Aroma Inspiration - Part II

One aspect of essential oils I touched on in Aroma Inspiration - Part I is this idea of synergy, that when blended together the different properties of each essential oil work together to create distinctly different influences on mood than each of the single oils might suggest by itself.

As a "novice aromatherapy philosopher" I'd like to share a few of my favorite essential oil combinations and why. One quick note though, in the world of aromatherapy, essential oils can be used to treat physical ailments as well as mental ails. As a philosopher about my own experience of essential oils I discuss primarily how the essential oils impact mind and spirit, i.e. well being.

Lavender & Mint

Lavender is obviously a huge favorite of mine. One of the amazing things about lavender is that chemists have discovered over 150 different chemical components in the lavender plant. That explains why there are a HUGE variety of healing applications for lavender. Lavender is known most popularly for it's ability to calm and balance mood. It is also known to refresh and stimulate. So when combined with mint that is also refreshing and stimulating it's a pretty good "refresher". Surprisingly my Lavender Mint soap is a huge favorite with the guys. I think the strengthening component of Spearmint adds just the dose of masculinity needed to strengthen lavender's softer "calming" side. (We all know the guys could use a dose of calming influence now and then.)

Add in a hint of Cedarwood and the Lavender Mint combo becomes more calming. My favorite massage oil is, of course, called "Relaxing" and it contains this combination of essential oils. I often have difficulty falling asleep at night, if unable to use the Relaxing Massage Oil to massage my neck and send me fast asleep, my husband has been know to put a little in his hand and say "Here smell this." He claims it works like a charm, I'm often on my way to sleep within minutes with slow relaxed on my way to sleep breaths.

Orange and Ginger

Once I started experimenting with essential oils, orange quickly became a huge favorite of mine. It is truly the happy essential oil. Also know to be warm, sweet, sensuous, and refreshing. It really is an energy infuser for me. You can read about how making Orange Oatmeal Soap (recently renamed Morning Sunshine) quite literally recharged a gloomy January day while enduring 30 days of no sun in this post Painting My World.

The health benefits of ginger root essential oil are many, however it is widely know to be anti-inflammatory. But did you know it also has aphrodisiac properties? So what do you get when you cross an aphrodisiac with the happy essential oil? Let's just leave it at that. I use this essential oil combination in an aptly named massage oil, Ginger Passion.

Chocolate and ?

One of my favorite ingredients to work with is cocoa butter. Often the chocolate aroma is removed from cocoa butter to add this luxurious ingredient to products without adding the aroma; but I LOVE the chocolate aroma. When added to soap the cocoa butter not only adds a hint of chocolate aroma it also adds extra creamy luxurious moisturizing bubbles to create a treat for your shower to be sure! Chocolate works great with spearmint and peppermint. I regularly carry my Mint Chocolate Chip Handcrafted Soap. But during the holidays I make a Candy Cane soap that could be called White Chocolate Peppermint and a Chocolate Peppermint Body Butter. I've met quite a few people that really don't like chocolate in their body care regime, but I love it and am truly inspired by it. After all, it's no calorie chocolate! What's not to like? Another fun chocolate combination is orange essential oil and cocoa butter found in my Orange Chip Soap and from time to time I make a Chocolate Coconut Massage Bar.

Coconut and ?

Another truly favorite ingredient is Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. You may have read about the health benefits of using this oil in baking and cooking, but it is a fabulous additive for skin care products as well. And not only does this oil add extra moisturizing properties in skin preparations it adds wonderful coconut aroma. Remember using that Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil when you were a teenager? Before we really understood the effects of sun damage we were coating our skin with this stuff and baking to create that sun kissed look. Those were the good old days ... laying around in the sun without a care in the world. Well that's what Extra Virgin Coconut Oil reminds me of ... carefree days. So when I add this ingredient to a body essential it creates for me this memory of care free days and vacation, of course coconuts remind me of Hawaii. Since the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is not a suitable additive for soap, I usually use it in various body essentials. I make two Coconut Salt Scrubs that are the bomb, Coconut Mojito and Island Sunset. The essential oils in both of these scrubs complement the coconut creating an exotic and inspiring aroma.

