Aromatherapy Newsletter

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

Physical ailment

To Smell or Not to Smell (or don’t or can’t smell)

by Penny Keay

Oh those wonderful scents and smells of essential oils. Your nose can detect many different scents and remembers them in a lock and key part of your limbic (basic) brain.

What happens when you can’t or don’t smell anything? Can you benefit from essential oils? If you have lost your sense of smell can you get it back using essential oils? How come I smell it out of the bottle and then when I first put it in the diffuser or bath but soon after I can’t smell the essential oils any more?

These are some of the many questions we are asked on a regular basis about essential oils and the sense of smell.

When someone asks if they can’t smell whether it be an oil or general smelling, we have to ask if they know when it was that they couldn’t smell anything.

If they explain that they can smell an essential oil when it is fresh from the bottle or first put into a bath or other diffuser. Then next we explain that your body has set in motion a mechanism that actually blocks out that scent. The term “olfactory fatigue” is used to describe this phenomenon of the sense of smell. You can read more about this subject in a past Tip of the week http://birchhillhappenings.com/aromatip/tip0208.pdf or this past Newsletter article on diffusion http://birchhillhappenings.com/v1112008.htm

This olfactory block can happen in as few as 10 to 15 minutes in some folks.

With olfactory fatigue, simply leaving the area for several minutes and then returning will often ‘reset’ the sense of smell and you will again smell the scent. Mind you it will only last for a few minutes before your sense of smell is once again blocked.

Just because you cannot smell the oils in the room doesn’t mean they aren’t there, they are and are working for you. It is not necessary to a dd more oils to your diffuser. You will not benefit from more, in fact you could add too much to the air and make yourself feel sick (nauseated) or possibly even develop a headache. These are two of the most common signs you have diffused too much essential oils into the room. (Simply open the windows and let some fresh air in, while you take a walk outdoors!)

Now if someone says that they really can’t smell, we have to ask – Did you have some sort of injury to your nose and nasal passage? Were you able to smell prior and do you remember when the last time you were able to smell? Are you on medications? Do you suffer from allergies? Have you recently been ill or had surgery?

Depending on the injury to the nose you may or may not be able to regain your sense of smell. Common sense tells you if the specialized olfactory nerve sensors were damaged or destroyed you will most likely never be able to smell again.

If you can recall some type of illness or emotional trauma and prior to that you could smell but it seems that over night you could no longer smell – it is possible your brain is blocking your sensory pathway. It is possible you may be able to unlock this obstacle to your sense of smell.

One method to try is to try testing with several essential oils to see if any sense of smell can detect any of the oils. You would want to try strong sweet smelling and also strong bitter or pungent odors. Alternating every few seconds between the two to see if by chance you might be able to trick the body to unlock the block it has created. If you find one or two oils that can be smelled, slowly try other oils similar to the ones you can smell. Gradually you may be able to reset your sense of smell.

If your loss of smell is due to allergies, colds or other inflammatory processes involving the nasal passages, once you get the inflammation under control your sense of smell should return shortly thereafter.

In fact, there are several essential oils that are helpful with inflammation i.e. Roman Chamomile , German Chamomile and for temporary relief from congestion; decongesting essential oils like Eucalyptus globulus or Peppermint among others are beneficial.

After surgery and using various medications can cause a temporary loss of smell too, be patient and your sense of smell should return once you have recovered from anesthesia and are off the meds.

Can you benefit from essential oils if you cannot smell them? Yes you can!!

Remember essential oils are made of tiny molecules of various chemical constituents. Even if you can’t smell them, when you do inhale, they transfer through your respiratory system and enter the blood stream just like breathing in any air. The molecules of the essential oils then travel through your blood to various parts of your body, fighting infections, relieving inflammation and much more.

Not only can they benefit you when you are plagued with physical illness and ailments, they can also help to lift your spirits emotionally. Often times unhappiness, sadness, and depression are results of chemical imbalances set off by an emotional response to something unpleasant. Using essential oils known to be uplifting can work even if you can’t smell such as Grapefruit or Peppermint .

And there are essential oils to help you feel rested and fall asleep (sedative and calming oils like Lavender and Roman Chamomile ). Then again, you need not smell to be able to benefit from them. They are quickly absorbed into your body while being diffused into the air and the molecules are used to be able to help you drift easily to sleep!

And again, used in massage, the oils that can produce a warm, deep penetrating heat can help to loosen up all those tight and sore muscles.

Even in folks with dementia and other disease processes that you are not sure if they can smell, diffusing a little essential oil around them can and often does produce some sort of response.

So whether you can smell or not, do not shy away from Nature’s little gifts. As the benefits are still available to you as long as you are alive and breathing!!

Emotional Concern

Daydreaming is fun in its proper place!

by Penny Keay

Daydreams! Just lay back and let your mind wander. Think about all your hopes and dreams of things to come, like vacation, your retirement and just other things besides work!

What a fun way to escape to another ‘world’ without leaving this planet.

To me, daydreaming is a type of simple meditation. When you can’t go off by yourself for a half hour or more of true meditation, at least you can drift your mind to a little bit of emotional sanctuary for a few minutes. Relaxing and releasing your mind to start refreshed again in a few minutes.

