Category Archives: Essential Oil Profiles

The Aromatica Australia 2019 Conference on the Gold Coast

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Hello natural beauties I hope you’re all well and happy. I had a fabulous weekend on the Gold Coast in Australia at the Aromatica Australia 2019 conference. Here’s my little movie so you get an idea of how energetic it was.

Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here:

suzannerbanks.com.au

                     Digital downloads and paper backs of my book                              Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils here:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

I barely had time to do any filming as I needed to shop (of course), chat and eat. The day’s agendas were jam packed, so stay tuned next time I’ll tell you about each presenter and their talk.

Please forgive all my “fantastics” and “amazings”. I was feeling inspired and excited and tired and busy.

There is a bright future for aromatherapy and essential oils but we must look at sustainability and absolutely be more aware of where our money goes. Plant medicine and nutrition will always connect us to the earth. We must look after our planet.

Forest Bathing and Japanese Yakusugi Essential Oil by Sal Battaglia

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Hello natural beauties! Following on from the last post about Sal Battaglia’s AROMATREE book, I’d like to share 2 other lovely experiences from that day in Sydney: Shinrin-yoku (Japanese forest bathing) and the very powerful yakusugi oil.

Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here:

suzannerbanks.com.au

                     Digital downloads and paper backs of my book                              Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils here:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, was created in Japan in the 1980’s as a way to invite people into the beautiful forests to simply experience the serenity, power and positive energy they provide. This was spearheaded by the director of the Japanese Forestry Agency to help people destress. He had himself been inspired by 17th century haiku poets, and the notion was to simply commune with nature. Not walking or running, not listening to a podcast, just being in the beauty of nature.

In this little guidebook we are invited to dip our hands and fingers in a stream, feel the trunk of an ancient tree, smell the fragrances of the forest and use all our senses to drink in the delights of nature.

The benefits include, reduced muscle tension and stress in general, improved cognitive function and help with anxiety and other emotional disorders. I walk in the Australian bush all the time and I know it makes me happy as I get a kick from the beautiful eucalyptus oil and smells of the bush. The phytoncides (including essential oils) from trees and shrubs give us the immense connection to the divine while having our entire physical and emotional senses enlivened.

Of course I bought the little collection of Japanese oils and have bathed with them many times. Not only that, I also received a free gift …

And now to the very interesting and extremely limited edition of Yakusugi essential oil which would have already sold out by now. When I realised this oil was in short supply I did buy it and then opened it straight away. I said to the lady sitting next to me that I thought it had a moist fungal-like scent to it. Since then I also get a slight hint of Palo Santo.

Sal describes the scent: “a delicate, woody note with a sweet-resiny woody undertone”, and recommends the oil could be used as an enhancement to spirituality, and a stress reliever. The oil is high in sesquiterpenes but has had little research into its qualities. So if you get a chance to experience the oil, just enjoy!

This oil is also called Japanese cedar, and hails from the island of Yakushima. The oil is steam distilled from ancient fallen trees (deadwood) from Cryptomeria japonica, by a local producer. If you’re interested in this oil I’d sign up to the Perfect Potion email list in the exciting event that Sal is able to buy more of this precious oil.

I feel very fortunate to have this subtle yet powerful oil in my collection.

Yay! Thank you x

Enliven Your Mind, Make Pesto

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I’ve got a brilliant idea. Make dinner and have an aromatherapy treatment all at the same time. My choice for today is pesto, vegan of course. This classic Italian dish with a vegan twist is made with fresh sweet basil. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the kind most used for pesto and other European dishes,  and the most common basil essential oil.

Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here:

suzannerbanks.com.au

                     Digital downloads and paper backs of my book                              Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils here:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

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beautiful pungent sweet basil

Basil takes its name from the latin ’Basileum’ meaning royal. There are many types of basil, which belong to the herb family that includes lavender, mint, thyme, patchouli, marjoram and many others.

Holy Basil, also known as tulsi is from India (Ocimum tenuiflorum), and also makes a great essential oil and is used in Ayurvedic medicine. This holy plant and is dedicated to Vishnu and Krishna.

