Green Valley Aromatherapy
Quick Links
Quotes

 

"Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality."

Nikos Kasantzakio   

 

"We know what we are, but know not what we may be." 

William Shakespeare  

 

    

 

 

Find out what you're missing! 

 

For those of you who haven't yet checked us out on Facebook, here are some great reasons to: 

  1. We often post advance notice of sales and specials
  2. We share aromatherapy ideas, news and articles of interest 
  3. We share discussions on aromatherapy.

Some of the topics in

March 2015 were:  

  • DIY dryer sheets  
  • Scentscaping your home

Find us on Facebook 

 

Green Valley Aromatherapy  

 

May 2015

Barb - baskets



Happy May to everyone!

May is energy month. During the winter months nature intended you to store up your energy to get ready for the summer. Of course our lives don't work like the animals. They don't have to take the children to school, wash clothes, prepare meals and in most cases go to work as well. Put your thinking head on and think like a bear.....Have a really good, huge meal then snuggle down and sleep until winter is over. When you wake up the bank has repossessed your home, you have missed Christmas and all of the winter sports! Perhaps I will stay as me; buy the Christmas presents early, cut down on the Christmas cards and have a couple of weeks in the sun.

Here on Vancouver Island we have had a very mild winter. The spring flowers came early and everyone was out in the garden earlier than usual. It is great to get up in the morning to see all the colours and new shoots.

I hope that everyone who is reading this is having a really good day. If you are not, just know that every new minute that passes you have the opportunity to change that. Always look on the bright side of life. Get out your energizing essential oils and go for it!

I wonder if any of you can help me with a suggestion for a word to replace perfume. We have created a new line of 6 blends of essential oils to be used as a 'perfume' for people who want to smell nice and feel good and who don't want to use chemically created fragrances. Some of the ideas that we have been kicking around are: Aroma Bouquet, Essential Essence, and Personal Essence. What do you think?

 

 

 

All the best, 

 

 

Barb

 

 

P.S. As most of you know we get a number of our oils from Nepal. Since this horrific earth quake has left over 7000 dead, I hope you will join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to the survivors. Green Valley will be donating to the relief effort in the next week or so. The question is where should we donate that will give the most benefit to the people in Nepal? Please let us know if you have any suggestions. Thank you.

 

 

  
  

 
 
Product Profiles


Nutmeg Essential Oil (Myristica frangrans)
 
When I think of Nutmeg it is always of my Mum. She would grate the Nutmeg and sprinkle it on custard pies and rice puddings. Because of its lovely warm taste, or aroma in our case, I find it very soothing for aches and pains. I think of Nutmeg as a seniors' oil as all of its properties work well for me. Nutmeg is a digestive stimulant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and helps with poor circulation and nausea.

If you are finding yourself either extremely stressed or extremely tired, this could be due to your adrenal glands being compromised which can make them over react. The adrenal glands work to regulate the body system. The good news is that Nutmeg can support the adrenal glands and help them to heal.
Nutmeg is a very potent oil. In large doses it can be toxic so please use caution when using Nutmeg essential oil. It should not be used during pregnancy or on children.


Energize OTR

OTR or On The Run. The name came to us first and got me thinking that we should have something for the folks who love essential oils, need the support, but who do not have the time to blend and mix them with a carrier oil. So, the 'On the Run' line was created using our existing blends added to a little coconut oil and presented in a slim 10ml vial with a roller ball top for convenience. We did our usual sampling test and had a great response. Our OTR's are now available in 6 different varieties; Energize, Headeaze, Lavender, Scents & Sensuality, Stressbuster, and Tranquility.On The Run Set

Our Energize blend was created for people who need that extra boost to get them going. Whether it is in the morning when you have that "Morning after the night before" feeling or when you get home from work feeling exhausted...jump or crawl into the shower with some Energize which shouts, "Let's Party!"

Energize is a blend of Bergamot, Palmarosa, Rosemary and Sweet Orange. The Energize OTR also contains Fractionated Coconut Oil.

Bergamot FCF essential oil is calming to the nervous system and is good for digestive problems and overall anxiety. It is a great oil to have around if you are prone to panic attacks. One of the ingredients of Earl Grey tea is Bergamot, so relaxing with a cup of tea is also beneficial.

Palmarosa essential oil is known to stimulate cellular regeneration, is calming to the mind and helps to eliminate exhaustion. Palmarosa is well known as a good oil for troubled skin, for example acne, eczema, and even athlete's foot. It helps to calm the irritated areas.

