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In this newsletter we will try to help you further
your knowledge and use of essential oils.
Physical ailment
Itchy, Itchy, Scratchy, Scratchy
by Penny Keay
It starts out with a little skin tickle. Scratch!
Then proceeds to be a little bit more irritation. Scratch, Scratch!
Now it is down right bugging you. Scratch, SCRATCH, SCRATCH!!!!!!!!
It won’t go away. Next thing you know you have a rash or raised red wheals just from scratching so much. You need relief!
For instant relief you can try applying a cold compress with a few drops of any one of the following essential oils added to the water
basin you are dipping the cloth used for the compress:
Lavender,
Roman Chamomile,
German Chamomile ,
Bergamot ,
Eucalyptus citriodora,
Melissa,
Peppermint,
Sandalwood,
Cedarwood,
Tea Tree,
Neroli,
Rose and
Jasmine .
Now to really help with the itchiness you need to determine exactly what the underlying cause is.
Is it from dry skin? Insect bites? Fabric texture? Skin infection? Chemical sensitive to laundry soaps or to your bath bars?
Or did you recently have an injury or bruising to this area.
If the itchiness is from dry skin, you should use some moisturizing lotions and creams. You can add essential oils to them to help with the itching too.
Dry skin is quite common in the winter months.
Lavender and
Rose would be good choices.
Insect bites? Well, determine what kind of bug has bitten you is most important. If it is a mosquito or biting fly, you can apply a
drop or two of
Lavender directly to the bite. But if it is something more serious like a spider, you will need to consult a medical practioner
as some spider bites can be very bad. Tissue damage from some spider bites can be life threatening. (not all but a few can).
Fleas, bed bugs and other creepy crawlies like lice may need to be dealt with before you can actually get relief from the itching.
Did you get a tear or scratch to your skin? Itching in this case can be to a mild infection to just a normal reaction of the body while
it prepares to heal the area. Apply appropriate essential oils to help the wound heal quickly. (See previous issues that deal with such types of injuries).
Other skin infections such as yeast or athlete’s foot fungal infections can be extremely itchy. Again, you need to determine the cause
and then use the appropriate essential oils. Again, many of these have been addressed in previous newsletters.
Tea Tree is commonly used
but others may work better.
If the fabric is causing the itch, simply remove that article of clothing. Some people still have access to real honest to goodness wool
and yes wool will make your skin itch!
Laundry soaps with artificial fragrance oils and fabric softeners can cause skin to be itchy too. You may need to rinse your laundry
a second time or try to find another product to use.
One problem with itching is that it propagates more itching and scratching. So if possible you need to leave the area alone as continued
scratching will only make things worse!
You can also try our
Allergy Tamer blend
blend mixed with a carrier oil such as Jojoba , or other good for the skin oil with tissue damage such
as
Hazelnut oil or
Rosehipseed oil. Just be sure to blend it and use sparingly.
A little goes a long way. Mix about 15 drops of
Allergy Tamer blend to 1 tablespoon of the carrier oil, blend well and apply a
few drops to the affected area. Spread evenly but do not
continue to rub as rubbing will make it itch worse. Reapply every few hours as needed.
Hope you get some relief and the itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy simply goes away FAST!!
Emotional Concern
Love is in the air!
by Penny Keay
Spring is just around the corner and that means that Love is in the Air!
Well, maybe not, but it truly is the time of the year when Love seems to get ignited for young and old alike.
New found love or rekindling old love is fun to do with the use of essential oils. There are many ways to spark a romantic evening
but one of the subtle ways that will often bring lasting memories is association with your senses – sight, touch and lovely smells.
Set the atmosphere by diffusing a few exotic essential oils. (Suggestion: Use an tart/oil warmer with a soy tart in it so you don’t
have worry about it burning dry.)
If it is a lady preparing for her gentleman you will want to diffuse floral scents (or if you know he likes something – definitely diffuse that).
If it is a man preparing for his lady, he might want to diffuse the more earthy scents like
Vetiver,
Sandalwood,
Patchouli along with her favorite scents.
Now I’m sure you wondered why I made the above statement. Well, to attract a man – a woman wears floral scents – why because men are
the ones that really like those and men wear earthy scents as – well, you got it, because women like those scents. I know it is opposite of what you
think it should be – but think about it just a little.
