smells divine.

Fill bottle with 3 parts jojoba oil & 1 part distilled water

15 drops mandarin

15 drops lemon

5 drops rosemary

10 drops lavender 

Shake well before spraying

The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

We quickly morphed from winter to very warm spring in my part of the country. In other words, we went from boots to sandals, seemingly overnight. As a result, winter feet need to become summer feet, overnight.
One of the biggest problems with winter feet is the lack of maintaining smooth skin. Sticking feet into socks, tights, boots and all that jostling can lead to a build up of calluses and cracked heels.
Other than looking ugly and having the ability to turn panty hose into unrecognizable remnants, cracked heels can be incredibly painful. Fissures can develop in the skin, which is where it opens up and can even bleed!
If that is the case, you need to treat the fissures first, before you do anything else. A podiatrist can help remedy that situation, and heal your feet.
No fissures lead to some other treatment options. The primary goal is to get rid of the calluses. There are a wide variety of commercial products out there, but I like my home remedies best!
First, soaking your feet in a mixture of warm milk and water will soften the calluses. Lactic acid in the milk will make it easier to exfoliate. Rinse your feet and dry lightly.
Next, use a pumice stone on your calluses. This bit of volcanic rock is a miracle pedicure tool!
Soak your feet again in warm water.
Dry them and use a thick cream on the heels. Wear socks overnight and the next day you should see an improvement.
For tougher cases, you need to step it up a few notches. Using tea tree oil, a natural, fragrant antiseptic, will help heal your heels. Soaking in a combination of warm water and Epsom salt, and then applying coconut oil to the heels (with socks going on) will help make your feet sandal ready soon.
To stop this from going into crisis mode in the future, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Staying hydrated helps your skin. Drinking at least 64 ounces of WATER (the rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in water-if you weight 150 lbs you should drink 75 oz, and so on).
If you are overweight, you are more likely to develop cracked heels due to friction and pressure.
Regular maintenance helps. Weekly pedicures, either in a salon or at home, will keep your heels looking soft and sleek. Nightly moisturizing also helps. A thick cream or coconut oil, with socks, will prevent you from needing to panic when the temperatures soar.