10 Fabulously Positive Christmas Recipes for the End of the Decade!

Hello natural beauties living in this crazy world! Are you having a cold Christmas or a super hot one like me?  I love summer in Australia and I always feel so much better with the warmth and sun on my skin, but due to climate change our country is on fire! Lets hope we can move towards a new society where we put our earth first.

Wherever you are, here are 10 essential oil recipes for your diffuser, for a hot, or a cold Chrissy.

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

are you having a cold Christmas/end of year?

In a traditional oil burner with a candle or a diffuser add about 15 drops of oil(depending on what type of diffuser you have and how it operates)

“Baby It’s Cold Outside”

orange                            8 drops

Virginian cedarwood     4 drops

clove                                3 drops


“Light My Fire”

mandarin                       8 drops

cinnamon                       3 drops

rosemary                        2 drops

fennel                            2 drops


“Snowed Inn”

lavender                            6 drops

rose geranium                  4 drops

lemon                                4 drops

marjoram                           1 drops

Hyams Beach south of Sydney still holds the Guinness Book of Records whitest sand in the world! Warm Christmas recipes coming up …

“Aussie Bush Christmas”

lemon eucalyptus              4 drops

bergamot                           4 drops

nutmeg                               3 drops

patchouli                            4 drops


“Cocktails!”

blood orange          6 drops

peru balsam              4 drops

palmarosa                3 drops

thyme                          2 drops


“Sultry Nights”

lime                              7 drops

Australian Sandalwood       3 drops

Ylang ylang 3 drops

Fragonia 2 drops


cinnamon – my own pic

“Peace on Earth For Infinity”

mandarin                           10 drops

black spruce                      8 drops

myrrh                                   3 drops

pine                                     3 drops


“Thanks”

spearmint                             4 drops

may chang                           4 drops

grapefruit                              4 drops

frankincense                         3 drops


“Spiced Love”

geranium                           3 drops

orange                                5 drops

coriander seed                  4 drops

black pepper                     4 drops


peppermint candy canes use real peppermint oil – which is mixed into a food safe flavouring

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you a great end to this year, a fabulous start to the new year, and new decade too. 

Recipes for Making Essential Oil Inhalers

Hello natural beauties I hope you’re all well and happy. I’ve only just recently made a few essential oil inhalers and I quite like them. I’ve given some away and have others stashed in various bags. They are great for a quick burst of essential oil healing magic.

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

The components of the inhaler

When you get your inhalers, which you can buy from many sources including ebay, it will usually come in a few parts: the outer cover, the inhaler (which sits inside the cover), a cotton wad on which you drop your essential oils and the screw lid to keep the cotton inside your inhaler.

I tried using 20 drops of oil but found that it was too strong, so dropped it to 15. You can re-use the cotton wad if you are topping up with the same essential oils. I think you could probably make your own inserts when you run out too.

The cotton insert

Ensure you have a clean workspace, and then just drop the essential oils onto the cotton insert. I usually place a towel down when I’m working.

MMM delicious look at the beautiful green bergamot!

Study Burst

8 drops lemon . 4 drops rosemary . 3 drops basil


Conjuring Creativity

4 drops petitgrain . 4 drops black spruce . 4 drops cedarwood Atlas . 3 drops nutmeg


“Meditation” .

7 drops frankincense . 4 drops lavender . 4 drops Australian Sandalwood




“SLEEP NOW!”

5 drops lavender . 5 drops orange . 4 drops marjoram . 1 drop vetiver


“Sexy Delicious”

5 drops ylang ylang . 4 drops mandarin . 3 drops patchouli . 3 drops cardamom


“End of Year Cheer”

5 drops lime . 4 drops coriander seed . 4 drops geranium . 2 drops spearmint



Make a simple label and you’re ready to go

It really is quite simple and you are only limited by your creativity. It’s a wonderful and inexpensive Christmas/ end of year present.

Let me know how you go in the comments.

Thank you and remember, treat yourself first then everyone benefits.

Ylang Ylang – A Three Word Buzz

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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

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?

 

The Jasmines – A Love Story Full of Promises

The Jasmines - grandiflorum and sambac

The Jasmines – grandiflorum and sambac

It’s hard to tell by the pic above but these jasmine plants that make stunning essential oils, are slightly different in the look of the petal, but definitely different in the scent.

They do share qualities of being so absolutely divine that one sniff could take you to a new dimension. The oils are concentrated versions of the sweet scent of the blossoms, and are deep and alluring.

There’s lots of jasmine planted around Sydney and today I got a little excited when I saw the deep pink tinged buds, promising flowers very soon. That means Spring to me and the first step out of winter.

Hooray!

Jasmine in Sydney - the sweet promise of spring!

Jasmine in Sydney – the sweet promise of spring!

Jasminum grandiflorum

This is the classic jasmine we have come to know and love. It is the most common jasmine, but has an uncommon scent.

Sexy

Deep

Alluring

Mouth watering

Floral

Love

Seduction

A promise of things to come………..

Jasmine blooms in the spring – a time to shed the old energy of winter and gather new strength from the sun and warmth. Spring promises a wonderful time taking us into summer. Spring asks us to give everything, and in return promises newness, happiness and love.

The word “promise” always reminds me of K.D. Lang in 1985, when she won a JUNO Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year and rushed up to claim her award in a wedding gown. She said “no one makes more promises than a bride”.