Rosemary essential oil is stimulating to the circulation, is considered a brain stimulant and is great for rheumatism and arthritis getting you right out there dancing and playing around. Being a high note, it is suggested for hair growth and is balancing for teens with acne problems which is usually due to the fact of hormones being all over the place.

Sweet Orange essential oil is a lymph stimulator and eliminates toxins. This is a good oil to speed up a sluggish system and to help with water retention and constipation. Orange essential oil is an uplifting oil that is great for nervous tension and stress.

All of these oils work together to make you feel good and to not waste a minute of your precious time.

Coconut Oil, Fractionated (Cocos nucifera)

Coconut oil was the carrier oil I used when I was doing my training 30 something years ago. Chosen by most of the schools back then for its ability to soak easily into the skin and not clog the pores. Coconut oil is a good value for money product that is light, non-greasy and does not stain the linen.

People who have nut allergies would not necessarily be allergic to coconut oil as it is classified as a drupe and not a nut. Coconut oil is an ideal oil for the massage therapist and aromatherapist as it is reasonably priced, better for the linens and it carries the essential oil around to do its healing work. 

Coconut oil is composed predominately of saturated fatty acids, which is why it does not go rancid very easily. This oil is suitable for all skin types, is soothing and very cooling.

Nutmeg essential oil, Energize OTR and Coconut oil are all 15% off in May.  
 

Recipes

Sore muscle recipe


Here on Vancouver Island we are having an unusual warm, early spring. We are already getting inquires about what to do for the bouts of aches and pains from gardening etc.

Shoulder strain or frozen shoulder can be helped with ice, heat and essential oil. Soon after you feel the inflammation use ice for 10 minutes, 4 times a day. Make a compress with hot water, essential oil and a face cloth. Dip the face cloth in the hot water and essential oil mix, and put over the shoulder 4 times a day. Massage the shoulder 2 times a day. Use these methods for a couple of days and you will notice a difference.

Nutmeg essential oil      15 drops

Mix these oils in a 5 ml amber bottle and label. You can use 5 drops of this blend per 5 mls of Emu oil, which is a natural anti-inflammatory, for the massage. Add 5 drops of the blend to the hot water for the compress.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Did you Know?

 

Depending on which side you are batting, you may say that cats are more intelligent than dogs, or dogs are more intelligent than cats. 
Bigger brains does not mean bigger intelligence. Cats have 300 million neurons in their cerebral cortex. Dogs have 160 million neurons. A dogs memory is approximately 5 minutes long where a cats memory can be 16 hours.

Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve PEACE.


 
 

 

 

Shea Butter Stories

 

Story continued from the November 2014 newsletter.

 

"Question (and this time it is a tricky one!); At what point is it unfair NOT to step in and use mechanical tools to help the wonderful people who produce your shea butter? Sure, we all celebrate that the butter is hand-made, all natural and free of nasty chemicals, but at what cost to the women who make it? If there was a simple machine that could take some of the strain, wouldn't YOU use it? 

 

We certainly do! And we have no issue at all with this; after all, the chickens who help clean the pits are machines in a way, doing a job more efficiently than if we did it ourselves! And our ultimate goal at Baraka Supplies is to help give economic empowerment to the women and their families. What does this mean? Simply that in addition to finding new markets for their wonderful products, we also help support small solutions to production problems that can make a BIG difference. Welcome to the Grinding Machine!

A hopper full of Shea Nuts to be ground.

 

 

When you consider the end product, the wonderful Shea Butter which is one of nature's most effective skin care offerings, it is hard to think that a machine can have any part in its creation. But it does, simply by removing the back-breaking part of the work that the tireless women always had to do. Your butter's softness and healing qualities depend on the saponifiable oils being released from the shea nut. Traditionally this was done by a group of women with large pestle and mortar to pulverize the nuts. Think of grinding a few spices - then multiply this effort by several hundred percent! So nowadays they use a simple machine, the same machine they also use for grinding corn and other grains. They bring the nuts to

Freshly ground shea nuts

the grinding person who feeds them into the hopper - and out comes finely-ground shea nut granules, ready for the next stage in the long journey towards the most famous Super Food for the Skin!"

 


Baraka

See the November 2014 newsletter for the last Shea Butter story. 
Next month, Frying?