Body butter

Body butter is a fairly simple product to make at home.  It does take time however.  For this recipe, you will need 4oz. Shea butter, 2oz. Coconut oil, and 1oz. Coffee infused almond oil, plus 10 drops of coffee essential oil (optional).  Note that this is a very soft body butter, it melts on contact.  For a harder product, use cocoa butter in place of part or all of the Shea butter.

Step 1. Weigh Shea butter & coconut oil and place in heat proof glass bowl

Step 2. Melt the butter and oil in the oven at 250deg

Step 3. Allow the butter and oil to cool until it becomes opaque.  This can be done in the freezer for a few minutes or on a frozen rice pack as shown below.

Step 4. When it is starting to turn opaque, add the coffee infused almond oil and whip

Step 5. Keep whipping, if you need to put it back in the freezer for a few minutes, do so.

Step 6. Once the body butter starts to look like a whipped frosting, add the essential oil

Step 7. Once it is forming stiff peaks, it is ready to package.

Step 8. Package in a sterilized jar.  Close tightly and label.  Use within 6 months.

Inhalers

Aromatherapy inhalers are a great way to use aromatherapy in crowded places or around children while reducing the exposure to those around you and intensifying the experience for yourself.

While room diffusers are wonderful and are very useful to set the mood or combat an illness which is making its rounds through the family, the inhaler is personal.  It can be filled with essential oils for a particular individual for a particular need.

In our family, we use a blend of ginger and fennel EO in a personal inhaler to combat motion sickness.  Similarly, for an upcoming international trip, I am formulating inhaler blends to use during flight to assist with jet-lag and travel anxiety.

To use a personal inhaler, simply add the desired essential oils to the wick, insert the wick into the inhaler and close the inhaler.  When using, remove the cap, inhale deeply through the nose for a few minutes, then cap and store the inhaler.  They are small, portable, and personal.  Make sure you label your blends as well, and given the proximity to the nose and mouth, it is wise to label each inhaler with the initials of the individual using it.

Soap - Rosemary & French Clay

Strictly speaking, soapmaking is not a therapuetic modality such as herbalism or aromatherapy, however, skin care and hygeine products do contribute to the environmental stress load our bodies must deal with each day.  Careful selection of products such as lotions, toothpaste, deodorants, soaps and more can contribute to healthy lifestyle.  To that end, choosing a soap which is either fragrance free (unscented does not always mean fragrance free!) or uses organic natural fragrances and colors is one way to lessen the environmental exposure to harsh chemicals which our bodies must deal with every day.

This soap is made with organic fixed oils and butters, distilled water, organic rosemary infused distilled water, and lye (no lye, no soap!). The color is obtained by the addition of French green clay at trace.  Organic rosemary ct.verbanone essential oil is also added at trace to add a lovely rosemary scent to the finished bar.  Additional dried rosemary leaves are added between the plain and clay layers as well as sprinkles on top for appearance.

Rosemary is often used in skin and hair care products to stimulate hair growth and to ease itchy dry skin.  French green clay is frequently found in high-end spa treatments such as body wraps and masks, it is reputed to assist the body in the removal of impurities from the skin and is used as a polishing agent.  This soap is super-fatted to provide additional moisurizing qualities as all soap is drying to a degree and should be followed with a quality lotion or body butter.

This soap will be cured and ready for use in four to six weeks.  Rosemary & French Clay soap is sure to be lovely addition to the natural hygeine regimen.

Herbal preparation - A Slow Adventure

Today, I am processing more Holy Basil (tulsi) from my CSA farmer at Endless Bounty.  The first thing to notice is the rich, sweet aroma of the fresh herb.  It is instantly relaxing due to the high percentage of naturally occuring essential oil in the plant matter.  

My plan for this batch is to use some of it fresh for more iced tea, and to dehydrate the rest.  Some of the dehydrated herb will be tinctured later as Holy Basil is an adaptogen and useful in the home wellness chest.

The first step for all of these uses is to thoroughly wash the plant matter.  I wash it three times in my large salad spinner, then spin out out until it is fairly dry.

(After wash, before spun)

Next, I load the plants into my dehydrator, reserving a portion for fresh use.

Lastly, the dried herb is stored in a glass canning jar and labeled with the common name, botanical name, source, and date to be stored in my herb pantry.  The yeild from this batch was a little less than a pint of dried herb.

Storage

Carrier oils do go rancid when exposed to air and heat.  Many essential oils oxidise with the same exposure and them become more potent sensitizers.

I have been looking for a small campus refrigerator for about two years now to hold my "stash" as I was only able to keep a tiny portion of my supplies in our family refrigerator.  Yesterday, I saw one on our local swapsheet for a good price and now I have a better home for my aromatherapy and body care raw materials.