Don’t get me wrong, Men and Women love wearing the scents they have chosen, but it really is the opposite sex you are trying to attract.
Essential oils that are exotic include
Ylang Ylang ,
Jasmine ,
Neroli and
Rose .
Sandalwood,
Vetiver and
Patchouli along with several others
that will appeal to many. If you enjoy an oil then by all means diffuse it when you are in the mood for love.
A loving massage is often in order on a romantic night. Try this simple massage blend that is usually acceptable to both partners.
Loving Massage Blend for a romantic evening for two.
To two ounces of sunflower oil add
Cedarwood – 5 drops
Sandalwood – 3 drops
Jasmine – 3 drops
Orange, sweet – 3 drops
Ylang Ylang – 1 drop
Rose – 1 drop
Blend together and enjoy as you give each other a loving massage.
Beauty Tips aka Skin and Hair Care
Warts – those ugly little skin growths
by Penny Keay
Just about everyone you talk to has had a wart at one time or another. These fleshy raised areas of tissue
are caused by a virus. They typically are not a serious thing, more unsightly and a nuisance that anything else.
But occasionally you may have one or your child may have them. Warts are very common in some children.
If left alone, they will usually go away on their own with time. But like most of us, we can start picking at them. They can become
infected and actually spread. The virus that causes them is contagious in varying degrees to others, usually by using the same towels
to dry hands or stepping on the same shower mats.
Most common warts, the ones found on fingers, hands, toes and feet can be around for anywhere from 6 months to a couple of
years, depending on the persons immune system. To battle this virus you might want to try a few essential oils to try to shorten this
amount of time.
Some of the most common essential oils used against the common wart are:
Tea Tree,
Thyme,
Clove bud ,
Oregano,
Geranium ,
Lemon,
Lavender,
Cypress,
Bergamot
(Bergamot FCF should be used on any skin that may be exposed to sunlight),
Rosemary, and
Juniper berry .
There are several essential oils you can apply to the wart and the skin around the wart to help hasten the disappearance.
Essential oils will not make the wart fall off. It will help the bodies defenses to rid the body of the virus causing the wart.
We have read that you can apply a drop of essential oil to a band aid and then place the band aid over the wart. Do this daily.
Although we don’t advocate the use of essential oils this way, we do know of folks that say it works. Would we try it? Not without
the essential oils being diluted first.
The problem with the above method is you might be wearing a band aid for a long time and over time the band aid sticking to the skin
can cause its own problems. Plus trapping essential oils next to the skin can cause other skin irritations. Essential oils are strong and
prolonged contact undiluted can be more detrimental than helpful.
The better solution is to soak your hand or affected area in warm water for 10 minutes or so (taking a nightly bath will usually suffice) .
You can add some essential oils to the bath if you wish – use which ever ones you enjoy for bathing.
They should not be some of the ones listed for warts. The stronger oils like
Thyme
Oregano
and Clove bud can be very irritating to the
skin in a bath. But once the bath is done apply the following blend that has been mixed with a carrier oil to the area on and around the wart.
Dry the skin well by patting it before applying this blend. Then apply a drop or two of the carrier oil mixed blend to the wart.
Apply daily for up to 10 days. Then discontinue for 1 week. Repeat for another 10 days and off for 1 week. If you do not see any
difference in the wart, essential oils may not work for you.
Wart Blend
Thyme – 8 drops
Lavender – 5 drops
Tea Tree – 5 drops
Clove bud – 3 drops
Oregano – 2 drops
Jojoba 1 tablespoon
Blend essential oils together in a one ounce amber bottle. Then add 1 tablespoon Jojoba . Shake to blend.
Then apply one drop to the wart. Let soak in. You do not need to cover this with a band aid as the Jojoba should soak into
the wart and surrounding skin with in a minute or two. If it doesn’t, then wipe the excess oil away. Repeat 2-4 times daily.
Use for 10 days then discontinue for 1 week. Repeat applying for 10 days, and discontinue for 1 week. If at anytime you develop
sensitivity or additional irritation you should discontinue and seek out other methods to help with your warts.
Essential oils do not work for everyone with warts.
DO NOT use essential oils on the genital area or near your eyes. If you have genital warts please see your medical practioner.
