College Aromatherapy: Using Essential Oils to Adjust to Dorm Living

College living – especially in the dorms – can be an exciting social experience. Yet it can also bring challenges for many students living on their own away from home for the first time. Essential oils can help make the transition to living in a small, shared space a little easier while also enhancing the college experience for students.

Here are three ways college students can use essential oils:

1. To evoke a sense of home

One way to ease homesickness is through aroma. You can turn any dorm room into a space that feels more familiar by diffusing essential oils that have aromas close to what your home smells like. Some of the most popular aromas that can help create a sense of  home and comfort include vanilla, lavender, citrus and spices, like cinnamon and clove.

2. To sharpen studying power

 Research shows that studying with the essential oil of rosemary can help students during test/exam time. Rosemary is a great oil for mental focus and concentration, and is a must-have during late night study sessions. Try adding a few drops to an essential oil diffuser and set it on or near your desk while you’re studying. 

3. To create an aromatherapy shower 

Even in shared bathrooms, having an aromatic shower can bring many different benefits. It can help invirgorate you in the morning after a long night studying, or it can help you to relax after a busy day shuffling to and from classes around campus. These unique, convenient shower tablets can be placed on the shower floor and will simply dissolve and fill the air around you with the scent of your choice (try lavender, eucalyptus or reviving peppermint).

In addition to the tablets, a wash cloth, cotton balls or cotton face pads are great “carriers” for essential oils in the shower. They contain or capture the oils and keep them from being just washed down the drain. Drop the essential oils onto the pad or cloth and place it on the shower floor. Make sure to place it in an area where the water can reach, but don’t let the water directly hit it or the oils can volatize too quickly. Add 10 to 12 drops for full effect.

Bonus tips: 

• New to waking up on your own? Essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus and rosemary are wonderful to get you going first thing in the morning.
• Need to decompress at the end of the day? Essential oils like lavender, Roman chamomile, ylang ylang, patchouli, sandalwood, sweet marjoram, and vetiver make great choices prior to bedtime.

These are just a few suggestions for ways to make the college experience a little easier and more enjoyable.

Author by: Aura Cacia