Here is a photo of the fridge with a few items:

This is more that needs to go in:

I also have several gallon sized tubs of shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, mango butter and cocoa butter that should go in as well, but I don't think they will fit.  The little fridge is a great addition to my natural health "kitchen".

Note:  Liquid carrier oils and the following families of essential oils should receive priority when deciding on what must be refrigerated and what can be stored in a cool, dark are such as a basement:  citruses, pines, spruces

Iced refresher

This morning when my CSA farmer offered me a choice betweed two varieties of sweet basil and holy basil tulsi, I did not hesitate to choose the fresh Holy Basil (tulsi)!  Holy Basil is very nourishing to the adrenal glands and offers hepatoprotection as well.  The link below contains some relevant information on the benefits of Holy Basil.

https://www.naturaldispensary.com/product/5953/l_herbal_monographs

Here is one way that my family enjoys the refreshing benefits of Holy Basil:

Herbed Iced 'Tea'

1/4 c. fresh Holy Basil

1/4 c. Fresh sweet basil

1" fresh ginger

Wash and chop the herbs and place in a 1qt. glass jar.  Pour almost boiling water over the herbs, cap and refrigerate.  Once chilled, serve over ice.  Lemon and sweetener may be added to taste, but the sweetener is not at all necessary.

Fresh basils

Washed and chopped herbs

Heat proof quart jar

Almost boiling water to the top.  Cap & ready to be chilled.

Enjoy!

How an Aromatherapist THINKS about a Topical Application

This is the question I get most often.  It goes something like this, "How many drops of eucalyptus oil should I put on my baby's chest, he has croup?"

So, let's break this down:

1.)  How many drops?
As a professional aromatherapist, I rarely, if ever use "drops" to measure essential oils for topical applications.  The reason is simple.  A "drop" of lavender essential oil is not the same size as a "drop" of vetiver essential oil due to the viscosity of the liquid.  To complicate matters, different manufacturers have different sized orifice reducers, so every brand could potentially have a different drop size.  To get around this, I use a disposable syringe which holds up to 1mL of liquid and is marked in 0.1 mL increments.  They are inexpensive and assure me that my measurements are precise. Using this type of measurement, I can know, with confidence, that my chest rub contains exactly 0.5% total EO in a carrier oil or salve.  This type of precision is not as important with very mild EOs such as lavender, but can be very important with a potent EO such as wintergreen or a common sensitizer such as cinnamon bark EO.

Another note on number of drops is to keep in mind that with essential oils, less is more.  Start with the lowest dilution, and if more is needed, it can be added, but if there is too much, it is very difficult, and in some cases impossible to reduce the amount to EO being used.


2.) Dilute
Dilution in a carrier is very important with regard to topical use of essential oils to avoid irritation and sensitization.  Dilution is based on many factors including:

• the exact species / chemotype of the EO in question
• any other EOs to be included in the blend
• the purpose of the application
• the age of the person it is to be used on
• the % of the body which will be covered (spot treatment, large area, whole body)
• where will it be applied (how sensitive is that area, how thick or thin is the skin)
• how often will it be applied (daily, hourly, weekly?)
• what is the expected duration of the application (once and done or every day for a month?)
• are there any other concerns such as medications or conditions?
• what are the safety parameters for that EO specifically, every EO has its own unique parameters for use which may change when used in a blend
• are essential oils being added for the purpose of scent or to accomplish a specific task?

Although easy to read charts seem like a simple way to safely dilute essential oils for topical use, they do not generally take into consideration that some EOs are quite mild and others are very potent.  They also cannot take into consideration all of the factors outlined above.  Charts are a must-have for simplifying the arithmetic, but they cannot tell you what the proper dilution is for a specific scenario.

3.) Choice of Essential Oil(s)
The last problem with this question is intertwined with the choice of essential oil for use.  Again, knowing the species and chemotype is important as is the age and any physical conditions of the person.  Many essential oils are fine to use (at proper dilution) with children, others need to be reserved for those over the age of 6; sometimes even older.  In our example above, it is necessary to know the baby's age and the species of Eucalyptus being used.  Also, it is prudent to consider that inhalation / diffusion is generally the most effective route for administering an EO for respiratory ailments.  There are MANY species of Eucalyptus, some are gentler than others.  There are other essential oils which are also effective for the upper respiratory tract (pines, firs, spruces, various Melaleuca species).  There are options to consider, and perhaps a blend is most appropriate.  It is also worth noting that many essential oils are not appropriate for a baby (e.g. peppermint, wintergreen, fennel, cinnamon bark, ylang ylang, and others)

In conclusion, essential oils are a wonderful addition to the home wellness "toolbox",   They are powerful tools for providing relief and support during illness and for everyday wellness, but they should be respected and used appropriately in order to be effective.  Consult with a trained, registered, or certified aromatherapist for proper usage and safety.