I already have a lot of specials going on in my Etsy store to celebrate the abundance of some of my plants, and I will be posting them to Hyenacart and Indiemade soon. I have great deals on all of my comfrey products including the hydrosol. And all of the comfrey oil based products are double infused with fresh comfrey so they are really strong! If you have been reading my blog and FaceBook page you know I'm also distilling peppermint like crazy. Soon I'll have a big run on Lemon Balm hydrosol and I'll have special Summer pricing on that.
I will be doing some special distillations too as my flowers bloom, including some co-distillations. I have buds on my helichrysum and lavender plants and I have had one bloom on my rugosa Roses. These are supposed to put out tons of fragrant blooms so I will be able to distill my own good quality rosewater! There will not be any special pricing on the rosewater though since my quantities will be limited and I will reserve some for personal use throughout the year and for use in my perfumery projects.
I have seen NO signs of any elder flowers as of yet but I think everything is happening later than usual this year so I hope to have more elderflower water done by mid-June. I have very little of last years left so if you want to order some, go ahead. It still has at least a year before it goes bad (if stored properly). I am also thinking about a big distillation of catnip. By big, I mean a quart. I think it would make an awesome base for an insect repellant spray, and of course a treat for your kitty. This may also be a good training tool if you have a cat clawing your furniture. Buy your kitty a scratching post and spritz it with catnip hydrosol.
I am also thinking about making a version of Jeanne Rose's Bruise Juice, which is an all purpose medicated oil. Helichrysum flowers will be amazing in there! I have tons of blooms on these plants so I will be making some more oil with them (infused in fractionated coconut oil) and will probably have enough to put up for sale. It makes a wonderful replacement for the very expensive essential oil and can be used as is, or in ointments. Helichrysum and Lavender are 2 of the greatest and gentlest healing plants and Heli is my absolute favorite for healing bruises.
I dipped into the Florida Water a bit and it smells incredible already! I may get another batch going this weekend along with some Orange Blossom cologne and Eau de Cologne. I LOVE PERFUME! Especially when they are natural and therapeutic. I am going to offer these for sale-domestic ground shipping only.
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Buyer BEWARE!
Last night I decided to do a search of essential oils on etsy. First I want to say that I'm horrified at how many essential oil sellers are still selling pure essential oils with the rubber dropper top bottles.
Do NOT buy essential oils that are packaged in this type of bottle! The oils will eat through this rubber and your oil will be contaminated! Next time you are trying to get an adhesive label off of a bottle, try using an essential oil instead of goo gone or rubbing alcohol-it will get the adhesive off much faster than any solvent.
Now to my main point in this post. I usually don't call out sellers by name but this time I want to warn people about a new shop I found last night. Here is the shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/loverain7fc. Just for funsies I sent this convo:
These are NOT essential oils!!! Change the names to fragrance oils before you hurt somebody. This is false advertising. There is no champa oil for $4 for 5 ml and lavender oil is not purple. There is no such thing as essential oil of apple, pear or strawberry
Here is the response I got back:
This is essential oil, some our oil diluted with ethyl alcohol
ethyl alcohol is just regular rubbing which is safe to use on skin
This essential is made in thailand
Thank you
THIS IS A LIE! I can prove these are fragrance oils just by the pricing. ALL of them are $4 for 5ml and if you buy 3 you get 1 free. And, as I pointed out to the seller, Lavender oil is NEVER purple! Even if you make an infusion of fresh lavender it isn't purple. In water, it's brown. In oil, it's green. And how do you make essential oils from plants and fruits that don't contain essential oils? How do you make essential oil of apple, pear, strawberry, OCEAN????? Please warn everyone you know about sellers like this. There is NO SUCH THING as champa or frangipani for $4 on a 5 ml bottle! Even at wholesale pricing you are looking at over $500 an ounce on frangipani absolute, so for $4 you get to take a whiff from the bottle-that's it.
Do your own research! Never take the sellers word for anything!
Now to my main point in this post. I usually don't call out sellers by name but this time I want to warn people about a new shop I found last night. Here is the shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/loverain7fc. Just for funsies I sent this convo:
These are NOT essential oils!!! Change the names to fragrance oils before you hurt somebody. This is false advertising. There is no champa oil for $4 for 5 ml and lavender oil is not purple. There is no such thing as essential oil of apple, pear or strawberry
Here is the response I got back:
This is essential oil, some our oil diluted with ethyl alcohol
ethyl alcohol is just regular rubbing which is safe to use on skin
This essential is made in thailand
Thank you
THIS IS A LIE! I can prove these are fragrance oils just by the pricing. ALL of them are $4 for 5ml and if you buy 3 you get 1 free. And, as I pointed out to the seller, Lavender oil is NEVER purple! Even if you make an infusion of fresh lavender it isn't purple. In water, it's brown. In oil, it's green. And how do you make essential oils from plants and fruits that don't contain essential oils? How do you make essential oil of apple, pear, strawberry, OCEAN????? Please warn everyone you know about sellers like this. There is NO SUCH THING as champa or frangipani for $4 on a 5 ml bottle! Even at wholesale pricing you are looking at over $500 an ounce on frangipani absolute, so for $4 you get to take a whiff from the bottle-that's it.
Do your own research! Never take the sellers word for anything!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
I'm freezing but My House Smells good
This has been a kinda weird weekend. I was supposed to meet up with EtsyLex friends for lunch but got some horrendous tummy troubles at 9 AM so I spent most of the day in bed and in the bathroom.
