In this newsletter we will try to help you further your knowledge and use of essential oils.

Physical Ailments

Croupy Coughs and Laryngitis

Just about every parent has been awakened in the night with a child 'barking' and coughing.   The child is scared as they try to breathe and at the same time the parent becomes very anxious.

Croup is not uncommon in young children especially when they have been exposed to upper respiratory infections.

Many parents don't seem to panic after they have experienced this a time or two. But what can you do to help yourself and your child?

First thing is to get them in the bathroom and shut the door.   Either turn on the shower and let the hot steam water fill the room, or fill the bathtub with hot water so steam will form.   You want to create a steam filled room.

Then you will want to add some essential oils to be released into the air.   If you have a bathtub filled with the hot water, simply drop some oils into the water. Quickly they will diffuse into the air.

If you have only a shower, you will need to fill the sink with hot water and place the oils into the basin.   The shower will provide the steam in the room and the basin will allow the oils to permeate the air.

Try to sit quietly, comforting your child and relax.   The more anxious you are, the more tense your child will be.

Most of the time you will want to use an oil that will be calming to the child and your self and also to help the respiratory system to make the breathing easier.   Depending on the age of the child you can try several different oils.   Babies under 1 year - you should just use a little Lavender in the room.

Between the ages of 1 and 3 you can add some Eucalyptus radiata and Frankincense.

Older children - you may want to add Geranium or Sandalwood to the blend. All these oils have relaxing, soothing and of course antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Eucalyptus radiata is suggested for use with children as it is milder and more tolerated by children.

Try this blend in your " Steam Room "

Lavender - 4 drops
Frankincense - 2 drops
Eucalyptus radiata - 2 drops

This blend should be safe for all ages of children.

If Laryngitis or hoarseness persists during the daytime.   You can make a blend of Lavender 3 drops, Roman Chamomile - 2 drops and Thyme - 1 drop.   Blend together and place in a Nasal inhaler, breath in this blend several times throughout the day.

Other oils that might help include Clary Sage and Myrrh

To make your own Vapor Rub Mix 3 drops of Eucalyptus , 2 drops of Thyme into two teaspoons of a carrier oil. Massage this into the chest and neck regions. (The Thyme is especially warming - if this is too warm on the skin, use only 1 drop of Thyme).

As with any respiratory problem, please consult your physician and if your child is on prescription medication, make sure your physician is aware you are using essential oils too.

Emotional Concerns

Forgetfulness

Have you ever walked into a room and wondered what it was you were going to do or what you were looking for?   This type of forgetfulness is common at any age but as we do grow older, these occurrences seem to become more frequent.   Although essential oils can help they can't cure memory loss by any means.

Rosemary is known as a mental alertness oil and this oil seems to help the most for those with forgetfulness.

To help to not forget things, we need to pay attention and to concentrate better on the tasks at hand.   Diffusing essential oils into the air while you are collecting your thoughts will help to be more receptive to the memory processes.

Commonly used essential oils to help with forgetfulness include: Cypress, Ginger, Cistus, Basil, Lemon, Black Pepper, Frankincense, and Peppermint

For some the following oils will also stimulate your memory - Bergamot, Cardamom, Clove bud, Geranium, Grapefruit, Juniper , Lavender, Neroli, Spearmint, Vanilla

Try these wonderful blends
Rosemary - 15 drops
Peppermint - 5 drops
Lemon - 10 drops

or

Black Pepper - 10 drops
Frankincense - 5 drops
Cypress - 10 drops

or

Basil - 8 drops
Grapefruit - 10 drops
Lavender - 7 drops
Rosemary - 5 drops

Beauty and Skin Care

Dandruff

Those little white flakes.   For those afflicted by dandruff it can be a source of embarrassment.   Getting to the underlying cause can take years.   Treatments vary. You may want to try different essential oils to see which ones will give you the best results.

There are a few essential oils that can help you with this condition. Most useful are Rosemary, Bay laurel , Lavender but others that might work for you include: Basil , Birch , Carrotseed , Cedarwood , Clary Sage, Cypress, Eucalyptus , Lemon, Patchouli, Peppermint , Sage , Tea Tree

A simple blend of
Cedarwood - 3 drops,
Rosemary - 3 drops,
Tea Tree - 3 drops
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons.

Blend all together.   Then you can massage this into the scalp and hair.  Be sure you reach all your scalp and your hair down to the ends.   Wrap your head in a towel, and relax for about an hour.

Then shampoo and rinse your hair using a mild shampoo .

Try this Hair rinse.
Distilled water - 1 cup
Cider Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Cedarwood - 5 drops
Rosemary - 10 drops

Mix well by vigorously shaking, then use to rinse your hair after shampooing.   You do not need to rinse this rinse out.   The smell of the Vinegar will dissipate once your hair is dry.

Around the House and Garden

Measuring in Aromatherapy

Recently we've had inquiries about measuring in Aromatherapy, so thought it was time for a refresher for everyone.

As most of you know, in aromatherapy, things are measured by drops, milliliters, and often times ounces.

