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"In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand."

John C. Maxwell   

 

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Terry Pratchett  

 

    

 

 

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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

April 2015 were:  

  • Making perfume from rain
  • Essential oils for beginners
  • Aromatherapy and PTSD 

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Green Valley Aromatherapy  

 

June 2015

Barb - baskets



Welcome June, the traditional month for weddings!

The tradition started hundreds of years ago. The rivers were too cold to bathe in up until June. I don't think I would be getting married if I had to bathe in a cold river. I can't imagine being so dirty. I guess it was just normal to the people of those days.

Thank you so much for the suggestions you have offered to replace the word 'perfume' for our new line of personal aromas. I don't want to use the words perfume, fragrance or scent. We have had some great suggestions including Essence, Bouquet, Aroma Veil and lots more. Now we just have a to make a decision on the name and get the labels printed.

It has been very interesting for me to create these personal aromas. It is like a backwards procedure. Usually you find oils for their therapeutic value and then add to it if they do not smell so pretty. This time I am much more aware of the notes and what they stand for not just for balancing the blend but appealing to some deeper part of us. Centuries ago, if you were wealthy, your perfume represented who you were. If you wore mainly top notes you were looking for love and excitement. If you wore middle notes (heart notes) you were probably in a happy relationship with a loving family around you. Ladies who knew who they were and what they wanted wore base notes.

Recently I found myself in the middle of a discussion on modern methods verses old methods. My family is made up of farmers, nurses and butchers. Our friends and their family are all technical and business people. It was a very stimulating conversation and what came out of it was...
Did you know (I didn't) that most cattle these days are fed on concentrated dried corn; a huge energy source, but with no nutrition what so ever. If the cattle are grass fed, the fats are in balance, there are lots of nutrients and your body can absorb them quickly, and it is much easier to digest. The corn fed cattle leaves you feeling over full and bloated.

 

All the best, 

 

 

Barb

 

 

 

  
  

 
 
Product Profiles


Valerian Essential Oil (Valeriana officinalis)
 
Valerian is steam distilled from the root of the plant and is a base note. This is a good oil to have around to treat insomnia, migraines, colic and cramps, because of its sedative and hypnotic properties. Valerian has been used for centuries as it was known to calm the mind and body. 

Over the last 30 years there have been many clinical trials to work out why and how it works so well. Researchers have pinpointed Sesquiterpenes, valerenic acid and valerone as the active ingredients. 

For day to day ailments, aches and pains, tight muscles, nervous tension or panic and hysteria, this is the essential oil to reach for. Alternatively, use Valerian in your diffuser as a preventative measure. It blends well with Bergamot, Geranium and Citrus oils. You will most likely want to blend it with something as it has quite a pungent aroma.

Be aware that Valerian is a very potent oil. If you are already taking sedative medication, consult your doctor.


This blend of highly erotic essential oils is added to Coconut oil to provide the slip. Coconut oil is a light, non greasy product that soaks easily into the skin, does not clog pores and does not stain clothes or linen. Although is is called cocoNut, it is not a true not, but rather a drupe.


On The Run Set

Our Scents & Sensuality blend is made up from Rose Absolute, Jasmine Absolute, Patchouli, Mandarin, Sandalwood, Clary Sage and Ylang Ylang. These oils work together as a synergy dealing with stress, fatigue, emotional anxiety, leaving you feeling confident, in control and beautiful. The 10 ml slim roll on bottle fits easily into your pocket or purse.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Cananga odorata)

Ylang Ylang essential oil is produced in Madagascar, is steam distilled using the flowers and is a base note. Over the years I have used Ylang Ylang in many blends for its balancing properties. I believe that most people are not in balance. This, in my opinion, is due to the fact that we no longer listen to our bodies. We are ruled by the clock! I know, time has to be in our lives to juggle between children, school, work, after school activities and so on. You must have noticed how sometimes you can sit down for a meal and find that you are not hungry. You eat anyway because you have to go out at a certain time and you know you will probably be hungry later.

Ylang Ylang used to be referred to as the poor man's Neroli. Both of these oils are known for lowering blood pressure. When someone is shocked, anxious or frightened, let them smell from the bottle. Then, where possible, add the Ylang Ylang to a carrier oil and massage their hands while they calm down.

The calming and relaxing effect of Ylang Ylang may be responsible for its designation as an aphrodisiac, as sexual problems or feelings of inadequacy can be caused by acute anxiety.

Take care when using this oil on other people, such as in an aromatherapy massage. Its strong aroma may cause headaches or nausea. It is very rare for people to use a single oil for a massage treatment and Ylang Ylang blends well with many oils. The best ones that I have found are Bergamot, Lemon, Litsea Cubeba and Mandarin.

Valerian essential oil, Ylang Ylang essential oil, and Scents & Sensuality OTR  are all 15% off in June.  
 

Recipes

Recipe for Wrinkles


Everything comes at a price. For perfect skin you need to drink lots of water, use sun block, exercise and eat nutritional food. What teenager wants to do that!! So, when you get to middle age and the wrinkles start appearing you have choices. Surgery...could be painful, could be expensive, could possibly go wrong and will need doing again later as more wrinkles appear.

Your other choice....quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, drink plenty of water, go for walks in the fresh air and use a good moisturizer to feed you skin at night and a lighter one for the day.

Light moisturizer for daytime


Make a well in the middle of your cream. Add all the drops and stir well.

Rich moisturizer for nighttime

I chose Rosehip as it is a very active carrier oil which is good for dry, mature, sensitive, allergenic, aging and problem skin.

4 drops Frankincense essential oil
4 drops Neroli essential oil
8 drops Geranium essential oil
8 drops Grapefruit essential oil

Add the drops to your Rosehip and shake well.

You will notice I have doubled the essential oil for nighttime. This is when the real healing will go on while your body is at rest. Make sure your face is clean before you apply your oil and use a very light effleurage movement to massage it onto your face. This will also stimulate the circulation and ensure good supplies of oxygen to the blood vessels.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Did you Know?

 

Did you know that there may be a shortage of Ylang Ylang in the future? This is due to the fact that the plants are over 100 years old and are not producing as well as they used to. There has not been any replanting done as of yet. Lets hope the replanting is started soon!


 
 

 

 

Shea Butter Stories

 

"Time for some cooking! Cooking? Well, to be more accurate, frying - no kidding! OK, so technically it is roasting or 'dry frying' as no cooking oils are added. But why would they be, when what we're after is the fantastic uncontaminated oil that lurks inside the shea nuts? 

Carrying firewood.

 

Once again, the local women, with their amazing ability to carry loads on the crown of their heads, rally round for the next stage in creating the wonderful shea butter. The nuts have been collected, cleaned, dried and ground - but we still can't get at the essential oil that lies inside. Not yet. And the work is as tough as ever! The women and their families, either at their own homes, together with a neighbor or at a special community area, gather together everything they need to 'cook' the ground nuts. And of course this begins with fuel for the cooking, wood to make a good fire with.

 

Nice dry wood works best, helping with the traditional three-stone cooking method where three large rocks support the pot and allow wood to be placed underneath. The wood is bought from women who have gathered and taken it to the market, and is carried mostly by women on their heads using the same type of basin they used when collecting the nuts at the very start of the process.

The three stone stove.

When the fire is ready, the pulverized shea nuts are poured into a large cooking pot over the heat. Constant stirring ensures that enough heat

Frying the pulverized Shea Nuts.

reaches all the contents. As you can imagine, it's very hot work but it does get us one step closer - a LOT closer - towards the finished product, as we'll see next time!"

 


Baraka

Next month, Grinding? Again?