I had been neglecting the blog for a while but took a look yesterday and saw tons of comments on the YL post. If you haven't looked at it, you should, and read through the comments. YL reps assuming I work for DoTerra-why I don't know because I also lumped them into the post. And, of course, people putting words in my mouth. For those of you who may be new to my blog, I say exactly what I mean so if you put more into it than I have said, it says a lot about you-not me. For those of you who know me you may find it somewhat entertaining, or you may just want to beat your head against the wall. I swear, people need to learn to LISTEN and READ the words that are THERE!
Here's the short-cut!
http://glorybeherbals.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-i-will-never-use-young-living.html
Showing posts with label aromatherapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aromatherapy. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Saturday, June 22, 2013
It's been so long..............
I have been waiting to have fresh St. John's Wort flowers again for 2 years. Two years ago all my plants died so I replanted. Last year the plants got really big but hardly any flowers so I think I got 4 ounces of oil from them. Hardly enough to keep an herbal business running for a year. This year they are in early and back with a passion! I had already started an 8 ounce jar last week but here is what I pulled today:
And we have only just begun! I filled a QUART jar and topped it off with the small jar I already started.
This should be ready after 2 weeks in the Kentucky sun. If I get another quart (which I think I easily will) I will be set up well for the year! And I saw this while I was gathering my flowers:
A ladybug napping on my clary sage, surrounded by yarrow flowers. I will be distilling clary sage this weekend. Probably right before I go to bed.
And I need to gather elder flowers this week and run the lemon balm. I am going to be busy!
And I need to gather elder flowers this week and run the lemon balm. I am going to be busy!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Summer Specials
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.
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.
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!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Flowers For Mom Giveaway by Glory Be Herbals and Adirondack Aromatherapy
It's here! The giveaway for Mother's Day is finally here and I have teamed up with Gretchen from
Adirondack Aromatherapy for this one. I LOVE her products and you will too!
Gretchen is giving away a bottle of her Monoi de Tahiti (coconut oil infused with Gardenia flowers), a bar of her Perfect Peace crystal gem soap, a 5 ml bottle of her Victorian Flowers perfume oil (Lemon Verbena, Lavender, Geranium, Rose and Violet leaf-a personal favorite of mine) and a wooden soap deck (keeps your soap dry between uses so it won't melt away).
I am giving away a set of floral based creams to keep your Mom's skin glowing all packaged up in a vinyl travel bag for convenient storage and travel. This set will include a jar of my best selling cold cream (made with chamomile infused oil), Stephie's Rescue Cream (a medicated cream made with Lavender infused oil and Lavandin essential oil), a bottle of Calendula and Rose calming lotion, and a jar of my new Lavender body butter. I haven't even listed the body butter yet but it is made with Lavender infused oils, Lavender hydrosol and High Altitude Bulgarian Lavender essential oil! I have been using this on my hands before I go to bed and it soaks in quickly, makes my hands soft and helps me sleep soundly.
The combined value of this giveaway is at least $75-we want one lucky winner's Mom to have a FABULOUS Mother's day! This will end at midnight on May 4th and the winner will be contacted on May 5th. We hope to hear from the winner right away so we can get it all in the mail to you in time for Mother's Day (you will be receiving 2 packages). To enter simply leave a comment and let me know why you think your Mom is the best!
Visit my store or Gretchen's store for more beautiful all natural gift ideas for Mom. Open to the US only.
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 21, 2012
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.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Ginger Root
I ran a distillation of fresh organic ginger root this morning. This is yummy!!!!! The fragrance is straight up ginger and there were little beads of essential oil floating on top. The flavor has all the zing of ginger root and is warming and leaves a mild sweetness on the lips. This would have been wonderful to have on the cooler days to stimulate circulation and warm my blood. I may give some of this to my Dad to rub on his sore joints-he loves the essential oil so he should love this! So far the PH is 5.8 but I'll keep checking it so i can get a final reading after it "settles".
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Hydrosols and PH
I purchased a good PH meter to test my hydrosols to make sure they are good quality. I am slowly testing all of my finished ones and testing new ones as they are produced. I made a distilled version of the famous Queen of Hungary Water today and when all was said and done the PH was 4.7. Everything I have tested so far falls within the proper range so, I guess, I'm doing this right. I have loved them on my skin so I would have been devastated if the PH was wrong. Here are my findings so far:
Calendula-6.0
Sandalwood-5.8
Queen's Water-4.7
Witch Hazel-4.2
Cucumber-4.7
Lemon Balm-4.8
I'll keep adding to the list as I test but so far, so good. I now feel more comfortable listing these for sale-most will go on Hyena Cart and Artfire where I can offer a variety of sizes.
I will attempt to harvest Lemon Balm tomorrow and do it, I have an organic ginger root in the fridge waiting to become fabulous water, and I have roses on the verge of blooming (no this in NOT and April Fool's Day joke!).
Calendula-6.0
Sandalwood-5.8
Queen's Water-4.7
Witch Hazel-4.2
Cucumber-4.7
Lemon Balm-4.8
I'll keep adding to the list as I test but so far, so good. I now feel more comfortable listing these for sale-most will go on Hyena Cart and Artfire where I can offer a variety of sizes.
I will attempt to harvest Lemon Balm tomorrow and do it, I have an organic ginger root in the fridge waiting to become fabulous water, and I have roses on the verge of blooming (no this in NOT and April Fool's Day joke!).
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Anniversary Specials
Better late than never, right? I have finally decided on my anniversary specials as follows:
My blog readers can use coupon code 4YEARS to get 15% off all orders now through April 30th. This is good in my Etsy store only!
