Category Archives: Aroma & Aromatherapy

Nov 29 2011

Get Rid of Cellulite or Die Trying

get rid of cellulite
There are thousands of anti-cellulite creams on the market and hundreds more are launched every year.
The availability of so many brands claiming anti-cellulite capabilities only confirms one thing: there is no quick fix and no magic cure for cellulite.
Cellulite is a lifestyle problem and therefore making certain changes to your lifestyle is the most effective way to get rid of it.
Toxic chemicals are the biggest offenders; contained in many commercial anti-cellulite creams, they only add to the problem, as your body needs to flush toxins to get rid of the orange peel appearance of cellulite.
Ready made creams have made us lazy, but it’s time to get back in the driving seat. Continue reading →
Nov 14 2011

Was God the First GREAT Perfumer?

Ok, probably not.  The Egyptians definitely hold that crown, however God did show some talent in the area of perfumery.

As part of the Alternative MBA suggested by Chris Gillebeau in his book The Art of Non-Conformity, I’m reading The Bible.

Now, before you say: “What the….!!!”, wait just a minute!

It’s brilliant.

I’m only two books in, having finished Exodus late last night, and am drinking in every word. It’s filled with drama: sex, incest, husband sharing and, of course, lots of sin. Continue reading →

Nov 10 2011

How to Develop Your Perfume “Nose”

Stephanie Holland Musings of an Aromastrategist

Photo by blogis.dvd.lc

Developing your “nose” for perfumery takes some some time, practice and dedication.

It may also involve flipping any previous knowledge of how to smell on its head; studying perfumery as an aromatherapist is changing my “smelling” perspective!

As an aromatherapist vetiver smells like “vetiver” and orange smells like “orange”.

As a perfumer vetiver smells like grass and wood, and orange smells like sunshine and happiness.

This is no wonder, as in aromatherapy, the aroma is secondary to the therapeutic benefits.  We create a blend with a specific goal in mind: to heal or soothe body, mind or soul.

In perfumery we might be trying to create the smell of the ocean in The Bahamas, or the forest in South Carolina.  We are seduced by the scent itself. Continue reading →

Nov 9 2011

Look After Those Marvellous Feet!

Stephanie Holland Musings of an Aromastrategist

Photo supplied by Sunpower Yoga

Proper alignment of the feet is needed for strong energetic grounding, balancing and agility.

But, aside from the odd pedicure, how do you really look after your feet?

Good alignment is heavily reliant on excellent foot health, both structurally AND cosmetically.

By including your feet in your daily cleansing ritual and using essential oils to keep them looking, feeling and smelling great, you can reconnect with HAPPY and HEALTHY feet.

Your feet are important for movement, body health and in life in general; so it’s time to pay homage to the foundation of your temple! Continue reading →

Sep 13 2011

The Hypnotic Power of Smell and Why We Don’t Know More

Aromachology and the power of smell

Photo by Dennis Wong

Ever wondered why that guy at work who irritates the cr*p out of you also makes you hot under the collar?  Or why the smell of brownies makes you salivate and feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

It’s only recently that the study of the behavioural impact of smells and aromas has been given a name: Aromachology.

And this next thing may surprise you: smell has been the lesser researched and, as a result, lesser understood of the senses.

But why? Continue reading →

Sep 12 2011

Laugh In the Face of Stretch Marks

Essential oils for stretch marks during pregnancy

Photo by Thomas Pompernigg

It’s one of those things that expectant mothers consider frequently: how to avoid stretch marks.

Belly, bum, breasts and thighs, oh my!

A concern for expecting mothers of any age, some women get them and some women don’t.  The thing is, you won’t know till after your first pregnancy, so it’s hard to know whether you need to take preventative measures.

Either way, it’s good to keep your delicate belly skin nourished, and give baby a mini massage to boot, so treat yourself to a beautiful combination of essential oils and carrier oils to keep your belly, breasts and thighs hydrated and moisturised. Continue reading →

Sep 9 2011

Don’t Trifle With Cinnamon Bark CO2 – That Sh*t Burns!

Cinnamon bark CO2 for perfumery

Photo from natureextracts.in

Not to alarm you with sensational claims about the dangers of Cinnamon bark, but, seriously, I sustained a pretty painful burn the other day and it didn’t even come in contact with my skin.

It made me realise that:

  1. Our understanding is deepened by mistakes and accidents
  2. Our own experience takes the theory we glean from books one step further

Here’s how the incident unfolded:

  1. I’m sitting at my perfume lab, poised to study Cinnamon Bark C02, vial open in front of me.
  2. Reaching for a scent strip, I knock the vial over.
  3. I soak the spillage up with watercolour paper so that I can at least savour the fragrance for as long as possible.
  4. I place the scent strip between my teeth to avoid contamination with the kitchen surface, as I washed my hands (I know, Ayala, if you’re reading this, I know!).
  5. Within a few seconds I notice a tingling on my lips, mouth and cheeks.
  6. The tingling morphs into PAIN as I realise that my skin is *burning*.
  7. Holy cr*p!
Sep 6 2011

Essential Oils for a Happy, Balanced Thyroid

Essential oils for underactive thyroid

Essential oil of black pepper for an underactive thyroid

I have not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that you know someone with some kind of thyroid issue.