Daydreaming can be fun and a wonderful form of relaxation. Not a problem if you have the time.

But what if you are a child in school and you are getting caught? Many a parent has been called on this vary thing. Little Johnny or Mary has once again been caught not paying attention to the lessons be taught. They have been caught day dreaming once again.

There are several things you can do. Essential oils to help get them back on track and concentrating on the tasks at hand are simple to use. In fact, we have several school teachers now implementing essential oils into their class rooms.

Some teachers are using them not only to freshen the air and prevent colds, etc from spreading, but also to help the attentiveness and concentration levels of their students.

The afternoon sleepiness that plagues adults also pertains to children. Energizing essential oils and those to help focus are most beneficial.

For your child using a Terra Cotta Pendants is the simplest form of diffusing essential oils close to your child so as to not bother others in the room. There are other methods that can also be used, too.

The Terra Cotta Pendant is very discreet and most kids love wearing their birth signs or one of many other designs. Inexpensive and safe to use, most schools don’t have a problem with children wearing a necklace – especially when tucked inside their clothing.

Now that you have the mode of delivery what do we suggest to use on them? To help with Concentration, oils like Lemon, Basil and Rosemary quickly come to mind. Peppermint or Spearmint blended with any of the citrus oils like Grapefruit , Orange or Tangerine are outstanding to help uplift and awaken those suffering from the afternoon sleepiness.

Several of the Eucalyptus oils mixed with various oils will help to. To bring a sense of euphoria and sense of well being a blend of Ylang Ylang and Bergamot can be very enlivening.

If your child has had problems being ‘caught’ in the past, now is the time to find a few essential oils or blends to use to hopefully avoid the calls from the teacher. And for you teachers – don’t forget you can use oils in your classrooms too to help you to have better attentive students and a happier, healthy room overall. And if you can’t diffuse it throughout the room, place a simple passive style diffuser on your desk to help calm you or keep you just as attentive!!

OK, now it’s back to Day Dreaming as an adult – Let’s see here – soon it’s time for vacation, hmmm, what essential oils do I want to take along with me to do all that day dreaming in the sun, hmmmm,
Oh yeah, a little Meditation blend or Take Five blend or Calming blend or Relaxing blend or maybe just plain Lavender. . . .

Beauty Tips aka Skin and Hair Care

Exfoliation

by Penny Keay

To have young vibrant skin, to help smooth out rough and callused areas and to just make your skin feel soft and refreshed you will need to exfoliate.

Exfoliate – simply means to remove a couple of the outer layers of your skin, the dead cells. Exfoliation helps to gently remove dead skin cells that can often cause blackheads, blemishes, dryness and wrinkles.

When you gently exfoliate you bring circulation to your skin and it gives your face that wonderful healthy glow we all desire.

There are many different materials you can use to make face scrubs. Some of the most common ones include: oatmeal, cornmeal, almonds meal, and other ground grains and even crushed walnut shells. Sugar and salt scrubs can also be used, with salt scrubs best avoided on the face, but okay for the rest of the body.

If you have sensitive skin, using oatmeal is the safest, but if you should have problems with that you will have to forego exfoliation.

To make a simple exfoliating scrub for your face simply mix any fixed oil such as avocado or sweet almond with some sugar or brown sugar. Stir until well moistened. To this add a drop or two of your favorite essential oils.

Then simply take a small amount in your hand or finger tips and rub for about a minute on your face. Do not rub hard. You will feel the grains of sugar roll around your face. After a minute of scrubbing you will want to start rinsing your face with several splashes of tepid water.

Next using a plain unscented bar of real soap applied to your hands, smooth over every area of your face and neck that you applied the scrub. You don’t want to leave any sugar or the oil residue on your skin. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Follow up using a facial toner and / or an astringent to help tighten any pores that have been opened, cleaned and exfoliated.

Let this dry and apply a small amount of your favorite moisturizing lotion.

Your face and neck will Thank you for it. You will magically see the glow appear to your now exfoliated and softened skin!

Don’t forget, you can exfoliate your whole body. Again you can use any of the above mentioned scrubs. For your entire body, making a scrub from sugar or salt is easy and any mess is kept to a minimum in your shower. (Exfoliating scrubs in a bath tub are not recommended as the oils in the mix can make the tub extremely slippery not to mention leave a nasty bathtub ring!) And do use caution when in the shower too!

Around the House and Garden

Spider, Spider, go away!

by Penny Keay

This suggestion and recommendation comes from one of our customers.

She tells us that she was once plagued by a variety of spiders that had invaded her home. She had tried many methods to get rid of them but to no avail, the spiders prevailed.

Someone had told her to use Pennyroyal essential oil placed on cotton balls near the areas she had been seeing webs and spiders.

She was persistent and put the Pennyroyal on the cotton balls. Although she did not tell us how long it took but she was so happy to report to us that she no longer sees any spiders or their webs anywhere in her home!

For those of you unfamiliar with Pennyroyal essential oil botanical name is Mentha pulegium. The oil is distilled from the flowering herb. It has a minty-herblike scent. It is often used by dog owners to help repel fleas. (Note- it will not kill fleas only repels them.)