Thai basil used across South East Asian has the botanical name (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) but I’ve never used it as an essential oil. It’s used in Vietnamese cooking too and tops a lovely pho.

Thai Basil from bonappetit.com

So what can basil, and essential oil of basil do for you? Sharp and spicy, basil helps clear the head and open avenues of expression. It is a very powerful clearing oil, particularly effective when used in a vapouriser as an inhalation, or when you are cooking. It is used for mental and physical fatigue and its anti-spasmodic properties make it ideal for treating menstrual problems and digestive disorders. It is also used for

* Sinus congestion, asthma and bronchitis are all soothed by basil.

* Fever can be treated effectively with basil.

* In the middle ages it was prescribed for melancholy and depression.

Vegan pesto from taste.com.au

I love the fact that this modest little herb with a big presence has been around for ages. Literally ages. The old herbs of healers and witches alike are still here because they work. Food is medicine, and always has been.Fantastic. Get cooking. Click here for a really easy and authentic pesto recipe.


Remember, treat yourself first, than everyone else benefits!

May Chang – A Princess or an Essential Oil?

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Hello natural beauties! This oil has been popping up in my mind and in my oil collection lately so I thought it was about time (again), to have a closer look at May chang (Litsea cubeba), the sunny little oil that could.

 

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Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here: suzannerbanks.com.au

Digital downloads of my book Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

***********************************************************************************************

 

The flower of Litsea cubeba – pic via ec.europa.eu/europeaid/

 

May Chang   Litsea cubeba

This gorgeous, sparkly essential oil is made from the berries of the tree which is native to China and south-east Asia. I was first introduced to it when a friend brought some back from her holiday in Thailand about 20 years ago. It’s part of the Lauraceae family which also holds cinnamon and rosewood. May chang, and these oils too, have a subtle peppery note about them too.

It is a lemon scented oil and is high in neral and geranial which is are monoterpenoid structures within the oil. It is however, more than that. It smells like bubbly lemonade. It has a 3D effervescence about it, and that’s probably not possible – can you smell effervescence?. Well I reckon you can in this lovely oil.

Mainly used for fragrance in soaps, May chang does have therapeutic properties in Aromatherapy and other modalities. In traditional Chinese medicine according to Salvatore Battaglia:

 

“….May chang is used to treat dysmenorrhoea that is relieved with heat or pressure, stomach aches, lower back pain, chills headaches and muscular aches from external conditions.”

 

So from this we can see that is has a warming quality to it, which you would expect from the local name of ‘mountain pepper”.It’s also described as a great oil for respiratory issues like asthma is it also being used in heart research in China.

 

Litsea cubeba berry- pic via /www.bellabaci.com

 

I call it a happiness oil. Here’s an excerpt from my book

“Revelation! Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils”

Chines

“If you search for May chang on the internet, you may come across images of a super-cute, young Chinese princess from the Chang clan in the Xing Dynasty. She is a fictional character in a Japanese manga series. Her quest is to seek the grand alchemist who will help her fine-tune her skills of making elixirs, master the art of chi to cure ailments, and bring her back to her clan back to its former glory by finding the secret to immortality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Princess may chang – pic via http://vsbattles.wikia.com/wiki/May_Chang

 

…. I use it to call in the energy of the sun into my heart and maintain a sense of purity, innocence and lightness…. It seems the creators of Princess May chang took into the account the uses of the oil and transferred its healing properties into very essence. Perhaps one of the secrets to a long life is happiness?”

 

If you haven’t tried this gorgeous sunny oil yet please do – and let me know how much you love it!

Ylang Ylang – A Three Word Buzz

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Natural scent lovers from far and wide I salute you! Do love love the heady fragrance of Ylang Ylang or is it a bit too strong for you? As a deep oriental floral, it is very basey in its fragrance and because of this I find my male friends quite like it too. I think it’s one of those essential oils that is polarising so I’d love to know your thoughts.

The Ylang Ylang flower, Cananga odorata is spidery in appearance and its vibrant yellow colour also resonates with the Solar plexus chakra. In classical aromatherapy it can be used in skincare, may help to relieve tension and anxiety and can create a sensual feminine mood. 

