Oh Ylang ylang! Often times called “flower of flowers” and “poor man’s Jasmine” it is one of the few aromatic flowers that can be distilled to obtain an essential oil. Many floral “oils” of aromatherapy and natural perfumery are technically “absolutes”, which are traditionally solvent extracted. Why is this so? So many flowers such asContinue reading “Plant Talk with Ylang Ylang Essential Oil”
Tag Archives: aromatherapy
Finding Alchemical Gold
What is alchemical Gold? Is it found in secret processes or divine intervention? A magician’s mindset? This essay weighs Gold and how to work with it.
Plant Talk with Laurel Essential Oil
Can you remember your first encounter with a specific plant and its essential oil? Laurel is one I still feel in my bones. To this day the same sensation arises each time I am with essential oil of Laurus nobilis. It helps me release the ideas of “should” and “could.” It gives me a gap, just enough, to boldly smile, laugh and say out loud that “I don’t care!” This power—boldness with humor—generates a lightness and drive, allowing me to emerge from the muck and mire of the paltry mind into an inner vitality that embodies the true meaning of Carpe Diem. This article is an invitation to spend more time with Laurel and its empowering essential oil.
Angelica Root Essential Oil
Have you met Angelica root and its gorgeously stabilizing and protective essential oil? There is much to share with you about this Angelic connector of “Light and Dark”.
Continue reading for plant highlights, key therapeutics and personality of Angelica Root essential oil and aromatherapy blending ideas.
Goldenrod Essential Oil
Goldenrod, often considered a roadside weed, offers many healing properties. It is a familiar face in North America’s late-summer landscape and one of the continent’s humble yet potent aromatic plants.
If Goldenrod is an aromatic plant, does that mean it creates essential oil? Absolutely! Continue reading for plant highlights, key therapeutics and personality of Goldenrod essential oil and aromatherapy blending ideas.
Make Your Own Lotion Bars
Butter Bar vs. Lotion Bar? Do you find it ironic how “lotion bars” have nothing to do with lotion? By definition, “lotion” contains an aqueous component. Lotion bars are, rather, more like harder salves that incorporate butters (e.g., cocoa, mango, shea) into wax and liquid oils. Definitions matter, because they help everyone get on theContinue reading “Make Your Own Lotion Bars”
Glossy Vegan Lip Balm
Breaking Through the Coconut Oil Barrier I ran out of my last stash of home-made lip balm the other day, which presented an opportunity to make a new batch to share with friends and clients. I wanted a vegan friendly option with shine that doesn’t rely on castor oil or coconut oil. Why? Those oilsContinue reading “Glossy Vegan Lip Balm”
Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Wild Carrot or Domesticated Carrot? Sometimes classified as a noxious weed by some states in North America, Queen Anne’s Lace has naturalized across fields, disturbed ground and along roadsides since the plant was introduced to North America. Although related to the edible carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativa), “carota” has a small, inedible, tough and whitishContinue reading “Carrot Seed Essential Oil”
Distillation: Dancing with Plants and Water
The Poetically Elemental Essence of Distillation Working with aromatic plants and their distilled essences is poetry. We are in-touch with the most volatile components able to come over the still carried by water in its gaseous state: steam. Water and distillation are essential (pun intended) for obtaining essential oils and hydrosols from the wonderful aromaticContinue reading “Distillation: Dancing with Plants and Water”
Plant Talk: Juniper Berry
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “Juniper Berry”? Maybe it’s “gin” or “cleansing” or even something like “wisdom”. This article features Juniperus communis, the most wide-spread conifer of the northern hemisphere whose plethora of berries may instill us with gifts of clarity, patience, wisdom & more. Continue reading for plant highlights, therapeutics and personality of the essential oil and aromatherapy blending ideas.