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Tag: aromatherapy
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Spanish Lavender Essential Oil
Lavandula stoechas is classified in the mint (Lamiaceae) family and native to the Mediterranean basin. It is a compact perennial shrub with linear gray-green leaves. Its characteristically dark purple flowers, topped by purple bracts, are on dense, oblong spikes reaching to 1.25” long. Unlike its relatives, it prefers the coastal (low altitude) arid climates of…
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Your Other | Wild Side
How does Jungian shadow work (your wild side) intersect with a poem mentioning Basil, Rue and Teasel? This aromatic meditation contemplates this question and includes an essential oil blend to help bring out your wild side.
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DIY Body Polishes (Sugar Scrubs)
What Is a Sugar Scrub? Sugar scrubs may be made of two simple ingredients: sugar and a nut/seed oil like sunflower oil. You may choose to “amp up” a scrub with botanical ingredients, including essential oils but you don’t need to in order to reap the benefits. Sugar scrubs are also known as “Body Polishes,”…
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An Aromatic Meditation: Attunement
Over the years I have looked for different ways to help people tap into the power of plants, specifically aromatic plants and their essential oils. I learned from great teachers who wisely passed on how the most effective way to understand a plant, or an oil, and its “actions” is to sit with it. “Smell…
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On-the-Go Hand Cleanser
Although it is clear nothing beats washing our hands with basic soap* and hot water, we may often find ourselves in a pinch where a portable hand cleanser would be handy (pun intended). Notice how I’m not choosing to call this a “hand sanitizer”…you can probably guess why. Instead of some drippy-drabby post that goes…
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Demystifying Salve Making
The impetus behind writing this post was my frustration in finding measurement guidelines (the mathematics) to make a balm or salve. Many recipes give specific measurements for a specific recipe and that’s it–no guidelines, no “WHY.” What if I need a small quantity (e.g., 1 ounce) or a large quantity of an odd number (e.g.,…
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Getting to Know: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow for Healing Yarrow, an herb in the Asteraceae family, has been used for wound healing/vulnerary purposes since ancient times. According to folklore, Achilles (the Grecian battle hero), carried the herb while on battle campaigns to treat battle wounds. This tough (it’s so tough that it grows in the incredibly damp, clay soil of my gardens!) herb can be found throughout the temperate…
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Mouth-rinse: Hydrosols and Xylitol
In conjunction with a toothpaste I made to help treat gum inflammation, it seemed wise to concoct a soothing mouthrinse that could be used to: For this, it seemed a gentle, cooling effect would be best, which is where hydrosols come into play. Which leads to a quick explanation of what a hydrosol (i.e., hydrolate, hydrolat, floral water) is from the highly…
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Toothpaste: Baking Soda, Coconut Oil, Xylitol and Essential Oils
I had a routine dental check-up in late July of 2015 and received bad news–bleeding gums on my lower-right gum-line. As you can imagine this was depressing news. Granted I don’t floss as much as I should. Though I do gargle and brush, twice daily, with national brands of mouthwash and toothpaste. Obviously something had to change, like…
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