Carrier Oils

If you've followed this blog or any other blog that talks about aromatherapy and essential oils, you've heard the term "carrier oil." Sometimes the term can be a bit confusing. So, I thought it was high time we eliminate the confusion and get down with some carrier oil information. Are you ready? Let's go  -->

Beating Winter Blues with Essential Oils

At least once during the year, I tend to suffer from what is known as the "winter blues". I grew up in western Oregon, where SAD (seasonal affective disorder: learn more HERE)  is fairly common. This winter, in Northern California, it has been sunny and spring-like more than it has been dreary and dismal. As a result, I have not experienced "the blues". I know that many friends are experiencing very wintery weather and may need a boost to beat their winter blues.

Smells like Love: A Book Review of "Scents & Scentuality"

As we enter the week of Valentine's Day, it is quite common to start pondering that age old question..how am I going to make this Valentine's Day special? This year, I am prepared with the knowledge I just learned by reading Valerie Ann Worwood's book, Scents & Scentuality: Aromatherapy & Essential Oils for Romance, Love and Sex. This book is packed with information on using essential oils to enhance your sex life. Sounds risque, right?! But it isn't! The book covers several topics and includes one such as making yourself feel more confident, and helping with reproductive problems and in both men and women. You will even find detailed drawings and directions on how to massage each other to strengthen your connection to each other. 

{Scented} Love Notes

In preparation for Valentine's Day, I have been making a few cards to send out to people. This brings back the memory of the box of cards my mom would buy from the pharmacy and bring them home to fill out. I would spend time writing the name of every kid in my class on those cards. After we spent time decorating our Valentine's box in class we were able to fill them up with cute little notes and treats. Do they still do that?

Do You Refrigerate? I do

What do you think of this concept...refrigerate your essential oils? I'm not gonna lie, when I first saw a few posts about this on Facebook, I thought...you can't be serious?! But like so many things, once I read about refrigerating oils, I had to find out more. Were people just being over the top or was there science behind this idea? The research began...

The more I read, the more I realized that most posts on the internet source back to this blog post {HERE} by Robert Tisserand. In regard to refrigeration, he states, that the prime temperature for essential oil storage is 35-38 degrees, which is a temperature you can get in the fridge. You can store your oils in the kitchen fridge - although he warns the food may taste like your oils, so be sure to put them in a box or plastic bag. 

Itch Stick

I have been looking for a recipe for a DIY anti-itch cream for about a year. As an outdoor enthusiast (even if it's just sitting in my lawn reading), I get a lot of bug bites or run into a number of plants that seem to cause me to get the "itches". With all my troubles of itching, it seemed as if a recipes for an anti-itch cream was illusive. 

Then I got a copy of  Aromahead Institute's book Essential Living, which you can purchase {HERE}. As a side note: I love this book and recommend you get a copy, it's full of recipes for home and body. As I was reading various recipes, this one jumped off of the screen at me. It uses ingredients that I have used in many other DIY body products and, even better, I had the three essential oils needed. Here's the recipe for you to try:

Goals

I just love the clean slate that a new year brings. The calender is empty and the possibilities seem endless. There are 365 days to do something to make the world better, be happier, be nicer and do the things that always get put off for another time. We're already two weeks in to 2014...time to get to work on my goals for this year!

A few years ago, I stopped making the preverbial New Year's resolutions and, instead, opted to start making New Year's goals. I wanted more than just a promise to start doing something good or different in the short term. A long range "goal" is what seemed appropriate for me...something to set my sights on for the remainder of the year.