Whether under or over active, symptoms can be quite severe and make day to day life difficult to adjust to in the initial days and weeks.  3 close friends of mine likened their experience of it prior to diagnosis to absolute madness.  While they each chose to follow conventional allopathic treatments, I, ever the optimistic aromatherapist, want to let you know that a combination of carefully selected essential oils can be extremely effective for helping to treat the physical symptoms of thyroid disorders.

If that were all I was about to share with you, I don’t think I would have become an aromatherapist in the first place!  Their real USP (unique selling point) is their ability to create a positive state of mind and relieve stress.  Yup, that’s just one reason to explore this sensory healing experience.

In this post I’ve selected 5 effective essential oils that can be used for treating an under-active thyroid to give you an idea of how they can help (FYI there are dozens more out of the 300-odd we use in aromatherapy).

Continue reading →

Sep 4 2011

Obscuring Our Natural Scent Could be Paralysing a Primal Sense

Snowflakes skittered in the wind, and Shams leaned forward to pull my shawl tighter.  For a passing moment, I stood frozen, inhaling his smell.  It was a mixture of sandalwood and soft amber with a faint, crisp tang underneath, like the smell of earth under the rain.

-Excerpt from The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi
by Elif Shafak, Penguin Books

What a marvellous description of Sham’s smell!  This book is a feast in itself, and as I savoured these words this morning, I began thinking about our natural scent and how rare it is to both reveal it, and smell it on others.

We spend a great deal of time and money masking our natural odours, often considering them antisocial, with mouthwash, deodorants, perfumes, and scented creams etc.  Even the hormones in our foods and the contraceptive pill may have a hand in obscuring our natural smell.  Aristotle himself said that pleasant odours contribute to the well-being of mankind, but if you consider that our natural scent is important for primal things such as sussing people out and finding a mate, could we be inadvertently paralysing one of our key senses?

In The Scented Ape: The Biology and Culture of Human Odour, Michael Stoddart says that our gut reaction to the people we meet has something to do with a subconscious awareness of the pheromones they produce.  Smell, whether overt or perceptible only at a subconscious level, has a huge impact on whether we like someone or not, and can even impact who we developfriendships, relationships and business partnerships with. Could this be the reason why divorce is so high and I am still single? Was my soulmate’s true scent masked by laundry detergent and his shower gel?!

Continue reading →

Sep 1 2011

The Dark Side of Cacao

Stephanie Holland Musings of an Aromastrategist

Cacao Tree: "Theobroma Cacao"

Like you, I am seduced by the aroma, flavour and endorphins of any form off cacao: the purest of delights and the simplest of pleasures. In researching the country of origin I came across a shocking fact that sobered my aromatic reverie: child slaves are used to harvest the cacao beans in Cote D’Ivoire in Africa. For 3 years I’ve been unaware that one of my favourite aromas comes with a dark side.

My cacao odyssey started a while back when I was living on Venice Beach, CA, when I wrote An Ode to Cacao Absolute.  My friend, Fran, had just introduced me to the dark, viscous liquid and I was in awe as to how much it smelled and felt like pure liquid chocolate.  Now I’m revisiting Cacao absolute in a different capacity; as a perfumer. And I have to say, falling in love again has never felt so good.  I have to admit, though, that when I’m closing my eyes and trying to *feel* the fragrance note, all I come up with is “chocolate”; I’m well aware that my nose needs a little training when it comes to smelling outside of the proverbial fragrance box! What really caught my eye is the origin of my particular sample: France.  Thinking that a little strange for this tropical bean,  I did a little online research to discover the countries that produce both Cacao absolute, and grow the cacao beans themselves.

Continue reading →

Jun 28 2011

Skincare that Creates the Wow! Factor

Skincare for the wow! factor

It’s no secret.

Essential oils are bl**dy amazing beauty elixirs.

I can’t tell you how many people, including complete strangers, tell me that my skin literally *glows*.

The ritual application is also a daily pleasure; the aromas make the latest face cleaning task a ritual I cannot do without!

The versatility of essential oils never cease to amaze me.

Unlike the lotions and potions you find in the supermarket or beauty halls, many of them can restore balance to any skin type, plumping up dry skin and balancing out overly oily skin.

If ever there was a skincare range that was able to restore a perfectly soft and supple complexion to any skin type, including conditions like rosacea and acne, it’s definitely essential oils that will continue to wow! you.

