If you clicked on this blog to read about what essential oils are good to combat sinus congestion, you will be disappointed. While I can tell you that peppermint and eucalyptus can indeed help you breathe easier, that will not be the topic of this post. This entry will hopefully save a massage therapist from making the same mistake that I made one winter.
I have always loved adding scents to my oils and most of my clients enjoy that little extra touch. As a rule I sprinkle peppermint around the face cradle to help clients relax and breathe easier. For my massage oils I mix it up a bit and blend essential oils for specific purposes. Say for instance my client has a headache...I might rub some lavender oil at the base of their skull. Or tight muscles might get black pepper blended with chamomile. But my go-to massage oil for relaxation is typically neroli aka honeysuckle.
Several years ago I was battling my usual sinus problems and it was not uncommon for me to take antihistamines and use nasal spray on a daily basis. It was during that time frame that I mixed up a fresh batch of my relaxation oil. When all the oils were blended I did my sniff test to see if the aroma was pleasant--but not overpowering. I sniffed but could not smell the honeysuckle at all so I added a few more drops and sniffed the mix again. Same results so I added a few more drops. This time the fragrance was perfect.....or so I thought.
When my clients arrived the next day I used my new batch of honeysuckle scented oil and did not notice anything out of the norm. The two clients I massaged did not mention any problems or have any complaints so I was still under the impression that my mixture was just dandy.
The next morning my first client called and asked me what kind of oil I had used on him the day before. I told him it was the same stuff I always used and then I inquired why he was asking. He told me that when he had arrived at his home, his wife had complained about how bad he smelled and she ordered him into the shower. He was chuckling about the incident and I apologized profusely and halfheartedly thought it might have been my oil but we both wrote it off as his wife having a super sensitive nose.
Later that day my second client called and asked me if I had used a new oil on him because his wife had told him he smelled so bad that she had gotten a headache from his odor. His wife demanded he strip off his clothes and put them in their garage until HE could find time to wash them or throw them in the garbage cans by the curb. Again I apologized profusely and told him to hold the phone line while I checked my oil as he was not the only client that had noticed a difference.
I ran into my treatment room, opened the cap on my oil and was physically assaulted by the most sickening sweet and totally obnoxious mixture of honeysuckle that I had ever encountered. I returned to the phone and told him how truly sorry I was and then I explained what had happened with my stuffy nose. We both had a good laugh and I promised to never use that stuff on him again. I called my other client back and relayed my sinus story to him and had another good laugh. From that day forward my faux pas was known as "that stinky oil" and I have never mixed an oil when I had a stuffy nose.
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