What is a Shower Steamer & How to Use It?
What is a Shower Steamer?
Aromatherapy Shower Steamers – A spa like experience from the comfort of your shower!
A shower steamer is essentially a bath bomb for your shower. It fizzes and releases essential oils in the air that gets carried by the steam for you to breathe it in. Carefully selected and blended essential oils create an amazing spa like experience that help promote relaxation and emotional wellbeing.
Why is everyone so obsessed with shower steamers?
Our shower steamers are made with pure essential oils for a true aromatherapy experience.
Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils or other naturally accruing occurring aromatic compounds to bring about physiological and emotional well-being. Aromatherapy has been used for centuries. When inhaled the scent particles in the essential oils are thought to stimulate the olfactory receptor, also called smell receptor which in turn connects to certain areas in your brain that affect your emotions.
Be it anxiety, stress, lethargy or lack of sleep or joy, essential oils may help reduce the symptoms and improve emotional wellbeing.
The benefits can vary depending on the specific essential oil used. For example, lavender is known to calm and aid with relaxation and spearmint is a known stimulant.
We usually start or finish the day with a shower. Heat, steam and the relaxing feeling of water running over our skin makes for a perfect aromatherapy environment.
Where to Start & How to Choose the Right Steamer for You?
When it comes to picking the correct steamer for you, ask yourself what is it that you are looking to achieve and what benefits are you after?
For example, Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Mentholated steamers that are loaded with menthol are best suited to help with sinus issues. Rosemary and Basil are known to aid with memory, clarity of mind and focus while Lavender and Vetiver may help promote relaxation and a better night sleep.
With over 30 various blended scents to pick from, it can be quite confusing where to start. Hence, unless there is a specific purpose like “Need a Sinus Assist”, or “much needed TLC”, we recommend our “Rainbow” starter pack which allows you to explore and experiment with steamers and help narrow down what you like while also giving you 6 full-sized shower steamers to test out.
We’ve also carefully selected & combined steamers in various packs with a particular effect in mind. For example, if you are after calming relaxing options pick “Recover Pack”. If you are looking for mentholated bunch, try our “Winter is Coming” pack. We even have a pack that may help with the “blah” feeling that you get after a big night out, called the “Morning After”.
How to Use a Shower Steamer
The addition of an aromatherapy shower steamer to your daily shower routine is an easy and cost-effective way to make the most of your precious “ME TIME”. It also adds a touch of luxury to your usual shower routine. There are various ways to use your aromatherapy shower steamers. Below are some of the most common methods that we have tried so far.
Method 1: Place the steamer tablet or a segment of it on the shower floor away from the direct shower stream. Let water splashes from your showering to activate the tablet, that will release the oils and vapor into the air. The heat and steam will carry it upwards for you to breathe in.
Method 2: Put a segment or a steamer in a bowl (not aluminium or plastic, it reacts with essential oils). Get in the shower, add some water to the bowl and let the steamer dissolve. You can either place the bowl at head level height or on a ledge (as close to your face as you can) or you could splash the water on the shower wall of glass, above head high and let it drip down. The surface wall area and the heat from the steam helps disperse the essential oils in the air for you to breathe in.
Method 3: Put the steamer or a part of it in an organza bag and hang it to the shower head or on a shower basket at head height. Splash some water on the steamer to activate it. Note: please do not let steamer mix drip on your skin.
Method 4: While in the shower grab a shower steamer or segment, wet it and draw with it on the wall or glass, leaving steamer residues that can be easily cleaned at the end of shower.
Remember the whole point of Aromatherapy is for you to be able to inhale the aroma… the further away from you the steamer is the weaker it will seem, also a shower cubicle that is open and drafty will be less effective… in these instances try to keep the steamer close so you can inhale the beautiful aromas we have on offer.
How long does a shower steamer last?
Our steamers can be easily broken into 4 pieces, one full tablet lasts from 8-15 minutes, depending how close or far from the water stream it is. They need to get wet to activate. But don’t drench them or hold them under direct water stream as they’ll fizz out too fast!! The essential oils in the tablet need surface area to travel to be able to release its vapour so keep away from the drain. You do not want the oils to just drain away too fast. If you have never used a steamer before; start with ¼ of a tablet and go from there, adjust your dosage (so to say) until it is to your liking. I like to use ½ of a steamer per shower or ¼ if I’m having a fast summer shower. And I personally prefer method 2 of use.
How To Break & Store Your Shower Steamers
For most part all our steamer tablets will snap just by applying a bit of pressure either side while holding with your hands. Just like snapping a chocolate bar, just thicker.
However, from time to time some tablets are more stubborn than others especially the mentholated ones). In that case I like to get a rolling pin or a hammer out. Wrap the naked steamer in a towel and give it a wack, then wrap the broken pieces back in the bag to keep them fresh.
Store wrapped in a dry, dark place away from UV lights and humidity before use. Essential Oils can be affected by the sunlight or evaporate if not properly stored.
For best aromatherapy experience Use within 3 months from purchase.
Although Aromatherapy Shower Steamers may help with sleep improvement, soothe stress and anxiety, help you wake up and energise, may alleviate headaches bring on clarity, alertness and a general mood booster, here are EBB we are not medical professionals. Therefore, we recommend you check with your medical practitioner before using aromatherapy showers steamers for medicinal purpose or if you are pregnant or have any health concerns regarding the use of essential oils.
Quality & ingredients
All our products are proudly made by our production fairies here in Australia using the best of ingredients we can find on the market. All ingredients used in making our steamers are listed on the product pages together with the names of essential oils blended.
Helpful Tips & Tricks
The effect of the steamer also depends on the type of shower you have A nice hot shower with lots of steam is the best environment for an aromatherapy steamer. Closed in cabins are best as the steam is trapped inside and the scent gets stronger as you shower. An open plan shower lets most of the steam escape the immediate area hence the essential oils travel away from you and the effect is not as strong. In this case we recommend using Method 2 for use. You may have to experiment to get it right. Bu using a bowl you are trapping the oils and not letting them drain away too fast. You can leave the bowl in the shower for couple of days after as an air freshener.
Stop/pause the air vents while showering to help trap more steam in the cabin, this will increase the fragrance strength.
DO NOT USE AS A BATH BOMB or directly on the skin: Contains high concentration of essential oils. Also, a lot of them are made with menthol
