Storing your Essential Oils

It's important to store your essential oils properly. These oils are not cheap, and if you don't look after them correctly, they will lose their efficacy far more quickly than otherwise. So I was pleased to find this post: http://essentialoilguide.info/storing-essential-oils/ which gives a good general explanation of the how and why.

The same post also mentions safety, and if you have any concerns about that, please refer back to my post about this: http://guidetoaromatherapy.org/guide-to-aromatherapy-safety/

Aromatherapy Blend to Lift your Spirits (Video)

Here's a quick video showing how to make a nice-smelling blend as a general mood enhancer for use as you go about your day. You'll see that the recipe uses 1 drop of essential oil to 1 teaspoon of carrier oil.

Making blends is very easy, as you can see, The main thing is that you choose the right oils to produce the desired effect, and that you ensure that oils you use together won't produce a jarring scent which might detract from their value.

YouTube - Videos from this email

Essential Oils Guide: Lavender Aromatherapy Oils 1

I've just posted the first of a series of articles about lavender aromatherapy oils.

You may not realize that there are several different types of lavender used in aromatherapy - not including cotton lavender, usually called Santolina in aromatherapy, which is completely unrelated. So this first piece is just about the differences between true lavender, spike lavender and another lavender oil called lavandin.

You'll find the post here: Essential Oils Guide: Lavender Aromatherapy Oils 1

Make your own bug repellent with essential oils

Here's a link to an interesting article on making bug repellent. There are quite a few essential oils mentioned, and different ways to use them.

As I say, it's interesting but there are a couple of things I need to point out:

-- clove essential oil is only suitable for use by professionals (except in toothache tincture which you buy ready made)
-- if you choose to use olive oil as your carrier, get the lightest you can get, or you will end up smelling like an olive
-- if you're making a big batch, remember it won't store for much longer than 6 months max. Put the mixture into a colored glass bottle and store it somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight, or it will last even less time

Having said that, here's the link:

http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/article_cbb6b367-4a28-5480-ae19-f62299fd...

Make your own Aromatherapy Bath Salts

A nice clear demonstration of the subject. And another way to use your essential oils which isn't counted in the 15 different ways I outlined in Guide to Aromatherapy Methods

What is an Essential Oil?

I came across this video on YouTube. It's quite brief but it does explain the difference between a genuine essential oil and a perfume.



It's worth pointing out that there are perfume oils, which don't contain alcohol as a rule (they might make use of other preservatives like orris root). And there are essential oils which have no use in aromatherapy, but make good perfume.
Also, of course, it's assumed in the video that the essential oils are 100% pure - which may not be the case unless you buy from a reputable supplier. So it's important always to check the label (or published description online) to make sure it says that the contents are 100% pure. This point, and more, is covered in the overview on Guide to Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy massage oil for stress

One of the most popular uses for aromatherapy is in massage oils. These have many uses, from muscle strain to stress relief. I found this video on YouTube explaining how to make a nice blend for stress using lavender, petitgrain and ylang ylang:

Of course, there are lots of different methods you can use, and massage is just one of them. I found no less than 15 different ways to use essential oils! They're listed in my Guide to Aromatherapy Methods. Hope you find it interesting.

Aromatherapy Methods

There are so many ways to use aromatherapy, from oil burners to baths, massages, compresses... Read all about them in the latest post on Guide to Aromatherapy.