There’s one thing for sure, this oil has a distinct and powerful scent, and here are some Australian perfumers and “noses” to give you their 3 word buzz on this unique oil.

 

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Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here: suzannerbanks.com.au

Digital downloads of my book Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

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Spidery Ylang Ylang flower

 

 

Who are you and what are your 3 words for Ylang Ylang essential oil?

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Kim Landsdowne-Walker from Temp L D’or:

sensual, exotic, beauty

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Jocelyn Fullerton from Cult of Scent:

tropical, lilies, chilling out

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Ylang Ylang flower
photo credit photo credit: Zaqqy J. Sexy Curls.. via photopin (license)

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Julie Nelson from Aromatique Essentials:

sexy, playful, femme fatale

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Candace Gabelish from Pearl Perfumery:

passionate, tropical, intoxicating

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Bright, pretty Ylang Ylang flowers

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Suzanne Banks from banksbotanicals:

exotic, heady, sensual

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Portia Turbo from Australian Perfume Junkies:

thick, creamy, luscious

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

The Results – from most popular to least:

  1. exotic, tropical
  2. sensual, sexy, femme fatale
  3. intoxicating, heady
  4. passionate, playful
  5. luscious, creamy
  6. chill out

So I’ll give you an extra hint – this oil is fantastic for getting you in a sexy mood, helps you connect with your femininity and resonates with floral exotic explosions. It is deeply luxurious and has can help even out skin tone and help speed scar tissue recovery.

This is a beautiful oil! Do you love it?

 

Oils to Stimulate Your Mind and Inspire Remembering

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Hello natural beauties I hope you’re all well and happy. I completely forgot to write an article last week as I’ve been doing lots of different things and have been staying at a friend’s place looking after her cat. It dawned on me one day “hmmm, I forgot to blog”. So I think my mind needs stimulation and I definitely need to remember a bit better. So here are some oils to stimulate your brain, get you thinking and clarify your thoughts. 

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Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here: suzannerbanks.com.au

Digital downloads of my book Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

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remember with rosemary

 

Rosemary

Sharp and strong, the scent of rosemary essential oil will awaken and stimulate your brain. Rosemary is the classic oil for remembering. Remember that! I’ve made my mum “smelling salts” and the main ingredient is rosemary. Just open a bottle and have a whiff!

If you can’t wake up in the morning, put a few drops in the bottom of the shower and have a whole body steam.

If you need to concentrate, study, focus and remember things, diffuse rosemary throughout your house or office – or just put a few drops on a hanky or make-up remover pad and sniff when you need as boost.

This ancient herb oil has been with us for centuries which proves it’s hardiness and usefulness, even in today’s modern society. It’s inexpensive too, easy to find, and easy to grow if you have a bit of sun. For some recipes check out

10 Recipes with Rosemary Essential Oil – Rosmarinus officianalis

 

 

 

Eucalyptus

Awaken, clean out your mind and get going with eucalyptus oil. This very distinctive scent will give you an instant brain-lift and help you put ideas into action. It is the oil of clearing and cleansing, so clean out the cupboards of your mind and make space for the thoughts that really count. Once again this oil is inexpensive and easy to find, and works well when cleaning the actual cupboards in your house. Have an aromatherapy treatment while you clean by adding a few drops to soapy water. Simple and easy. Check out these recipes:

10 Essential Oil Recipes to Inspire Creativity

and also a recent article from Australian perfumers about their thoughts on eucalyptus oil:

Eucalyptus – A Three Word Buzz

 

Black pepper

 

Black Pepper

From a story I wrote about black pepper for Australian Perfume Junkies:

“The essential oil of black pepper is a lot softer and sweeter than the taste, and is used in Aromatherapy for symptoms such as poor circulation, muscle and joint aches and pains, as treatment for bad digestion and as a general warming tonic. It has been used as an aphrodisiac, and an anti-dote to depression. Taking in all these properties, what can the divine scent tell us? Like many spice oils, it carries the energetic resonance of the evolution of humanity – really. Each drop, each whiff can link us to the past.