This morning I got up early, feeling much better (thank goodness) to take my daughter's best friend to a class at Locust Trace. That place is very interesting-the only negative plus in the country for energy use. They not only are self-sustaining on energy they actually SELL energy to the electric company. Anyway, she took a class to get certified as an animal rescuer. It's near our largest park in town so I took a look around there to see if they had any of the elusive white cedar trees and, sure enough, they did. So when I went to pick her up this afternoon I went back out there armed with clippers and a shopping bag and loaded up. Now I don't have to use the stuff I got from Gretchen so sparingly.
I also trimmed our overloaded double knock-out rose bush. I do love that plant but the canes are not strong enough to support the weight of all the leaves and flowers it produces. Needless to say, I am on my second rose distillation. I still can't believe the mild, sweet smell from knock out roses. I need cold cream soon so it will be made with some homemade rosewater.
This still was SO TOTALLY worth the money! It so satisfying to be able to make my own hydrosols. It helps me get better use out of my garden and has inspired me to explore native plants more than ever. Not to mention the money I save!
This morning I got up early, feeling much better (thank goodness) to take my daughter's best friend to a class at Locust Trace. That place is very interesting-the only negative plus in the country for energy use. They not only are self-sustaining on energy they actually SELL energy to the electric company. Anyway, she took a class to get certified as an animal rescuer. It's near our largest park in town so I took a look around there to see if they had any of the elusive white cedar trees and, sure enough, they did. So when I went to pick her up this afternoon I went back out there armed with clippers and a shopping bag and loaded up. Now I don't have to use the stuff I got from Gretchen so sparingly.
I also trimmed our overloaded double knock-out rose bush. I do love that plant but the canes are not strong enough to support the weight of all the leaves and flowers it produces. Needless to say, I am on my second rose distillation. I still can't believe the mild, sweet smell from knock out roses. I need cold cream soon so it will be made with some homemade rosewater.
This still was SO TOTALLY worth the money! It so satisfying to be able to make my own hydrosols. It helps me get better use out of my garden and has inspired me to explore native plants more than ever. Not to mention the money I save!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Roses and Specials
My anniversary specials are still going on. I'm starting to feel unloved :( I have gotten lots of orders but no one has used a coupon code yet. That's more money for me but I do like to give deals too! And there are several chances to win some free stuff so go check it out here.
I have just started a distillation of roses. I gathered up all the roses I could find in my garden and crammed the still with petals. I won't be selling this-not expecting it to be particularly fragrant. And when my aromatherapy roses bloom this summer i will have a limited quantity of that so I will be hoarding rosewater unless my rosa rugosa bushes produce lots of roses the first year. I need to go outside and work on my garden but it looks like rain and the forecast says scattered storms.
Tomorrow I will be pulling up thyme and making a distillation from that. I think that would make a pretty good household cleaner. maybe a small spritzer bottle of the hydrosol in my purse to disinfect toilet seats at least.
I have just started a distillation of roses. I gathered up all the roses I could find in my garden and crammed the still with petals. I won't be selling this-not expecting it to be particularly fragrant. And when my aromatherapy roses bloom this summer i will have a limited quantity of that so I will be hoarding rosewater unless my rosa rugosa bushes produce lots of roses the first year. I need to go outside and work on my garden but it looks like rain and the forecast says scattered storms.
Tomorrow I will be pulling up thyme and making a distillation from that. I think that would make a pretty good household cleaner. maybe a small spritzer bottle of the hydrosol in my purse to disinfect toilet seats at least.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Champa Hydrosol
I ordered some hydrosols from Nature's Gift Aromatherapy and they arrived yesterday. I had to try the Patchouli and also ordered Golden Champa and Owyhee. The Owyhee smells much like the essential oil with some more medicinal undertones-this is a a nice first aid and relaxing hydrosol, which can be used for disinfecting wounds or as a pillow spray and is a good replacement for Roman Chamomile. The Patchouli smells just like the frsh plant I had last year, which did not survive the winter inside my house (it had suffered some abuse by my husband, but that's another story for another time). The Golden Champa...............WOW! I am madly in love with this one! So much so that I ordered a 4 ounce bottle this morning. This will go into perfume blends and makes a lovely perfume in it's own right. I spritzed some on my right hand at around 6:30 to sample the aroma and even after a handwashing I could still smell it at 9:30 when I went to bed. I have no idea if there are any therapeutic applications for this one and honestly, don't care. It's worth the money just for the fragrance.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Still Playing With the Still
I did a distillation of some dried roses last night and wasn't really happy with it so I made a strong infusion from 3 different dried roses. This morning I'm distilling last night's distillate with the strong infusion and some rose hips and it is coming out beautiful. I may also do some elderflowers today too.
I know Spring appears to be early-we are going to be in the 70's all week. Yet I'm still impatient and can't wait to have fresh plants to work with. Just in my garden I will have tons of Lemon Balm, Spearmint, Peppermint, Basil, Rosemary, catnip, calendula and hopefully Helichrysum. Lest we forget the various Roses I'll have to play with. My husband will probably move out if I have the house reeking of flowers all summer. I want a Rosa Rugosa Rose bush from Horizon Herbs, for the flowers and the hips-I love the EO so it should make some awesome rosewater. I am also going to buy seeds and/or plants of German Chamomile, Roman Chamomile, Ceremonial White Sage and Tulsi Basil. i have some Lavender but not enough to do much hydrosol so I may have to stick with dried herb there-but that one came out fantastic and produced more essential oil than I ever dreamed!
I am going to start listing some of these this week so if you are interested in hydrosols and aromatherapy you should consider making a purchase.