Well that's it for now from this aroma philosopher. I'd love to know your favorite aroma combinations and how they impact you.

Aroma Inspiration - Part I

I am an aroma nut! Aroma can be so regenerating! And then some aromas can be rather debilitating! Chemical sensitivity has been a driving force behind so many of the handcrafted soaps and body essentials I create. What I've found is the synthetic component of fragrance is what's so disturbing to me. That's why I use all natural, nothing synthetic, essential oils. I use essential oils that are steam distilled from living plants creating plant essences. Steam distillation quite literally puts the essence of the plant in a bottle. Wouldn't you like to capture the aroma of this bouquet? My youngest son, apparently a budding florist, harvested and arranged these bouquets for me. Essential oils do just that, they preserve aroma for years to come.

While I am NOT an expert on aromatherapy I am a novice aromatherapy philosopher, that is I am confident about sharing my own experience and research into how aroma can impact our senses, but I am not a trained aromatherapist. I think I'll put that on the to do list.

In any case, I'm getting ready to post a "Pamper Me" sale on the webstore and I thought this would be a great time to share a few tidbits about some of the essential oils I routinely use and how our sense of smell can impact our well being.

Our sense of smell, one of our earliest developed senses, is amazing! Aroma passes through the nose, past the cerebral cortex right to the limbic system, the innermost control center of the brain. Aroma stimuli in the limbic system release powerful neurotransmitters that provide inspiration, feelings of well being, relaxation, and so on. According to Susanne Fischer-Rizzi "Within the limbic system resides the regulatory mechanism of our highly explosive inner life, the secret core of our being. Here is the seat of our sexuality, the impulse of attraction and aversion, our motivation and our moods, our memory and creativity, as well as our autonomic nervous system." (I highly recommend her book "Complete Aromatherapy Handbook, Essential Oils for Radiant Health")

Following are some highlights about some of the essential oils you will find in my all natural body essentials. Keep in mind that when essential oils are blended together they have synergy that can create distinct influences on mood. More on that in Part II.

Cinnamon Leaf Oil – warm, spicy, sweet fragrance, smells just like cinnamon - stimulates creativity.

Found in Orange Spice & Red Hot Honey Handcrafted Soaps, also Island Sunrise Salt Scrub

Clove Bud– spicy, warm and sweet with antiseptic properties.

You might try Orange Spice or Shaving Spice Handcrafted Soaps

Lavender - lavender essential oil is obviously a favorite at Lavande de Bois (French for Lavender of Boise) – a spicy, sweet, woody aroma with a huge variety of applications for physical healing, however, most widely known for its ability to calm, stimulate, and refresh the mind.

Consider trying Lavande Bleu, TLC Bar, LaVader, or Lavender Mint Handcrafted Soaps or a lavender Salt Scrub or Hand Salve.

Lemon– smells like fresh squeezed lemons – antiseptic and detoxifying for the skin, refreshing and uplifting for the mind

Try Lemon Creme Handcrafted Soap, Lemon Drop Hand Salve, Lemon Poppy Seed Salt Scrub

Lemongrass– refreshing and mentally stimulating – great for those who have trouble getting started in the morning

Found in Lemongrass Poppy Seed and Morning Sunshine Soaps

Lime– a sweet and lively aroma – stimulating and refreshing

Try Coconut Mojito or Lime Basil Handcrafted Soaps

Orange– fragrance is sweet, radiant, and alive – stimulates positive mental energy – awakens creativity, stimulates happiness

Found in Morning Sunshine, Orange Spice, and Orange Chip Soaps

Rosemary - a strong and clear scent – strengthening with antiseptic properties, good for sore muscles

Try Idaho Mossmint or Rain Gentle Facial Cleansing Soap

Spearmint – refreshing and cooling aroma – increases concentration and memory with antiseptic properties – used in aromatherapy for a large variety of ailments

Consider trying Coconut Mojito, Lavender Mint, Mint Chocolate Chip, or Idaho Mossmint Handcrafted Soaps