Tag Archives: smile

I’ve Got a New Attitude

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New!

NEW!

New Year.

New vibe.

New attitude.

Just listen to Patti LaBelle she’ll give you a buzz …….

So how can we create a feeling of newness and inspiration at the beginning of the New Year and the new world age? Use essential oils of course!

The easiest way, is to have a steam with a few drops of essential oil in the shower. You can refer to my previous blog “Meet Me in the Shower”  for some tips on how to treat yourself holistically with essential oils.

Here a few oils to use to entice a feeling of newness, inspiration and rejuvenation:

petitgrain (citrus aurantium v amara)

petitgrain (citrus aurantium v amara)

Petitgrain

This is one of my favourite oils with it’s green slightly spicy, citrus scent. Unlike lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime and mandarin, the essential oil of petitgrain is distilled from the twigs, buds and leaves from the plant. The other citrus oils come from the rind of the fruit. It is a beautiful oil to use to freshen your senses and open your mind to possibilities. Use a few drops of petitgrain in your morning shower to allow the wonder of the universe to enfold you. An oil of the “bigger picture”, it will also help relieve stress and tension.

lemon

lemon (citrus limonum)

Lemon

You can’t deny the loveliness of lemons! Well you can if you want to but it’s difficult because they are so versatile. See my article “The Loveliness of Lemons”  for more info.

Lemons are light, sparkly and colourful. If you like those attributes try a few drops in your shower or make a mist with lemon essential oil to carry with you for an instantaneous burst of sunshine and newness. Lemons are all about cleansing your aura or space with happiness and feeling of clearing the slate and starting again. Give your kitchen benches the once over with some lemon rind if you don’t have any oil. You can always squeeze the rind into a bath to bathe in the fragrance of lemons too!

palmarosa - Cymbopogon martinii

palmarosa – Cymbopogon martinii

Palmarosa

This oil is under-rated and under-used. It does have flora,l rosey undertones but is mostly quite a green scent – even a little peppery and tangy. It is used in perfumery and aromatherapy to boost a rose scent without the expense. As you can see it’s a grass and when I employ palmarosa in my practice with a client, I’m often drawn to it because of its flexible nature. Flexibilty is a great quality to have when you wish to create a new attitude, a new thing, a new job or even a new thought process.

Go ahead and create your new attitude with the scent of nature.

Remember to treat yourself first, and everyone will benefit.

Remember to use your intention when you use your essential oils. This is just holding a thought and energy about what you want to create as you are scenting your space, doing an energetic cleanse or steaming in the shower

Happy New Year!

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!

Lemongrass! An oil for all seasons

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sneakily borrowed from candlemaking.com.au

Just look at the pic above. Lemongrass appears to be a substantial, almost “meaty” root. The essential oil of lemongrass definitely has a substantial scent, and I would dare say is one of the more popular oils. In general, men like the deep gutsy scent, women adore the verve and vitality and kids and pets resonate with it’s fresh yet syrupy energy.

Lemongrass is a great oil for energising and creating energy where there is lack. In cooking lemongrass gives a zingy, lemony bite to a dish. I often use the oil with clients when they are lacklustre. It’s like the giddy-up oil. The get-going oil.

Lemongrass is great for summer to ward off insects – just put some drops straight onto your skin to keep away the mosquitoes.

Lemongrass is great for winter as it helps to start you up on a cold morning.

Lemongrass is fantastic for spring to clear away the cobwebs of winter.

Lemongrass is wonderful for autumn as a mood enhancer when you realise summer is coming to an end.

The main active ingredient in lemongrass is citral. Then there’s lots of other little helpers including geraniol, limonene and nerol. Can you guess what other oils these belong too? If you said geranium, lemon and neroli you are right. These molecular structures are found in other oils too. Each essential oil has its own character that is created by different chemical consituents but it’s hard to pinpoint the magic. It’s all about the old adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. This refers to the energetic presence an entity has. You can break down a plant into scientific measurements, but its the synergistic combination of all the little molecules that makes it unique. With essential oils, their uniqueness is their scent.

The scent of lemongrass can been described as lemony, herbaceous & strong. A little goes a long way. It’s a very tropical scent and is grown in hot areas in Asia and Africa. Perfect for bringing the warmth of the tropics into your life.

Try a few drops in the shower for an awakening steam treatment.

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

Geranium rules my ‘hood!

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Geranium in the back lane

I love geranium essential oil. I love rose-geranium essential oil too. It’s flowery, it’s a little bit girly and it has a vibration of happiness and cheeriness. I just walked around the block and took a few pics of the lovely, brightly coloured flower. It loves the sun and so do I.

Geranium essential oil is great for skincare and I often use it in my face creams.

