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

Physical ailment

Bee Stings

by Penny Keay

Buzzzzzz, Zap! Owwwweeee!!! You’ve just been stung by a bee. What to do next? First remove the stinger if by chance it was left in your skin. A quick scraping against your skin with your finger nail should easily remove the stinger.

Next wash the area with soap and water and then apply a cold cloth with an ice cube inside. Hold in place for 10 minutes. Then apply 1 drop of Helichrysum and 1 drops of Lavender to the stung area.

Apply more ice if you desire but for not longer than about 20 more minutes.

You can apply more Helichrysum and / or Lavender every 2-3 hours if needed but usually it is not necessary.

We have used Lavender on bee stings but one of our good Customers Kirsten sent us this great first aid tip. She was recently stung and said that within a few hours didn’t even realize she had been stung.

I have used Lavender on bee stings and had really good results too. Not that I want to get stung again to try Kirsten’s remedy but next time I will definitely give it a try!

Be sure to use this same combination for any type of ‘sting’ whether it be from a bee, hornet or wasp.

If you have an allergy to bee stings, seek immediate medical attention, as in some folks stings can be life threatening.

Emotional Concern

Acceptance

by Penny Keay

Acceptance can put on many faces. But in general being able to accept what ever is placed before you can be hard. Learning that you can’t always change things can be the hardest part of acceptance.

Accepting love, acceptance of your self and acceptance of change all bring about different emotional responses and unfortunately can cause other emotion feelings to erupt.

Dealing with each emotion can be a challenge too. The list of essential oils related to helping with acceptance typically are ones that will help you develop an inner peacefulness.

The following essential oils may help. Try one or two in a simple one to one ratio and see if you don’t feel better soon.

Rose, Melissa, Roman Chamomile, Cypress, Geranium , Petitgrain and and Helichrysum ; Others include Frankincense, Grapefruit, Lavender, Pine needle , Peppermint and Lemon.

When you study the properties of the above oils you will see that many of them are calming and relaxation, yet others will be uplifting. So depending on the acceptance situation you are dealing with you will need to select your essential oils that are in one group or another, or of course, blend one from each group.

Remember too, the essential oils that you enjoy are typically the ones that may bring about the emotional reaction, response you are in search of.

Health and Beauty

Canker or mouth sores caused by a self inflicted injury

by Penny Keay

Have you ever bit the inside of your lip or cheek or jabbed the tooth brush into your gums? Next thing you know is you have a very painful sore. Mouth injuries like these will typically heal rather quickly all by themselves but occasionally they will linger on for days. To help prevent that prolonged healing time you can do a couple simple little things to speed the process along.

First is to make a mix of Sea Salt about 1 heaping teaspoonful in about 2-3 ounces of warm (not hot) water. Swish a mouth full of this solution in your mouth for a about a half a minute. YES it may sting on the sore area. You are rinsing away the excess saliva and letting the salt water do a type of disinfection.

Next blend the following essential oils together then add 2-3 drops to one ounce of warm water and swish or hold in your mouth for a minute or two before spitting it out. Try not to eat or drink anything for 20 or more minutes.

Self-inflicted mouth injury Blend.
Tea Tree– 10 drops
Myrrh – 5 drops
Lemon – 4 drops
Orange – 3 drops

Blend well in an amber bottle. Then place 2-3 drops in one ounce of warm water, Swish around mouth for a minute. Spit it out. Try not to eat or drink anything for 20 minutes or so.

Repeat the Salt rinse and essential oil mouth rinse several times a day, especially after eating. This should help heal the injury quickly. If you see no improvement after 2 days, discontinue and seek medical attention. Other wise if you see improvement continue until completely healed.

Around the House and Garden

Sweet Aromatic Waters

by Penny Keay

Many folks ask about floral waters and hydrosols. A True Hydrosol is the water left over from the distillation of the parts of the plants. This distillation water will have minute amounts of the essential oil along with other aromatic particles. Floral waters or aromatic waters on the other hand typically are just essential oils and absolutes that are mixed with distilled water.

You can make your own aromatic water for use as a linen spray, room spray or some folks may spray on their clothing or hair.

Simply use about 100 ml of ‘distilled water’ and add upto 50-60 drops of your favorite essential oils. Blend this in a glass bottle. Do not use plastic at this point. Shake this blend daily for about two weeks. Then filter through a dampened coffee filter or cheese cloth to help remove the residue of essential oils that may have accumulated. The spray will then be ready to use.

This aromatic spray is best if used up within 3 months. Keep refrigerated to help extend shelf life.

I recommend you start with a simple blend ofLavenderand one other oil. Experiment and have fun!!

Recipes to try

by Penny Keay

BIRCH HILL HAPPENINGS NEWS

Hello Everyone,

Oh my, Can you believe it? It is the end of August!! And what do Alan and Penny do the end of each August? You got it, we take our vacation! This year we will be taking our break from about noon on Thursday August 23 returning on Tuesday September 4th (Yep The day after Labor day.)

Please make a note of the days we will be out of the office and if you will be in need of essential oils or other aromatherapy supplies be sure to place your order before August 23!! Otherwise, any orders placed while we are gone will be processed and shipped in the order they were received upon our return on September 4th.

Thanks in advance for letting us take a little longer break. We will answer e-mails as soon as possible when we return too.

NOTICE: Upcoming Vacation
Everyone needs a little break now and then. We will be taking a vacation the end of August into the first part of September. SO If you will be needing any essential oils or other Aromatherapy supplies, etc before the end of August, you'll want to hurry and place your order no later than 8:00 AM on August 23, 2006. As we will be on vacation from about noon August 23 until September 4, 2007.

Now, onto other news.

As you known we are having a difficult time getting any more of our 8 ounce Cobalt Blue Candle jars.

In fact, talking with the supplier it appears they may have been discontinued by the manufacturer. So we will be discontinuing our line of candles at this time. We only have a few candles left and when they are gone, that will be it until we can locate another source of the right size and color jars. Anyway …….

When we return from our vacation we will start making SCENTED TARTS. These will be able to be used in the Tealight and Electric Oil and Tart Warmers. Please send us your suggestions for scents so we can get them made. We would love your suggestions. Give us 5 or 10 suggestions of what scents you would love to diffuse. Please e-mail to us with “Scented Tart Suggestions” in the subject line.

Our construction progress continues. We are almost completely finished with the outdoor portion of our project. It has been a long summer of construction, repair and painting!! But the outside of our home and business is looking fantastic. We hope to have some updated photos next newsletter.

We hope you have all had a great and fulfilling summer too! Now for us it is time to take a little rest and relaxation!! We’ll talk to you all very soon will some fun things happenings in September too!!

As always, if you have suggestions, questions or comments please feel free to send us an e-mail to bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible (after we return from vacation!).

‘til next month,

Yours in Aromatherapy,
Alan and Penny

E-mail us at bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com

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