Category: Essential Oil Tips (Page 2 of 2)

Essential Oils to Help Reflect Upon and Honor Memorial Day

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Aromatherapy and Essential Oil for Memorial Day Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer for those in the United States. Much more importantly, it is a special day to commemorate the brave men and women in the military that have died during the performance of their duties.

Memorial Day Remembrance Blend

The following blend can be diffused as you reflect on the meaning of the holiday and the memory of your loved ones that you are in remembrance of and all those that we lost during their service. The choice of citrus oils are intended to uplift the spirits and celebrate the warmer temperatures. The inclusion of Rose Essential Oil/Otto in this blend is intended to help aid grief and bring comfort. I’ve included Patchouli as that is a favorite of mine in remembrance blends as it is grounding. It’s earthiness also helps to make this a blend that both men and women can benefit from. Sandalwood Essential Oil or Vetiver Essential Oil could also be used in place of Patchouli Essential Oil.

1-2 drops Rose Essential Oil/Otto
5 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
8 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil
7 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil
(13 drops total of Sweet Orange can be used if you don’t have Grapefruit on hand)

Combine all oils in a clean glass bottle and diffuse as you would other essential oil blends as you reflect, pray or meditate.

For more information on meditating/reflecting or praying with essential oils, view the following articles:

Other Blends For Celebration, Grief and Supporting Emotional Well-Being

These blends may also helpful:

o Anger Reducing Blends

o Celebrating and Expressing Gratitude

o Depression Reducing Blends

o Fear Fighting Blends

o Grief Reducing Blends

o Happiness and Peace Enhancing Blends

o Insomnia/Sleeplessness Blend

o Irritability Reducing Blends

o Loneliness Easing Blends

o Panic and Panic Attack Blends

o Self Confidence/Insecurity Blends

o Stress Reducing Blends

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Valentine’s Day: Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Romance

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Wishing you a lovely Valentine’s Day on Tuesday. If you have romantic plans in store, be sure to check out AromaWeb’s Aromatherapy for Romance collection of articles:

Aromatherapy for Romance
Aromatherapy, natural botanicals and natural fragrancing all tantalize our sense of smell. They play a significant role within romance, love and intimacy. Take a look within this post.

Setting the Mood
Preciously fragranced room sprays, body mists, bath oils, massage oils, and other natural aromatics can enhance a romantic evening or add variety and intrigue to your marriage. Read on for ideas.

Aromatherapy Aphrodisiacs
Learn about sensual essential oils and aphrodisiacs.

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Bringing in the New Year With Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

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Planner showing a calendar page for the new year Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with abundant health, joy and prosperity. In addition to the methods we each use to celebrate and bring in the new year, this is a time that many of us reflect upon the past year and think about plans and expectations for the year up ahead. It’s a time where some set personal goals by making ambitious resolutions like improving our fitness, nutrition, spirituality or personal relationships.

Limes growing on tree Lime Essential Oil is a beautiful choice for inclusion in room fragrancing/meditation blends for the New Year. Lime Essential Oil is one of the more affordable of oils and is routinely used for its energizing, fresh and cheerful aroma. Lime Essential Oil is also well known in folklore for its ability to cleanse, purify and renew the spirit and the mind.

Blends #1 and #4 on AromaWeb’s Aromatherapy Diffuser Blends page include lime essential oil. AromaWeb’s Air Freshener Recipe converts one of the lime diffuser blends into a beautiful room mist that you may customize using other essential oils.

Lime essential oil is strong, and a little goes a long way in diffuser and room fragrancing applications.

Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe for Celebrating,
Giving Thanks and Expressing Gratitude:
The essential oils used in AromaWeb’s Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe for Celebrating, Giving Thanks and Expressing Gratitude are wonderfully suited for special moments of celebration and reflection.

Aromatherapy and Resolutions:
Essential oils are not magical elixers that can magically help you lose weight/improve your fitness or quit smoking, but they may be helpful as a part of your overall weightloss/fitness or smoking cessation plans. For more information, read AromaWeb’s Aromatherapy and Weight Loss and the Guide to Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Techniques That May Help With Your Efforts to Quit Smoking.

The essential oils used in AromaWeb’s Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe for Celebrating, Giving Thanks and Expressing Gratitude are wonderfully suited for special moments of celebration and reflection.

