Tag Archives: orange essential oil

Delicious, Mouth-watering Petitgrain Essential Oil

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Citrus aurantium ssp amara or var. amara

Citrus aurantium ssp amara (or var. amara)

I recently mentioned petitgrain essential oil in my new year article I’ve Got a New Attitude but I feel it requires a lot more attention because I LOVE it!

The scent of petitgrain is beautiful and these are some words to describe it:

* citrus with a hint of grass

* green yet floral

* herbaceous and tangy with citrus undertones

* light

* slightly “soapy” in scent

* similar to Neroli (orange blossom from the same tree)

Petitgrain stands out from the other citrus oils because it is actually made from the leaves, twigs and green buds of the tree. See the pic below which captures the branches and leaves being prepared for distillation.

the leaves and twigs ready to be distilled

the leaves and twigs ready to be distilled

Lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, orange and lime essential oils are all pressed or distilled from the rind of the fruit, but our lovely petitgrain oil claims its distinction with ease. It is a scent widely used in perfumery and appeals to men and woman alike because of its fresh, clean nature.

Due to its chemical constituents it has a relaxing and soothing effect, similar to the properties of all the citrus oils. It is high in linalool (in lavender) and linalyl acetate. Other oils high in linlayl acetate are clary sage (a very high content) , lavandin, lavender, and bergamot, as well as neroli, lemon, lime, rosewood, and some mints.

Remember it is interesting to note the similar components of essential oils ,but each oil will have a very complex arrangement of molecules and the oil as a whole has a very individual energy, scent, and effect on the mind and body. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” applies so well to essential oils – and then when you add your intention you potentially create a whole new level of benefits.

petitgrain (citrus aurantium v amara)

petitgrain (citrus aurantium v amara)

Petitgrain can be used :

* as a perfume straight from the bottle mixed with a little carrier oil

* in an oil blend for the body where this oil will work in synergy with the others oil for its scent and as an addition to an anti-inflammatory blend

* in a body oil blend as an astringent or tonic for oily skin

* in a facial as a soothing and repairing treatment for acne and inflamed skin, particularly in teenagers as the oil will help with anxiety too

* to help release tension in the house use the oil in a diffuser or oil burner

* to reduce stress use a few drops in the shower and inhale the steam

* perfect for children and the elderly as it has an appealing scent with relaxing qualities and it will go to work for you in helping you amplify your care

* as a treatment for general sickness use a few drops on a cool washcloth and press all over the skin, then leave the cloth across the forehead

* use in place of lavender if a different scent is needed, but you still require a calming nurturing oil

I like to use Petitgrain when I need to look at things in a new light, or if I just need to chill out. It has so many uses in my practice, and when I am treating someone who is a bit stressed it is an oil that has far-reaching effects and tends to also work as an agent to simplify life.

Remember to add your intention when you make an oil blend which will add a powerful energetic, yet subtle force. Expects miracles using essential oils!

Christmas Essential Oil Blends

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

Amazon USA      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

and many other stores worldwide as a Kindle and Paperback

Christmas Essential Oil Blends

The North and the South

The North and the South

Christmas may be famous for snowflakes and reindeer, but believe it or not people it’s a HOT Christmas for some. And oh how we love to go to the beach and do summery things at Christmas in Australia. I’ve created a few blends for you according to your place in the world

Here are some great essential oil recipes for scenting your space on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Southern Hemisphere

sneakily borrowed from silver-mg.com

sneakily borrowed from silver-mg.com

 

I’m thinking citrus and a little spice. Maybe even some indigenous trees.

All blends are for a vapouriser or “oil burner”.

Buzz Off – a blend for an outdoor celebration, to keep away the little biters

Lemongrass       10 drops

Lavender            10 drops

Peppermint         5 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Chill –  a cooling and relaxing blend

Lemon               10 drops

Tea Tree              5 drops

Petitgrain           10 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Aaahhhhh Summer! – sparkly and fun

Lime                  10 drops

Orange               10 drops

Cinnamon            5 drops

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

Northern Hemisphere

All I Want for Christmas .....

