Your Ultimate Guide on How to Use Essential Oils in the Shower

As our day-to-day lives get busier, we tend to neglect taking care of ourselves and our bodies. A carefully planned shower routine infused with the goodness of essential oils can be just the pick-me-up our bodies need. 

Showers present an amazing opportunity for incorporating essential oils into your self-care routine. As you step into the shower, imagine being greeted by the rejuvenating scent of tangerine essential oil, refreshing your senses and preparing you for the day. Or if you shower at night, think about enjoying the soothing scent of lavender as you wind down. The possibilities of incorporating essential oils into your shower routine are endless. 

Whether you shower to wake up in the morning, freshen up during the day, or relax before you sleep, there’s a way to upgrade your shower routine using essential oils. This article will explore the ways you can use essential oils to enrich your shower routine so that you can harness the full potential of these magical extracts.

Benefits of Using Essential Oils in the Shower

The benefits of incorporating essential oils into your self-care routine are limitless–from improving your hair to promoting restful sleep. However, adding essential oils to your shower routine is even smarter. This is because you will benefit from the therapeutic properties of essential oil while saving time. To use, you can either diffuse essential oils in your shower or use essential oils topically.

Benefits of Inhaling Essential Oils in the Shower

Essential oils can help you wash away your stress and anxiety. Inhaling essential oils such as lavender and eucalyptus is scientifically proven to have an anxiolytic effect, potentially helping you clear your mind. Some essential oils, such as cedarwood, are also known to possibly lower blood pressure, further helping you relax in the shower. Above all, essential oils can add an amazing fragrance to your showers that will instantly uplift your mood and energize you. 

To inhale, diffuse essential oils in the shower room and simply take your shower as usual. 

Benefits of Using Essential Oils Topically in the Shower 

Essential oils make great ingredients to add to self-care products as they can easily be diluted with carrier oils and applied topically. They can also be added to creams or products that you already use in the shower to improve your skin and hair. 

Top Essential Oils to Use in the Shower Every Day

With so many options to choose from, it is challenging to pick which essential oil to use in the shower. We have suggested essential oils that not only smell great but also offer a range of therapeutic benefits. Read on for our list of all-rounder essential oils to shower with everyday.

Tangerine Essential Oil

Tangerine essential oil is a citrus oil that has a sharp, sweet scent. The oil is derived by cold pressing the fruit rinds, resulting in a zesty fragrance. Tangerine essential oil is great for aromatherapy in the shower, as it energizes and refreshes the mind and spirit.

In addition to its invigorating scent, tangerine essential oil has many therapeutic benefits. The oil contains limonene extract, a compound known for its anti-depressive and calming properties. Tangerine essential oil also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it valuable in cleansing the body of accumulated bacteria at the end of the day. 

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Eucalyptus essential oil has a medicinal, camphoraceous scent with a hint of mints and citrus. The fresh scent is great for morning showers, helping you open your eyes and start the day. 

Eucalyptus essential oil has a wide range of medicinal uses. It is known for its pain-killing properties and is often used to treat arthritis symptoms. If you frequently experience body aches, using eucalyptus essential oil in the shower may relieve pain and inflammation. 

Eucalyptus essential oil may also fight bacterial infections, providing potential relief against cold symptoms and clearing up the chest. With the global air quality and carbon emissions worsening, using this in your daily showers may help your lungs clear debris and prevent respiratory infections. 

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is the perfect pick if you want to transform your shower into a spa experience. It has a mild, sweet scent with balsamic and woody undertones. The lavender scent is closely associated with calm, comfort, and even luxury, often used as a top note in designer fragrances. 

Lavender’s calming and relaxing properties come from its constituent chemical compounds linalool and camphor. These compounds influence the nervous system, inducing a sedative and anxiolytic response. In addition to calming nerves, lavender also acts as a natural, potential painkiller. It contains an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant compound known as 1,8 cineole. 

If you have a fast-paced and busy lifestyle, lavender-enriched showers can help reduce stress.

Creating Your Own DIY Essential Oil Shower Blend

Using essential oils can be a highly personalized experience. Essential oils have a wide variety of scents and can be used for an array of therapeutic uses. If you want to reap the benefits of multiple essential oils in a single shower routine, you can DIY your own essential oil shower blends. 

For morning showers, use essential oils with citrus or minty scents to start your day with a zing. Tangerine, lemon, eucalyptus, and peppermint are good options. If you want your morning shower to prepare you for the day, you can also use essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties to potentially wash away body aches or lethargy. 

For showers at night, use essential oils with a calming scent and sedative properties. Chamomile, ylang-ylang, and lavender essential oils are proven to promote sleep and reduce stress. 

Alternatively, you can check out our essential oil blends. We’ve carefully formulated the perfect essential oil blends to use in your shower routine. Our citrus oil blend is great to use for morning showers as it contains the essential oils of sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, tangerine, and vanilla. For nighttime showers, use our bedtime essential oil blend, featuring essential oils including lavender, chamomile, cedarwood, and bergamot.

Ways to Incorporate Essential Oils in Your Shower Routine

Most people have an everyday shower routine. Some shower routines are elaborate and some incorporate only a single, all-in-one product. No matter what kind of routine you have, there’s a way you can add essential oils to your shower products. 

Essential Oils in Skincare Products

Essential oils are now frequently used in skincare formulations. Many essential oils contain skin-friendly anti-oxidant and anti-aging compounds that can make a great addition to your shower routine. You can add essential oils to your shower cream or body wash, and continue using it as part of your regular routine. Or you can dilute essential oils in a carrier oil and massage it into your skin before stepping into the shower. 