Here’s a brief look at why and which oils to use for your skin type.

Continue reading →

Jun 22 2011

How to Start Using Essential Oils – For Beautiful Skin

How to use essential oils for beautiful skin

In Waking Up to Conscious Beauty I mentioned that using essential oils in skincare had a positive and amazing impact on mind-body health; if your skincare products are absorbed by your skin, why not make them as pure and as beautifullu (and naturally) aromatic as possible?!

Here’s a little more on why this is NOT a new concept (they’ve been used for THOUSANDS of years) and how to add them into your daily skincare.

Essential oils for mind-body health

The ability of essential oils to positively impact mind-body health has been well documented since the art of distillation was refined in Persia in the eleventh century.

The process was perfected in order to produce rose water, which was prescribed as a cure for digestive tract complaints. It became very popular and was exported to China, Europe and India to be used for culinary and medicinal purposes.

Continue reading →

Jun 10 2011

Wake up to Conscious Beauty

Essential oils for beautiful skin

The age of conscious beauty has arrived.

We are more conscious than ever of what we put on our skin.

With growing concern about ingredients and how they affect body-mind health, the spotlight is on natural ingredients like essential oils. They come tried and tested: for more than a thousand years, observation and experience has proven that their complex chemical nature gives essential oils active properties on the skin. They are effective; they are safe; they make us feel great.

Welcome to conscious beauty.

Continue reading →

Dec 28 2010

Why are Roses Red?

Ever wondered why roses are red?

Before updating you on the benefits of rose essential oil and absolute, we thought we’d share a little known fact with you:

The rose was originally a pale flower whose petals were not particularly silky to touch.  But over the eons, so many faery’s fell in love with this flower – perhaps because of its tender spirit – that it began to blush literally from this abundance of love, eventually going from a pale pink to a deep red.  And that’s why roses are often given as a symbol of love.

- Marci Zina Mager in her book, Believing in Faeries, A Manual for Grown Ups

So now you know the most important fact, there are also a couple of reasons to use either the essential oil or the absolute made from thousands of gorgeous rose petals.

Continue reading →

Dec 27 2010

Where can I buy essential oils?

So much information about essential oils and how to use them but not enough on where to buy them?  We’re asked all the time, so here are our favourite suppliers in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada.

There are many suppliers in every country, so shop around, do some research and keep in mind the following tips when buying:

Continue reading →

Dec 17 2010

What Does Christmas Smell Like?

 

What Does Christmas Smell Like?

Essential oils that smell like Christmas. Photo by Christmas Stock Images

Mulled wine, eggnog, limoncello panettone….yum.  Christmas is fast approaching and our senses are being delighted with new smells, sights, tastes and sounds as fairy lights sparkle and mince pies come out of the oven.

You can keep your house smelling like Christmas in between bites of sugar-coated stollen and glasses of ginger wine with some spicy, citrus-y essential oils that warm up the atmosphere and stimulate your senses:

Continue reading →

Dec 14 2010

The art of sleep: tips to avoid insomnia

tips to avoid insomnia

Essential oils for a good night's sleep. Photo by Jun A.

We need sleep, but sometimes we just can’t get enough or even any.  We are stressed, or busy, or experiencing physical pain that prevents us from drifting away to nirvana.  We need sleep, and, although scientists have not actually figured out why, there are some interesting theories which I’ve highlighted in Why do we sleep?

Thousands of people round the world struggle with sleep every single night, for a variety of reasons.  My heart goes out to you.

If you haven’t tried the following, maybe these tips can help you to achieve what many of us take for granted: a restful and restorative night’s sleep.

Continue reading →

Dec 13 2010

Recipe for an Energising Body Blend

Essential oil recipe for an Energising Body Blend

Lemon essential oil energises body and mind. Photo by André Karwath

First thing in the morning it can be hard to get yourself going, so it’s really handy to have a body blend that gives you an energising kick start as well as moisturising and hydrating your skin.

Some essential oils can energise you as they stimulate your vital processes like blood flow and the flow of lymph, thereby helping your circulation and detoxifying at the same time.  Essential oils of lemon, fennel, juniper and lemongrass do just that so using them in the mornings before a full and busy day can give you the kick start you need.

Continue reading →

Dec 9 2010

Treating and Preventing Psoriasis

 

Treating and Preventing Psoriasis

Essential oils for the treatment of psoriasis. Photo by Itineranttrader

Those who suffer from psoriasis will know that it’s a stubborn and difficult problem to treat.  Affecting the elbows, knees, lower back, ears and scalp, it’s a common inflammatory disease characterised by a dry, silvery, scaly appearance.

With regular use, essential oils can help with prevention and treatment.  Not only can they effectively treat the symptoms by soothing and healing the skin, they can also help to *reduce stress*, which is often a precursor to an outbreak of the condition.

Continue reading →