All I Want for Christmas …..

 

I’m thinking herbs and spice.

All blends are for a vapouriser or “oil burner”.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

White Christmas – a classic Christmas scene

Rosemary             5 drops

Orange               12 drops

Nutmeg                5 drops

Myrrh                    3 drops

——————————————————————————————————————————————

All I want for Christmas is Mariah Carey – a fun, uplifting blend

Cinnamon            10 drops

Peru Balsam        10 drops

Mandarin               5 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Mulled Wine – warm and lovely

Marjoram           5 drops

Clove                 5 drops

Lavender           5 drops

Bergamot         10 drops

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

Get scenting! I’d love to hear what blends you are making for Christmas. And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, what blends are you creating right now?

Remember to use your intention when you are placing the oils in your vapouriser. What mood do you want to create? How do you want yourself and your guests to feel? See my article about intention.

copryright SR Banks

What Essential Oil is This?

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sneakily borrowed from biodagar.com

sneakily borrowed from biodagar.com

So many essential oils share similar qualities and properties, although they are all unique in their characteristics. Scent is the main way we distinguish essential oils from one another, and we know how varied the beautiful fragrances are!

I’m going to tell you about an oil, and as you are reading you may have an idea of what it could be. I will talk about the oil from the perspective of its uses and how it can influence the body.

The plant is grown in tropical climates, in Asia.

Some of its chemical constituents are:

* linalool (an alcohol) – also found in lavender and basil and has a warming effect

* B-caryophyllene (a sesquiterpene)- also found in cloves and could be considered balancing

* Benzyl benzoate (an ester) – also found in jasmine and can be seen as calming

Each chemical constituent within an essential oil, gels with all the others to produce an general effect on the body. Not all oils with esters will necessarily be calming oils. I know that’s a bit technical but I’ll give you some more hints.

yin yang

yin yang

Energetically it is said to be a “yang” (masculine) oil, and has an absolutely stunning oil with a heady, sweet aroma.

This oil could be blended with others to make a sexy, love oil.

It is a flower.

Uses of this oil include:

* calming nerves

* as an aphrodisiac

* stimulating cell growth

is our mystery flower

this is our mystery flower

This oil is used extensively in perfumery, but it doesn’t need anything else to help it.

This oil is YLANG YLANG – Cananga odorata! What a beautiful oil it is. I love using Ylang Ylang anytime. It works well with orange oil and is great to counteract frustration and even anger. Soothing and calming to the nerves, it also works as an aphrodisiac with it’s deep, base scent.

How about a body oil blend like this –

“Gorgeous”

3 teaspoons carrier oil

3 drops ylang ylang

3 drops orange

1 drop patchouli

Gorgeous!

Aussie Blue Sky – Aussie Blue Cypress

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Sydney summer sky

Sydney summer sky

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the blue pic above, was just a picture of blue. I took this, this afternoon lying on Maroubra beach – it’s a picture of a clear blue Sydney summer sky! I felt so fortunate today. I’d just finished doing the last of the Chopra Centre 21 Day Meditation Challenge about abundance and as I opened my eyes this is what I saw.

The feeling of freedom was overwhelming.

Then I thought “cypress”.

Then I thought “Australian blue cypress”. Callitris intratropica.

This oil is not very well-known but its absolutely stunning. It comes from the trees that grow in the Northern Territory, the wood and bark being resistant to insects. It is native to the area of the mainland and also the Tiwi Islands. The Tiwis’s are Melville and Bathurst Islands and they have a magic and special energy. It is claimed that the islanders have been living here for at least 20,000 years or more. Just like our other indigenous peoples, these civilisations have actually been around for much, much longer.

The trees grown in sustainable plantations and have various uses, one being the essential oil that is distilled from the wood.