 

It’s an oil of warmth, expansion and action. It’s a stimulating scent to the brain and can certainly be employed to open your mind. When I smell black pepper straight from the bottle (the best way to experience an essential oil is to take off the lid and take a huge sniff) I am inspired to carry on. To me it’s an oil of searching for your purpose in life, and giving inspiration to go forward and seize the day.”

 

 

 

The stunning basil leaf makes a wonderful essential oil – pic by me

 

Basil

Refreshing and uplifting, the scent of basil can be quite soft as well as pungent. Often described in aromatherapy terms as “cephalic” (pertaining to the head), it is an expansive oil as it works on your mind and your brain.

What’s the diff between your mind and your brain? The brain is the organ which helps run the body performing amazing functions at a very small level. “The mind is the brain in action” says Dr Joe Dispenza the wonderful neuroscientist. The mind is multi-dimensional and allows us to understand, comprehend and evolve.

Have a whiff of basil to open yourself to the intelligence of the universe, and help you wake up to do your everyday work and chores. Check out these recipes:

(and BTW I wrote these two articles close together a while back, because I’d written one and forgotten about it ….. I think I see a pattern emerging …..)

10 Recipes with Basil Essential Oil – Ocimum basilicum

10 Recipes with Basil Essential Oil – Ocimum basilicum (part 2)

 

lovely lemongrass

Maybe its just being tired that adds to vagueness?

Try these recipes for fatigue, with oils including

Lemongrass, Black pepper, 

Rosemary, Cypress, Lemon, Basil, Pine, Cinnamon, Ginger, 

Wintergreen, Eucalyptus

10 Vapouriser Essential Oil Recipes for Exhaustion

 

 

Liven up with these stimulating essential oils and train your brain to remember!

Which oils do you like to waken up with?

 

Eucalyptus – A Three Word Buzz

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Hello natural beauties from far and wide. Eucalyptus is one of the more widely known essential oils, and is grown on many continents. China is one of the world’s biggest producers of eucalyptus oil and the European Economic Community are the largest importers of the oil. The Australian industry was the first to bring this stunning oil out into the world in the early to mid 1900’s and since then has continued, not only with oil production, but also the creation of many eucalyptus oil products.

There’s one thing for sure, eucalyptus oil has a distinct and powerful scent, and here are some Australian perfumers and “noses” to give you their 3 word buzz on this unique oil.

 

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Buy my 100% natural and organic botanical perfumes, and paperback book here: suzannerbanks.com.au

Digital downloads of my book Revelation! Reveal your Destiny with Essentials Oils:

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

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But first, a little movie taken the other day that inspired this blog:

 

 

 

Who are you and what are your 3 words for eucalyptus oil?

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Suzanne Banks from banksbotanicals:

enlightening, enlivening, expansive

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Portia Turbo from Australian Perfume Junkies:

sharp, fresh, energising

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Eucalyptus in the Australian country

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Kim Landsdowne-Walker from Temp L D’or:

uplifting, strength, spiritual cleanser

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Jocelyn Fullerton from Cult of Scent:

comforting, clearing, distinctly Australian

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Eucalyptus globulus is the most commonly produced essential oil although there are quite a few – pic via http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Julie Nelson from Aromatique Essentials:

cooling, cleansing, bushland Australia

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Candace Gabelish from Pearl Perfumery:

invigorating, uplifting, refreshing

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Tonia Walker from IME Natural Perfume:

cleansing, comforting, uplifting

 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Eucalyptus radiata leaves ready to be distilled at Banalasta Estate in NSW

 

The Results – from most popular to least:

  1. refreshing
  2. uplifting
  3. spiritual cleanser/cleansing/clearing
  4. energising/invigorating/enlivening
  5. expansive/enlightening
  6. Aussie bushland/distinctly Australian
  7. comforting
  8. strength
  9. sharp/cooling

 

So I’ll give you a hint – if you’re lagging in energy, feeling uninspired, needing a little boost in your day and your life, take a whiff of eucalyptus oil to brighten your outlook.

Do you love eucalyptus oil?

