Essential oils can be very effective when it comes to many health issues, including sleep. Whether you can’t get to sleep or can’t stay asleep, there are specific essential oils that have been proven to improve sleep. Today, let’s learn which essential oils are helpful and make a petroleum free, organic DIY sleep balm!
Who can say they get too much quality sleep? Not many of us, I’m guessing. So many factors affect sleep. The two big ones for me are stress and hormones-oh and my daughter’s new cat, August Banks. He likes to rearrange his poop and pee in the litter box at least twice a night and enjoys knocking random objects off table tops around 4 in the morning. Insert teeth gritted emoji.
I’m sure many of you have kiddos waking up in the middle of the night and snoring spouses. Once we hit a certain age, sleep becomes a rare commodity not a given. I’m all about finding natural remedies to help me relax besides wine-lol! I’m hoping some of you will find success with this DIY sleep balm. It’s very affordable and natural remedy with zero side effects.
Badger’s Sleep Balm gets great reviews so I decided to buy it, mainly so I could smell it and then DIY it for you all! I will say though-this little balm is very inexpensive and comes in a super cute tin. Plus they offer 2 sizes-.75 and 2 ounces.
INGREDIENTS:
Sleep Balm Ingredients:*◊Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, *Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Peel Oil, *Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil, *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Verbenone) Leaf Oil, *Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, *Abies Balsamea (Balsam Canada) Needle Oil and *Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract. * = Certified Organic ◊ = Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For poetic badgers and other restless wanderers. This dreamy, night balm will not make you sleepy (it’s not a drug); rather it’s a calming, soothing blend of essential oils to help ease you into a relaxed state of mind so sleep can come naturally. Apply anywhere—your lips, chest, temples or hands—and inhale the aromatic smell of a wonderful night’s sleep. Rosemary promotes clear thinking, Bergamot is mentally uplifting, and Balsam Fir is refreshing, like a walk in the woods, while Lavender is relaxing. The perfect balm for the nights when you need to quiet your mind and get to sleep.
Lavender for Better Sleep:
In a 2005 study, 31 young people were tested and what was discovered was that they all had improved slow and deep wave sleep.
There have been many studies done in favor of lavender essential oil aiding in sleep quality.
What You’ll Need to Make DIY Sleep Balm:
- 1/4 cup Organic-Cold Pressed Olive Oil (find it HERE)
- 1 tbsp. Beeswax pellets (find it HERE)
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- 10 drops Bergamot Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- 4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil (find it HERE) **
- 4 drops Peru Balsam Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- 3 drops Ginger Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- Lip Balm Containers (find tins HERE and lip balm tubes HERE or you could use a 2 ounce glass jar HERE)
- Pyrex measuring cup (find it HERE)
- Medium saucepan
- Spoon or Stir Sticks
- Cups & Tablespoons
DIY Lavender Bergamot Sleep Balm
If you are having sleep issues, making this easy essential oil rich balm just might be the remedy you're looking for! Made of fresh olive oil and beeswax plus several powerful essential oils. This balm is easy to make and can also be used as a lip balm or even foot balm!
Materials
- 1/4 cup Organic-Cold Pressed Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp. Beeswax pellets
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 10 drops Bergamot Essential Oil
- 4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- 4 drops Peru Balsam Essential Oil
- 3 drops Ginger Essential Oil
Tools
- Lip Balm Containers
- Pyrex measuring cup
- Medium saucepan
- Spoon or Stir Sticks
- Cups & Tablespoons
Instructions
- Fill a medium sized pot, 1/2 way full with water and place on the stove top.
- Place a glass Pyrex measuring cup with spout into the water.
- Turn the stove top to medium heat.
- Add Olive Oil and beeswax to your glass cup and melt.
- Once melted, remove from heat and add your essential oils.
- Pour into a container and allow to cool and harden.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 2 ounces.
- The shelf life of this balm is about 6 mos. Keep it closed and free from water.
- **Rosemary essential oil should not be used on children under 10 years of age. A great substitute for rosemary is Scots pine. However, I'm not sure scotch pine is helpful when it comes to sleep issues. Roman chamomile is gentle and effective with relaxation so it would be a great substitute. You could also omit it all together and add 4 extra drops of lavender.
How to Use:
Apply under your nose, lips or temples. You can also apply to your wrists or neck. I like to apply to my feet for extra moisturizing benefits!
**As mentioned above, this balm contains Rosemary essential oil which is not recommended for children, However, there were many testimonials of mom’s singing it’s praises. I never new this about rosemary until a few weeks ago and have always used rosemary on my children.
If I had a baby that was having sleep troubles, I would substitute the rosemary for more lavender and apply to the bottom of it’s feet before bedtime. You could also massage into their back. Essential oils are so potent that you will want to do your research on which essential oils are not recommended for pregnancy, babies and young children.
I also love to diffuse during the night. Diffusing lavender can be very relaxing. A warm bath with lavender bath salt is also extremely helpful. Don’t forget a lavender pillow spray too!
One of my biggest tips is to turn all your electronics to airplane mode or get them out of the bedroom all together. It makes a HUGE difference.
Since this post, I have written a post about different successful remedies for sleeplessness you might find helpful.