If you have acne-prone skin, then you may benefit from using essential oils with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Lemongrass essential oil, tea tree essential oil, and rosemary are all proven to help destroy acne-causing bacteria. To use, dilute a few drops of your chosen essential oil in a carrier oil. You can use rosehip oil, which is a carrier oil packed with omega-6 acid, vitamin A, and vitamin C; all of these ingredients absorb well into the skin and may keep acne at bay. 

For healthy, hydrated skin, you can use essential oils with anti-oxidant and hydrating compounds. Lavender essential oil is a powerhouse with glutathione, making it great for anti-aging and brightening the skin. It also soothes the skin and may be used to treat dry skin and eczema. 

Essential Oils in Hair Care Products

Adding essential oils to your hair care routine is a convenient way to attain healthy, shiny hair. Simply mix in a few drops of essential oil into your shampoo or conditioner. If you want deeper nourishment, dilute essential oils in a carrier oil and massage them into your scalp. 

Rosemary and clary sage essential oils have been researched to stimulate hair follicles and improve hair growth. According to a 2015 study, the efficacy of rosemary essential oil was compared with 2% minoxidil. Findings showed that the effects of both were comparable. 

Essential oils can also be used to cleanse and hydrate the scalp. Tea tree oil has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it a great cleanser for the hair and scalp.

Best Diffusers to Use in the Shower

Bathrooms are often small spaces that are not ventilated well. Using an essential oil diffuser in the bathroom or shower can be tricky. You might run into issues such as not having enough space to place your diffuser or not having any electrical sockets to plug it in. This makes it tough to decide which diffuser to use. The following sections will serve as a guide for the suitability of the different types of diffusers for use in the shower.

Nebulizing Diffusers

Nebulizing diffusers intermittently spray a fine mist of undiluted essential oil in the air. The device is usually small, with a height of around 3-5 inches. Most nebulizing diffusers don’t need to be plugged in and are portable, which means that you can set them wherever you want in your bathroom. They also have different settings that control how much oil the diffuser sprays into the air. 

To use, add pure essential oil (no water) into the diffuser reservoir, and turn it on. You can also set a timer to control how long the diffuser sprays the mist. These diffusers are highly suitable for use in the shower as they can easily be set on a small countertop or on a shower shelf. Additionally, these diffuse essential oil in the air much faster than other types, making them easy to use if you’re in a rush. 

Ultrasonic Diffusers 

Ultrasonic diffusers use sound waves to break down essential oil molecules. These diffusers are commonly used in home care and improve the air by adding moisture. Ultrasonic diffusers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, some tall with a small base and some short with a wide base. The size also depends on the water capacity of the diffuser. 

When looking for an ultrasonic diffuser to use in the shower, it’s important to find a balance between size and mist strength. While smaller models are easier to use in the bathroom, they tend to produce a weaker mist and take longer to diffuse the essential oils. Our dark wood essential oil diffuser is a reliable choice as it is compact and can diffuse at full strength for long hours. You can place it on the bathroom counter and enjoy a spa-like shower experience. 

Evaporative Diffusers

These diffusers are easy to use, inexpensive, and come in many different forms. Evaporative diffusers are generally made of absorbent materials such as reed, clay, or stone. They are usually small and require no electricity or batteries. 

While these are quite convenient to use, they take a long while to diffuse essential oil. In order to take advantage of the benefits of essential oils through inhalation, you will have to place your evaporative diffuser into the shower cabin at least 20 to 30 minutes prior to taking your shower. 

Some evaporative diffusers, known as fan diffusers, evaporate essential oil much faster. They blow air through an absorbent pad soaked in essential oil to quicken the evaporation process. Fan diffusers have all the benefits of regular evaporative diffusers while adding the benefit of quick diffusion. These are great to use in the shower. 

DIY Shower Diffusers 

There are several ways you can make your own diffusers to use in the shower. An ingenious way to use essential oils in the shower is to DIY essential oil shower steamers. These work like bath bombs but are made differently. Shower streamers require only about four ingredients, citric acid, baking soda, cornstarch, and a splash of water.

Add 1 cup each of citric acid and cornstarch, 2 cups of baking soda, and a little more than ⅓ cup of water. Mix your dry ingredients, and add water slowly to the mixture until it begins to thicken. When you’ve added your water, add between 100-120 drops of your chosen essential oil and mix well. Once done, add the mixture to a mold and wait for it to dry completely. 

To use, pop your shower streamer out of the mold and run it under shower water. Once it is wet, place it in a bowl and keep it away from the shower stream. Make sure not to place the shower streamer directly on the floor to avoid getting the shower floor slippery.

Tips for Including Essential Oils in Your Shower Routine

The first step to including essential oils in your shower routine is to tune into your body’s needs and identify areas you feel like improving. This will help you focus on exactly the essential oils you need to use. For example, if you have dry skin, you’ll want to use hydrating and moisturizing essential oils. If you have an irritated scalp or skin, you can use soothing and calming essential oils. 

Secondly, make sure to dilute and patch-test essential oils whenever you plan to use them topically. Some essential oils can be irritating if they’re not diluted and may cause a reaction. In particular, skin on the scalp tends to be sensitive to allergens and irritation. Always patch-test your diluted essential oil mixture, whether you mix it in your bath products or in a carrier oil. 

Our third tip concerns the safe use of diffusers in the shower. To prevent the risk of electrical shock, we recommend ensuring that you place your diffuser on a dry surface and plug it in before turning on the shower. Do not handle your diffuser with wet hands and keep it positioned away from water contact points. 

Final Thoughts on Using Essential Oils in the Shower

Treating yourself to a shower routine enriched with essential oils not only has potential benefits for your physical health but also may do wonders for your mental well-being. It serves as a self-care opportunity, providing a much-needed break from chores and work. You can also utilize this time to observe a few minutes of mindfulness as you take in the relaxing scent and therapeutic benefits of essential oils.