Daily Aromatherapy Book:
A thought provoking book that will joyfully help you bring in the New Year is Daily Aromatherapy: Transforming the Seasons of Your Life with Essential Oils by Joni Keim and Ruah Bull. This book can be started at any time of the year, but Daily Aromatherapy is a must-have book for anyone that wishes to begin a New Year’s journey of reflection and discovery using essential oils. View AromaWeb’s detailed description of the book.

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Growing Patchouli

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Patchouli Leaves

I’m not alone in my fondness for Patchouli Essential Oil…

Despite its aroma being an “acquired taste” (so to speak) for some, Patchouli Essential Oil is remarkably versatile. I use patchouli in skin care applications, emotionally in diffuser blends, romantically in sensual blends, spiritually at times for meditation, and in making natural personal fragrances.

Patchouli Plant

Unlike most essential oils that oxidize and diminish in therapeutic and aromatic quality over time, Patchouli Essential Oil improves with age like a fine wine.

Often associated with the hippies and the 1960s, the fragrance of patchouli is rich, earthy and grounding. In perfumery and fragrancing applications, patchouli is a base note that acts as a fixative and grounds a blend. Its aroma is suitable for unisex and men’s blends. It can act as an aphrodisiac. In skin and hair care, patchouli is a wonderful staple to keep on hand. It is helpful for most all skin types ranging from dry, cracked skin all the way to helping to regulate oily skin and acne. Those with eczema, psoriasis and dandruff have said that patchouli is especially helpful for them. Emotionally, patchouli is calming and grounding. Spiritually, patchouli has been used alone or in blends during prayer and meditation. For more information, view AromaWeb’s Patchouli Essential Oil Profile.

Close-Up of Patchouli Leaves

Patchouli thrives in tropical regions and can be found in Hawaii, regions of Asia and other tropical areas of the world.

I’ve been curious to learn more about the actual botanical (Pogostemon cablin) that the oil is distilled from. A few months ago, I was delighted to learn that patchouli is capable of growing outdoors in the midwest during the warmer summer months. I haven’t personally found patchouli plants available for sale here in Michigan (Zone 5), but I decided to seek out a nursery online that ships patchouli across the US. Although the poor plant arrived in pathetic condition and was not properly packaged for shipment, I was able to nurse it back to health, and it’s now doing splendidly. I’m looking forward to see it flower come fall.

Fresh patchouli leaves are quite fragrant and are green and earthy in aroma. Although my patchouli plant is now thriving, the growing conditions here in Zone 5 certainly aren’t ideal. Although I’m sure that the natural essential oil in my plant isn’t as outstanding as if this plant was grown in optimal conditions by an experienced grower, it’s nice to be able to finally learn more about the fresh botanical.

Patchouli Extract

I’m curious to see if the leaves are suitable for use in making a pleasantly aromatic tincture. This weekend, I harvested leaves off the plant and am in the beginning stages of making two jars of tincture using the fresh leaves (see photo at right). I’m also curious to know if there is any aromatic difference in the resulting tincture by starting either with fresh leaves or with leaves that are first dried. To find out, I’m in the midst of dehydrating some of the leaves using my Excalibur Dehydrator. Once they are dried, I will create additional tincture using the dried leaves. You can learn how to make herbal tinctures/extracts by viewing AromaWeb’s Herbal Tinctures Recipe.

Update: I originally wrote this post years ago. Beginning this past February, I began growing patchouli successfully from seed (the seeds are incredibly tiny!) and transfered the seedlings outdoors for the summer and warmer fall months. I then brought one of the plants indoors with me. It is December as I write this, and it is now just beginning to flower.

Essential Oils for the Holidays, Christmas and Winter

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With winter now upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere, this is a perfect time to enjoy diffusing and blending essential oils that will help get us into the spirit of the season. Look to AromaWeb’s Holiday Essential Oil Guide for suggested oils, tips and precautions.

Learn more by reading AromaWeb’s Holiday Essential Oil Guide

For my dear friends in the Southern Hemisphere, see AromaWeb’s Guide to Essential Oils for Summer!

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Christmas and Seasonal Aromatherapy Articles and Recipes on AromaWeb

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Essential Oils for the Holidays As the holidays approach, now is a perfect time to diffuse and blend essential oils that help get us into the spirit of the season or help to combat the holiday blues. View the following AromaWeb articles and recipes for uplifting and intriguing ways to incorporate aromatherapy into your holiday season!

AromaWeb Holiday Articles:

AromaWeb Holiday Recipes: