Floor Wash
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Did you know that you can create your own natural floor wash! Here’s an easy recepie:
Mix in a bucket to use on the floor. Smells great! |
Relaxing Bath
After the crazy week I’m sure some of us like myself have had, I feel like we all deserve a nice warm, relaxing, bath. And I can’t think of a better way to relax our body, overcome mental fatigue and ease our emotional stress. That’s why we created two wonderful bath salts for you. Have a look.
Or, mix 5 drops Lavender, 3 drops Sandalwood, with 2 drops German Chamomile or 2 drops Mandarin
Enjoy!
The Pros’ Guide to Pampering - Real Simple Magazine
February 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under Archive, Cool Finds, Featured
From the Editors of Real Simple Magazine
Perhaps no month begs for the spa experience more than February. Before you grab your coat, here’s what top beauty experts do at home to look and feel better.
* Hair moisturizing mask: To get her hair looking soft and shiny, Ji Baek, owner of the Rescue Beauty Lounges in New York City, wets her head and applies a handful of hair mask cream that’s rich in shea butter, avocado and organic essential oils. Next, Baek wraps her hair in a plastic bag for 20 minutes (heat helps masks penetrate deeply into the hair shafts), then rinses.
* Pore-purifying facial: Los Angeles makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian loves to give her face a deep cleansing. Chang-Babaian takes a warm shower then uses an electric facial steamer (available at beauty-supply stores) to begin unclogging pores (putting your face over a pot of steaming water for five minutes will also work). She applies a purifying mask with marine clay to dislodge oil and debris.
* Tall drink for really dry skin: When her skin is feeling tight and moisture-sapped, Ashunta Sheriff, a New York City makeup artist, rubs a freshly cut lemon half over her complexion (the fruit’s natural acids remove flakes and smooth skin), then steams her skin over a pot of warm water. Next, Sheriff slathers her face and neck with extra-virgin organic coconut oil.
* Beneficial brush-up: Persephenie Lea, the Los Angeles-based creator of Persephenie Studio, a line of body-care goods and custom perfumes, dry-brushes her skin before her morning shower. “It helps increase circulation, sloughs away dead cells and makes my skin look healthier,” says Lea. Starting at the soles of her feet and working up, she uses a soft-bristled body brush and long, smooth strokes, taking care to avoid sensitive areas and broken skin.
* Hand and foot healer: When manicurist Elisa Ferri finds her feet feeling rough, she uses a coarse emery board to smooth them, then massages with a thick salve containing petrolatum and lanolin to hydrate skin. She slips on a pair of cotton socks and pads around the house while the product goes to work. When Ferri’s hands and cuticles are dry, she applies olive oil.
* Head-to-toe works: Teddi Cranford, a hairstylist for Bumble and Bumble in New York City, exfoliates with a scrub for the face and another for the body. Cranford then draws a bath and adds Epsom salts and a long pour of olive oil. While Cranford soaks, she combs a treatment through her hair.
* Sleep-inducing soak: Makeup artist Helen Macaulay slips into a steaming bath after a long day on her feet. She adds several drops of relaxing essential oils (available at health-food stores), like jasmine, rose and neroli. “After bathing, I slather my skin in sweet-almond oil,” she says.
Copyright 2010 Time Inc. REAL SIMPLE is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Used by permission.
Check out some of bluebasins bath & body’s natural skin care products:
Essential Oils for Pain Relief
January 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Archive, Cool Finds
By Shellie Enteen, BA, LMT
It is safe to say that a great number of clients come to massage seeking relief from muscle and joint pain. Many will also be suffering from stress and need to relax. Others may be athletic or high-powered performers who want pain relief without becoming tired or drowsy.
Essential oils can address all of these areas and add a pleasing fragrant dimension to your therapeutic work.
The most famous essential oil for pain relief and relaxation is lavender (Lavandula officinalis, L angustifolia, L vera.) Distilled from the flowering tops, the best lavender oil comes from Bulgaria, France, England, Yugoslavia and Tasmania, though it can be grown all over the world. Lavender Vera is grown in higher altitudes, which produces more esters and a finer scent. Lavender has a long list of applications for skin; because of its anti-inflammatory and cell regenerating properties, it is one of the only essential oils that can be applied neat, or undiluted, to the skin.
Lavender is also antimicrobial, anti-infectious and antiseptic, making it effective in the treatment of wounds and as a frontline defense against respiratory infection. It is tonic to the cardiovascular and digestive systems, lowers blood pressure and helps thin the blood due to the presence of coumarins. Lavender is indicated for muscle spasm, sprain, strain, cramp, contracture and rheumatic pain. It is sedative to the central nervous system and relieves headache, nervous tension, and insomnia; it can also help balance mood swings. Spiritually, lavender is said to balance the physical, astral and etheric planes.
