More Gorgeous Free Botanical Illustrations

Posted on December 8, 2017 by suzannerbanks

Hello natural beauties and scent lovers from far and wide. I hope you’re all well and happy. The past couple of weeks I’ve written about beautiful free botanical illustrations from the 19th Century book by Kolher, and my free resource about essential oils and tarot. Continuing on from that theme I’d like to share another beautiful online resource for flora and fauna illustrations from the past. Alerted by a Facebook post, an article by mymodernmet.com, showed me to the flickr stream of the Biodiversity Heritage Library showing so many absolutely gorgeous illustrations. Check some out below.

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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:

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Myristica moschata – nutmeg and mace

Papaver rhoeas – poppy

Coffea arabica – coffee

Citrus limonum – lemon

Citrus aurantium – bitter orange

Pinus laricio – Corsican pine

Phoenix dactylifera – dates

Viola tricolor – viola

Cucumis melo – musk melons like cantaloupe

Nymphaea nelumbo – lotus

Agericus campestrus – gilled mushrooms

I think I love the lotus the most. How about you?

10 Essential Oil Blends for the Diffuser and Deep Relaxation

Posted on September 6, 2017 by suzannerbanks

Hello natural beauties! I’m feeling very relaxed right now as I’ve just spent 3 days with Dr Brian Weiss, participating in a past life regression workshop called “Many Lives, Many Masters”. This is also the title of his best-selling book and is a great read if you’re interested in past lives. I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my favourite soothing calming blends for relaxation, meditation and opening your intuition by looking within.

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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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Lavender is a must have!

Scent Your Space

In a traditional oil burner with a candle or a diffuser add 15 – 25 drops of oil

(depending on what type of diffuser you have and how it operates)

Diffusing essential oils in a room or any kind of space will help reduce bacteria, energetically cleanse the area and purify the energy of all who are in it, help you relax as the molecules pass through your nose into parts of your brain and basically allow you to feel absolutely lovely.

Lets to some lavender-centric blends first:

“Crown Chakra”

lavender 8 drops

geranium 4 drops

cedarwood Virginian 4 drops

“The Bountiful Garden”

Ylang ylang 4 drops

lavender 4 drops

orange 10 drops

“Deep Trance”

lemon 9 drops

lavender 5 drops

marjoram 4 drops

palmarosa 4 drops

“Grounded Vision”

lavender 5 drops

bergamot 12 drops

basil 3 drops

vetiver 2 drops

Artisan diffuser from https://www.facebook.com/GX.Diffuser/

“Deep Space”

mandarin 10 drops

Australian sandalwood 5 drops

may chang 5 drops

frankincense 5 drops

“Green”

lime 8 drops

Peru balsam 8 drops

Roman chamomile 4 drops

cedarwood Atlas 4 drops

“Sweet Serenity”

orange 10 drops

cinnamon 6 drops

rose geranium 5 drops

patchouli 4 drops

cinnamon – my own pic

“Time is a Only Concept”

jasmine 8 drops * only if its pure a 3% blend in jojoba wont work in a diffuser

juniper 6 drops

lemongrass 3 drops

myrrh 3 drops

“Lazy Days”

melissa 8 drops

petitgrain 8 drops

Himalayan cedarwood 8 drops

“Completion”

cypress 8 drops

bergamot 8 drops

nutmeg 3 drops

thyme 3 drops

nutmeg

Which oils help you relax?

Thanks for tuning in see you next week x

10 Recipes with Rose Essential Oil 3% – Rosa damascaena

Posted on April 15, 2015 by suzannerbanks

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 a Kindle and Paperback

10 Recipes with Rose Essential Oil 3% – Rosa damascaena

Beautiful rose in Wellington Botanic Gardens

“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.“

Gertrude Stein

Rose essential oil is sometimes referred to as Attar of Rose or Rose Otto. It is steam distilled and the most expensive way to buy rose oil. Many other rose oils are actually “absolutes”, which refers to the way in which the scented oil has been extracted. This method is not very natural, often with chemicals used to extract the scented essence.

I’m hoping that one day soon we will start to see more CO2 extracts of rose available, which are more environmentally friendly (even though it doesn’t sound like it), and actually extracts more of the plant or flower than steam distillation does. Check out my article “What are CO2 Extracts in the World of Aromatherapy?” for more info.

Back to the rose. I have written a couple of articles about roses before and you can check them out at your leisure:

“Stop and Smell the Roses”

“Rose and Rosehip – A Winning Combination for Youthful Skin”

On to some recipes.

I will give you some recipes using 3% rose oil and some using pure rose oil. Rose oil is mostly sold already mixed in a 3% ratio with jojoba mainly because of the cost. See my article for more info on 3% blends in jojoba.

Moisturising with oil on your face can have fantastic benefits

1. Facial Oil Treatment

Mix one or two drops of essential oil in one teaspoon of carrier oil. You can warm the oil slightly first if desired – it will be very relaxing! Massage your face and rest for 10 minutes. You can also place a cool or warm wet face cloth on your face as a compress over the oil mask. Remove excess oil with a tissue or cloth if necessary.

