Talk Aroma

Making housecleaning fun …well, I’m not really sure that’s possible - at least I certainly don’t find it fun.  BUT…. with this latest tidbit that I’ve found it can at least be somewhat enjoyable.  I recently stumbled upon a simple recipe for a lemony dusting cloth - to 2 tablespoons of jojoba oil or olive oil add 10 drops of pure lemon essential oil.   Mix the oils together.  Dip a clean, soft cotton cloth in the oil and use it for your dusting.

The great thing about this is that:

1. it is simple
2. you can make up only as much as you need
3. you can use the ingredients for lots of other purposes as well - jojoba is a great for moisturizing your skin!
4. it is enviornmentally friendly
5. it is far healthier for you than synthetic cleaning products
6. and it will leave your house smelling lemony fresh!

Not only that, lemon essential oil is:

1. a great cleanser and detoxifer
2. refreshing and clearing
3. antiviral
4. great for uplifting the heart and mind
5. a preserver of good health

What more could you ask for?

Happy Cleaning!   

I was cruising the web the other day and found a recipe for a vitality bath using essential oils.  The posted article was adapted from Blissful Bathtimes by Margo Valentine Lazzara (Storey Publishing, 2002).

The following recipe is for a refreshing, re-vitalizing bath.  This would be a great one to use in the morning as a “wake me up”, on a hot day as a “refresh me” or at the end of a long day to rejuvenate.  Because peppermint and thyme can be slightly irritating to sensitive skin please use cautiously.  Pregnant women and people suffering from asthma should also NOT use this combination.

One other note:  bergamot is photosensitive - ( can increase the effects of the sun on your skin) so make sure you wear sunscreen if you are going to be in the sun.

Borrowed from The Guide to Aromatherapy, the following is an article on hydrosols which Dr. Christoph Streicher at AMRITA AROMATHERAPY published in Scensitivity:

Hydrosols - The subtle Complement to Essential Oils

Steam distillation of aromatic plants results in two complementary products- the essential oil and the hydrosol (or hydrolate). During the distillation process the ascending steam dissolves the essential oil contained in the plant, temporarily associating with it in a highly aromatic ethereal oneness of opposite values: water and oil, which normally do not associate. During the following cooling process of this aromatic gas, the oil soluble components separate out from the water. However, the aromatic molecules pass on a part of their qualities to the water, now called the hydrosol.These hydrosols for a long time were considered as waste products of the process of distilling essential oils (except for a few exceptions like rose water). Only in recent times has it become more and more evident that the hydrosols are also exceptional carriers of the intelligent vibrational impulses of plant life. They represent a more subtle almost homeopathic-like potented ethereal form of the aromatic substances. In addition they contain the water-soluble component of plant life. A further advantage of the hydrosols is the fact that they do not contain the tannic acids and bitter substances contained in the essential oils which can lead to irritations in phyto-aromatic therapy.

Hydrosols therefore are an ideal complement in phyto-aromatic therapy. They complement the oil soluble component of plant life, represented by the essential oils with a water soluble aromatic component. The are extremely welcome wherever a subtle effect is wanted without the risk of irritation.

In the following areas hydrosols have been extremely useful:

1. Treatment of mucous skin, like eye inflammations, etc.

2. Internal use

3. Skin Care complementing phyto-aromatic oils, creams and masks. In this respect, basic research and developing work has been done by Jacques G. Paltz, Paris. He is using in his phyto-aromatic skin care line five different hydrosol blends for specific purposes: for sensitive, wrinkled or dry skin, for impurities and for rejuvenation. For example he is using rosemary verbenon and thyme linalol hydrosols for dry skin, chamomile and artemisa arb. for sensitive skin etc.

Essentially yours,

Dr. Christoph Streicher at AMRITA AROMATHERAPY

1.  Jasmine is one of the rarest and most expensive of the essential oils.

2.  All essential oils are antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal.

3.  Thyme oil was once widely used as a disinfectant in hospitals.

4.  Drop for drop, lavender oil is 4 times more potent as a germ killer than phenol, the most widely used household antiseptic.

5. Lemongrass is a natural insect repellant.

6. Pennyroyal oil is the standard active ingredient in natural flea collars for dogs & cats.

7.  Ancient Egyptian physicians routinely used aromatic plant oils to affect the emotions and treat mental health problems.

8. Add Tea Tree Oil to shampoo to help combat dandruff.

9.  Ylang ylang is a known aphrodisiac!

10.  Essential oils can be used in the bath, in massage oils, to scent any room in your house.  They bring balance to body, mind and spirit!

Essential oils are the aromatic substances that give flowers, plants, herbs, spices and fruit their own unique aromas.  They are what make a lemon smell like a lemon and a cedar chest smell like cedar. When you smell a rose you are smelling the essential oil which gives the rose it’s own unique aroma.

Aromatherapy essential oils are the oils that are obtained from flowers, plants, herbs, spices and fruits through various different processes. Because essential oils consist of dozens and even hundreds of organic compounds which have various therapeutic properties we can use them in aromatherapy.  Various essential oils have different theraputic properties.  Some are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial or even anti-viral. Some essential oils  (such as bergamot) may be uplifting whereas others  (such as lavender) are relaxing because of their ability to speed up or slow down bodily processes such as circulation and respiration. Essential oils may also be used to treat a wide variety of skin conditions.

An essential oil diffuser is a product used to disperse your essential oils into the air so that you can enjoy the scent in a small area or throughout a whole room.   There are many different types and styles of essential oil diffusers available to choose from and suit many different applications.

If you simply want to have your favourite essential oil scent near you, you might consider a simple necklace or pendant diffuser onto which you apply a couple of drops essential oil.  When you wear the pendant around your neck, the heat from your body will release the oil into the air.  If you want to spread the wonderful aroma of essential oils throughout an entire room you need a larger diffuser - something as simple as a “scent ball“, which plugs into the wall, the same as other air fresheners, with the exception that you use a few drops of your favourite essential oil on the “scent pad”.   Within minutes of plugging in the diffuser you will be experiencing the benefits of your chosen oil.  Other, larger diffusers work on a similar principle and disperse the scent over a larger area.