 

The Wonders of Wintergreen

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Thanks for tuning in again natural beauties. This week a client and friend brought me a gift from the USA – Wintergreen Life Savers. She had promised she would bring some back to me so I could have a taste – and had been inspired to do this after I used wintergreen in an oil blend for one of her treatments. She said that this lolly was a blast from the past and a loved candy from her childhood.

 

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Please check out my book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

and many other stores worldwide as an ebook and paperback

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As you can see from the comment in my pic above – wintergreen as a flavouring for a candy is very unusual for me (and I would think many Aussies too). To me it’s like eating a sports rub like Deep Heat or Dencorub. It is commonly used as a flavouring in America, but I’m not sure if it’s embraced the same way in other parts of the world. After the initial blast and sensation of the essential oil of wintergreen in my mouth, the fragrance subsided into a general sweetness. Phew.

Some of my classic aromatherapy text books warn against using this oil at all, which seems strange when you can eat it in a lolly )this is however, at an extremely low dosage). Wintergreen is an essential oil of warmth, expansion and healing and can be used in an external oil blend for:

  • sore muscles
  • a chest cough
  • a headache
  • tension
  • poor circulation

I think the reason this oil is misunderstood is that some texts say it is high in the same chemical constituents that are in aspirin – but that’s not quite true. It has a high concentration of methyl salicylate ……

“Methyl salicylate is good for some people, not for others. A blanket contraindication is not necessary, but it is best avoided in pregnancy – all salicylates are teratogenic in sufficient amount, including methyl salicylate and aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid). Methyl salicylate must be absolutely avoided by anyone taking blood-thinning drugs, as it increases the action of the drug, and this causes blood to leak into tissues and  internal bruising occurs.

 

Wintergreen oil has some wonderful properties, but I would not like to see it used at more than 5%.”

 

Robert Tisserand

 

wintergreen - Gaultheria procumbens

wintergreen – Gaultheria procumbens

 

NB: As Robert Tisserand says above, he would not recommend using this at a higher concentration then 5%. Well 5% is a very high concentration in aromatherapy as mostly our oil blends are a standard 2.5%.

I have used this oil with an elderly client who is on blood thinners and it really helps him with back pain. I don’t use it all the time and when I do make a blend I always add other oils too.

Common sense and intuition must always play a part when you use essential oils. One size does not fit all. 

 

Here are a few recipes for an oil blend at 2.5%

For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil. It’s always best to patch test first, before you apply all over.

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

For a 50ml bottle of oil add 25 drops and see my articles “Ratios for Blending Essential Oils – A Reminder of the Basics” and “Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 1 2 3”

 

Wintergreen with frost - pic via http://tcpermaculture.com/

Wintergreen with frost – pic via http://tcpermaculture.com/

 

“BRRR I’m Freezing”

Wintergreen     1 drop

Lemon             7 drops

 

 

“The Anti Cough”

Wintergreen         2 drops

Marjoram             2 drops

Frankincense     4 drops

 

 

“Period Pain-Away”

Wintergreen     2 drops

Lavender         4 drops

Peppermint     1 drop

 

 

“Oh My Aching Knees”

Wintergreen     3 drops

Ginger             3ginger drops

Cypress          2 drops

 

Do you like wintergreen?

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

Check out my YouTube channel too, thanks.

copyright-2017

Lavender for Summer AND Winter Skin

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Hello natural beauties I hope you’re all faring well after the New Year. I’m so grateful I’ve been having  lots of lovely beach time this summer, which also means I have tan, and have been exposed to lots of UV rays. Lavender is the perfect essential oil to cool summer skin, but even if you’re in the dead of winter, it’s perfect for you too! Read on to find out how this amazing oil of oils can help you now ….