Rose 3% 6 drops

Rose pure 2 drops in a teaspoon of oil

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

2. 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!

*All with 3% rose oil

“Sense and Sensibility”

Rose 3% 3 drops

Rose Geranium 1 drop

Nutmeg 1 drop

“Lovin Myself”

Rose 3% 4 drops

Lemon 2 drops

“Queen”

Rose 3% 6 drops

Indian Rosewood 1 drop (Dalbergia sissoo)

“Single Pointed Intention”

Rose 3% 4 drops

Orange 1 drop

Patchouli 1 drop

Nourish your body with a beautiful oil blend – pic via redbookmag.com

3. 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”

*All with 3% rose oil so the ratios from my standards above, will differ slightly

“Softly”

Rose 3% 6 drops

Peru Balsam 2 drops

Bergamot 2 drops

“One Fine Day”

Rose 3% 6 drops

Geranium 2 drops

Juniper 2 drops

“Wish”

Rose 3% 9 drops

Neroli 3% 4 drops

A personal mist is easy to make! pic via ebay.com.au

4. Personal Aura Cleansing Mist & Room Mist

In a 50ml mist bottle filled with water add 25 drops of oil

(depending on the packaging you have, you may need to use a little alcohol -like vodka- at the bottom of your bottle first, so the oils disperse into smaller drops to prevent clogging the atomiser top. I’ve found sometimes it works just with water, and sometimes it doesn’t – very annoying!)

*All using pure rose oil

“Pure Magic”

Rose 6 drops

Ylang Ylang 4 drops

Mandarin 8 drops

Cypress 7 drops

“Wild”

Rose 8 drops

Black Spruce 8 drops

Australian Sandalwood 7 drops

More beautiful roses from my recent trip to New Zealand

Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas. See my article about intention.

Check out my YouTube channel too, thanks.

Natural, Scented and Flavoured Christmassy Things to Make

Posted on December 16, 2013 by suzannerbanks

Oranges and cloves a classic Christmas goodie - pic via jessicalozanointeriors.blogspot.com

Oranges and cloves is a classic Christmas goodie – pic via jessicalozanointeriors.blogspot.com

Christmas is not always cold! It’s hot in many countries so here’s a list of “cold Chrustmas” and “warm Christmas” things to make.

Hot and Cold Christmas

1. Hey I love the cloves-in-the-orange decoration! It’s an old classic and works for both a southern and northern Christmas. If you’re in a hot Christmas climate this works really well if you hang your orange in a window so the stinking hot southern sun acts as a vapouriser for the cloves and orange rind – instant aromatherapy! If you’re having a cold Christmas hang them near a fire or a heater for a similar effect.

Method: get an orange and stick lots of cloves in the rind. The more cloves the better!

2. Use some the whole spices as a decoration on your Christmas tree – nutmeg (use fine jewelry wire to tie them on), star anise, cinnamon sticks and cassia sticks. Or layer them all in a slim vase for decoration.

Star Anise pic via es.wikipedia.org

Hot Christmas

1. For a summer Christmas try using fresh herbs in a vase instead of flowers – you may also be more inclined to use them in your cooking if they are out on display. Corriander and mint are cooling herbs – isn’t nature marvelous?

Gorgeous herbs in vases pic via lornaslist.com

2. For a refreshing, hydrating drink try cold sparkling mineral water, a pinch of sea salt, a piece of lemon and a good splash of rosewater or even orange blossom water. It tastes wonderful!

Add a splash of rosewater to a gin and tonic too – yum! Rose oil and rose water help the body deal with heat – have you ever had a rosewater lassi in India? Why not try and make a rosewater lassi yourself?

Rosewater lassi – pic via ayurvedicwellnesscentre.com.au

Cold Christmas

1. Eggnog – I never really got into it but, not only are you having a nutritious and warming drink, you are also having an aromatherapy treatment at the same time with all those lovely spices! Your house will smell fantastic when you make this traditional drink.

Eggnog - a warming drink best with all the great spices! pic via www.localnomad.com

Eggnog – a warming drink best with all the great spices! pic via http://www.localnomad.com

2. Mulled Wine – same as above. Spices and fruit rinds in wine – doesn’t get much better than that! All the essential oils will infuse into the wine to give you a scented home and a lovely beverage.

Mulled wine – pic via winemonger.com

Both these drinks are traditional winter drinks that have been around for a long time. They are cold tonics for the body and all those lovely spices and foods combine to act like medicine. Remember our medicine today is a far cry from the original medicines from centuries ago that were all natural substances!

So this Christmas wherever you are remember to gather all your natural herbs and spices, and flowers, and use them in your cooking so you are creating a culinary AND scented extravaganza!

Aromatherapy doesn’t have to be difficult – scented delights are all around you!

Really? Perfume for clothes? Yuck!

