How to blend Essential oils

All essential oils are referred to as "top notes", "middle notes" or "base notes" depending on their aromatic qualities. Top note oils are the lightest, most stimulating and energizing oils. They have a fresh, immediately apparent quality that is intense. There aroma, however, does not last long because they evaporate very quickly.



Examples of top note oils are:
• Basil
• Bergamot
• Cajuput
• Cinnamon
• Eucalyptus
• Lemongrass
• Neroli
• Orange
• Peppermint
• Pine
• Petitgrain
• Grapefruit
• Lime
• Sage
• Spearmint
• Tagetes
• Lemon
• Tangerine
• Verbena
• Hyssop

Middle note oils usually form the main part of aromatherapy blends. They are strong, lasting and potent - not as stimulating or light and the top notes, nor as solid as the base notes. Their scent can be detected immediately after you get the impression of the top note.

Examples of middle note oils are:
• Chamomile
• Cyprus
• Fennel
• Melissa
• Black pepper
• Cardomom
• Geranium
• Bay
• Juniper
• Lavender
• Linden Blossom
• Marjoram
• Palma Rosa
• Rosemary
• Nutmeg
• Spikenard
• Tea Tree
• Yarrow

Base notes linger longest because they are the last to evaporate. All their scents are full bodied, rich, and heavy and they emerge slowly, after the top and middle notes. They form the base of any blend.

Examples of base note oils are:
• Clove
• Balsam Peru
• Cassia
• Jasmin
• Cedarwood
• Ginger
• Frankincense
• Patchouli
• Sandalwood
• Rosewood
• Valerian
• Vanilla
• Rose
• Vetiver
• Ylang ylang

Source: http://www.safealternativemedicine.co.uk/BlendingEssentialOils.html

Ideally, start of by blending oils which are of the same 'Family' group. Floral oils will almost always create a harmonious blend, i.e. Rose with Jasmine, Lavender with Geranium and so on. For the beginner, floral essentials oils are the best for learning to blend. There is really no way of creating a bad blend with florals. The trickiness comes with the addition of other groups such as spicy (i.e. ginger, black pepper, etc.), Citrus (i.e. orange, grapefruit, etc.) and so on. To help with this, most all essential oils fall into a scent/extraction group... which are:

* Citrus
* Spicy
* Floral
* Green (also referred to as green)
* Woody
* Resinous


A perfume blend to try:
20 drops of sandalwood essential oil
10 drops rose essential / fragrance oil
5 drops musk fragrance oil
10 drops jasmine essential oil
1 teaspoon jojoba or sweet almond oil
1/4 teaspoon honey
Combine all ingredients well and store in a glass bottle that is dark in color. It is a perfume that actually gets deeper and better with time. (Taken from "Secret Potions, Elixirs & Concoctions" Marie Anakee Miczak, Lotus Press 1999)

Homemade Stick Deodorant

How to make...
1. Put 1/4 cup each of baking soda and cornstarch** in a bowl with 10+ drops tea tree oil. (I like 20 drops, but I'm a tea tree oil nut. I hear lavender oil will work as well.)

2. This deodorant can be used as a powder, but if you want a stick, go to the shortening section of the store and buy this solid-at-room-temperature-awesome stuff:

3. Stir 2+ TBSP in until it's the consistency you like.

4. Smash into empty deodorant container. (Will be a bit sturdier once it sets a day or so.)

When applying this deodorant, use a lighter hand than you would with normal stick deodorant, especially the first couple of days or it'll drop little balls on your bathroom rug.Used correctly, this stuff is invisible and lasts for ages, as it works with a very light layer. You should not be able to SEE it once applied.

**If you have especially sensitive skin, increase the amount of cornstarch to 6T and decrease the baking soda to 2T.


Source: http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/03/quick-stick-deodorant.html

The Miracle oil- Rosehip oil.

Rose Hip Oil is extracted from the seeds contained in the intensely red berry-like fruits -or hips- of a wild rose-bush that grows in the cool, lush mountain rainy valleys of the southern Andes, in Chile. It's healing properties where a well kept secret of the native people of Chile for centuries. Now they have been validated by scientific research worldwide.

The Benefits of Rosehip oil:

-An intensive Repair Treatment visibly improving your skin's quality and appearance.

-Revitalizes your skin while reducing wrinkles and signs of premature ageing.

-Improves surgical, accidental and even old scars left by acne or chickenpox.

-Nourishes and deeply moisturize your skin without being too greasy.

-Source of topical retinoic acid (vitamin A)

How to use RoseHip Oil

Massage the oil into the affected area with your fingertips until it is completely absorbed. If you use it during the day you must place a sunblocker on top.

Rose Hip Oil applied twice a day every day for about three months reduces scar tissues, helps to prevent and reduce stretch marks, attenuates wrinkles, age spots and burned skin.

Why should you dry brush?

1. Removes cellulite
2. Cleanses the lymphatic system
3. Removes dead skin layers
4. Strengthens the immune system
5. Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands
6. Tightens the skin preventing premature aging
7. Tones the muscles
8. Stimulates circulation
9. Improves the function of the nervous system
10. Helps digestion
11. AND it’s easy, inexpensive and invigorating!


A more thorough explanation...

• It increases circulation to skin, encouraging your body’s discharge of metabolic wastes, which greatly aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. When the body rids itself of toxins, it is able to run more efficiently in all areas.