Around the House and Garden
Did you have Fish tonight?
by Penny Keay
Here it is just after supper and some friends call and want to come over to play cards or watch a movie or what have you.
But oh my, you fixed your famous fried fish for your family tonight and boy does the house smell like fish!!
Quick – grab your essential oils, mix some in a little
Emulsifier and add some distilled water. Shake the spray bottle and quickly
spritz the air around the WHOLE house. Because if you don’t, every one will still know you cooked fish for supper!!
Best scents to help cover fishy smells –
Lemon and other citrus blends.
Rosemary and
Lavender work too but
Lemon and
Lime are my
favorite essential oils of choice to rid the area of cooking odors.
After a few minutes, you should re-spray the rooms. Then light or plug in an oil warmer with a soy wax tart in it and
diffuse any other blend you choose. Wax tarts can be used for hours and you don’t need to worry about the diffuser burning dry.
Oh, PS Don’t forget to take out the trash and wash or dispose of all the other ‘fishy’ smelling dishes or you know what might
creep back into the kitchen – yep – that fishy smell once again!!
Note: I don’t want to offend anyone thinking that fish are the only smelly food you can cook but to me it’s right up there.
Other smelly foods – Liver and onions, burnt popcorn just to name a couple others!
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BIRCH HILL HAPPENINGS NEWS
Hello Everyone,
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!
Hope you have something Special planned with your Loved Ones for today!!
Here it is time for another newsletter. Time has been flying this winter and as usual never enough time to get done all the things we
want to for us personally or for the business.
So, we have hired a couple of part time helpers. They won’t be answering the phone, but will help us prepare the orders for shipping
and help keep things restocked, etc.
We are currently working on a few new products and hope to have them ready very soon. One, that several of you have asked about
is a cleaner or surface spray using our
Four Robbers blend . We have finally found a supply of an unscented spray cleaner and once
it has been tested just a little bit more (we’re trying to get the right concentration of our
Four Robbers blend in it) we will have it available.
So check the What’s New Page over the next few weeks to see when it is available.
Also some of new
Convenience Packs”“
are available. We have several people that order the unscented base products in larger quantities.
The plans are to make them convenient for you to order and for us to process and ship.
Please note that they have prepaid shipping included in the pricing EXCEPT for Canadian orders – we have to add shipping to those
orders as it costs considerably more to ship into Canada (the shopping cart for Canadian orders cannot be configured to add the shipping
so we will be adding the cost and will notified of the additional fee).
In either case, they will be shipped separately from the rest of your order (which will have regular shipping fees). For full details
please visit our
Bulk Quantities page.
Just a reminder if you haven’t signed up for the
"Aromatherapy Tip of the Week”, you can do so at any time.
What is it? A few paragraphs with some helpful information about an aromatherapy and essential
oils related topic.
We hope these tips will help all interested in Aromatherapy as we continue to educate you and also to help spark your interest in aromatherapy even further.
As a recap - The tip will be E-mailed only to those who subscribe to receive them – what we call an Opt-in list. This way, since you sign up,
and you are aware it is coming weekly, you know it is not spam. If you decide you no longer want to get the “Tip of the Week”, there will
be an easy link to unsubscribe in each e-mailed tip.
The actual
"Aromatherapy Tip of the Week”, will be included in the e-mail but within that e-mail will also be a link to a printable PDF
version for those that want to keep them in a 3 ring binder for future reference. Eventually there will be a webpage that will include
the link to the PDF versions for those that sign up later or if you prefer not to get an e-mail each week. When the page is ready, we’ll
announce it here and you can then bookmark it in your favorites for easy reference.
If the "Aromatherapy Tip of the Week”, is of interest to you, simply click on the link at the bottom in the e-mail notice you received
for this Newsletter. At the bottom you will see a link to “UPDATE PROFILE”. Simple click on that link and when you get to the “interest category” page,
click the box to add the “Aromatherapy Tip of the Week” to your desired interest categories. Click the accept button and you’ll be set.
Or you can read more details and sign up on our Aromatherapy Tip Information and Sign up page located at
http://birchhillhappenings.com/tipform.htm
That’s about it for this time. Stay, safe, snug and warm and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.
Hearts, Hugs and Kisses from Us!!
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.
‘til next month,
Yours in Aromatherapy,
Alan and Penny
E-mail us at bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com
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