Aromatherapy Spotlight on Lavender

Written by Lisa Maliga


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Safety/Precautions: Unlike many other essential oils, there are few safety notes to share with you. Lavender essential oil can be used neat, meaning without diluting it in a plant based carrier oil, but it must be done in small amounts and only for minor skin problems. However, it is advised to dilute lavender with a vegetable carrier oil such as olive oil, jojoba, sweet almond oil, etc., just to make certain that your skin doesn’t have an allergic reaction. Please be very careful when purchasing pure lavender essential oil to be used for minor medical burn treatment emergencies as you will need true lavender,repparttar type containingrepparttar 145025 lowest amount of camphor, and NOT lavandin,repparttar 145026 genus which has up to 8% camphor – a burn causing ingredient!

Please do not take lavender essential oil internally!

Uses for Lavender: Bath soak ~ All you need is approximately 15 drops in your bathtub of warm to hot water and you should find yourself relaxing. Candle ~ Add a few drops to a candle, next torepparttar 145027 wick, not on it as essential oils are flammable. Lavender will fillrepparttar 145028 room with its soothing floral aroma and relaxation should follow. Sachet ~ Add dried lavender buds to a small muslin bag and store in your drawers/cupboards, and especially where linen is stored. This method also works well as a natural bug repellent if you hang a scented lavender sachet in your closet(s) on a hanger. Hair ~ Add two to four drops to your hairbrush and brush your hair. Not only will it smell great, doing this helps to condition it naturally. Also, lavender is believed to stimulate hair growth and its antibacterial properties can help eliminate scalp conditions.

Blending With Lavender: The happy combination of two florals is pronounced withrepparttar 145029 intermingling of rose, jasmine or geranium (Bourbon or Rose). For more dramatic combinations, consider mixing lavender withrepparttar 145030 following essential oils: bergamot or any citrus essential oil, clove, rosemary, eucalyptus, patchouli, clary sage, cedarwood, tea tree, oakmoss, vetiver, or pine.

Finding High Quality Lavender: The most important things to look for on any glass bottle of lavender essential oil will be four categories. Naturally, you would expect to see “Lavender” onrepparttar 145031 label. However, here arerepparttar 145032 four facts that you will find on any bottle of essential oil from a reputable supplier/company:

1.Botanical/Latin name. If in search of true lavender it would be Lavandula angustifolia. 2.Part. What part ofrepparttar 145033 plant hasrepparttar 145034 essential oil been extracted from? For lavender, that isrepparttar 145035 flowering tops. 3.Method of extraction. Is it an absolute, enfleurage, carbon dioxide (CO2), or has it been steam distilled? In this case it has been steam distilled. While lavender can be found in CO2 form as it’srepparttar 145036 most expensive, or as an absolute,repparttar 145037 most common type is steam distilled. 4.Country of Origin. As noted, lavender comes from many different countries, and my personal preference is forrepparttar 145038 type from Bulgaria. Location can make a sizeable difference for many reasons such as climate, type of soil, high/low altitude, etc.

Other factors to look for are price, as too low of an amount means it has been adulterated in some way or is possibly synthetic. Essential oils should be stored in a glass bottle to protectrepparttar 145039 contents. Then you must continue to keep your lavender inrepparttar 145040 best environment and that would be in a cool, dark place.

For practical reasons, it’s better to buy a small amount. Not only is this more economical, but this way you can determine what lavender oil you likerepparttar 145041 best. You can consult with a certified aromatherapist for advice on obtainingrepparttar 145042 best quality lavender. Another way is to locate a reputable farm where lavender is grown, as this would berepparttar 145043 best place in which to purchase your lavender essential oil. Lavender farmers will be able to answer your questions and advise you on what type of lavender is best suited for your needs. You will be advised that lavender is harvested inrepparttar 145044 summertime and that immediately after it has been distilled is notrepparttar 145045 best time to buy it—usually one to two years after distillation is when it matures. For example, I purchased a bottle of lavender in April, andrepparttar 145046 following spring I started to notice a less herbal, and more rounded floral aroma. Another benefit to lavender is that it has a fairly long shelf life (approximately five years) and, like fine wine, can improve during its bottled lifespan.

Lisa Maliga is the bath & body products designer for Everything Shea Aromatic Creations http://www.everythingshea.com Everything Shea offers a variety of glycerin soaps, (including Bulgarian Lavender), lip balms, scented/unscented shea butter, Whipped Shea Butter, Shea Comfort, custom SoapCakes and Mini SoapCakes. Discover 275+ fragrances, designer duplicates and essential oils.


Mineral Cosmetics

Written by Laura Smith


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Another benefit associated with using mineral cosmetics is that you actually help your skin to remain healthy. The natural ingredients in mineral cosmetics have a healing effect that can help to improve skin conditions such as skin damage and acne. Dermatologists generally forbid an individual suffering from these skin conditions to wear traditional cosmetics because they can makerepparttar conditions worse. Mineral cosmetics also providerepparttar 145024 skin with natural moisture. If you have very dry skin you still may want to use a moisturizer. The two downsides of mineral cosmetics are cost and availability. The process to obtain and addrepparttar 145025 necessary ingredients to mineral cosmetics is costly. The Internet does provide some release inrepparttar 145026 sense thatrepparttar 145027 companies that advertise there don’t have to worry about overhead so that they can charge better prices. Your best bet of locating these products is to find a health food store. These stores generally carry a variety of mineral cosmetics and have knowledgeable staff available to assist you if you should have any questions. If you don’t live near a health food store, you can perform a search online for companies that sell mineral cosmetics and request a catalog.

The Skin Care Site


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