Australian Blue Cypress sneakily borrowed from griffith.edu.au

Australian Blue Cypress sneakily borrowed from griffith.edu.au

The blue colour comes from the active ingredient “Guaiazulene” which is similar to “chamazulene” in German Chamomile. This is the anti-inflammatory component of the oil, and one of the most obvious. It is dark blue, almost inky and has a spicy, woody fragrance. It’s is quite thick and heavy too.  I remember being at a conference years ago and someone presented this oil as wonderful for lung infections. Any kind of disorder that requires cooling and soothing could be used with Blue Cypress. It still isn’t really classified as an essential oil as the regulating body in Australia hasn’t recognised it’s therapeutic qualities yet.

Australian Blue Cypress is a more expensive oil as the yield is quite low, and it takes a long time to distill.

I sometimes use it as a grounding, centering treatment when a client is overwhelmed or heated up with stress. It is powerful. I always say all oils go with all oils, but this cypress lends itself to lighter sweeter oils like lemon, orange, geranium, rose geranium, rose and anything you can think of really.

If you ever see it, it is worth a try. What about 1 drop on your wrists as a connection to the mysterious, wondrous time of the last world age.

Oils for Meditation

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aaahhh meditation!

Meditation is a wonderful thing, and doesn’t really need any added help. It’s about being, not doing. It’s about connecting and detaching. So do we need essential oils to help our meditation practice? Probably not, but sometimes it adds anchoring to the ritual and helps some relax into the process. When you vapourise oils in a classic “oil burner” with a candle, the flame acts as an agent of transformation.

I love this oil burner from pagethirtythree.com

My choices for meditation oils are:

Lavender – I use lavender for everything! It is as warming as it is cooling, It is calming and nurturing, It is centering and grounding, and brings together your energy. It is a well-known oil for relaxation due to its high ‘linalool” content. A few deep breaths of lavender at the start of your meditation will help you zone in to yourself quite quickly. My motto is “If in doubt, use lavender”.

Frankincense – oh ye olde magic of frankincense! It starts out as a resin from the tree and is then steam distilled to make the oil. It is the oil of breathing deeply and has its roots in spiritual and religious practices. By breathing deeply and expanding your lungs, more oxygen can flow into your body. The combination of increased oxygen and the natural feeling of relaxation when you take a deep breath, adds up to a very peaceful vibration. It is in this state we can connect with our higher selves, and essentially “God”. It is almost used in churches as a scent to induce a type of hypnotic trance.
For a quite peaceful meditation use frankincense oil.

Rose – the ‘queen’ of oils, it is an oil of self nurturing and self-love. Rose can be used for everything from heat exhaustion to cuts and wounds. The scent is divine and when you are in the presence of pure rose oil you wont be able to escape is enveloping nature. I think of rose crystal quartz when I use this oil too, the love crystal. Shakti Gawain talks about “pink bubbles of love” in her revolutionary book from 1978 “Creative Visualization”. Pink, oil of rose, and rose quartz go hand in hand – I often surround myself with the energy of rose quartz, and rose oil, when I feel I need a bit of help and kindness. Use rose oil in your meditation to give yourself a feeling of security, softness and love so you can open to the messages of the universe.

unpolished rose quartz borrowed from angelreikihealing.com

So many oils can be used for the practice of meditation just be guided by your intuition and your personal fragrance preferences. You don’t even need to vapourise the oils you could just put a drop on your upper lip (patch test for sensitivity first).

Some more relaxing oils for meditation are:

orange, bergamot, petitgrain, lemon balm, neroli,

Some expansive oils:

pine, cypress, fir, tea tree, basil

The most important thing is to set some time aside to meditate – and that can be so hard in our busy daily lives! The oil is the icing on the cake.

Meditate, and the whole world will benefit.

Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love

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Love

“Slipped, tripped and fell in love”, sings the beautiful Ann Peebles on her 1971 hit. You can listen to Ann’s soulful voice here.

Anne Peebles

Anne Peebles

But this isn’t really about Ann Peebles. It’s about love. Everyone wants to know about love potions, essential oils for love and how to get someone’s attention with scent.

Essential oil blending can be a fun way to experiment with natural perfumes and put you in the driver’s seat of your life. So does a love potion really work? Sure, of course it does but there’s a subtle trick.