I know Spring appears to be early-we are going to be in the 70's all week. Yet I'm still impatient and can't wait to have fresh plants to work with. Just in my garden I will have tons of Lemon Balm, Spearmint, Peppermint, Basil, Rosemary, catnip, calendula and hopefully Helichrysum. Lest we forget the various Roses I'll have to play with. My husband will probably move out if I have the house reeking of flowers all summer. I want a Rosa Rugosa Rose bush from Horizon Herbs, for the flowers and the hips-I love the EO so it should make some awesome rosewater. I am also going to buy seeds and/or plants of German Chamomile, Roman Chamomile, Ceremonial White Sage and Tulsi Basil. i have some Lavender but not enough to do much hydrosol so I may have to stick with dried herb there-but that one came out fantastic and produced more essential oil than I ever dreamed!
I am going to start listing some of these this week so if you are interested in hydrosols and aromatherapy you should consider making a purchase.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Happy Holiday
I am up early, as usual, but getting some work done. I am working on some perfume materials again. I have some Tonka Beans soaking in pure grain alcohol-I started this yesterday and the alcohol is already quite aromatic. I also am working on some amber oil. I had some benzoin stashed away that was the most fluid I've ever purchased. I decided to work it into some fractionated coconut oil with the help of a crock pot hot water bath. it actually mixed very well without the heat but I figure some mild heating will really help the benzoin and oil to blend. Actually, it's a good thing because it turns out the labdanum needed some additional heating and of course I have already added the vanilla. I am getting 2 ounces of amber oil out of it-a 50/50 mix of absolutes and FC oil. This is going to be an awesome base for my oil based perfumes. I may attempt to infuse the remainder of the Tonka Beans in oil when there is enough sunshine and mild weather to put it outside.
I have also discovered a VERY reasonably priced copper still thanks to Gretchen over at ADKaromatherapy. Money's a little tight right now but by the time Spring is here to stay I will have one. In the meantime I will daydream about all the local and garden plants that I can distill. We have red elder trees everywhere around here. They have the most toxic berries but also the most aromatic flowers. From my garden-Lemon Balm, Roses, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lavender, Basil, Calendula, Chamomile and hopefully Helichrysum. If I can talk the hubby into it I would love to buy a Rosa Rugosa bush from Horizon Herbs, too. I LOVE that essential oil and having the hydrosol on hand would be a dream. For now, I have an aromatic climbing rose and my Jackson&Perkins Aromatherapy rose that would make some dreamy rosewater. The AT rose bush makes HUGE flowers so I could get a good distillation with 3 flowers.
Just checked the amber oil again and it has clarified and turned an amber brown instead or soupy tan. Some stuff settled out and I stirred and stirred and ended up pulling out a sticky chunk of sediment about 1/4 teaspoon sized. I will strain the rest through cheesecloth but this is looking ans smelling good. I'd say I've gotten all the funky stuff out from the solvents that were used to make the absolutes. This was worth the trouble. I love benzoin but it's just so difficult to work with and so is labdanum absolute. I usually dissolve them in alcohol but it difficult to incorporate into oil based perfumes and leaves sediment in alcohol, so I couldn't use much.
I'm excited!
I have also discovered a VERY reasonably priced copper still thanks to Gretchen over at ADKaromatherapy. Money's a little tight right now but by the time Spring is here to stay I will have one. In the meantime I will daydream about all the local and garden plants that I can distill. We have red elder trees everywhere around here. They have the most toxic berries but also the most aromatic flowers. From my garden-Lemon Balm, Roses, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lavender, Basil, Calendula, Chamomile and hopefully Helichrysum. If I can talk the hubby into it I would love to buy a Rosa Rugosa bush from Horizon Herbs, too. I LOVE that essential oil and having the hydrosol on hand would be a dream. For now, I have an aromatic climbing rose and my Jackson&Perkins Aromatherapy rose that would make some dreamy rosewater. The AT rose bush makes HUGE flowers so I could get a good distillation with 3 flowers.
Just checked the amber oil again and it has clarified and turned an amber brown instead or soupy tan. Some stuff settled out and I stirred and stirred and ended up pulling out a sticky chunk of sediment about 1/4 teaspoon sized. I will strain the rest through cheesecloth but this is looking ans smelling good. I'd say I've gotten all the funky stuff out from the solvents that were used to make the absolutes. This was worth the trouble. I love benzoin but it's just so difficult to work with and so is labdanum absolute. I usually dissolve them in alcohol but it difficult to incorporate into oil based perfumes and leaves sediment in alcohol, so I couldn't use much.
I'm excited!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Flower Waters
I am trying very hard to get some work done today since I will have absolutely no time again until next Sunday. I have orders to work on-one of which is a surprise package. I love doing these because I can get really creative and throw in some products not offered in my store and get feedback. If I listed everything I think of I would be bankrupt from listing fees!
I haven't offered flower waters for a while and I have gotten some awesome new essential oils since then so I will be listing a few. My flower waters are not to be confused with hydrosols-I dissolve essential oils in pure grain alcohol to make an essence then add the essence to distilled water. This gives you the benefits of the essential oil in a more diluted form plus the alcohol acts as a preservative so there's no need to refrigerate them. It's also a lot more economical! I love making these because I can carry them in my purse, or leave a bottle in my locker or keep a bottle in my nightstand to use as a pillow spray and they won't spoil. Plus since I can do this with just about any oil I have so I can make any water or blend that I like. I felt inspired to do this when I received the order for the surprise package so she is getting a bottle of Rosalina flower water. I also made essences from Fragonia and cermonial White Sage today. I have been thinking about doing a kit with essential oils for meditation with 10% dilutions of Holy Basil, Sandalwood, Frankincense and Myrrh so the sage spray would be a nice edition for clearing sacred space.
