How to Make Winter Hair & Skin Tonic

At the beginning of winter, I like to make what I call “Winter Tonic,” which is really just some oils mixed together. Here’s the recipe:

Heat one cup coconut oil until just melted. Add 15-20 drops each of organic lavender and eucalyptus essential oils. Store the mixture out of direct sunlight in a small glass container with a lid.

About every other week, I apply this tonic to my hair and scalp and let it absorb for a few hours before I shampoo. This is harder to do in the summer, because the coconut oil melts and drips down my face. Wintertime is perfect because the air is cooler, so the melting is kept to a minimum. Besides, my hair gets super-dry in the winter, so this is the time of year when my locks can really use the extra moisture.

Another great use for this tonic is to hydrate your skin.It seems counter-intuitive to put oil directly on your skin, I know. But try it, and you’ll see why I like it: It absorbs completely after several minutes, and the hydration it provides is long-lasting rather than a temporary fix for dry skin. Coconut oil also has anti-microbial properties, thanks to its high content of lauric acid. I like to rub the tonic onto my face at night before bed, so it can absorb while I sleep.

I recently discovered that this tonic is a great way to soothe inflamed sinuses. Remember when you were a kid and your mom would rub Vicks Vapo-rub onto your chest at night? I tried doing that with this tonic, and it worked really well. I did make the mixture stronger than the above recipe (about 30 drops of eucalyptus), and I rubbed it under my nose as well. The lavender provided the added bonus of soothing my nerves.

There are so many uses for this tonic, it’s amazing. Make a larger batch and store it in containers all over your house, I’m sure you’ll find it to be handy for beating those wintertime blues.