Recipes to try

by Penny Keay

BIRCH HILL HAPPENINGS NEWS

Hello Everyone,
Hope everyone’s summer has been a grand one!

First we need to let you know that it is time for Al and Penny to take their annual vacation trip to a cute little cabin here in northern Minnesota. Penny will read and relax and Al will FISH and read and relax and we both will enjoy walks along trails in the woods!! And watching the sunset across the lake! (Oh boy do we need a vacation or what?)

What does this mean to you our customers when we are gone? Well, it just means Al and Penny won’t be available to answer aromatherapy questions for a few days.

Our employee, Jaylene, will still be fulfilling orders and shipping them out. Although it may take her an extra day or two since she will be doing the work usually done by 3 people. But none the less, she will get them out. (This is a whole lot better than when we didn’t have an employee and no orders were shipped out for 2 weeks while we were on vacation. We are so happy to have her!! And I’m sure you will be too!! )

Please realize that she won’t be answering the phone, but if you need to add or change an order you placed online you can leave a message and she will promptly make the changes. But remember Jaylene will be here to process ONLINE Orders only !

For most of you, you won't even know we are gone.

Say, Do you like to buy and save whenever you place orders from us?
Now tell me who doesn’t? Check out our Coupon Code program by visiting http://birchhillhappenings.com/deal.htm. Once you read about it, you will be in for a little surprise (That is if you get e-mail notices from us).

So, now what else have we been up to since the last newsletter?? We have several new products to tell you about.

Replacement Inhaler wicks
Many of you asked if we could get the cotton wicks for the nasal inhalers and we were able to get them and they are now available. These replacement wicks are packaged in packs of 10.

Organic Refined Shea Butter is also new and found on our Carrier and Fixed oils page. This is a wonderful addition for those of you making your own creams and lotions.

BROWN SUGAR FACIAL SCRUBS – two different ones to start with. One with our Fresh Face Blend for younger or more prone to blemishes skin types and our Smooth and Soft for those with more mature- aging skin. These are wonderful. Your face will feel so soft.

Our Lavender Salt Body Scrub is also available and is great to use to help exfoliate your body while in the shower! (Don’t use body scrubs in the tub as they contain fixed oils that not only will it make the tub slippery, but can potentially leave a bathtub ring and we all just love cleaning those out of our tubs!! )

Facial Toner and Facial Astringent both are new. They are not scented so you can add your own essential oils to both of these to compliment your face care regimen.

Now, because we finally have a big soaking bathtub, I just had to develop some bath salts to use.


So we are now announcing our new Bath Salt line!! We are offering them in single bath envelops that will be perfect for you to use or to give as a quick little Thank you gift. We offer them in larger quantities too sold by weight in a plastic jar. We have about 5 different scents available and are working on more. (In the Photo showing the bath salts in a basket on a tiled surface – That is part of our new bath tub. Cool huh?)

As you know, Jaylene, our very talented employee, has been creating and designing hand made greeting cards for us to add scenting to for selling on our website. We had several suggestions as folks wanted to be able to actually choose the card they were buying and scenting so I have reconfigured the shopping cart and now you can “Pick your card” and whether you want it scented or not (scenting doesn’t cost anything extra). You can see the variety of cards on the website. Please check them out and buy a few to have on hand.

If you are giving a gift of our products to a friend or relative for a Birthday or Thank you, you can purchase a card and have us write your own personal message for your gift. We are more than happy to do that for you, just let us know your message when you purchase a card.

In case you missed last months issue we announced our new Eye Pillows and Aroma Pillows. Both are Lavender scented and filled will all natural organic material including lavender buds, flaxseed enclosed in a 100% cotton fabric case. These are great to put over your eyes to rest. Or the aroma pillows are great for those sore necks, shoulders, wrists, knees and more. Simply store them in the freezer for use as cold packs and if you want to heat them put them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to give you a warm pack. To add more scenting once the original scent wanes, use our Linen spray where you have added some Lavender essential oil and shake well, spritz on the outer case as desired. They are specially priced for the next couple weeks during our Introductory Offering.

Don’t forget, we found an All Purpose spray cleaner base to add our Four Robbers Blend and the Pure Cleansing blends too. We also have a Citrus blend for folks that prefer a more traditional citrus smelling cleaner. We have them available in an 8 ounce Trigger spray bottle and 32 ounce refills if you already have sprayers available for use.

We are still working on a Concentrate Cleaner to add you your mopping bucket but it is not yet available.


I am thinking of writing a series of books including basic information on Aromatherapy but mainly they would be full of all the recipes we have developed and suggested to all our customers and clientel. They would be categorized in such a way to make it very easy to find just the right recipe for your needs. They would be printed on heavier paper and a binder similar to other cookbooks so the pages can be laid open flat and (not propped open with a heavy object).

So, as you can see, we are busy, busy, busy and always on the look out for more ways to help bring the wonderful scents of our essential oils into your lives for your health and well being.

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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For a listing of the Resources for information in this newsletter (including recipes) and others please visit our Reference page Click here