I'm also getting ready to make anointing ointments based on the Temple blend of Exodus. Some people get nervous about duplicating this blend because of the stern warnings in the Bible. But it is supposed to be formulated by a perfumer (aromatherapist?) for use by the priesthood. Under the New Covenant we are all members of the common priesthood. Besides, it is extremely unlikely that I am duplicating the exact formula for a number of reasons: 1) We can't be 100% certain that the translation is correct 2) Even if it is correct which Myrrh is it referring to? 3) They wouldn't have been using essential oils but infused oils and 4) I have no clue what a HIN is.
I haven't offered flower waters for a while and I have gotten some awesome new essential oils since then so I will be listing a few. My flower waters are not to be confused with hydrosols-I dissolve essential oils in pure grain alcohol to make an essence then add the essence to distilled water. This gives you the benefits of the essential oil in a more diluted form plus the alcohol acts as a preservative so there's no need to refrigerate them. It's also a lot more economical! I love making these because I can carry them in my purse, or leave a bottle in my locker or keep a bottle in my nightstand to use as a pillow spray and they won't spoil. Plus since I can do this with just about any oil I have so I can make any water or blend that I like. I felt inspired to do this when I received the order for the surprise package so she is getting a bottle of Rosalina flower water. I also made essences from Fragonia and cermonial White Sage today. I have been thinking about doing a kit with essential oils for meditation with 10% dilutions of Holy Basil, Sandalwood, Frankincense and Myrrh so the sage spray would be a nice edition for clearing sacred space.
I'm also getting ready to make anointing ointments based on the Temple blend of Exodus. Some people get nervous about duplicating this blend because of the stern warnings in the Bible. But it is supposed to be formulated by a perfumer (aromatherapist?) for use by the priesthood. Under the New Covenant we are all members of the common priesthood. Besides, it is extremely unlikely that I am duplicating the exact formula for a number of reasons: 1) We can't be 100% certain that the translation is correct 2) Even if it is correct which Myrrh is it referring to? 3) They wouldn't have been using essential oils but infused oils and 4) I have no clue what a HIN is.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Specials, New Stuff, Perfume Updates
I have lots of new stuff going on. I ordered pretty new business cards and a few magnets and they arrived this week so my best customers will receive a magnet with their next orders to put on their fridge. i have a limited quantity of these for now but I may order more soon just because they're really cool!
I will also be sending out coupon codes for some of my customers. My top shoppers will be able to get 10% off all their orders for the rest of the year. Second tier shoppers can get 5% and I may promote some of you who shop with me a lot for the Holidays! These discount codes will also be valid on custom orders. I will also be offering special gift bags that you can customize. I have 2 sizes of nice vinyl travel bags so you can customize a gift package for loved ones (or yourself). I will have a listing for the gift bag and you can set up a custom order with me to fill it! Or you can just buy the bag and fill it yourself but what's the fun in that?
I am working on aromatherapy oils in 15ml dropper bottles. These are strong dilutions (10%) of essential oils in fractionated coconut oil. The base oil has an indefinite shelf life and since you won't use much and you will not have to put your fingers in it, they will last for a very long time! I will be replacing my Sleep Easy roll on with this type of oil. I have also been using one myself for hormonal balance with pretty impressive results! I also have a formula for emotional release with some pretty amazing oils from Australia.
I did my perfume blends. One is an amber blend with Rose Absolute, which smells nice but not quite balanced so it needs more work, I think. The other is the Chypre type with cistus, oakmoss, citrus oils, petitgrain, lemon petitgrain and Jasmine. I am really pleased with this one and I am very partial to this perfume type anyway.
A customer placed an order with me for a surprise package last night and we did some emailing back and forth so she is going to be an official tester for these! The listing does say that you can preview new products and I tend to be overly generous....
I have also done a cologne version of my JOY aromatherapy perfume which I will probably just put in my consigned stores. It is still my greatest masterpiece!
I will also be sending out coupon codes for some of my customers. My top shoppers will be able to get 10% off all their orders for the rest of the year. Second tier shoppers can get 5% and I may promote some of you who shop with me a lot for the Holidays! These discount codes will also be valid on custom orders. I will also be offering special gift bags that you can customize. I have 2 sizes of nice vinyl travel bags so you can customize a gift package for loved ones (or yourself). I will have a listing for the gift bag and you can set up a custom order with me to fill it! Or you can just buy the bag and fill it yourself but what's the fun in that?
I am working on aromatherapy oils in 15ml dropper bottles. These are strong dilutions (10%) of essential oils in fractionated coconut oil. The base oil has an indefinite shelf life and since you won't use much and you will not have to put your fingers in it, they will last for a very long time! I will be replacing my Sleep Easy roll on with this type of oil. I have also been using one myself for hormonal balance with pretty impressive results! I also have a formula for emotional release with some pretty amazing oils from Australia.
I did my perfume blends. One is an amber blend with Rose Absolute, which smells nice but not quite balanced so it needs more work, I think. The other is the Chypre type with cistus, oakmoss, citrus oils, petitgrain, lemon petitgrain and Jasmine. I am really pleased with this one and I am very partial to this perfume type anyway.
A customer placed an order with me for a surprise package last night and we did some emailing back and forth so she is going to be an official tester for these! The listing does say that you can preview new products and I tend to be overly generous....
I have also done a cologne version of my JOY aromatherapy perfume which I will probably just put in my consigned stores. It is still my greatest masterpiece!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sales Incentive
As I mentioned, I am trying to increase sales and , hopefully, have more steady sales. Right now I am up to 379 sales in my etsy shop and I would like to hit 400 or more by Labor Day. So every order until I hit 400 sales will receive a free 4 ml scar treatment. This is my best seller-very popular!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Just in Time for Mother's Day
I just got some cute little perfume bottles and I have been playing around with some blends. So I thought why not have a giveaway and let my readers have a chance to win some! You could win a 10ml spray bottle of pefume to keep for yourself or to give your Mom for Mother's Day. All perfumes are made with pure essential oils and/or absolutes in perfumers grade alcohol with a fixative added. I'll let you choose:
EAU DE COLOGNE is a classic light blend with citrus oils and Neroli. I love it but it contains all top notes-so I added orange blossom absolute instead of Neroli, which gives it much more staying power. I also added lemon petitgrain (from the leaves and twigs of the Lemon tree) to lift the blend. Other oils include bergamot, lemon, petitgrain (from the bitter orange tree) and a touch of orange and lavender. This is a gorgeous Spring/Summer scent-light and uplifting.
