Jasmine is such a sexy scent. This fragrance has been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac, with ancient princesses bathing with the blooms in order to entice their lovers. However it is also quite healing in the aromatherapy world, relieving depression and calming nerves among other things.
1. Sedating effect on the nervous system - If you are looking for a peaceful night’s rest, use this essential oil right before bed in order to calm the nerves and ease you into sleep. You can add a few drops directly into your bath for a calming soak before bed.
2. Calms muscle tension – Achy and tense from a long day? It blends incredibly well with sandalwood and rose oil, and then can be massaged into the skin for ultimate relaxation with your favorite carrier oil. You can also add a few drops into your favorite body lotion to enhance it’s scent.
3. Mood altering – If you battle with depression, this is a great scent to keep handy. It alleviates your depressive thoughts and brings you into a center of optimism. Just a few deep inhales of the oil will lift your spirits.
4. Antiseptic – Battling a nasty skin infection? Jasmine has antiseptic properties that heal wounds when applied directly to your skin. See the tea recipe below for an example of how you can put jasmine to work for you .
5. Treats PMS – To me, this is the greatest thing about jasmine. It helps keep your cycle regular, painless, and shorter, while decreasing symptoms of PMS. Drinking the tea mentioned below regularly will allow you to experience these benefits. I frequently have very painful cycles and nothing seems to help my symptoms. I can’t wait to try this!
Here’s a great recipe to keep on hand at home for ailments that may come arise:
Jasmine Tea
Add 1 teaspoon of loose-leaf jasmine tea to 3-5 cups boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Any longer and the tea can become bitter. You can purchase loose leaf jasmine tea from a health food store or Asian grocer. It’s best to stick with loose-leaf as it tends to be fresher than the tea bags. If ingested, the tea helps with infections and fevers, and will calm nerves and anxiety. Externally, you can make a compress from the liquid to treat cuts, scrapes, and even headaches.
Lavender seems to have found it’s way into a lot of my conversations this week. From headaches to burns to sleep aids, I’ve found myself sharing why lavender essential oil should be a staple in everyone’s household. Jamie gave a Five Uses For post on Lavender last month. I want to follow it up with a few recipes and practical applications for life and love.
Here’s a practical application – I burned my thumb earlier in the month. In the kitchen, whipping up dinner and I lifted the lid off of a pot and the steam that rose scaled my knuckle. If you’ve ever damaged the skin across a knuckle or knew you know that is a hard area to have heal without scarring because it’s always bending and flexing and doesn’t get a chance to properly heal(hence why we all have various scars on our knees from our childhood years). Well, when I initially burned it, I immediately rubbed a couple drops of lavender essential oil directly on it for two reasons: one – it hurt terribly and lavender is an excellent pain reliever for bites and burns; two – because lavender also promotes healthy skin growth and I did not want an ugly scar on my hand. Over the next two weeks, it darkened, hardened then finally peeled. The new skin that finally resulted appears completely normal. To look at my hand, you would never know I’d burned it.
I offer you a recipe for a spa at home experience - Blend the following ingredients in a resealable container for a simple, relaxing, skin softening bath experience
1 cup dead sea salts
1/3 cup lavender buds
1/3 cup of powdered milk
Sprinkle into bath tub as desired. Lounge in the tub with your favorite book, glass of wine, candle or any combination for a luxurious experience. Be sure to incorporate your favorite lavender scented bath products.
Keep this all purpose Lavender infused oil handy
1 oz jojoba/olive/sweet almond oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
Mix and store in a plastic bottle with a dropper or nozzle top. Keep this oil blend on hand to apply directly to your skin when you need to unwind and a bath or diffuser simply isn’t available to enjoy the scent from. Perfect for relaxing before bedtime, calming from a stressful work situation, or managing a migrane. Can also be applied to scalp to help treat hair loss and promote hair growth.
Can you see yourself in any of these experiences? Have you used lavender for any other real life solutions?
Bergamot is another one of the extremely versatile essential oils we’ve been talking about off and on. Bergamot has a spicy floral/fruity fragrance. It has been in use for centuries and can serve many purposes around the home. In Love tradition, here are 5:
Skin Care – Bergamot is a natural antiseptic and antifungal, making it useful for people with acne, athete’s foot, eczema and fungal skin infections. A good recipe is one part bergamot to 5 parts aloe vera gel. If this solution is at all irritating, add more aloe vera. You could also try a couple of drops in your homeade sugar scrub
For muscles – Try adding bergamot to lotions and massage oil to relieve the inflammation of tense muscles. Add the drops one or two at a time and test the solution to make sure it isn’t irritating to your skin.
