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!

Yes, Jamie and I have gone MIA once again, we humbly beg your pardon.  I have some interesting gems for you to check out in the meantime.  From holiday shopping to new genetic info on the curly hair gene, I have a well rounded list here for your reading pleasure. Without further ado, here’s your outside reading list:

1. Bright Hub – Naturally Curly Hair and a Genetic Cause. How Genes could cause Natural Curly Hair Styles
2. Wickedly Chic – Last Minute Shopping to do? Support the Indie Businesses!
3. Houston Health and Beauty Examiner – Holiday gift giving to build client relationships
4. Ujima Magazine – The Necessity of Aromatherapy During the Holidays
5. Viva Woman – DIY Beauty: Milk and lemon whitening polish

Jamie and I will be back next week to share some holiday cheer with you as you get ready to enjoy time with your loved ones this Christmas.

Luvnblessings!

It’s that time of year when many people begin to agonize over the gift-giving portion of the holiday season.  As aromatherapy enthusiasts, it is only right that we would want to share the joy of the season by sharing the joy of aromatherapy.

There is an aromatherapy gift for everyone on your list.  They can come in the form of bath and body products, beautiful jewelry, and home diffusers, just to name a few of the wonderful products out there.

Any mom, sister, or auntie would be ecstatic to get a gift set from mainelement:  love.  You can choose a le’amour bath or pampering pedi gift set, tsa safe travel set, or a mini favor bags filled with fully customizable products.  Not only can you choose the fragrance of your gift from an extensive list of possibilities including Lavender Vanilla, Wild Jasmine, Serenity and Autumn Harvest, but you can also request a totally personal scent, made just for you.

You can customize the labels of mainelement:  love products as well, from the background to the text, including the color, border and what it says.  The result is an absolutely deliciously scented gift in a package made just for your loved one.  Who wouldn’t love that?!?

Another aromatherapy gift to be cherished is aromatherapy jewelry.  Aromatherapy jewelry is an ancient concept that has been “resurrected” by Earth Solutions, and has become very popular recently.

Whether your special lady prefers a necklace, bracelet or earrings, there is an option for her.  You could even get her a matching set.  The pendants on this jewelry are designed to hold essential oils and release the fragrance to the wearer all day.  There are classic designs like hearts and flowers, or maybe she would like a fairy or ohm design.  Depending on the design you choose, you can have pewter or sterling silver jewelry.

Essential oil diffusers for the home come in even more shapes and sizes and are the perfect gift for the families on your list.  Birch Hill Happenings has options to fit every décor, including tea light diffusers made of metal, soapstone or ceramic.  Tea light diffusers can either be used to heat essential oils, or with scented wax tarts.  They also have passive diffusers and a wide range of other aromatherapy gifts.

No matter who is on your gift-giving list, chances are they could benefit from some aromatherapy in their lives whether they need help relaxing or energizing, sleeping or focusing.  There are so many aromatherapy gift options; you would be hard pressed NOT to find something suitable for each person.

Eucalyptus essential oil has a fresh, woodsy, medicinal scent that most people associate with cough drops.  Eucalyptus is not only useful for coughs, however, but has numerous other uses around the home as well.  Included in its many helpful properties is that it is an antiseptic, astringent, analgesic, anti-bacterial and anti-septic.  Let’s investigate some of the ways that this can be utilized.

• Respiratory Ailments – As stated above, the most commonly known use for eucalyptus is in cough drops.  This is because it can be a powerful decongestant and relieve some of the throat pain associated with coughing.  It can help people with colds, sinusitis, hay fever and bronchitis.  In addition to using cough drops, a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil can be added to a vaporizer, put in a chest rub, or it can be used in a gargle.  To gargle, make sure the eucalyptus is VERY diluted, as it can cause irritation if it is too strong, 5 drops in an 8 oz. glass of water should do it.
• Muscular Pain – Eucalyptus essential oil’s analgesic properties make it very useful as a compress, in baths, massage oils, and lotions to relieve the muscle and joint pain associated with problems such as rheumatism, fever, and arthritis, as well as the everyday aches and pains associated with busy lives.

• Skin Ailments – Bburns, blisters, cuts, wounds, and infections can benefit from the anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties of eucalyptus essential oil.  To treat these, soak a compress pad in a eucalyptus and water solution of 5 drops to 8 ozs of water and apply directly to the affected area.

• Boost Immunity – Eucalyptus is not only useful for respiratory infections, but in infections of the immune system in general.  People with ailments such as fever, the common cold, influenza and the measles can also benefit from eucalyptus.

• Aromatherapy – The fresh, sharp scent of eucalyptus is invigorating and purifying to those who come into contact with it, and is added to lotions and candles for this reason as well.

A note of caution:  Eucalyptus should be not be used by individuals with high blood pressure and/or epilepsy, as it can exacerbate these problems.  It can also lower blood sugar; therefore, diabetics should be cautious as well.

That being said, eucalyptus really is a versatile little essential oil, and is a staple in my house.  I have used it for ages in my baths and vaporizer when my asthma is acting up for almost instant relief.  I am sure there has been some hospital trips avoided because of this wonderful little herb.  I hope this article has helped you find some more ways eucalyptus can be of use around your home!