LAVENDER made with French Lavender EO and Lavender Absolute. This reminds me of the little bottle of lavender perfume I bought in Paris. No one does Lavender better than the French!
JOY my best selling aroma-perfume in an alcohol base. This blend includes bergamot, pink grapefruit, ylang ylang, jasmine, vetiver and oakmoss absolute. My customers love this!
SOFT PATCHOULI is mainly Petitgrain with enough patchouli to add some earthiness and tons of staying power. Don't let the name fool you-it's made with an aged patchouli which is soft and mellow. Patchouli can be hard to take if you smell it straight but it completely transforms when it's blended with other oils. This is my favorite Patchouli blend and I get tons of compliments when I wear it.
This giveaway will end at midnight eastern time on April 30th. I will notify the winner on May 1st so we will have plenty of time for transit in case you want it for Mother's Day. This giveaway is open to US residents only! Just leave a comment to be eligible.
EAU DE COLOGNE is a classic light blend with citrus oils and Neroli. I love it but it contains all top notes-so I added orange blossom absolute instead of Neroli, which gives it much more staying power. I also added lemon petitgrain (from the leaves and twigs of the Lemon tree) to lift the blend. Other oils include bergamot, lemon, petitgrain (from the bitter orange tree) and a touch of orange and lavender. This is a gorgeous Spring/Summer scent-light and uplifting.
LAVENDER made with French Lavender EO and Lavender Absolute. This reminds me of the little bottle of lavender perfume I bought in Paris. No one does Lavender better than the French!
JOY my best selling aroma-perfume in an alcohol base. This blend includes bergamot, pink grapefruit, ylang ylang, jasmine, vetiver and oakmoss absolute. My customers love this!
SOFT PATCHOULI is mainly Petitgrain with enough patchouli to add some earthiness and tons of staying power. Don't let the name fool you-it's made with an aged patchouli which is soft and mellow. Patchouli can be hard to take if you smell it straight but it completely transforms when it's blended with other oils. This is my favorite Patchouli blend and I get tons of compliments when I wear it.
This giveaway will end at midnight eastern time on April 30th. I will notify the winner on May 1st so we will have plenty of time for transit in case you want it for Mother's Day. This giveaway is open to US residents only! Just leave a comment to be eligible.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Clearance Specials
Monday, March 28, 2011
Eucalyptus polybractea
I added a few drops of this oil to my anti-viral inhaler last night and just tried it out. It has a higher concentration of cineole than E. globulus so I figured it should be a stronger inhalant. Wow was I right! It is way more intense than E. globulus! Bring a tissue.........
Sunday, March 27, 2011
New Listings
I have listed 3 new essential oil kits in my etsy, artfire, and hyenacart stores
I finally got the ylang ylang kit up plus a set of eucalyptus oils and a really awesome set of oils from the Melaleuca family. Here are the links:
http://hyenacart.com/GloryBeHerbals/mt/1686/43725/Ylang-Ylang-Set-of-Essential-Oils-All-Fractions
http://hyenacart.com/GloryBeHerbals/mt/1686/65545/Set-of-Seven-Essential-Oils-from-the-Eucalyptus-Family-
http://hyenacart.com/GloryBeHerbals/mt/1686/59641/Melaleucas-Set-of-Essential-Oils
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3083544
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3083371
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3083132
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70915656/melaleucas-set-of-essental-oils
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70913538/set-of-seven-essential-oil-from-the
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70910312/ylang-ylang-set-of-essential-oils-all
I finally got the ylang ylang kit up plus a set of eucalyptus oils and a really awesome set of oils from the Melaleuca family. Here are the links:
http://hyenacart.com/GloryBeHerbals/mt/1686/43725/Ylang-Ylang-Set-of-Essential-Oils-All-Fractions
http://hyenacart.com/GloryBeHerbals/mt/1686/65545/Set-of-Seven-Essential-Oils-from-the-Eucalyptus-Family-
http://hyenacart.com/GloryBeHerbals/mt/1686/59641/Melaleucas-Set-of-Essential-Oils
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3083544
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3083371
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3083132
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70915656/melaleucas-set-of-essental-oils
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70913538/set-of-seven-essential-oil-from-the
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70910312/ylang-ylang-set-of-essential-oils-all
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Essential Oil Experiments
I used the Rosalina in the nebulizer last night and just absolutely loved it. It really is a bizarre yet beautiful combination eucalyptus/rose/rosewood/lavender type smell and I think it really helped with the little chest congestion I'm having and definitely helped me drift off to sleep. I actually got the best rest last night that I've had in a long time. I have been dragging all week. I also had a very vivid work-related dream that is directly associated with stress I'm experiencing in the work place so I am wondering if Rosalina may help release blocked up stress. I'm going to put some in a bath here shortly too if I can get myself off of the computer and into the bathtub.
The Australian Blue Cypress has also really helped with the sorenes from my eczema outbreak I'm having on my right foot. Did I mention I'm a little stressed? I have also been drinking nettle tea to try to detoxify my liver (a little Spring cleaning) and build up my blood. My iron is always low so I'm sure it's also the source of my feeling tired all the time.