Because of lavender’s many therapeutic properties, if aromatherapists were stranded on a desert island with only one essential oil, many would hope it was lavender (it also takes the itch out of insect bites and helps heal sunburn!) But what other essential oils can be called in to use here in civilization? What should you use if your client does not want the deep relaxation or sleep-inducing effect of lavender, or if they have a tendency toward lowered metabolism or low blood pressure? What if they need to relax because they are about to take an exam, give a presentation or walk down the aisle? It’s a good idea to ask the client who indicates a need to relax what their stress is about and what life circumstances may be contributing to their pain cycle. This will help you select an essence that is most appropriate for their needs. Also keep in mind that when too much lavender is used it takes on the stimulating effect of a cup of espresso, so it is good for both you and your client to vary the relaxing, pain-relieving blend.
We’ll begin with an exploration of aromatherapy for pain and stress, and profile some other sedative oils. Space allows for a partial list of the properties; consult The Aromatherapy Practitioner Manual, Vols. I and II by Sylla Sheppard-Hanger, Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit by Gabriel Mojay, and others for more information on each essence.
When you want slightly less sedation but powerful pain relief, there is another type of lavender, Lavandula latifolia, L. spica, or Spike Lavender. A hybrid of lavender officinalis and latifolia, Lavandin, Lavandula-super is less expensive and often used to adulterate true lavender but is still a powerful antispasmodic well-suited for muscular, respiratory and circulatory problems, and not as a sedative for the mind.
Moving away from the lavenders altogether, other pain relieving sedative oils are chamomile (Roman, Anthemis nobilis and German, Marticaria recutita), Clary sage (Salvia sclarea), helichrysum (H. angustifolium), sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana), sandalwood (Santalum album) and vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides).
Chamomile is a highly effective anti-inflammatory. It eases headache, neuralgia, dull muscle and low back pain, and TMJ syndrome. It relieves dysmenorrhea, PMS and stress that manifests as digestive symptoms.
Clary sage (not to be confused with sage, Salvia officinalis) is considered mildly intoxicating and euphoric, and should be used in small quantities and preferably not before an evening of cocktails, as it augments the effects of alcohol. Apart from this, the ability of Clary sage to relieve spasm, muscle ache and cramping makes it extremely useful in massage. It is a digestive aid and can be blended effectively with chamomile for tension and discomfort due to PMS and dysmennorhea.
Along with lavender, Clary sage is one of the essences chosen to ease labor. It is also associated with dreams and increased inner vision.
Helichrysum has a long history as anointing oil, but well deserves an honored place in therapeutic massage. With many of the properties of lavender, helichrysum is also indicated for bruising and burns, depression, shock and phobia, and is helpful in detoxification from drugs and nicotine. Helichrysum is said to improve the flow along the meridians and to increase spiritual awareness.
Sweet marjoram is highly sedative. It relieves pain, stiffness, sprain, spasm, neuromuscular contractions and is indicated for both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, dysmenorrhea and migraine. It has a powerful effect on the mind and emotions, relieving deep trauma, grief and heartache.
Sandalwood, well known in Ayurvedic treatment and as incense, also relieves muscle spasm and is helpful in treating sciatica and lymph congestion. It is tonic in the cardiovascular and digestive systems and relieves depression, insomnia, obsession, grief and aggression. Sandalwood opens the mind to spiritual connection and grounds this awareness in the material world.
Vetiver is interesting because it relieves arthritis, muscle ache, pain, sprain and stiffness, but increases venous circulation to help detoxification of tissues. It is said to balance the central nervous system and is grounding and revitalizing, while relieving insomnia, tension and depression.
Apart from lavender, all of the sedative essences listed are pretty potent and require few drops in a blend. The flower essences: rose, jasmine, neroli and ylang ylang, relieve anxiety and have properties that induce relaxation and pain relief.
The citrus oils: sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine and Mandarin, reduce tension and instill courage and optimism. Flower and citrus oils blend well with the other sedative oils and add their own dimensions to the therapeutic experience.
If you have a great pain relief or relaxing blend and want to share it, please contact me. In the next Aromatic Message, we’ll look at some of the less sedative and stimulating oils for pain relief.
Gifts that Bloom - Aromatherapy Lavender Garden Kit
January 12, 2010 by admin
Filed under Archive, Cool Finds
We saw this online and thought what a wonderful gift idea! It’s from a company called Gifts that Blooms.
Aromatherapy Lavender Garden
Create a warm and invigorating scent throughout your home with the lavender plant aroma from this complete Aromatherapy Garden. Carefully selected rich, aromatic lavender seeds. These flowers are rich in essential oils, which can be used to make potpourri and cosmetics. Complete Garden Kit includes easy grow seeds, enriched soil & nutrient mix and a leak-proof growing container. Just add water and sunlight to enjoy.
Grow a miniature garden inside these 3.75″ tall x 3″ diameter cardboard growing containers. Everything is included inside: leak-proof liner cup, enriched nutrient soil mix, and premium seeds. Simply Open the Lid - Pour Out the Contents - and Add Water and Sunlight, to create your own lovely miniature garden.
These complete garden kits can be started indoors during all four seasons. Available in various attractive designs. Makes a wonderfully unique gift, and perfect addition to any gift basket