I will be giving away some Glory Be Herbals branded gear to 2 lucky readers. Leave a comment below and tell me what products you love the most and what products you would like to see. Two winners will be drawn April 28th. The first winner will receive a tote bag and the second will receive a coffee mug.
I will have another lottery drawing for my customers who purchase between now and April 30th. One winner will have the full price of an order refunded through paypal. One winner will receive a set of 4 one dram vials of some beginning essential oils (french lavender, clary sage, rosemary, and double distilled peppermint) plus a 2 ounce spray bottle of the hydrosol of their choice.
Keep checking back as I will be posting info about distillations, especially since my plants are shooting up like crazy! I should have tons of hydrosols available by the time the party is over!
My blog readers can use coupon code 4YEARS to get 15% off all orders now through April 30th. This is good in my Etsy store only!
I will be giving away some Glory Be Herbals branded gear to 2 lucky readers. Leave a comment below and tell me what products you love the most and what products you would like to see. Two winners will be drawn April 28th. The first winner will receive a tote bag and the second will receive a coffee mug.
I will have another lottery drawing for my customers who purchase between now and April 30th. One winner will have the full price of an order refunded through paypal. One winner will receive a set of 4 one dram vials of some beginning essential oils (french lavender, clary sage, rosemary, and double distilled peppermint) plus a 2 ounce spray bottle of the hydrosol of their choice.
Keep checking back as I will be posting info about distillations, especially since my plants are shooting up like crazy! I should have tons of hydrosols available by the time the party is over!
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 18, 2012
Frankincense
I have been making hydrosols in the background while I work on orders so today I am going to make a codistilled Frankincense and Myrrh. Both are great for aging skin, especially frankincense but I prefer the aroma of Myrrh so I am throwing some in there. This would be a great spritz for prayer and meditation. I will spritz myself down with this before I pray my rosary and I would love to see how a Bible study group would do with this sprayed in the room!
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.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
My Head Hurts
I have so many ideas I wish i could quit my job to develop them! My head is absolutely spinning with ideas for distillations when I get my still. Right now I am thinking about an anti-inflammatory blend of German chamomile, calendula petals and rose petals. I may actually do this and see if my friend Kelly would be a guinea pig for me. She has rosacea so I'm sure she'll love it. I also have a little redness and thread veins so I will use it. I am also thinking about what a wonderful pillow spray I could make from my bath herbs blend-or a fabulous skin spray.
I also found some fabulous rosewater and orange flower water at an international market last weekend. They are made with extracts but smell wonderful. So this morning I made an eau de cologne blend with my favorite blend of bergamot, petitgrain, orange, lemon, orange blossom absolute and added some cassie absolute and oakmoss absolute to anchor the scent and add some light green notes. Can't wait for this to meld together. I pulled a little out and mixed 50/50 with the orange flower water in a little perfume bottle so I can check it often. If only the weather in Kentucky could support bitter orange trees-I would SO get one in the yard!
I also found some fabulous rosewater and orange flower water at an international market last weekend. They are made with extracts but smell wonderful. So this morning I made an eau de cologne blend with my favorite blend of bergamot, petitgrain, orange, lemon, orange blossom absolute and added some cassie absolute and oakmoss absolute to anchor the scent and add some light green notes. Can't wait for this to meld together. I pulled a little out and mixed 50/50 with the orange flower water in a little perfume bottle so I can check it often. If only the weather in Kentucky could support bitter orange trees-I would SO get one in the yard!
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!
Friday, December 2, 2011
December Sales Incentive
Rather than having a normal sale I have decided to do a lottery of sorts for the month of December. On the 31st I will draw names from everyone who has placed an order between Nov 30th through Dec 30th. The lucky winner will have the cost of their order refunded back to them via paypal.
Also, I am nearing 500 sales so I will have an extra special gift for my 500th customer!
And here's a special coupon code for my blog readers. GBHBLOG for 20% off your orders until December 23rd. This coupon will be good in all of my stores.
Also, I am nearing 500 sales so I will have an extra special gift for my 500th customer!
And here's a special coupon code for my blog readers. GBHBLOG for 20% off your orders until December 23rd. This coupon will be good in all of my stores.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Cyber Monday Sale
I have extended my sale through today-use Coupon code TURKEY to get 20% off in all of my stores!
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, November 12, 2011
Helichrysum Essential Oil
The scent is a dry floral, tea with honey smell. It's gentle enough to be used neat on the skin and, actually, that's my preferred method of using it on bruises. It's THE best essential oil for healing bruises and one of my projects this morning was making a bruise healing oil with Arnica infused oil and Helichrysum essential oil. Since we still have yard work to do this weekend we'll be using it for pain and we always seem to end up bruised, especially my husband since he's on blood thinners.
Helichrysum is also commonly used in facial oils to prevent wrinkles, as a wound healer (it also prevents scarring) and for trauma.
I also made an under eye oil for my daughter using this oil blended with avocado oil to help clear up her dark circles. I ran out at that point so for my eye oil I used my scar treatment blend (which contains Helichrysum and other goodies for middle-aged ladies) and I threw in some Neroli to smooth out the lines around my eyes.
This is one of my "must have" essential oils for youthful skin along with Lavender, Neroli, and Rose.
I bought some plants this year, hoping to be able to infuse the flowers and save some money, bu they never produced flowers :( I am hoping they survive the winter in Kentucky. Not likely unless we have a long-overdue mild winter.
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