You may have seen swooning Victorian heroines or fussy old ladies reaching for their smelling salts in the movies. Traditional smelling salts are scented with ammonia, but you can make them with lovely essential oils. The recipe below can be carried in a sachet or placed directly in a bath. This recipe uses a combination of eucalyptus, lemongrass and peppermint oils, but you can use any scents you like.


Steps

1. Mix 1 cup epsom salts and 1/4 cup kosher or sea salt in a large mixing bowl or sturdy plastic bag.
2. Add 6-8 drops of essential oil, depending on how strong you would like the scent. A sinus clearing scent can be produced with 2 drops of eucalyptus oil, 2 drops of peppermint essential oil, and 2 drops of lemongrass essential oil.
3. Stir thoroughly. Using a chopstick or silicone spatula helps coat the salts evenly.
4. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring.
5. To use as bath salts, place the finished product in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.
6. To use as smelling salts, sew a small pillow out of cheesecloth or fine lace. Add the salts and sew shut.

Tips

• Essential oils are not the same as the food essences found in the baking aisle. Essential oils can be found at natural food stores and vitamin stores. Two good brands are Auracacia and Nature's Alchemy .
• Migraines and sinus headache pain and congestion may be alleviated with smelling salts.

Warnings

• If using smelling salts to treat a migraine, be careful. Extremely strong scents can worsen nausea.