This is a really fun and easy DIY and it smells so good! Bergamot and Lavender are my favorite duo! And of course, if you’d like to skip this DIY, find the original Badger Sleep Balm HERE. And as for Auggie Banks-hopefully one day soon he’ll grow out of this kitten stage!! It’s 2 PM and he’s been sound asleep for over 3 hours-go figure.
Essential Oil Inhalers:
Essential oil inhalers are an incredible way to reap the benefits of essential oils by inhalation. Inhalers are easy to find and very affordable on Amazon. I keep my “sleep potion” inhaler by my bed every night and inhale deeply several times for added help with sleeping.
Sleep Potion Inhaler Recipe:
- 6 drops lavender
- 5 drops cedarwood
- 4 drops clary sage
Where to get the Best Essential Oils:
When using essential oils, high quality, organic oils are a must. I typically get my essential oils from Plant Therapy. I love that they offer organic oils that are affordable. Plus they offer fast and free shipping. You can use my code JENNIRAINCLOUD to get 10% off your order!
And yes, I am strangling him in this picture. Totally kidding.
xx, Jenni
How Print Your Own Label:
Printing your own labels is easy. First you’ll need THESE labels. Then head to THIS website. Once there, follow the directions below.
- Templates
- Design and print online
- Start a new project:8293
- Double click the blank template
- Go to the images tab
- Add image
- Either set as background or stretch it across the label template yourself (I do it myself because my printer cuts the pic off if I don’t)
- Preview and print
- Print it yourself
- Choose how many labels you want to print and hit PRINT NOW.
**Unfortunately I could not find the artist who created this cute picture of the sleeping bear.**
PIN IT!!!
I have purchased the Badger sleep balm in the past and really liked it. Very cool that you made your own. The scent really is relaxing. And I take magnesium every night before bed. I use Natural Calm. It’s part of my routine and I love the tart fizzy taste. I definitely think it helps me sleep better.
Elizabeth-I have been hearing non stop about Natural Calm. I’m going to have to try it all though there is such a thing as getting too much magnesium and I am still taking the BioCleanse from Plexus. I am afraid it might be too much but I’m so curious!
One of my closest girlfriends absolutely swears by this stuff to get her bubba off to sleep and is very quick to recommend it to new mums. Great post 🙂
Thanks Beth! I love it too and it was so easy to recreate!
Jenni, I noticed that the original formula by Badger Balm has castor oil in it. I was thinking about substituting 1/16 cup castor oil and 3/16 cups EVOO to try to get it closer to the BB recipe. Any thoughts or ideas?
Hi Zach! I’m not sure why they use castor oil so I left it out. In my research, I have heard that castor oil can be drying. I have no idea how much they actually use since I’m not sure what it’s purpose is. I think the essential oils are what really help with the sleep. Good luck!
I love Badger Balm and am very interested in trying this! I made my own hand salve recently from another natural DIY website which as shea butter in it. I love the idea of adding shea for added moisture on my hands at night. However, the salve I made has started separating, producing some oily pockets and small harder flecks. I’m wondering what’s made it do this (and left a comment on that site for some insight)… After seeing your recipe, I’m suspecting the amount of olive oil may be the culprit since that recipe calls for 1/2 cup olive oil to 1 TBSP beeswax (and adds 2 TBSP shea butter). Have you come across this issue of oil separation with this salve? If not, I may just have to test out your recipe (with half the olive oil) and see how that goes! Thanks 🙂
Breeze-You’re right, it’s probably too much oil, too little beeswax. You should be able to remelt and add a bit more beeswax-maybe even another full tablespoon and it should fix it!
It says this bslm is safe for kids but Rosemary essential oil should only be used on children age 10 and over (what I have seen in my research). Just wanting to clarify if you heard otherwise
Danielle-I have never heard that rosemary isn’t safe for children. It seems a bit overly cautious to me especially in a recipe where it is highly diluted. I personally don’t have an issue using it on my kiddos.
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I read that Rosemary is not recommended for kids under 10yrs old. Can you provide a safer alternative for children?
Karina-Hi! You’re right-Rosemary is not recommended for children under 10. I just recently learned that and had no idea. A great alternative to rosemary is Scotch Pine. Tea tree and Frankincense are also safe as well.
I need to dive into more research on essential oil safety and children and get a post going. My kids are much older and I forget how careful you must be with little ones!
Jenni, I have been on your site many times and love all the information that you provide. There are usually reasons for a specific item and your site seems to be the best I have found. I have been having problems with sleep for years and was curious if something could be used to help and ran across your Sleep Balm. I have all the ingredients and plan on making to this afternoon to see if it helps my sleep tonight. Thank you for all of the information and knowledge that you hand out so freely. You’re an inspiration to people that are looking for help and you give it. I will post again with an update on the sleep balm, and it may take several nights for me to find it works. Again, thank you.
Mary-Thank you so much!! I so appreciate these kind words. Sorry for taking so long to respond. I have taken a long break from blogging and just now came back to my comments. I hope this worked for you. Sleep issues are so frustrating. Have you seen my post on more natural sleep remedies? It might help as well.