Geranium around the corner

These pictures of geranium may not necessarily reflect the exact geranium plants that the oils are distilled from but there is definitely an aroma when you squish up a leaf and smell it (after you’ve asked the plant’s permission of course!).

Geranium bourbon, originally from the Reunion Islands is considered the best geranium for skincare in Aromatherapy, but I’m not even sure if it is produced here anymore. The first plantings for production came from the island which was originally called “Bourbon”. It is the pelargonium graveolens plant that produces this oil. Rose geranium is produced from a cross of two different geranium plants – pelargonium cv rose.

I often use Rose geranium for scenting a space and in personal mists, and geranium bourbon for skincare creams and old blends for the body.

Geranium in my street

Some aromatherapy teachings claim geranium is a great balancing oil for the emotions as it’s main active ingredients geraniol and citronellol, work on the frontal and adrenal cortex of the brain. So basically, it’s a happy oil. You don’t need to be a genius to know that. Just take a huge whiff straight from the bottle and smile!

Try these combo’s:

Oil Blend to nourish your body:

“Oh Lady!”

3 teaspoons carrier oil like almond, grapeseed, jojoba

Geranium bourbon   3 drops

Orange                    3 drops

Patchouli                 1 drop

In an oil vapouriser to scent your space:

“Life is Grand”

Rose geranium         8 drops

Spearmint               8 drops

Mandarin              10 drops

 

Remember to treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

Coconut – The Truth About the Scent

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sneakily borrowed from africanhairblog.com HINT: the oil is good for hair

So do you love your coconut soap? Your coconut body moisturiser? Do you love your coconut sunscreen? How about your coconut lip balm?

There’s no doubt about it, coconut is a magic fruit. Is it a fruit? No, apparently it’s a drupe! Find out more about the drupe.

Anyway, it’s amazing. The world of nutrition and natural therapies is quickly spreading the word about coconut. The western world is a bit behind the times as Harry Belafonte, in the sixties, sang;

‘Coco got a lot of iron

make you strong like a lion”

sneakily borrowed from last.fm where you can listen to the smooth sound of Harry

“Coconut Woman” was written in 1957 by Harry Belafonte and Irving Burgle. Some say it’s not about coconut, but about cocoa (chocolate). I’m not sure about that because the song talks about “coconut water” with “rum”. I digress. Let’s get back to coconut.

Coconut water and coconut oil are the two buzz products of the drupe. I eat coconut oil by the teaspoon and it’s oily and delicious. Even though it’s classified as a saturated fat it has so many health benefits which can include;

– Helping to lower cholesterol

– Converting easily and quickly to energy so it’s not stored as fat

– Helping to  boost metabolism and immunity

– Softening hair and skin when used as a moisturiser

– Helping to lower resistance to insulin – great for type 2 diabetes

– Good for cooking as it has a high flash point so it maintains its goodness in the cooking process for longer than other oils

And now the scent! Pure coconut oil is fantastic for nurturing your hair and skin, and it has a soft, natural scent that we automatically connect to tropical islands with coconut palms waving in the wind. Unfortunately a lot of coconut scented products use an artificial fragrance to intensify the scent. Even if your product has coconut oil in it, it could also have “fragrance”. For those on the natural path, beware. I remember using Reef Oil in the 80’s as a sun tan lotion. It has a long list of ingredients, the last being fragrance, artificial of course. And this is what a lot of people think that real coconut smells like in a personal care product.

NEWSFLASH

It doesn’t.

If you are serious about simplifying your life and using as many natural items as possible then always check your “coconut” soap, or lip balm, or moisturiser to see what is listed. Chances are if it says “fragrance” it’s synthetic.

If you don’t care whether your product is natural or not then it doesn’t really matter. “Fragrance” away until your heart’s content.

Long live the coconut!

Attention All mothers – Have a Massage!

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To all my beautiful mothers out there – look after yourself – have a massage! Relieve stress and relax your muscles, unwind and release all those thoughts – thank yourself for the impressive job you’re doing bringing up the next generation of leaders.

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

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

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

 

Give yourself a moment away from the tasks at hand

Give yourself a moment away from the tasks at hand

 

I gave an old friend an aromatherapy treatment today. When I do a treatment I like to take my time, have a chat, and relax into it.

I always formulate a special oil blend for each client.  I choose oils based on the answers to various questions. I want to know what’s happening for them on the day, as far as their general health is concerned. I ask about their body and how it’s feeling, their emotions, what’s happening in their life and click into their vibration. It doesn’t have to be a long process and in fact can just take a minute or two with the right questions.

My friend and I used to work together in a restaurant in the nineties called The Wharf Restaurant. It was at the end of the pier that The Sydney Theatre Company calls home. All of us that worked there still remain friends, even though we may only see each other from time to time. We call ourselves “Wharfies”. And actually another Wharfie paid for the massage today for my friend – isn’t that lovely?

