Essential Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy for Your Humidifier

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:48:03 +0000

A blend of tea tree oil and lavender added to the water in your humidifier will clean and freshen the air. You can also use 10 drops of tea tree oil to disinfect your humidifier when you clean it.

Natural Preservatives for Your Cosmetic Recipes

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:22:38 +0000

Making your own natural cosmetics allows you to control the ingredients and produce recipes created specifically for you. The downside to this is that natural ingredients tend to have a limited shelf life. Learning what ingredients are natural preservatives, and how to use them, will prevent rancidity and anti-oxidation in your homemade cosmetics.

Here’s a list:

Benzoin Resin (also called Styrax) is a less well known preservative and fixative. For centuries, it has been an important ingredient in the making of incense due to its fixative qualities. Benzoin has a rich sweet scent that is quite distinctive. Because it is easily absorbed through the skin, it should be diluted in alcohol before use in cosmetic recipes. Benzoin resin is often found in facial toning and facial oil recipes to improve their shelf life.

Borax is a common ingredient that used to be found on the laundry shelf of most grocery stores. It is a natural cleaner and preservative, and it often found in lotion, cream, bath salt and bath scrub recipes.

Honey is a marvelous natural preservative. One teaspoon to one tablespoon of honey can be added to most any natural cosmetic recipe to improve its shelf life. My personal facial elixir has honey as an essential component, but I also add it to salts, scrubs, facials, creams and lotions.

Jojoba is one of my favorite natural preservatives because, like honey, it is just so very versatile. Jojoba is often combined with those oils that are known for having a limited shelf life, such as almond oil, apricot kernel oil, and rosehip seed oil. Get in the habit of substituting a tablespoon of jojoba oil for the more fragile carrier oils to improve the shelf life of your home made creations.

Vitamin E Oil is another natural preservative that I use quite often. If you are making a preparation for the skin, add a teaspoon of vitamin E oil to prevent rancidity and as an anti-oxidant. Vitamin E oil has the additional benefit of being safe to use for recipes for babies and small children.

When creating my own cosmetic recipes, I tend to use a two-pronged approach. Benzoin and vitamin E in a facial oil, for instance, or jojoba and borax in a lotion. Incorporating these natural preservatives in your own creations will enhance your cosmetics making repertoire considerably.

Lime Peel Essential Oil

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:14:18 +0000

Lime has a tangy, fresh citrusy scent. Lime blends well with clary sage, lavender, neroli, rosemary, vanilla, ylang ylang, and other citrus oils.

Its scent classification is citrus.

Beauty Benefits

Lime oil is a natural deodorant making it a popular ingredient in shower gels. It also tightens skin and connective tissues and can be found in treatments for cellulite as well as acne. It is often used in perfumery.

Emotional Benefits

Lime is used as a restorative and a tonic for the nerves. It encourages clarity of thought, concentration, and recall.

Therapeutic Actions

Lime oil is an antiseptic and antibacterial which fights infection and cools fevers. Like lemon, it lowers blood sugar and blood pressure.

Cautions

Lime may be irritating to the skin and can promote photosensitivity.

Lime should not be used while pregnant.

Grapefuit Essential Oil

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:26:43 +0000

As a fragrance, grapefruit is sparkling fresh, light, fruity. It blends well with bergamot, clary sage, clove, cypress, eucalyptus, fennel, frankincense, geranium, ginger, juniper, lavender, lemon, palmarosa, patchouli, peppermint, rosemary, and ylang ylang.

Its scent classification is citrus.

Beauty Benefits

Often used as a fragrance component in perfumes and soap making, grapefruit oil has been found to be anti-infectious, antiseptic, astringent, and bactericidal. This makes it ideal as a treatment for acne. It also tones skin and tissues and is used to treat cellulite. It is said to promote hair growth.

Emotional Benefits

Bergamot oil is a refreshing and uplifting oil, a stimulant and tonic to balance the emotions. It relieves feelings of performance anxiety and has been used to treat nervous exhaustion.

Therapeutic Actions

Grapefruit oil is antidepressant, anti-infectious, antiseptic, antitoxic, astringent, bactericidal, depurative, digestive, diuretic, restorative, and stimulant (lymphatic, digestive).

Cautions

Grapefruit oil enhances sensitivity to the sun in some individuals.

Grapefruit oil should not be used during pregnancy.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:20:06 +0000

As a fragrance, eucalyptus oil is basil oil is medicinal and somewhat lemony. It blends well with lemon, verbena, lavender, and forest-like scents.

Its scent classification is camphorous.

Beauty Benefits

Eucalyptus oil is often used in skin cleansers and facial toners to control acne and reduce skin blemishes. It can ease sunburn pain and promote the regeneration of skin tissue.

Emotional Benefits

Eucalyptus oil’s stimulating action helps over come sluggishness, increases concentration, and fights mental fatigue.

Therapeutic Actions

Eucalyptus oil fights infection, eases fever, and relieves respiratory congestion and muscle aches and pains.

Cautions

Eucalyptus oil may irritate sensitive skin.

Witch Hazel

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:50:47 +0000

Witch Hazel has been used medicinally for centuries. It is a common ingredient in cosmetics due to it’s healing, toning, anti-inflammatory and astringent qualities. It also makes a marvelous aftershave.

Do not purchase Witch Hazel from your local drug store, as that will be mostly alcohol. Buy it from a health food store or a aromatherapy supplier.

Vitamin E Oil

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:44:57 +0000

Vitamin E Oil is not just great for the skin. It prevents rancidity in cosmetics and serves as an anti-oxidant in a wide variety of cosmetic preparations.

Although Vitamin E oil is often classified as a carrier oil, do not heat it. It should be added after the heat phase, at the same time you would add your EO blend.

Rosewater

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:38:32 +0000

Rosewater is a type of flower water created as a by product of the steam distillation process that is used to make some essential oils. The resultant liquid contains skin soothing substances and are known for having a rejuvenating effect as well. A basic ingredient in many facial toner and cleanser recipes, rosewater has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties.

If you would like to learn how to make your own rosewater, consult this link.

Liquid Castille Soap

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:38:42 +0000

Liquid Castille Soap is an extra mild and gentle soap that makes a wonderful base ingredient for your own soaps, shampoos, and shower gels.

Recipe Book ToC

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:38:31 +0000

Chapter One — Recipes to Clean

All Natural Cold Cream 4

Aloe Vera Facial Cleanser 4

Bath Crystals 5

Brown Sugar Body Polish 5

Castile Shampoo 5

Cornmeal Body Scrub 6

Gentle Facial Cleanser 7

Lavender Body Scrub 7

Milk and Honey Skin Soother 7

Oatmeal Facial Cleanser 8

Oatmeal Milk Bath 8

Peppermint Oily Skin Cleanser/Toner 8

Rose Bath Soak 9

Chapter Two – Recipes to Moisturize

Anti-Acne Facial Oil 10

Body Butter 10

Dandelion Oil 11

Dark Circles Oil 11

Deep Moisture Cream 11

Facial Oil for Broken Capillaries 12

Floral Bath Oil Suspension 12

Lotion 12

Rose Moisture Cream 13

Under Eye Deep Moisture Cream 14

Chapter Three – Recipes to Nourish

Anti-acne Facial Mask 15

Anti-aging Facial Mask 15

Apricot Cuticle Cream 15

Avocado and Coconut Face Mask 16

Avocado Hair Mask 16

Banana Facial 16

Egg Yolk Hair Mask 17

Energizing Facial Mask 17

Geranium Deep Cleansing Mask 17

Honey/ Egg White Facial Mask 17

Honey / Vinegar Facial Mask 18

Mayonnaise Moisturizing Mask for Hair 18

Moisturizing facial Mask 18

Jojoba Hair Conditioner 19

Oily Skin facial Mask 19

Relaxing Oatmeal Facial Mask 20

Chapter Four – Recipes to Stimulate

Facial Toning Lotion (Oily Skin) 21

Firming Facial Tonic (Dry Skin) 21

Minty Shower Gel 21

Rose Clarifying Facial Cream 22

Refreshing Shower Salts (Regular Skin) 22

Refreshing Shower Salts (Dry Skin) 22

Witch Hazel Creamy Facial Elixir 23

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