I wanted to start playing around with my eucalyptus oils when I got up this morning so I started with the Eucalyptus dives (AKA peppermint eucalyptus). I added a couple drops to some sunflower oil and used it as a chest rub, a sore muscle rub and on an open lesion on my foot. It was very cooling and very quickly numbed the soreness in the sore muscle, much like menthol. It has been working best as a chest rub and the muscle is sore again. I suspected this would be the case since it contains a very high concentration of cineole. My thoughts on this one is it will be great for inhalation for congestion and would make a wonderful cooling bath or spray in the summer, much like peppermint.
I will keep you updated on my experiments as I conduct them this weekend!
The Australian Blue Cypress has also really helped with the sorenes from my eczema outbreak I'm having on my right foot. Did I mention I'm a little stressed? I have also been drinking nettle tea to try to detoxify my liver (a little Spring cleaning) and build up my blood. My iron is always low so I'm sure it's also the source of my feeling tired all the time.
I wanted to start playing around with my eucalyptus oils when I got up this morning so I started with the Eucalyptus dives (AKA peppermint eucalyptus). I added a couple drops to some sunflower oil and used it as a chest rub, a sore muscle rub and on an open lesion on my foot. It was very cooling and very quickly numbed the soreness in the sore muscle, much like menthol. It has been working best as a chest rub and the muscle is sore again. I suspected this would be the case since it contains a very high concentration of cineole. My thoughts on this one is it will be great for inhalation for congestion and would make a wonderful cooling bath or spray in the summer, much like peppermint.
I will keep you updated on my experiments as I conduct them this weekend!
Friday, March 25, 2011
New Essential Oils
I got an order in today with some new essential oils. I bought several varities of Eucalyptus (E. polybractea, E. dives,E. camaldulensis) that I'm going to play around with. I also bought a bottle of Australian Blue Cypress which is supposed to be a great anti-inflammatory. It is a blue oil and it smells wonderful. I have a rash on my foot so I will be using that tonight. The oils I'm most impressed with are Rosalina and Nerolina. They are melaleucas, which means they are related to Tea Tree-you wouldn't know it from their scent!
Nerolina is also known as Lavender Tea Tree. To me the scent is fruity not Lavender. It's much more like Roman Chamomile but not as overpowering. It's also good against allergies so I will be including this in my blend for the allergy relief inhalers.
Rosalina is a good name for this oil. It is definitely reminiscent of Rosewood only brighter. It is relaxing and anti-infection so this is going in my nebulizer tonight!
I mentioned in a previous post that I would be doing a Ylang Ylang kit (will be posted this weekend). I will also be doing a Eucalyptus kit with 7 varities of eucalyptus oil; Now I am also thinking about a kit for the melaleucas and will include the Rosalina, Nerolina, Tea Tree, Niaouli, and Cajeput. You won't believe the range from down-right medicinal to floral and beautiful!
Nerolina is also known as Lavender Tea Tree. To me the scent is fruity not Lavender. It's much more like Roman Chamomile but not as overpowering. It's also good against allergies so I will be including this in my blend for the allergy relief inhalers.
Rosalina is a good name for this oil. It is definitely reminiscent of Rosewood only brighter. It is relaxing and anti-infection so this is going in my nebulizer tonight!
I mentioned in a previous post that I would be doing a Ylang Ylang kit (will be posted this weekend). I will also be doing a Eucalyptus kit with 7 varities of eucalyptus oil; Now I am also thinking about a kit for the melaleucas and will include the Rosalina, Nerolina, Tea Tree, Niaouli, and Cajeput. You won't believe the range from down-right medicinal to floral and beautiful!
Monday, February 7, 2011
February Giveaway
For February I will be giving away a 2 oz bottle of my new THIEVES spray. Many of you may know the story by now of the band of thieves who managed to rob plague victims without contracting the disease themselves. They used powerful botanicals to protect themselves from the Black Death. The essential oil blend in this spray is based on that account. The blend is cinnamon bark, clove bud, rosemary cineole, eucalyptus radiata, and lemon peel. All of these oils are powerful against micro-organisms but also rough on the skin so I recommend only using this as a room/linen spray. I keep this with me at work to protect myself and others from exposure to colds and flu by sick coworkers and members of the general public. My daughter has been sick too so I've used this alot at home. I have been around lots of sick people and I haven't gotten sick so I can tell you it helps!
The contest is open worldwide and will end at midnight eastern time on February 28th.
Leave a comment for 1 entry, follow my blog for another entry, and if you make a purchase from me make 3 entries.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Herbs and Essential Oils for Romance
Valentine's Day will soon be upon us. My article about essential oils for the Holidays was so well liked I decided to do one for Valentine's Day and romance.
Here is a link to one of my favorite herbal love recipes ever. It takes a few weeks to make but is well worth the wait and the effort. It features Damiana, which is an extremely bitter herb, but it's also great for reproductive health. The combination of the damiana, chocolate, honey and rosewater tastes wonderful. Scroll down the page to view the recipe. If you have all the ingredients, or can gat them this week you have time to make in time for your big romantic evening.
You may want to sip your damiana love potion while enjoying an herbal bath (in the dark with candles, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries). You can tie up your chosen herbs in cheesecloth and just toss it in the tub and let it steep or take your herb bag and let it steep in a pot of water that has been boiled. This way you can make a really strong herbal infusion and just add it to your bath water. Your herbs can include damiana, roses, lavender, chamomile and if you want to spice things up a bit you can add a touch of cinnamon, clove or cardamom to your herb bag.
I created my Lover's Massage Oil a few years ago with sensual essential oils and my husband and I love to give each other a nice back massage with it. Not only do the essential oils relax us (and it has some sexy oils in it), just the act of giving each other a massage helps to strengthen our bond with each other, it is a nurturing act of love in and of itself.