Posted on February 18, 2013 by suzannerbanks

Scented washing products

In the commercial for this product (a scented fabric softener), the gorgeous woman in her LBD (see my article on the LBD ), has run out of all her glamourous perfumes. She looks everywhere. I think she lives in Paris and wears designer clothes. She’s wearing stockings with a seam at the back and maybe she’s going out for an intimate dinner. Oh no, what is she going to do without her perfume? Here’s a brilliant idea…… take off your dress and wash it with this fragrant product – just like perfume for your clothes. NO!!!!!!

Have you ever smelled these vile, toxic, synthetic, over-scented products? They are so strong and so false, they exude out of the container and assault you when you are walking down the laundry isle in the supermarket. It’s not just this particular brand, but many brands. Clearly I can’t stand them. Any of them. My recommendation is to buy an unperfumed washing soap, and if you really feel you need some fragrance, chuck in a few drops of lemon or eucalyptus essential oil. Or even just the juice of a lemon – and squeeze the rind into the juice too (as this contains the essential oil).

the lovely lemon

We have completely gone overboard with synthetic fragrance. It screws with our sense of smell and interferes with healthy living. It prevents us from turning scent into valuable information. It dominates over the beauty of nature and our divine natural connection to the earth. Chemicals are absorbed and stored by our bodies – is it any wonder that western society has sickness and disease? Don’t for one minute think that a little bit of perfume won’t harm you. Extended exposure to toxicity within and without, is bad.

So what could have our glamourous lady from the ad, scented her beautiful skin with? In a couple of minutes our lady –

* could have found some citrus fruit, cut some rind, and squeezed the essential oil on her skin and hair – grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, mandarin.

the amazing vanilla pod

* could have used some vanilla extract from the cupboard and dabbed a little on her wrists, behind her ears. Or rubbed a vanilla pod on her wrists.

* could have bought or picked a single scented flower for her hair

Billie Holliday with gardenias in her hair

* could have ground up some black pepper, cinnamon or any spice with a little oil, and used that as a perfume. How delicious would a little bit of nutmeg and pepper be?

I’m sure you can think of a few more too. But if she didn’t have the scented fabric softener she probably could have sprayed her highly toxic, scented deodorant all over her – yep that would have worked!

Hey – instead of fabric softener use half a cup of bi-carbonate of soda. It works and you can always add some essential oils to the mix.

Please be mindful, and informed. Choose wisely.

It’s Easy to Make Your Own Body Scrub

Posted on November 5, 2012 by suzannerbanks

Sneakily borrowed from iodizedsalt.india.com

It IS easy. I recommend using sea salt as a base and adding ingredients to that. Use fine grade as the coarse grade will scratch your skin.

If you are a lover of essential oils then try adding about 5 drops (or a few more) of the oils you choose, into 2 cups of salt and slosh in some oil to make a gooey, grainy paste. It can be olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or anything you have in the cupboard. You could even try coconut milk or coconut cream to take you away on an island holiday in your mind.

Essential Oil Suggestions

Lemon – fresh wonderful scent, alpha hydroxyl acids to help get rid of dead skin

Orange – sweet and gorgeous and also has alpha hydroxyl acids to help get rid of dead skin

Lemongrass – invigorating

Lavender – an all purpose oil which helps skin regeneration and is fortify to the spirit

Peru balsam – great for the skin and has an amazing soft honey-like scent, similar benzoin in it’s healing ability

You can use any oil really so go with your intuition and your vibe. You will be giving yourself a skin scrub and an aromatherapy treatment to nurture your emotions and ease toxic thoughts.

The best way to do your body scrub is in a bath. After a 5 minute soak, stand up in the bath and scrub each part of your body with care. You are not trying to scrub oil off a baking pan so take it easy. The salt is the medium that will ease off old skin so don’t press too hard. After you have completed your ritual you can then soak in the treatment until your heart’s content – or until you get all pruney. If you only have a shower like me, wet yourself first, do the scrub, then shower off.

Get Creative

Cinnamon

This is the fun part. There are so many things you probably have in the house that could turn your salt scrub into a tropical delight. Try:

A teaspoon of vanilla extract

A few tablespoons of almond meal will make the scrub a little milky and leave your skin feeling soft

Grated lemon rind – or the rind of any citrus fruit will really make your scrub zesty, natural and alive with energy.

A tablespoon of coffee – some claim it helps get rid of cellulite and while I’m not sure about that, it will stimulate your skin and your senses

Herbal tea – either grind up a loose leaf tea or rip open a teabag and use the contents

Go on give it a whirl at Spa You. You don’t have to travel very far and it wont cost a fortune. Good luck my friends, scrub on.

suzannerbanks

scent . intention . consciousness . essential oils

Tag Archives: nutmeg

More Gorgeous Free Botanical Illustrations

10 Essential Oil Blends for the Diffuser and Deep Relaxation

10 Recipes with Rose Essential Oil 3% – Rosa damascaena

Natural, Scented and Flavoured Christmassy Things to Make

Really? Perfume for clothes? Yuck!

It’s Easy to Make Your Own Body Scrub

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