Soothing Eucalyptus Shower

Wintertime brings a longing for coziness. With the excitement of Christmas past, many of us find ourselves in the midst of endless cold, gray days. Visions of blankets, hot cups of tea, and good books might be dancing in our heads instead of those sugarplum fairies.

One of my favorite cozy winter activites is a nice hot shower. Even if I’ve taken my usual quick shower in the morning, sometimes I’ll indulge in an extra one right before bed just to relax, unwind, and warm myself before crawling under the covers in our chilly bedroom. (Did I mention our room is the coldest in the house? It’s about 5 degrees colder than the other rooms because it has 3 exterior walls and is on the corner of the house, catching all the cold wind whipping up the hill. Brr…)

As an extra special treat, I buy a bundle of fresh eucalyptus from Trader Joe’s and hang it from the shower head! It’s only $3.99 for a decent bouquet. Sorry if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s – a lot of people have told me they wish they had one closer!

Benefits of eucalyptus in the shower:

• The steam of the shower releases the oils from the leaves, resulting in a wonderfully soothing aromatherapy experience.
• Having fresh greenery in the shower is visually calming and refreshing.
• Eucalyptus steam can help with wintertime colds and congestion.*

To hang it in the shower:

• Remove all packaging from the eucalyptus.
• Wrap a long piece of kitchen twine several times around the base of the bouquet and tie with a knot.
• Tie it to the top of the shower head neck so that that end is sticking up above the pipe (see photo). This helps keep it out of the stream of water. You will need to loop the twine around the shower pipe and back around the eucalyptus to achieve this height.

A few tips:

• Try to keep the leaves out of the direct stream of water – this will keep them fresh longer and prevent them from getting moldy.
• Mine usually lasts about a week. Remove it when it starts to dry out or sooner if it starts to grow mold.

Please note that eucalyptus should be used carefully:

• The oils should not be ingested by anyone – they can cause seizures or be fatal if consumed. Keep the leaves out of the reach of children and pets.
• Eucalyptus steam may not be right for everyone, especially young children or those who have a history of asthma or breathing problems.
• *I am not a medical professional. Please use your own discretion and/or consult a doctor if you are unsure how these tips will affect you based on your health history.

All that being said, I find eucalyptus in the shower to be a delightful winter treat and I hope it’s one you enjoy as well!

It’s so important to take time to care for ourselves – even if that’s just by incorporating little things into our usual tasks that make them all the more enjoyable and rejuvenating!

Happy New Year to you all! Please let me know if you try this and how you like it!