For a massage oil choose carrier oils that are light and soak into the skin easily. I recommend almond, jojoba, avocado, apricot kernel, grapeseed or fractionated coconut oil. the whole point of a massage oil is not to get greasy but to lubricate the skin enough that you hand isn't skipping and pulling on your lovers' body. Add essential oils at a rate of no more than 2.5%. That's about 15 drops per ounce of carrier oil.
Relaxing essential oils can include lavender, roman chamomile, petitgrain, neroli, clary sage. More sensual oils include rose, jasmine absolute, vanilla absolute, champaca absolute, cocoa absolute, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli -all of these are pretty strong so you don't need more than a drop per ounce. Some warming essential oils are ginger, rosemary, cinnamon (bark or leaf), cardamom, clove bud, cassia (chinese cinnamon). In the case of the cinnamons and clove, I would add very little because they can cause some stinging on some people and some people- about 5% of the population-can develop a skin allergy after they are exposed to them. I recommend adding a little something from each list for a nice balance.
Of course any of the essential oils can be used in a diffuser or room/linen spray rather than applied to the skin.
Here is a link to one of my favorite herbal love recipes ever. It takes a few weeks to make but is well worth the wait and the effort. It features Damiana, which is an extremely bitter herb, but it's also great for reproductive health. The combination of the damiana, chocolate, honey and rosewater tastes wonderful. Scroll down the page to view the recipe. If you have all the ingredients, or can gat them this week you have time to make in time for your big romantic evening.
You may want to sip your damiana love potion while enjoying an herbal bath (in the dark with candles, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries). You can tie up your chosen herbs in cheesecloth and just toss it in the tub and let it steep or take your herb bag and let it steep in a pot of water that has been boiled. This way you can make a really strong herbal infusion and just add it to your bath water. Your herbs can include damiana, roses, lavender, chamomile and if you want to spice things up a bit you can add a touch of cinnamon, clove or cardamom to your herb bag.
I created my Lover's Massage Oil a few years ago with sensual essential oils and my husband and I love to give each other a nice back massage with it. Not only do the essential oils relax us (and it has some sexy oils in it), just the act of giving each other a massage helps to strengthen our bond with each other, it is a nurturing act of love in and of itself.
For a massage oil choose carrier oils that are light and soak into the skin easily. I recommend almond, jojoba, avocado, apricot kernel, grapeseed or fractionated coconut oil. the whole point of a massage oil is not to get greasy but to lubricate the skin enough that you hand isn't skipping and pulling on your lovers' body. Add essential oils at a rate of no more than 2.5%. That's about 15 drops per ounce of carrier oil.
Relaxing essential oils can include lavender, roman chamomile, petitgrain, neroli, clary sage. More sensual oils include rose, jasmine absolute, vanilla absolute, champaca absolute, cocoa absolute, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli -all of these are pretty strong so you don't need more than a drop per ounce. Some warming essential oils are ginger, rosemary, cinnamon (bark or leaf), cardamom, clove bud, cassia (chinese cinnamon). In the case of the cinnamons and clove, I would add very little because they can cause some stinging on some people and some people- about 5% of the population-can develop a skin allergy after they are exposed to them. I recommend adding a little something from each list for a nice balance.
Of course any of the essential oils can be used in a diffuser or room/linen spray rather than applied to the skin.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Product Updates
Today is my day off but I went into work for a couple hours and shoveled some snow then came home and shoveled snow. Now I'm just laying around the house in my long johns drinking coffee. I feel like I should do something today but it's not looking like I'll get much accomplished. To be quite honest, I'm already sick of snow and it's not even winter yet. We had our first snowfall Thanksgiving night and it's been downhill ever since. It's usually 40's-50ish here in December and we have already had about a foot of snow plus we are having single digit temps. Weather like this doesn't hit Kentucky until mid-late January. Did I mention it's not even Winter yet? So, anyhow, this blog post is my big project for the day and maybe I'll even drag my exhausted behind upstairs to take a bath.
One BIG product update has to do with my Melissa Cold Sore Treatment. I made a new batch with coconut oil infused with lemon balm-even more stable than olive oil, plus the coconut oil I used is imported from India and has a wonderful toasted coconut aroma. Now, I have also gotten some Melissa essential oil so I'll be using that instead of the CO2. I will update the listing when I actually get the work done :)
My most exciting news is that I will be offering aromatherapy inhalers. I actually made an anti-viral inhaler when I got home from work because I was around a co-worker with a cold, that I don't want to get. I am toying around with the blends I want to offer-here are my thoughts and you can tell me what you think: Lavender (calming, tension headaches), Rosewood (anti-stress, immune boosting), Anti-viral (tea tree and Ravensara-to prevent colds and flu), Anti-Herpes (Lemon balm, bergamot and ravensara-to short circuit the herpes simplex virus, including shingles), Detox Blend (Geranium, Lemon, Helichrysum), Vapors (something like a Vick's Inhaler), Geranium (for hormonal balance and blood sugar control), Insomnia (marjoram, lavender, clary sage, etc), Performance (Basil, Rosemary and lemon to enhance physical and mental performance and memory). I may even try some other blends for meditatation or may a version of my Clarity or Joy for the inhalers.
I would love to know what you think. I'm really excited about these!