My Wharfie today studied massage and herbs when I studied aromatherapy so we are connected through natural therapies too. She is a mum of two beautiful children and rarely takes time out for herself. As I was doing the treatment I thought about mothers everywhere who do so much for their families, and who often place themselves last. Some of these women are single mothers, some have male partners and some have female partners, so the situation is different for everyone.  However, often the one thing mothers have in common is lack of personal time, and nurturing. They nurture everyone else, rarely themselves.

get your energy singing and dancing -

get your energy singing and dancing pic via healingthemindandbody.com

 

A massage is a wonderful thing for a mother. Simply the time alone can be just as good as having the treatment. Allowing and receiving nurturing is extremely important to stimulate the flow of energy throughout the body and the etheric body. Finding a balance between giving and receiving is necessary in all aspects of life. It’s the yin and yang, hot and cold, up and down, light and dark. We need both to show us delicate design of the universe. Adding essential oils to the mix amplifies the treatment and creates an aromatic moment that is sheer bliss.

50 ml bespoke body oil made by me

50 ml bespoke body oil made by me

 

When I make the individualised formula for my client, I add my intention to the mix. Intention will gently steer the oil blend to work in harmony with me, and the body on the massage table. And of course the physical stress release of a massage is amazing and rejuvenating!

Mothers – have a massage.

Partners – buy your love a massage as a gift to return the nurturing you receive.

Remember, treat yourself first, then everyone will benefit.

copyright suzannerbanks 2013

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.

Clear Your Mind, Make Pesto

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Sneakily borrowed from addme.net

I’ve got a brilliant idea. Make dinner and have an aromatherapy treatment all at the same time. My choice for today is pesto. This classic Italian dish is made with fresh basil. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the kind used for pesto and essential oil, although there are many types. It comes from the same family as thyme, lavender, oregano, marjoram, peppermint and spearmint.

Sneakily borrowed from thepoofairy.com (hehehehe)

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.

* 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.

Basil takes its name from the latin ’Basileum’ meaning royal.  It is also considered a holy plant of India used in Ayurveda and dedicated to Vishnu and Krishna. This Indian basil is a different plant and is called tulsi. There are some great tulsi teas on the market – they don’t taste like the sweet basil, just a soft lovely herb.

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!

Aromatherapy Body Oil – It’s as Easy as 1 2 3

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What’s as easy as 1, 2, 3?

Nourishing your body with an oil blend every day. I know it does kinda sound a little bit hard, but you can start simply and build your skills.

sneakily borrowed from briscoes.co.cz

What You Will Need To Get Started

1 or more bottles of essential oil

carrier oil (almond oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil or anything else you can think of or that’s in your cupboard)

a teaspoon

a saucer or little ramekin

How to make a Blend for Your body

Put 7 drops of essential oil into your container

Pour in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil

That’s it. Mix it with your little finger (any finger really). Now go ahead and coat your body with your delicious formula.

your easy, beautiful body oil blend

I have used oil all over my body for many, many years and it’s kept my skin looking and feeling fantastic. Once I’ve had a shower and moisturise with an oil blend, I just put on a robe for about 10 minutes before dressing. This allows time for the oil to soak in and any excess to be absorbed into your robe. In that time I have breakfast or do whatever I’m doing to start the day.

For some people this is too time consuming. Others don’t like oil but prefer a cream. I understand every one’s preferences are different but to me there’s nothing more beautiful than starting the day with a formula you have made just for yourself that’s totally natural. No preservatives, no artificial fragrances or waxes, no cream that’s been made in massive vats full of yucky synthetics.

Just oils.

Simple.

If you are just starting out you could try buying one new oil each month or every 2 weeks. As your library grows you will increase the amount of combinations you can create and as the time passes you will feel more comfortable with mixing. As a beginner it’s easy to make mistakes but if you just mix a little at a time then the wastage is minimized.

The next step is to find lovely glass bottles from a supplier – just have a look on the Internet, there are lots available. You must know how many mls your bottle is and then you’ll know how many drops of essential oils to put in. If you are in the USA and are not metric (!) you’ll have to convert these ratios:

10 mls carrier oil add 5 drops

20 mls carrier oil add 10 drops

25 mls carrier oil add 12 drops

30 mls carrier oil add 15 drops

40 mls carrier oil add 20 drops

50 mls carrier oil add 25 drops

100mls carrier oil add 50 drops

200 mls carrier oil add 100 drops.

******Always put the essential oil drops in first so they can have a get together, gel, mélange and synchronise before you add the carrier oil.

Voila. You are creating your day with Aromatherapy. It’s easy as 1,2,3.