KD Lang making promises

KD Lang making promise

It’s a perfect flower and oil for weddings as it creates a stunning scented environment of love, romance and (the promise of) sex. It is often used throughout Asia for this very purpose.

Jasmine is a base oil and has always been considered an aphrodisiac as it connects to our lower chakras and inspires kundalini energy. I call jasmine an oil of love and it’s definitely and oil of sexiness too. There’s nothing more promising than a wink, a smile, a kiss.

In Hindu and Muslim traditions it has been known as the oil of romance and the flowers are used in times of seduction and love. In traditional Chinese medicine it is used to tonify the liver and to treat stress and anxiety. Hey why not have a cup of jasmine green tea?

You will mostly find jasmine oil in a 3% blend which is ready to use as a perfume straight from the bottle! See my article for more info on 3% blends in jojoba.

A jasmine blossom in SYdney

A jasmine blossom in Sydney

Jasminum sambac

Oh my if you’ve ever smelt this oil you are the lucky one!

This jasmine is native to Asia and is sometimes known as Arabian jasmine or Indian jasmine. In the Philippines it is called sampaguita, in Indonesia it’s called melati putih, in Sri Lanka Pichcha or Geta pichcha and in Hawaii pikake.

This flower is certainly revered and I remember traveling in India and smelling it everywhere. It is used in Ayurveda for stimulating sexual drive and treating anxiety – can you see how these 2 things are related?

It is intoxicating! It has all the same amazing scent qualities of Jasminum grandiflorum but has a more intriguing, tropical scent. This flower is often used in spiritual ceremonies and used in adorning and beautifying children on their birthdays and women on special occasions.

This is the oil of exotic tales of the “far east” and it promises surprise and delight. It’s heady aroma can hypnotise you in a second and once you have smelt the sweet aroma of the oil or the flower I promise you, you will never be the same again!

Jasminum sambac promises to hypnotise you

Jasminum sambac promises to hypnotise you

If you find this oil it will also be in  3% blend, and once again it’s ready to use straight from the bottle.

When you need some new energy in your life use the jasmines.

When you need to get your sexy on use the jasmines.

When you make a promise to yourself to fulfill your destiny, use the jasmines.

What is your destiny?

What is your destiny?

copyright suzannerbanks 2013

Lavender is the “Little Black Dress” of the Oil Wardrobe

absolutely stunning lavender fields via reddit.com

absolutely stunning lavender fields via reddit.com

Lavender is the “Little Black Dress” of the oil wardrobe. The L.B.D. It is. Let me explain.

The other night I was going to a 20’s Prohibition themed 40th birthday party and didn’t really have time to get an outfit together – or really had no idea what to wear. My friend said “oh come on all you have to do is wear a little black dress and stick a flower in your hair”.

Right. Of course. And then the fact that I didn’t own a L.B.D became the issue. Off I went to the new year sales and after hours of trying on dresses I found my L.B.D. It wasn’t what I had imagined so now I realise it may be necessary to own a few. So anyway the L.B.D. is the item in your wardrobe you can take anywhere. You can wear it out to dinner, to the opera/symphony/theatre, to a party, to an intimate evening at home, to lunch and pretty much anywhere. It’s how you accessorise that counts. You can dress it up or dress it down, and mould it into something new every time you wear it. In fact it could just be a little black slip and still work.

the L.B.D via groominglady.com

the L.B.D via groominglady.com

Lavender is the same. It is a MUST have oil for any collection! Even if you aren’t into aromatherapy in a big way, it’s a must have for any household due it’s amazing first aid properties. Burns, cuts and abrasions, panic attacks, stress, headaches and anything else you can think of. It’s the fortifying oil, the oil of bringing energy together.

Lavender has cell regenerating properties too so it’s great in skincare and haircare, helping scars heal and helping sunburn. Here’s a few body oil blend recipes for lavender:

“I’ll Have a Sour Plum Margarita Thanks”

Take lavender to a cocktail bar – in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil add

Lavender      2 drops

Ylang Ylang  3 drops

Orange         3 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

“I have No Idea What She is Singing”

Take lavender to the dress circle at the opera – in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil add

Lavender        3 drops

Frankincense  3 drops

Patchouli        1 drop

Nutmeg          1 drop

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

“Behind Closed Doors”

Take lavender into the bedroom – in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil add

Lavender                 1 drop

Jasmine in jojoba     12 drops

Sandalwood             1 drop

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

dance floor at Sydney Mardi Gras 2007

dance floor at Sydney Mardi Gras 2007

“I like the Extended Dance Mix Better than the Radio Edit”

Take lavender to the dance floor – in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil add

Lavender                 1 drop

Cedarwood Atlas     2 drops

Bergamot                4 drops

Cinnamon                1 drop

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

“I’ll Save Room for Dessert”

Take Lavender to a dinner party – in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil add

Lavender                                 3 drops

Fennel                                     1 drop

Roman Chamomile in jojoba    8 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

“What’s the Wi-Fi Password?”

Take Lavender into a business meeting – in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil add

Lavender             2 drops

Neroli in jojoba    12 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

lavender

lavender

Lavender is a fantastic, versatile herb that should never be overlooked. It is powerful!

I hope you have fun with these recipes and please feel free to tell me about your experience of lavender in the comments section.

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.