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In this newsletter we will try to help you further
your knowledge and use of essential oils.
Physical ailment
Allergies
by Penny Keay
Allergy season has arrived in many parts of the country. Of course in some areas, it never ever goes away.
Allergies can manifest themselves in many different ways. If you suffer from inhalant allergies your first sign is often
itchy water eyes followed by sneezing.
For me I get a very scratchy throat, my eyes itch and then I may start to sneeze – as many as a dozen times in a row!!
The nose runs and you may have post nasal drip. In return for that you have a constant tickle in your throat and start to cough.
The cough can proceed, if not controlled, to eventually produce bronchitis.
When I was growing up, I always thought I was getting a ‘spring’ or ‘fall’ cold but now realize it was that I had allergies and no one
ever realized it.
This is the so called ‘Seasonal’ allergies or in the fall commonly called ‘Hay fever’ even though hay may not be the causing factor.
There are other forms of allergies too. Food and contact allergies will act differently and the body will have a different response.
Some folks develop hives or swelling of the areas affected. Some can be life threatening as in the case of allergic reactions to
seafood – where the throat swells immediately or like my mother who was allergic to beestings (contact with the bee’s venom) and
would also swell and have difficulty breathing. Both are very serious and most of the time will require medical intervention in an
emergency room.
Yet others will develop eczema (see the last newsletter for more information about this) or psoriasis as a more chronic allergic form.
Still others may develop hives or other skin rashes.
The good news is that it means your body is paying attention to foreign substances that it thinks are attacking it.
Your immune system goes into hypermode and over reacts. Unfortunately it is not good news either as it actually is bringing
your bodies defenses down. If and when a ‘real’ invader attacks your bodies reserves may be too depleted to put up a real fight!
So, we need to get things under control so the body gets on the right track. Essential oils are wonderful in their ability to
help the body balance itself at the cellular level. So not only can the essential oils give you a wonderful enjoyment of smelling
all those beautiful scents but they get your chemical makeup back into alignment. Then your body immune system can fight
where it needs to fight.
Now, onto a few essential oils that are known to help with inhalant or airborne allergens in varying degrees.
Some of the best known ones are the
Chamomiles – Roman and German both have antihistaminic
properties and are typically the first choice. Other essential oils include
Helichrysum ,
Lavender,
Blue Tansy,
Tarragon,
Yarrow,
Geranium ,
Patchouli,
Clove bud,
and Niaouli.
Then there are others that may work just for you but no one else. These essential oils may give you some relief too and include:
Bergamot ,
Juniper berry,
Lemon,
Lavandin ,
Orange ,
Palmarosa,
Rosemary,
Sage ,
Spikenard ,
Hyssop,
Rose ,
Ravensara and
Peppermint .
Although I think many of these help with the symptoms caused or related to the allergic reactions instead of actually stopping the reaction.
Try a few oils in a personal inhaler and inhale several times a day. Try this simple blend
Roman Chamomile – 4 drops ( you may want to try
German Chamomile or
Helichrysum in place of the
Roman Chamomile )
Lemon – 3 drops
Lavender 3 drops
Blend these in an amber bottle and then place a drop or two on a tissue or place several drops in an inhaler.
If you have nasal congestion that is causing you grief add one drop of Peppermint to the above mix.
One of the things that helps this time of year is to start using some of the anti-histaminic essential oils prior to the season actually starting.
If you know what you are allergic to watch the daily pollen counts that are offered in many newspapers and there are also several websites
that can notify you what plants are bothersome in different areas of the country.
For me, I have found that in the spring before the conifer type trees start to pollinate I simply need to use just a little Lavender and
if my sinuses start to hurt – sniff a little Peppermint . This is the easiest for me. Although if we don’t get enough spring rains then I
may need to use a little Roman Chamomile – it works great for me. Just a little inhale in the morning and night for a few days and I’m
not bothered.
For those of you that have more severe reactions you might want to try a blend of a few of those listed above or we also have a
wonderful synergy blend - our
Allergy Tamer blend
that is made of 5 of the best known allergy fighter essential oils.
