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Aromatherapy Massage

What’s better than a massage? How about an aromatherapy massage! Aromatherapy is the alternative medicine practice of using essential oils (made from volatile plant materials) to help your mental and physical health. Examples of essential oils include tea tree, sandalwood oil, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, clove, and sweet orange. Aromatherapy message is the practice of using essential oils during a massage. While you can perform this at home, there are also professionals that can use just the right essential oils to help improve your attitude and maybe even your health. If you try it at home, don’t apply too much pressure. … Continue reading →

Essential Oils: Clove Bud

You probably know clove as a traditional holiday scent. But when distilled into essential oil form, you have one of the world’s most powerful natural antiseptics on your hands! You can use the essential oil from both clove buds and clove leaves. Yes, these are the same clove buds used in cooking. They come from evergreen trees found mainly in Indonesia and Zanzibar; the tree can bear cloves for a century or more. Clove bud essential oil has a component called eugenol that is often found in dental products. Both clove essential oil and eugenol alone are used for numbing … Continue reading →

Aromatherapy for Menstrual Cramps

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Did you know that physical and emotional stress can actually make menstrual cramps worse? As if they aren’t bad enough already, right? Staying stress-free is only part of the equation for easing the painful uterine muscle cramps that may accompany your monthly period. Here are some tips to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps naturally! Make a massage oil that contains natural muscle relaxers like chamomile, ginger, lavender, marjoram, or melissa (lemon balm). Mix 2-3 drops of the essential oils of your choice into an ounce of carrier oil like jojoba or sweet almond. Rub the mixture gently over the … Continue reading →

Relaxing Recipes Using Your Aromatherapy Starter Kit

Your aromatherapy starter kit is full of beneficial and inexpensive essential oils! Here are some recipes that will help you feel more relaxed! And if I’ve suggested a scent you’re not particularly fond of — or don’t have in your collection — you can always substitute a scent from the same family. Keep in mind that essential oils are not meant to be used undiluted. You must mix them into a carrier oil, cream, or lotion for safe use. Stress Reducer Blend #1 Mix equal amounts of a citrus scent with a floral scent. For example, lemon and lavender, or … Continue reading →

Essential Oils: Frequently Asked Questions

What are essential oils? Basically, essential oils are concentrated plant essences. Some are extracted by pressing (similar to how olive oil is made!). You can collect your own essential oils from the rinds of citrus fruits with a press. Most essential oils are extracted with steam, a more complicated process that more or less breaks down the plant material by cooking. How much do essential oils cost? The prices can vary widely. Certain oils are easier to obtain, and therefore will cost less. You should be able to buy basic oils like lemon, lavender, eucalyptus, orange, grapefruit, peppermint, lime, and … Continue reading →

Economical Beauty: Scrubs

I was at a party this weekend — one of those Tupperware type parties, where you get to check out an entire line of products and shop while you socialize. I tried out an “instant manicure” and quite frankly, loved it. It was an exfoliating scrub for hands, cuticles, and nails that left my skin feeling super-soft afterwards. So I asked the consultant if it was a sugar scrub — the exfoliating bits were finer than the salt crystals I’ve used in making body scrubs for years. She said yes, and then helpfully rattled off the list of ingredients. And … Continue reading →

Flea and Tick Prevention Options for Pets with Sensitive Skin

I mentioned recently that Lally seems to be having trouble with a new flea and tick preventative we tried. Hopefully we won’t have any more skin problems if I switch back to Frontline… but I wonder if she’s just getting more allergic as she ages. That got me thinking about alternatives to the insecticide-medication-on-the-skin type of flea and tick prevention. Traditional flea and tick collars. You might remember the narrow white collars that dogs and cats used to wear before medications like Frontline and Sentinel came along? Since the medication doesn’t get soaked into the skin, it might be an … Continue reading →

Essential Oil: Orange

Orange essential oil is relatively common — which means it is easy to find and very affordable. That’s a good thing, because orange essential oil is also very useful for a lot of different things! The orange tree is native to Asia, and was brought to the rest of the world by travelers and explorers. Orange trees can be found in groves around the world, including Israel, Spain, and the United States. Most of the world’s orange essential oil is produced in France, Italy, Israel, Cyprus, and the United States. The essential oil is cold pressed from the peel of … Continue reading →

Treating Sprains and Strains

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Your muscles connect to joints and bone by tissues called tendons. When a muscle contracts, the tendon is pulled, allowing the joint to move. If the tendon becomes stretched or torn, you’ve got a strain. Another kind of tissue — ligaments — helps stabilize your joints. If the ligament is stretched or torn, you’ve got a sprain. So what causes a sprain or a strain? Stress. If your muscles and joints are moving in a way they aren’t ready for or just aren’t supposed to be moving, you can end up with a sprain or strain. If you do have … Continue reading →