Confusion happens when trying to convert to teaspoons, tablespoons and ounces.   Then there is yet another measuring task that may require help - when you need to mix by percentages.

Hopefully we can help clear things up or at least make them a little more understandable.

First we need to let you know that recipes often times call for drops of essential oils.   Then the next thing you will find with aromatherapy and measuring is because the essential oils are of different viscosity (thickness) some oils will take only 20 drops to make 1 ml (milliliter) and others will take 25 drops to get to 1 ml.   We generally figure 20 drops per ml for most recipes.   Again, remember - less is safer than more - when it comes to using essential oils.

20 drops = 1 ml
25 drops = 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon = 1.25 ml
5 ml = 1 teaspoon

There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon, therefore there are 15 ml in 1 tablespoon.

2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce For ease of calculations and measuring 30 ml = 1 fluid ounce.   Technically, 1 fluid ounce is 29.57 ml but many aromatherapy and essential oil companies figure 30 ml as 1 ounce.

1 ounce = 30 ml = 2 tablespoons
2 ounces = 60 ml = 4 tablespoons
3 ounces = 90 ml = 6 tablespoons
4 ounces = 120 ml = 8 tablespoons
100 ml = 3 1/3 ounces = 6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons

The reason I have entered 100 ml measure is because to figure percentages of oils it is much easier to use something based in 100 (since percentages are based on 100)!

As an example to make a 2% solution or dilution of essential oils into a carrier oil you will use 2 ml of essential oils to 98 ml of a carrier oil.

But what if you have a blend of different essential oils, how do you know how much to add?   For the same 2% dilution you will need 2 ml of essential oils or 40 drops total of essential oils.   You can either add up your essential oils by the drops or blend them all together (suggested) then just add the 40 drops or 2 ml to your carrier oil.

You don't need 100 ml of your blends.   Then what?   It is simple as doing more math. Divide the amounts by 1/2 or 1/4 and you will still be able to have your 2% dilution.

If you need help figuring out blends and percentages, just e-mail me and I'll help you figure it out.   Once you begin working with oils more, you will get it all figured out!

Recipes to try

BIRCH HILL HAPPENINGS NEWS

Hello Everyone,

Alan and I had a great vacation the end of August and our son, Phil, did fine at getting your orders to you promptly.   Now that fall time is here, things will settle down - well, maybe!

We hope everyone is aware, by now, of our " 9th Annual Customer Appreciation Days Sale " going on during the entire month of September.   This is our Biggest sale of the year, where most every product is 10% off (except those items that are already discounted).

As we have said it before, You are the Best Customers and we like to show our appreciation by having a special sale once a year.

We do have a couple new products to tell you about too.

We have been searching for quite a while for storage boxes for you to keep your essential oil bottles organized.   Finally, we found some little boxes.   They are made from Basswood.  Although it is a fairly soft wood, they are very nice boxes.   We have fit them with a compartment grid so your bottles can sit upright and separated. They are unfinished wood.   You can choose to paint or finish them yourself or leave unfinished.   Remember essential oils if dropped on finished wood - paint or varnish may mar the finish on them.

For more information about sizes, styles and pricing, Click Here.

We also have two new - all metal Tea light diffusers.   They are made from a beautiful mirrored finished metal and have a copper well to put the water and essential oils in.   They are very nice and will diffuse your oils for many hours.

To order Click Here.

Just a gentle reminder - Now is the time to start thinking of your Holiday gifts.   When you use essential oils to make special blends of Lotions, Shampoos, Creams, etc you will want to get them blended soon. The essential oils when mixed in these products take several weeks to have time to blend and mix properly into your finished products.   Order your supplies soon and experiment now so you can surprise your family and friends with a most appreciative and thoughtful gift.

Soap makers - you need to get your soaps made now so they have plenty of time to dry before the holidays.

As always, if we can help you with any aromatherapy question please send us an E-mail at bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

‘til next month,

Yours in Aromatherapy,
Alan and Penny

E-mail us at bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com

**Resources for information in this newsletter (including recipes) and others were obtained from the following sources:
"Aromatherapy A Lifetime Guide to Healing with Essential Oils" by Valerie Gennari Cooksley
"500 Formulas for Aromatherapy" by Schiller and Schiller
"The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy" by Schiller and Schiller
""The Fragrant Veil" by Elisabeth Millar
"The Fragrant Mind Aromatherapy for Personality, Mind, Mood, and Emotion" by Valerie Ann Worwood
"Aromatherapy An A-Z" by Patricia Davis
"Aromatherapy for Vibrant Health and Beauty" by Roberta Wilson
"Aromatherapy through the Seasons" by Judith Fitzsimmons and Paula M Bousquet
"Advanced Aromatherapy The Science of Essential Oil Therapy" by Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.
"Aromatherapy Companion" by Victoria H Edwards
"We have a large reference library and confer with many books while answering questions on Aromatherapy.
"Practical Aromatherapy for Home and Garden Decoder"
"Aromatherapy Decoder"
"Advanced Aromatherapy Decoder"
The Decoders are available from Birch Hill Happenings