•It helps to tighten the skin because it increases the flow of blood. Increasing the circulation to the skin can also help lessen the appearance of cellulite.

• It stimulates the lymph canals to drain toxic mucoid matter into the colon, thereby purifying the entire system. This enables the lymph to perform its house-cleaning duties by keeping the blood and other vital tissues detoxified. After several days of dry brushing, you may notice the gelatinous mucoid material in your stools.

• It helps with muscle tone and more even distribution of fat deposits.

• Dry brushing also rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin.

• It helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.

• Individuals who sit at a computer screen all day long will particularly take pleasure in the benefits of skin brushing. People who have inactive lifestyles or jobs usually experience stiff and sore necks and shoulders that reach even into their arms and down their spines and into their lower backs. Increased blood flow begins entering the areas brushed and you will experience an increase in electromagnetic energy that permits you to feel energized and invigorated.





Getting Started With Your Skin Brushing Regimen is easy as 1.2.3 !

1. Purchase a natural, NOT a synthetic, bristle brush.

2.Begin brushing your skin in long sweeping strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction. Always brush towards the heart. Try and brush several times in each area, over-lapping as you go.

3. After brushing your skin, rinse off in the shower and apply a natural base bath oil.

Do not brush on or over skin rashes, wounds, cuts, infections, poison oak or poison ivy.
Note: Any well designed program will take about 30 days to see and experience the changes. Please be patient and keep up the program

Epson Salts

Researchers in nutrition, through controlled experimentation, have found that Magnesium Sulfate (Epson Salt) accelerates the body's healing time by one-third. As an example, if an injury requires three weeks to heal under normal or standard conditions, it would only require two weeks to heal if Magnesium Sulfate is added to the diet as a nutrition.



Can use Epsom salt for internal and external applications. Internally, it is used for irregularity and constipation and will promote a bowel movement within 1/2 to 6 hours if the instructions are followed correctly. Externally, it is used for soaking minor sprains (ligaments), strains (tendons), and bruises (as in muscles).

You can apply Epsom salts in two ways externally:

* Towel Soaking: By placing 2 cups (16 oz.) of Epsom salts in one gallon of water, mix well, and soak a towel or bandage. Next, apply the towel to the involved region or area for 30 minutes, 3 times daily.

* Bath Tub Soaking: By placing 2 cups (16 oz.) in a bath tub of hot water. The water temperature should be as hot as you can tolerate but comfortable for 15 to 20 minutes. You can use 2 to 4 times this amount if your body conditions warrant it. You do not want to burn yourself. You want to rub your skin all over with a wash cloth to open up the pores for absorption of the Epsom salts. If some areas are sore, rub them a little longer. If you are treating an injury you should rub both the area of the involved site on one extremity and the same area on the other extremity (bilateral stimulation reflex). In rubbing both extremities you yield a little extra stimulation to the injured site. Do not rinse off before getting out of the bath tub. Just dry off and retire for the evening.

Epsom salt baths are taken routinely, just before going to bed, the night before a major competitive event or race. It also helps with combating jet lag. The bath will allow a more productive and restful sleep as well as produce an energy-charging-up effect on your body for the next days’ performance.

Black Lava Salts

Hawaiian black sea salt, or lava salt, is a dramatic, glossy black sea salt. The unique color comes from lava, which adds minerals and activated charcoal which results in a sulfuric aroma and earthy flavor. One can also bathe in these salts; NB: An additional rinse after soaking may be required to remove residual activated charcoal.




Medicinal Benefits:

* Activated charcoal main use is to treat accidental poisonings. Once ingested, it binds with certain chemicals in the digestive tract, preventing them from being absorbed into your system and causing harm.

* Activated charcoal lowers the concentration of total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood serum, liver, heart and brain.

* Charcoal has been used as a poultice to reduce inflammation and absorb poisons from your skin caused by infection, chemicals, or insect bites and stings.

* Charcoal alleviates intestinal gas and upset stomach.

* Charcoal is also use in the treatment of allergies, skin problems, diabetes mellitus, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, ulcer, bad breath, body odor, lower cholesterol levels, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Himalayan Crystal Salt

This crystal salt from the Himalayan Mountains, which is over 250 million years old, is as pure as the ancient primal oceans and contains all the minerals and trace elements essential to human life. The elements trapped within the Himalayan salt are particles small enough to be able to be absorbed by the human cells.

Himalayan Crystal Salt supplies us with a truly ancient ocean of energy and regenerates our body on all levels.




How it can heal

PMS: Mineral-rich salts can help ease PMS in two ways. The muscle-relaxing effects of magnesium combined with potassium, which helps the body get rid of excess water, can ease water retention and relieve muscular tension.

JOINT PROBLEMS: Minerals have an alkalising effect on the body. Natural health practitioners such as Louise Hay have observed that this has an anti-inflammatory effect, easing painful conditions such as arthritis.

BACK PAIN: Whether you eat or bathe in them, mineral-rich salts tend to relax. This is largely due to magnesium, which is needed for muscles to relax. Low levels of magnesium are associated with muscle cramps. Replacing table salt with a good mineral salt could help alleviate these.

BONE STRENGTH: Unrefined rock salts are rich in minerals needed for bone strength. Apart from calcium, bones use phosphorus, magnesium and other minerals as building materials.