For a while now, taking a luxurious bath has been the epitome of the self-care experience. In fact, one of the most shared articles on the Caviar & Cashmere Blog is the guide to a DIY Honey Rose Milk Bath. But if you’re not a bath person, or simply do not have one at your home, there’s another easy way to elevate your self-care experience: a eucalyptus shower.
Stepping into a hot shower can help release all the tension you’ve gathered after a long, stressful day. Now add in a minty sweet smell as it mixes with the steam from your shower—a distinctive scent that could only derive from an eucalyptus plant. The familiar scent we all know and love from spas around the world.
There is more to hanging eucalyptus in your shower than the scent and aesthetic, it actually boasts healing properties as well.
Eucalyptus has been shown to help relieve upper respiratory issues, which is why it’s often the active ingredient in over-the-counter chest rubs and used with humidifiers (I use this humidifier every night with an essential oil like this.) The steam of the shower releases the essential oils of the eucalyptus plant, which can clear nasal congestion and inflammation related to sinus and bronchial infections.
Setting up your eucalyptus shower is incredibly easy. First, you’ll need to locate some fresh eucalyptus. I recommend about 2 bushels. You can get it at a flower shop or your local Farmers Market. You can sometimes find eucalyptus at health food stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
Once you have your plants, an important step is remembering to hammer the leaves on a cutting board first to get the bubbly eucalyptus scent bubbling. Or, you can roll over them with a rolling pin, a wine bottle, whatever is heavy and on hand.
Once you have rolled them out, use a length of string or baker’s twine to tie them together securely (a rubber band will also do the trick.) Then, use another length of twine to tie the end of your bundle of eucalyptus to your shower head, as close to the wall as you can get it. (You want the eucalyptus to hang down along your shower wall, behind the stream of water and not in front of it.)
The last step… enjoy! The heat and steam of the shower activates the essential oils of the plant, and you will smell it immediately. The eucalyptus usually lasts two weeks hanging, and then will dry out. You can use the dried leaves in an arrangement, or toss, and replenish as necessary.
Photo by Domino Magazine
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