Just the Essentials
After Sun Skincare Using Essential Oils
Long summer days can mean sunburns and dehydration. Give your skin some TLC with our DIY After Sun Soothing Balm.
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Are Essential Oils Safe for Kids?
Are essential oils safe to use on children? The answer is YES! Aromatherapy can be a really fun and helpful tool for kids as well. The safest oils to begin with are lavender, tea tree and orange.
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Distilling Essential Oils
The goal of distillation is to separate the "essence" of a plant called "Sulfur" by the Alchemists from the corporeal body of the plant. Once the essence was separated and captured, the plant material after distillation was placed into a crucible. This second action burned the fibrous material and revealed the minerals that were present in the plants.
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Fall Soap Recipe
The essential oil blend used here combines traditional autumn aromas with a bit of a twist. Frankincense provides a sweet and warm base while clove bud, cinnamon bark, and ginger bring that classic spicy touch that evokes the warmth of your favorite Fall baked goods. Lastly, the unique scent of bergamot brings it all together with a sweet citrus note and an unexpected, distinctive edge.
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A Brief History of Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil is extracted from the flowers of a perennial evergreen plant that has been utilized for its countless benefits and uses for over 2500 years. Lavender can be found growing in the Mediterranean region, Europe, Africa, the Canary Islands, the Middle East, and India where it thrives in dry, rocky, and sandy terrain. The word Lavender is believed to come from the Latin word “lavare,” which means “to wash,” as it has been used for cleansing purposes throughout history. Ancient Romans used Lavender to scent their baths, laundry, and bodies while also making some early discoveries about the plant's medicinal properties. Ancient Greeks referred to Lavender as “nardus”, after the city of Naarda in Syria which was commonly called “Nard” at the time. Egyptians used Lavender for its scent during the mummification process as well as an ingredient in perfumery. Dioscorides, the Greek physician serving the Roman army, wrote that Lavender could help to relieve indigestion, sore throats, headaches, and clean wounds. John Parkinson, an English herbalist, wrote that Lavender was useful for pains of the head and brain in the 1500s. Charles VI of France was said to insist his pillows always contain Lavender to help improve the quality of his sleep. Around the turn of the 20th century, Lavender was largely wild harvested from the hills in the north of the Mediterranean region, and the essential oil was distilled in small, mobile direct-fire stills. By the 1910s experimental Lavender farms began to appear in Southern France, but most Lavender used for essential oil distillation was still harvested from wild plants in the hills. This small-scale production of essential oil, harvested mostly from wildflowers and supplemented by small planted fields, remained the standard through the 1920s. A sharp decline in wild Lavender affected Southern France at the start of the 1930s, leading to a much lower yield in the region. The industry continued to survive on limited very limited wild harvest and struggling small plantations through the 1930s, reaching its lowest point at the start of WWII. René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist during the 1930s, is said to have burned his hand in his laboratory and used Lavender essential oil to help treat the burn. He was so impressed by the quick healing process that he included Lavender in his book, Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Végétales. Following the Second World War, more successful Lavender cultivation operations began to appear in the traditional growing regions of Europe. Improvements in planting and cultivation knowledge made yield from these new plantations more reliable while advances in quality testing and chemical analyses placed greater emphasis on consistent practices and large-scale distillation. You may also enjoy... Distilling Lavender Lavender Essential Oil Benefits & Uses Lavender Species: 3 Types of Lavender Used for Making Essential Oil Growing Lavender
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Lavender Essential Oil Benefits & Uses
Lavender is a widely loved and versatile essential oil that has been used in aromatherapy, perfumery, and many cultures’ traditional medicine practices for hundreds of years. Below we'll take a look at the benefits and uses of this beloved essential oil... Lavender Essential Oil is helpful for people suffering from insomnia and other sleep disorders because of its calming, sedative properties. It has been found to improve sleep onset, quality, and duration. This means that diffusing Lavender Essential Oil can help us fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep for longer uninterrupted periods. Improved sleep quality allows our body to have a deeper, more restorative experience and wake up with an uplifted and energized mood the following day. Read more here: Lavender Essential Oil for Sleep & Insomnia The calming and soothing properties of Lavender Essential Oil maybe its most well-known benefit and make the oil useful for a variety of issues. It helps to relax the mind by relieving feelings of stress and anxiety and bringing the emotions into balance. Lavender Essential Oil helps to enhance the mood while decreasing mood swings, helping us to stay emotionally uplifted and balanced. Studies have shown that Lavender Essential Oil aromatherapy can reduce the amount of cortisol released by the body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that affects how the body responds to situations that can contribute to anxiety and depression. Read more here: Lavender Essential Oil for Our Mental Health Lavender Essential Oil soothes symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and rheumatism and the pain that comes along with them. The antioxidant activity of Lavender Essential Oil can contribute to its ability to accelerate wound healing. Lavender Essential Oil is known to ease headaches and help to soothe motion sickness. This powerhouse essential oil can also help improve asthma and other inflammatory respiratory issues when diffused and inhaled. Additionally, it is helpful in breaking up congestion and clearing sinuses. Read more here: Lavender Essential Oil for Physical Wellness When applied topically, Lavender Essential Oil extends its soothing reputation to the skin. Lavender Essential Oil has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can help control acne-prone skin. It works to combat harmful bacteria, helping to clear blemishes and prevent future breakouts. Lavender Essential Oil can diminish acne scars, dark spots, and hyperpigmentation on the skin. It helps exfoliate away dead skin cells and encourages regeneration at a faster rate. Lavender Essential Oil may relieve itching and reduce symptoms of eczema and psoriasis with its powerful antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Its ability to reduce inflammation is also helpful for healing sunburns. The nourishing topical benefits of Lavender Essential Oil can do wonders for the hair as well as the skin. It increases blood circulation to the scalp which can help to encourage hair growth while simultaneously reducing fallout. The anti-inflammatory power of Lavender Essential Oil works to soothe irritation, helping to combat a dry and itchy scalp and reduce dandruff buildup. Read more here: Lavender Essential Oil for Beauty Lavender Essential Oil has a uniquely herbaceous floral aroma that has made it a common choice in perfumery for thousands of years. Conventional perfume can be expensive and we could spend a lifetime trying to find exactly the scent we're looking for. Using essential oils to make perfume is easy, requires just a few ingredients, and the fragrance combinations are virtually endless. Lavender is also an extremely unique yet versatile scent that blends well with many other essential oils and is potent enough to stand alone in fragrance uses. Read more here: Lavender Essential Oil for Perfume Making Lavender has been historically used in baths and laundry for its fragrance and it is believed that the name Lavender is derived from the Latin word “lavare,” meaning “to wash.” This association with cleaning may be the origin of why people often describe lavender's aroma with words like “clean” or “fresh”. Among its many other uses and benefits, Lavender is a superb essential oil for any natural cleaning regimen. It’s specifically ideal for those of us who prefer a light, floral scent to the more medicinal aroma that accompanies other well-known cleaning essential oils, such as Tea Tree and Eucalyptus. Lavender Essential Oil contains very similar properties to these more conventional cleaning oils. It is antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-fungal, and its antiviral possibilities are currently being researched. Read more here: Cleaning with Lavender Essential Oil Read more about Lavender... Diffusing Lavender Essential Oil Lavender Essential Oil for Kids Lavender Essential Oil for Soap Making Lavender Species: 3 Types of Lavender Used for Making Essential Oil Distilling Lavender
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Summer Beauty Using Essential Oils
Nourish your skin with all natural essential oils this summer!
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Essential Oils for the Third Eye Chakra
Using essential oils balance the Third Eye Chakra
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