Homemade Bedtime Lotion: Having trouble falling asleep? Try treating yourself to a calming homemade body lotion, filled with scents of lavender, chamomile, and other soothing essential oils! This is one of our family favorites for use on myself, the hubs, and the kids!
Having a child with Autism, night time is a huge ordeal for us. For months, we used melatonin (under a doctor’s supervision) in attempts to make the bedtime transition run smoother. While it would help our daughter fall asleep, it did nothing for helping her stay asleep…come 4 am she was up and ready to go for the day.
So we went down the list of recommendations desperately looking for any solution…
We gave weighted blankets a try. We even made our own weighted fleece tie blanket. They worked wonders for helping her fall asleep- but, the minute she tossed and turned and kicked it off she was up and ready to play.
We tried out white noise machines and fell in love with The First Years Sounds of Silence Deluxe Sound Machine. This again though did wonders for helping her calm down and reach sleep, but did little for helping her stay asleep for a full eight hours.
We tried routines, turning off all electronics 2 hours before bedtime, heavy window curtains, massage, and bright-light therapy in the morning…results all the same– it would help her fall asleep, but not stay asleep.
Everyone in our house was affected. So we gave a rule a try, she could get up whenever she woke up as long as she stayed in her room until 7am. For awhile this worked beautifully. She followed the rules and entertained herself with quiet time doing activities like drawing and reading. And then the behaviors started to build (I can only assume from lack of sleep)…and the destruction begun. It reached the point of waking up, entering her room, and not being able to see a single space on her floor. Hangers empty – drawers empty – trash cans dumped- books flung about…a disaster and at a level that this solution was no longer a safe option unless I was to removed every single thing from her room, which at that point it wouldn’t really work anyways as there would be nothing for her to do to entertain herself.
And then a friend gave me this recipe with a hey just try it. And I am sold. Bedtime battles have been minimized. Morning struggles reduced. And in the time that we have been using this bedtime lotion Livia has been sleeping throughout the entire night–the full eight hours!
For Livia we are still using the weighted blanket and white noise machine. I have also given this lotion a try on myself, and while it doesn’t knock me out, the nights that I use it I sleep hard…and it’s wonderful!
Ingredients Needed for Homemade Bedtime Lotion:
- 1 cup coconut oil (buy here
)
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 10 drops Stress Away Essential Oil
- 10 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 10 drops Purification Essential Oil
NOTE: If you are interested in using Young Living Oils in your home you can learn more about the Young Living Wholesale Membership or email me at stephanie@parentingchaos.com for more information. Please, for your safety, always buy your oils directly from the company that created them (or their reps), no matter which oil brand you use. While some companies do have an Amazon store front, Young Living is not one of them.
How to Make Your Own Homemade Bedtime Lotion:
Coconut oil is one of my favorite mediums to use when making lotions and rubs at home because it is easy to work with, easy to find, and is known to have a ton of health benefits! Adding essential oils to coconut oil is a very simple and frugal way to make your own lotions at home! If you prefer a firmer lotion you will also need to purchase and add in some beeswax. I personally do not use beeswax in my products.
In a glass bowl you are going to want to warm up your coconut oil. You do not want it to get hot, just melt. I simply put mine by our oven when I cook and it liquefies simply just sitting next to the oven. Others that I have talked to simply pop theirs in the microwave for 10 seconds. DO NOT warm up your oils.
Once your coconut oil is liquid you can add in your oils. Make sure that it isn’t hot or that it isn’t going to “cook” your oils. Exposing your oils to higher heats will negate their efficiency so that is super important if you want your lotion to do more than just smell good.
Add in 10 drops of each oil to your coconut oil and mix it all together.
Transfer to your container of choice and set aside to cool down.
As the coconut oil cools it will harden. You will have a consistency that is firm yet will melt when touched making it incredibly easy to apply.
Super simple and incredibly effective!
What Do These Four Essential Oils Do?
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): has a fresh, sweet, floral, herbaceous aroma that is soothing and refreshing. Because it is the most versatile of all essential oils, no home should be without it. Lavender is an adaptogen, and therefore can assist the body when adapting to stress or imbalances. It is a great aid for relaxing and winding down before bedtime, yet has balancing properties that can also boost stamina and energy.
Stress Away: essential oil blend is a natural solution created to combat normal stresses that creep into everyday life. Stress Away is the first product to contain the unique stress-relieving combination of lime and vanilla pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils. Stress Away also includes copaiba and lavender to reduce mental rigidity and restore equilibrium. Featuring powerful plant constituents, such as the cedrol found in cedarwood and the eugenol that occurs naturally in vanilla, Stress Away can help induce relaxation and reduce occasional nervous tension.
Lemon (Citrus limon): is cold-pressed from the rinds of lemons. Lemon has a strong, purifying, citrus scent that is revitalizing and amazing for supporting the nervous and sympathetic nervous system.
Purification Essential Oils: Use directly on skin to cleanse and soothe from the daily environmental impurities.
Related Posts You Will LOVE!
- Homemade Laundry Detergent
- DIY Diaper Cream
- How to Make Bath Crayons (The blend of oils used in this works GREAT for helping kids wind down for bedtime)!
- Chemical Free Garbage Disposal Cleaner
- Bedtime Bath Salts
And as always, feel free to reach out to me at stephanie@parentingchaos.com or in the comments. Although I have only been using Young Living for a year now, we have used oils in our home for over 10. While I don’t know it all, I am always willing to try to help you find the best solution for your family (even if that route is not Young Living).
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website.