 

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Please check out my book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

and many other stores worldwide as an ebook and paperback

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SUMMER

  • Lavender has always been used to treat burns as its high linalool and linalyl acetate content helps soothe hot skin.
  • Used as a calming oil you can see how this relates to stress, sleep, healing skin and soothing skin too.
  • Mix a few drops of lavender oil into some natural aloe vera gel for the perfect after-sun treatment (although it can be a bit sticky)
  • Add a few drops of this amazing oil into your favourite body or face moisturiser to help soothe and repair sun damaged skin
  • Have a luke warm bath with some coconut milk and 4 drops of lavender
  • Make a body oil blend with lavender and your favourite cold pressed oil using this ratio:

 

lovely lavender in my neighbour's planter box out the frot

lovely lavender in my neighbour’s planter box out the front

 

Nourishing Body Oil Blend

For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil. It’s always best to patch test first, before you apply all over.

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

For a 50ml bottle of oil add 25 drops and see my articles “Ratios for Blending Essential Oils – A Reminder of the Basics” and “Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 1 2 3”

 

“After Sun Special”

Lavender        4 drops

Peppermint    2 drops

Vetiver            1 drop

 

I took this pic in Mexico in 2014

I took this pic in Mexico in 2014

 

WINTER

Warm up in winter with essential oils

Warm up in winter with essential oils

 

While lavender is wonderful for soothing and calming summer skin how can it help you in winter?

  • Lavender is an ancient healing herb oil that has strength and tenacity which is what one often needs to brave the winter months
  • Your skin can become very dry due to many reasons – artificial heating, hot showers and baths and by being continually covered up the dead skin cells often don’t have anywhere to escape to, leaving you dry and flaky
  • Lavender is the perfect oil to nurture you in the cold by doing steam inhalations to bring colour and life into your face – even add a few drops to your shower to give you an all over steam inhalation
  • Add a few drops to a hot foot bath to increase circulation
  • And as above: add a few drops of this amazing oil into your favourite body or face moisturiser to help soothe and repair dry skin
  • Make a body oil blend with lavender and your favourite cold pressed oil using the ratio above:

“Warm me up, Give Me Strength”

Lavender         3 drops

Rosemary        2 drops

Ginger             2 drops

 

Lavender in Sydney

Lavender in Sydney

 

“When in doubt, use lavender”

                       Suzanne R Banks

Ah yes there I go quoting myself again, hehe.

Do you use lavender all year round? I’d love to know x

copyright-2017

The Gardenias Are Out! And a Few Perfume Recipes Too

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I’m so happy its getting warmer and the heady, intoxicating scent of gardenias is everywhere. So fragile, so pretty and oh what a scent! And the good news is you can buy gardenia absolute – it’s more expensive like the other floral extractions of rose, jasmine and neroli – but worth every scent (get it? cent/scent). What can you do with gardenia absolute?

 

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Please check out my new book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

and many other stores worldwide as an ebook and paperback

**************************************************************************************************************

the beautiful gardenia

the beautiful gardenia

 

Because this floral scent is so special and so unique, you don’t need to mix it up too much. You could treat it in the way you use jasmine oil, as it has an exotic white floral scent indicative of summer evenings somewhere delightful.

Here a a couple of recipes you try with this precious oil, and my general rules for making an anointing perfume:

 

Pure Pulse Point Perfume

In a little dish mix these oils and anoint your pulse points or chakras – 3 drops of essential oils and dilute with a few drops of carrier oil – always patch test first!

 

The classic Duralex glass dish is handy to make oil blends and quick perfumes in

The classic Duralex glass dish is handy to make oil blends and quick perfumes in

 

“An Evening by the River”

gardenia absolute             1 drop

cedarwood Atlas               1 drop

palmarosa                         1 drop

 

” Being”

gardenia absolute             2 drops

bergamot                         1 drop

 

 

 

“La Verite”

gardenia absolute             1 drop

jasmine absolute               1 drop

orange                               1 drop

 

 

“Tropicana”

gardenia absolute             1 drop

lime                                  1 drop

ginger                               1 drop

mixed into some coconut oil

 

“Femme Fatale”

gardenia absolute             2 drops

sandalwood Mysore         1 drop

Billie Holliday with gardenias in her hair

Billie Holliday with gardenias in her hair

 

“Holiday: Madonna vs Billie”

gardenia absolute            1 drop

peru balsam                     1 drop

patchouli                         1 drop

 

Have you ever used gardenia absolute? I’d love to hear from you!

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

copyright 2016