Aromatherapy – Bergamot is very uplifting and useful in relieving stress, depression and anxiety. It is even useful in increasing appetite. A few drops can be added to a diffuser, or you can get a candle or incense with bergamot in them.
Perfume – The fragrance of bergamot mixes well with other fragrances including, lavender, mint, veviter, sandalwood and frankincense, making it ideal for perfumes.
In the bath – this is my favorite, by adding bergamot to a bath oil, you can enjoy ALL the benefits of it. Smell lovely, ease tension and help your skin all at the same time doing it this way.
Cautions
There are a couple of cautions to keep in mind while using this essential oil. First, as mentioned above, is to not use too much of it, because it can irritate the skin. Always make sure it is dilluted. Also, those who are pregnant or nursing should not use it. Don’t use bergamot internally without the consent of a doctor.
Bergamot is essential to any well stocked aromatherapy cupboard. Between it’s beautiful fragrance and therapeutic properties it is any “aromatherapist’s” dream. Bergamot can be purchased through just about any quality aromatherapy shop. Add it to your arsenal, I sure did
As almost all of you know, our very gracious and beautiful Tyrika is now a married woman. I have been reflecting on this over the weekend and am beyond ecstatic for her, her husband and their families.
Tyrika, you are genuinely beautiful and full of love, so it makes absolute sense that your life would follow suit. I wish nothing but all the best blessings for you and your family at this incredibly special time!
I thought it only fitting, under the circumstances and for Valentine’s day, to give everyone some uses for aromatherapy to encourage a loving mood The essential oils most commonly used for romance are:
Rose
Jasmine
Neroli
Clary Sage
Cypress
Sandalwood
Cedarwood
Ylang Ylang
Clove
Black Pepper
Veviter
As usual, there are plenty of ways to utilize these essential oils. Incense, diffusers, bath oil and in lotions are always great. To increase desire, candles and a massage oil would be ideal…
Mainelement:Love fragrances that would be great to rub on before a date would be; Strawberries and Champagne, Wedded Bliss, and Blue Rose for the ladies, and Insatiable and Seductive for the gentlemen. Most of these fragrances come in le’amour body butter, body wash AND body oil. They are truly fabulous and made with the utmost care.
You could also try the skin care recipes Tyrika has posted, to make sure your significant other finds your skin inviting and touchable.
Now that you have your Valentine’s day aromatherapy arsenal stocked and your skin will be silky-smooth, you are ready to celebrate in style…
Tyrika, we love you and await your return! Congratulations, lady!
Many of the essential oils used in aromatherapy can be quite irritating, and even harmful to the skin if used full strength. For this reason, they must be diluted with carrier oils. Carrier oils are mild oils, made from the kernels, nuts and seeds of different vegetables. Like essential oils, carrier oils each have their own properties, which are suited for different purposes.
Here are a few of the most common types of carrier oils:
-Sweet Almond Oil-This carrier oil absorbs fairly quickly and has a light, sweet, nutty fragrance. It is clear with a yellowish tinge. This is a great all-purpose carrier oil, with a moderate price tag. One of my favorites!!!
-Cocoa Butter-Is actually a vegetable “butter” and is excellent for use in lotions and creams. It is more solid in texture and has to be heated or mixed with other oils in order to be “workable”. Cocoa Butter has amazing moisturizing properties and a very sweet, rich scent.
-Jojoba Oil-Has a distinctly pleasant aroma. It is a silky, light oil that absorbs very well, making it ideal for massage. It is actually a wax. Jojoba oil has a very long shelf-life, a fact reflected in its price tag. Jojoba oil is similar to the oil naturally found in skin, called sebum, and is said to have anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason, it is often recommended for people who are prone to acne or oily skin.
-Olive Oil-Is used a lot for hair care purposes. It is a relatively heavy oil, with a greasy feel. This makes it useful for people with very dry hair. It must be used sparingly, or blended with another carrier, and has a 1 to 2 year shelf life.
These are only a few of the carrier oils out there…If I were to list them all in one post, it may be more of a chapter of a book than a blog post I wasn’t planning on it, but this has led me to the conclusion that more than one post is necessary for carrier oils. Be prepared for Part 2 later this week! Also coming up: “Common Essential Oils for Relaxation” – something I know we are all in need of
