Insomnia got you up at night? Don’t take sleeping pills! It’s easy to learn how to make sleep balm and customize it to what’s keeping you from falling asleep.
As an insomniac, I’m always on the lookout for natural sleep aids. I like sleep balms because they’re a great drug-free way to fall asleep naturally.
To be honest, you could just run down to the store and buy some, but why do that when you can make your own sleepy time rub in less than 15 minutes?
What You’ll Need to Make your Sleep Balm
Before you begin, make sure you have everything you need in one spot. This recipe moves pretty fast once you start, and you don’t want your balm to set before you’re ready to pour.
Supplies you’ll need:
1 Tbsp Beeswax Pellets (Hard to find, but I got mine from Amazon)
1 Tbsp Jojoba Oil
2 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil
30 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
30 Drops Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil
20 Drops Sweet Marjoram Oil
Mason pint jar
Wooden Chopstick or Kebab Stick
Small metal or glass tins
It’s important to use only glass or metal containers with tight-fitting lids. When you make your sleep rub, you’re making it without any preservatives. If your balm gets moisture or dirt in it, it will spoil and go rancid.
DIY Sleep Balm Recipe: Step by Step
Bring a small saucepan of water to boil, then turn on low heat and keep the water on a low simmer.
I don’t like to use containers I eat out of, so I use a Mason pint jar to mix the oils and essential oils in. Place the Mason jar in the simmering water. Next, add the beeswax pellets and the coconut and jojoba oils.
Using your wooden stick, stir the wax and oils together until completely melted. High heat can degrade the effectiveness of the essential oils. Turn the burner off, then stir in the essential oils.
Lay out your metal tins or glass jars onto a cookie sheet, then pour the balm mixture in. Be sure to use a towel to wipe off the pint jar when you take it out of the pan because you don’t want any water running into your balm when you pour it into your containers.
Set aside your tins to cool, which should take about 30 minutes to an hour. Once it’s cool, screw on the lid and store in a cool place. Your sleep balm will keep for about a year.
This recipe makes about 4 ounces of sleep balm.
How to Make Sleep Balm Work Best
The aromatherapy from the essential oils is what will help you sleep, so it’s important to rub your sleep balm into points on your body that will help them diffuse.
After you’ve had a nice long soak in sleep inducing bath salts, rub the balm on your lips, temples, other pulse points, like your wrists, and under your nose. You can even apply the rub to the soles of your feet and stomach.
Unlike most sleep aids, you can’t overdose on sleep balm, so feel free to use it as a body butter to moisturize your whole body and let the essential oils diffuse into the air so you can sleep better.
How to Make Sleep Balm Customized to Your Needs
One of the reasons I prefer to make my own sleep rub is because I can add different essential oils for different insomnia symptoms
It can be confusing to know which essential oils work best for sleep, especially if you’ve never used them before. Here’s a quick overview of the most common insomnia symptoms and which oils can help.
Sleepy Essential Oils
Wide Awake at Bedtime - Valerian
Racing Mind - Chamomile
Stress and Anxiety - Ylang-Ylang
Waking Up in the Middle of the Night - Bergamot
Restlessness - Sweet Marjoram