If your allergies have gotten the upper hand, then you may need to try some of the symptomatic relief essential oils. Please see our
Past Newsletters, Recipes Index
or Health and Beauty Indexto help find relief for common allergy symptoms such as Congestion,
headaches, sinusitis, and the list continues.
Start now and be prepared before the pollen starts to fly. Oh and beware – Hay fever season is later in the summer so you need to
mark your calendars now to start your essential oil regime about 2 weeks before that season starts too!
Emotional Concern
The Jitters and your nerves!
by Penny Keay
The funny feeling inside that you wish would go away. You feel like you’re on the edge of something but
don’t know what! You are nervous and anxious all at the same time. Essential oils to the rescue!!
Simplest is to inhale a little Lavender. This should give you a relief within a few minutes. If it doesn’t then you probably will need
to add another oil known to help calm you down. Some others just as effective include the
Chamomiles – Roman and German,
Helichrysum ,
Clary Sage,
Mandarin ,
Neroli ,
Rose otto and
Ylang Ylang .
Yet others may respond to more earthy scents such as Patchouli ,
Vetiver,
Cedarwood
Sandalwood or
Frankincense
You’ll want to avoid any stimulants such as Coffee or Sodas that have caffeine these can make matters worse.
Although you might be tempted to eat chocolate or other candy but avoid this too.
Try this blend
Lavender – 5 drops
Vetiver -5 drops
Juniper -5 drops
Cedarwood -10 drops
Sandalwood -10 drops
Ylang Ylang – 15 drops
Mix this blend in an amber bottle. Place a drop on a tissue and inhale as needed throughout the jittery period.
Try to get some fresh air and take a little walk to clear your mind and relax your nerves. Soon the ‘jitters’ will be gone!
Health and Beauty
Perfume Notes
by Penny Keay
How sweet this sounds! When we talk about essential oils when related to perfumery we need to
know a little bit about notes.
Essential oils are assigned ‘notes’ – High, Middle and Base. When you get the right blend of essential oils in your perfume
blend, you will have a harmonious bouquet, so to speak, that will usually include an oil that is a high, middle or base note.
The notes of essential oils are a simple way of speaking about the volatility or evaporation rate of a particular essential oil.
Typically your high note essential oils are light and evaporate at a very quick rate. Usually within a hour or two.
Middle note essential oils will last longer but not more than 24 -48 hours. Base notes may last for several days to weeks
depending on the essential oil.
When you smell a natural perfume using essential oils you will first smell the top notes at the first whiff. A few minutes later
you may smell the blend of top and middle notes, and occasionally the base note will be evident. Within an hour or two you will
most likely not smell much of the top note of the blend and the middle note will be most prominent along with the base notes.
Again as time continues the top and middle note scents will fade but the base note will linger. Eventually you will only smell the
base note and a slight hint of the top and middle notes.
When you get the blend percentages right your perfume should hold onto most of the high and middle notes along with the base
for about 2-3 hours before the scent will slowly just be the base note.
When making perfume it is best to begin with a base note and then add one or more high notes and one or more middle notes.
There are a few essential oils that actually fall into more than one category. When you blend all three volatility levels and you
let the perfume ‘age’ you will have a blend that will actually last longer and hold its scent longer than any of the components would
by themselves.
As you read through the list you may see an essential oil listed in one, two or all three note categories. Although it is rare for an
oil to fall in all three, it is more likely that it will fall into two.
The difference being some of the chemical constituents that make
up the essential oils will cause the single essential oils to have a different smell the first time you smell it and a few minutes later
it will have a different smell, although still distinguished as the original it will have a slightly different smell.
Try this with any of
the oils you see in a couple different categories and see for yourself. Put one drop of an oil on a piece of unscented tissue or cotton ball.
Take a smell. Note the scent – it may be very intense or strong. Then walk away and come back 5 minutes later, it will still smell like the
essential oil but it will have changes slightly, not as intense but you will smell some of the subtle differences. Come back 2-4 hours later
and you may smell something entirely different yet reminiscent of the original drop of oil.