The best way to make a love potion work is to create it for yourself. Have you heard of the exercise to write down all the qualities of what you want in a partner? When you’ve made your list, your job now, is to embody those qualities, to attract someone of the same vibration. What I’m saying is contrary to what you’d expect a spell to do. When you make a spell or practice other magic like that, you are engaging intention and alchemy to manipulate others. When making an aromatherapy love potion, even if it is your intention to attract another, the energy of the potion will be different. When you create it for yourself, you empower yourself, you don’t disempower someone else. You are supporting and nurturing your self, and sending your intention out into the ether with a positive spin.

Essential oils are carriers of the truth, they cannot lie. When you mix the essence of yourself with the essence of a flower or plant you will concoct a synergistic formula based in love and truth. Wait and see what happens.

Here are a some recipes to invite love and passion into your life:

1) “Law of Attraction”

To attract a life partner try a body oil blend using 3 teaspoons of carrier oil. Then add

Sandalwood  2 drops

Rosewood      2 drops

Orange           3 drops

Coat your body in this luscious formula before you go out to a social event.

2) “Mesmerise”

To attract a fun, intimate connection with another, try anointing your wrists, heart chakra and throat chakra in a combo of these oils:

Patchouli     1 drop

Jasmine       3 drops (this is assuming your jasmine oil is in a 3% blend with jojoba. If you have pure jasmine just use one drop).

Mandarin     1 drop

Just place each drop into a saucer or little ramekin, stir with your little finger and anoint yourself. MMMMMMMMMM. Delicious!

3) “Barry White is in the House”

If you are having a get together at your house, vapourise these oils in a classic oil burner with a candle:

Bergamot    5 drops

Palmarosa   5 drops

Ylang Ylang 5 drops

Don’t be scared to use any oil, just add your heartfelt intention when you blend, and all will be revealed to you.

Remember to treat yourself first, and everyone else will benefit.

Smiley Face Essential Oils

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sneakily borrowed from cartoonlogodesigns.com

Smiley faces and emoticons have come a long way. There are lots of versions but in essence, they are simple, cute and can make you feel good.

When Deepak Chopra was in Australia last year he talked about the power of emoticons. In his inimitable style, he is collaborating with Gallup, the company that conducts market research – The Gallup Polls. They have been collecting data on the positive ramifications and ripples stemming from emoticons and the smiley face. Basically you can spread happiness, joy and positivity by simply sending someone an emoticon via text message. You don’t even need to say anything, or write anything else. They speak for themselves. It’s like sending good vibes.

Essential oils are similar in the way they can inspire happiness, joy and a feeling of simplicity in your life. Wouldn’t it be great if we could send scent through our computers and phones? It will happen one day and I’m envious in advance! Until then here’s a few recipe for smiles:

*** It’s important to hold your intention when making your blend, so your energy can align with your thoughts, and transfer to your oils. Infuse your intention in the positive form eg “it’s another day, I’m so happy to be alive” rather than “I hate that guy at work he better stay away from me today”.

MIST

In a 100ml mist bottle with water add

Geranium  10 drops

Orange      20 drops

Spearmint  15 drops

Shake and mist. Breathe and release any tension. Fantastic to mist around kids.

STEAM

For a Smiley Face shower, cover the drain and add a few drops of Mandarin to the cascading water. Inhale. Smile.

DROP

To anoint yourself with a beautiful balm of happiness, try a drop or two Melissa (the oil) on your wrists. Gently inhale during the day for a sense of calm and softness.

SNIFF

Take a huge whiff of lime oil straight from the bottle, when you need to adjust your attitude.

sneakily borrowed from clkr.com

BODY OIL
A body oil blend recipe could look something like this;

3 teaspoons of almond oil

Grapefruit    5 drops

Bergamot    1 drop

CLEANING

If you are cleaning the house, add some lemongrass to water to mop floors or clean surfaces in any room of the house. Cleaning with essential oils is another great way to have an aromatherapy treatment while you are going about your day.

Remember, treat yourself first, and everyone will benefit.

It’s Easy to Make Your Own Body Scrub

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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.