One BIG product update has to do with my Melissa Cold Sore Treatment. I made a new batch with coconut oil infused with lemon balm-even more stable than olive oil, plus the coconut oil I used is imported from India and has a wonderful toasted coconut aroma. Now, I have also gotten some Melissa essential oil so I'll be using that instead of the CO2. I will update the listing when I actually get the work done :)
My most exciting news is that I will be offering aromatherapy inhalers. I actually made an anti-viral inhaler when I got home from work because I was around a co-worker with a cold, that I don't want to get. I am toying around with the blends I want to offer-here are my thoughts and you can tell me what you think: Lavender (calming, tension headaches), Rosewood (anti-stress, immune boosting), Anti-viral (tea tree and Ravensara-to prevent colds and flu), Anti-Herpes (Lemon balm, bergamot and ravensara-to short circuit the herpes simplex virus, including shingles), Detox Blend (Geranium, Lemon, Helichrysum), Vapors (something like a Vick's Inhaler), Geranium (for hormonal balance and blood sugar control), Insomnia (marjoram, lavender, clary sage, etc), Performance (Basil, Rosemary and lemon to enhance physical and mental performance and memory). I may even try some other blends for meditatation or may a version of my Clarity or Joy for the inhalers.
I would love to know what you think. I'm really excited about these!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
How to Shop for Soap
This seems like a weird question but I'm sure we have all bought soap that looked and smelled wonderful, but after we use it our skin is all dried out and we're not so impressed anymore. This is mainly true of commercial soaps but you may have had this experience with handmade soaps as well. It is my goal to educate as much as possible with this blog so I want to educate consumers about what to look for when buying handmade.
I recently dropped off some of my soaps at Truly Bluegrass where I have items consigned and one of the owners snagged a bar for herself. On my next visit, she told me that she had tried all of the natural soaps in their store but mine was the only one that hadn't dried her skin out. I know why. There is one basic mistake that soapers and makers of other handmade skin care items make. Coconut oil is NOT a moisturizing oil. It is a DRYING oil, especially in soap. If you want to test this out for yourself, go to your grocery store or health food store and buy a bar of Kirk's Coconut Castille Soap. It costs about a dollar and change for a bar so it won't be an expensive experiment-go buy a bar and take a shower with it. It's made with just coconut oil and I GUARANTEE this soap will dry your skin out more than any other soap you have ever used! The same goes with another popular ingredient in handmade soaps-Palm Kernel Oil. I can't imagine you can add enough shea butter to make up for the drying effects of coconut oil AND palm kernel oil in any soap recipe.
That said, I do like some coconut oil in my soap because it makes a firm bar with lots of suds. But my primary ingredient is olive oil. It's stable and moisturizing but isn't creamy and doesn't make lots of bubbles in soap. So the key here, like everything else in life is balance. I use enough coconut oil to make a good lather and make the soap firm, but it isn't my primary ingredient. This is why my soaps aren't drying like other handmade soaps.
What to look for? When I list my ingredients I list the items in order of content-that is the first ingredient on the list is what I have the most of -so when I list the ingredients in my soap I list olive oil first because that is the most plentiful ingredient. This is how you are legally supposed to label items so I always assume that are others are doing the same. So if I look at a listing for a bar of soap and the first ingredient is coconut or palm kernel oil, I assume that the soap is mostly coconut and/or palm kernel oil. I can honestly tell you that if I see BOTH as ingredients, especially the top 2 ingredients, I won't buy it-and yes, I do buy soap from other people from time to time.
Now, ironically, I am off to make Monoi lotion bars with coconut oil. I will be balancing the coconut oil with avocado butter and some light vegetable oils, like almond, grapeseed, sunflower, etc. I am using the coconut oil because it's a must for Monoi oils and I have a bottle of coconut oil from India that has a heavenly coconut scent that I can't duplicate with essential oils.
I recently dropped off some of my soaps at Truly Bluegrass where I have items consigned and one of the owners snagged a bar for herself. On my next visit, she told me that she had tried all of the natural soaps in their store but mine was the only one that hadn't dried her skin out. I know why. There is one basic mistake that soapers and makers of other handmade skin care items make. Coconut oil is NOT a moisturizing oil. It is a DRYING oil, especially in soap. If you want to test this out for yourself, go to your grocery store or health food store and buy a bar of Kirk's Coconut Castille Soap. It costs about a dollar and change for a bar so it won't be an expensive experiment-go buy a bar and take a shower with it. It's made with just coconut oil and I GUARANTEE this soap will dry your skin out more than any other soap you have ever used! The same goes with another popular ingredient in handmade soaps-Palm Kernel Oil. I can't imagine you can add enough shea butter to make up for the drying effects of coconut oil AND palm kernel oil in any soap recipe.
That said, I do like some coconut oil in my soap because it makes a firm bar with lots of suds. But my primary ingredient is olive oil. It's stable and moisturizing but isn't creamy and doesn't make lots of bubbles in soap. So the key here, like everything else in life is balance. I use enough coconut oil to make a good lather and make the soap firm, but it isn't my primary ingredient. This is why my soaps aren't drying like other handmade soaps.
What to look for? When I list my ingredients I list the items in order of content-that is the first ingredient on the list is what I have the most of -so when I list the ingredients in my soap I list olive oil first because that is the most plentiful ingredient. This is how you are legally supposed to label items so I always assume that are others are doing the same. So if I look at a listing for a bar of soap and the first ingredient is coconut or palm kernel oil, I assume that the soap is mostly coconut and/or palm kernel oil. I can honestly tell you that if I see BOTH as ingredients, especially the top 2 ingredients, I won't buy it-and yes, I do buy soap from other people from time to time.
Now, ironically, I am off to make Monoi lotion bars with coconut oil. I will be balancing the coconut oil with avocado butter and some light vegetable oils, like almond, grapeseed, sunflower, etc. I am using the coconut oil because it's a must for Monoi oils and I have a bottle of coconut oil from India that has a heavenly coconut scent that I can't duplicate with essential oils.
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