Here is a list of essential oils known as Top or fast notes:
Angelica ,
Anise ,
Basil ,
Bergamot ,
Cardamom ,
German Chamomile ,
Roman Chamomile ,
Coriander ,
Eucalyptus globulus ,
Juniper ,
Lavender,
Lemon,
Lime,
Mandarin ,
Marjoram,
Neroli ,
Pennyroyal,
Petitgrain,
Rosemary,
Rosewood,
Spearmint ,
Tagetes .
Here are the Middle notes:
Anise ,
Angelica ,
Basil ,
Cardamom ,
Carrotseed ,
cassia,
Clary Sage,
Clove bud ,
Coriander ,
Cypress,
Fennel ,
Geranium ,
Ginger ,
Grapefruit,
Hyssop,
Jasmine ,
Lavender,
Lemongrass,
Mandarin ,
Marjoram,
Neroli ,
Niaouli,
Nutmeg,
Orange ,
Oregano,
Palmarosa,
Black Pepper,
Peppermint ,
Petitgrain and ,
Pine needle ,
Rose ,
Rosemary,
Rosewood,
Sage ,
Tangerine ,
Tarragon,
Thyme,
Ylang Ylang
These are sometimes used as Middle or top notes:
Angelica ,
Basil ,
Bay laurel ,
Clary Sage,
Coriander ,
Lavender,
Marjoram,
Neroli ,
Nutmeg,
Oregano,
Black Pepper,
Palmarosa,
Rosemary,
Rosewood,
Tarragon,
Thyme.
Here are the Base Notes:
Bay laurel ,
Balsam peru,
Benzoin ,
Cedarwood ,
Cinnamon ,
Clary Sage,
Frankincense,
Geranium ,
Ginger ,
Jasmine ,
Myrrh ,
Neroli ,
Patchouli ,
Rose ,
Sandalwood,
Vanilla,
Vetiver
Ylang Ylang .
These are sometimes used as Base or Middle notes:
Bay laurel ,
Cedarwood ,
Cinnamon ,
Frankincense,
Myrrh ,
Patchouli ,
Sandalwood,
Vetiver.
This is just a quick overview of perfume notes. When you actually begin studying and creating your own perfumes you will
discover that blending different essential oils can create a scent or perfume that is completely different that any of the components
in that blend. The essential oils will blend together so well they create a wonderful new scent.
Around the House and Garden
Fisherman’s Friend
by Penny Keay
Every avid fisherman – especially those here in Minnesota are getting ready for the spring and summer fishing season.
As you go through your tackle box and fishing gear you might want to add a bottle or two of essential oils to your box too!
We have been told that adding a little
Anise essential oil your lures is supposed to attract fish. Personally I have not tried it but
if the fish are not biting, you have nothing to lose, right?
The other bottle might be a little
Lemon or
Orange .
Add a drop or two to a damp cloth and you can easily remove the ‘fishy’ and
‘wormy’ smells from your hands.
This is best done when you are finished fishing for the day!
What about all those pesky bugs? You know the ones that fly around your head and try to bite you! Here is a quick bug repellent
blend that has worked for many.
Yet another Insect repellent!
Bergamot - 4 drops
Pine needle - 4 drops
Tea Tree - 4 drops
Eucalyptus globulus globulus - 3 drops
Patchouli - 2 drop
Peppermint - 1 drop
Mix this blend and add to 1 ounce of Sunflower oil
or Jojoba and apply on the skin before going out doors to repel insects
(mainly mosquitoes) from bothering you.
If you will be in the sun, omit the Bergamot from this recipe as Bergamot can cause a
photosensitization reaction to occur in some people.
Recipe adapted from "Aromatherapy for Vibrant Health and Beauty" by Roberta Wilson
We have a couple of great and effective bug repellent blends so please check out our order page for them.
One more thing, before I forget, especially for those of you that are stream or trout fishing enthusiasts, is you might want to
get some unscented
Talc Powder,
We have heard from one of our Montana customers that uses the unscented Talc Powder,
. He says it makes getting your waders
on and off much easier. And as he also commented – you don’t want any ‘baby powder’ scent to distract and scare off the elusive trouts!
If you have more fish tales you would like to share please let us know as we are more than happy to pass them along.
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