Run by Green Scene Gal, Megan Word, our Blogger page is focused on compiling great articles, advice and information from all over the internet related to living a healthy, green lifestyle.
via Green Scene Gal, a site dedicated to providing simple solutions to consumers looking products and foods free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides...
Frankincense Resin
Steeped in history as well as in benefits, frankincense essential oil ranks high on my list of must-haves in any Essential Oil collection. I use it every day as part of my morning routine and can literally feel an emotional connection to the oil every time I use it. Maybe because I grew up in a staunch Catholic family where the strong woody and citrus-y smell would grace our nostrils every time we entered the cathedral Sunday morning. In any case, I’m not alone in making the emotional connection. In fact, Frankincense Oil use in religious ceremonies has been recorded as far back as records have been kept. It’s no stretch of the imagination to surmise that billions of souls throughout the ages have experienced the wonderful benefits of Frankincense.
Today we’ll dive into just where Frankincense Oil is sourced, it benefits and some of the wonderful way we recommend enjoying this most miraculous of all oils.
How is Frankincense Made?
Derived from a specific species of the the Olibanum Tree variety, the actual shrub-looking genre that produces frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) is really not much to look it. Native to some of the harshest desert environments in Northern Africa, its gnarled wooded branches produce thin leaves which grow opposite each other on a singular plane. Topping out at 20 feet, like many desert trees, it doesn’t grow very tall and once a year in the spring the tree produces unremarkable white or yellow colored flowers for pollination. But it’s not the flowers or leaves that produce Frankincense: this magic is actually contained within the tree’s sap!
To extract the sap, the Boswellia Sacra tree is pierced with a very specific knife called a “Mingaf” made specifically for the job, which – if done correctly – produces milky-white pitch that is set to dry out in the sun once collected. The result is the raisin-sized, yellow to orange gum droplet that Frankincense is known for.
While the demand for Frankincense has been growing in recent years, the Boswellia Sacra tree can only grow in certain regions located in the Horn of Africa and Sudan. With the most sought after resin sourced from Somalia. Unfortunately these countries represent some of the poorest in the world and are highly susceptible to corruption, poor land management and over farming. Additionally severe draught has become the norm rather than the exception recently all of which threatens the very existence of these beautiful plants.
Many companies are beginning the realize the need to work directly with the farmer and tapper in these area in order to provide fair-trade pricing, infrastructure development and advice on how to best farm these rugged trees. If you’d like to learn more about the social issues surrounding Frankincencse farming click on this article from The Ecologist. In this regard, I’m proud to represent doTERRA who, through their Co-Impact Sourcing program, works directly with the artisan’s in North Africa — paying them a fair and substantial wage
In this regard, I’m proud to represent doTERRA who, through their Co-Impact Sourcing program, works directly with the artisan’s in North Africa — paying them a fair and substantial wage.
Health Benefits
There’s little mystery as to why Frankincense has been associated with spirituality and religion for millennia. As an aromatic, the smoke or mist’s scent tends to induce an immediate feeling of calm, yet focused relaxation that’s perfect for concentration during prayer.
In addition to its natural calming properties, Frankincense has been used to great effect in a wide range of applications thanks to its proven astringent, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Astringent
Frankincense is a potent astringent, which is a fancy way of saying it helps protect your skin by tightening wrinkles and pores. This, in turn helps protect your skin from hiding places where bacteria, chemicals and dirt can ruin your beautiful complexion. It also been known to reduce acne scars, stretch marks and eczema blemishes promoting healing while preventing further skin deterioration.
In combination with other astringents like Rose Oil, Sandalwood, Helichrysum and Myrrh, Frankincense essentials can help to naturally slow down the process of aging skin. Use wherever you have saggy or wrinkled skin like under your eyes, neck or forehead.
Interesting Fact: Egyptian Royalty used a mixture of Frankincense and Myrrh extensively as ingredient in perfumes, salves, skin masks, dental paste and insect repellent
Antiseptic
Cleaner / Deodorizer
As an antiseptic, frankincense oil blended with citrus oils and water can help eliminate bacteria and viruses from your home, leaving only a clean fresh smell behind. We enjoy misting the essential oil using a diffuser to deodorize and disinfect any room or surface in your household.
Toothpaste
Also, thanks to its germ-killing properties, frankincense is a great substitute to that chemical-laden toothpaste you may normally use helping to prevent dental issues like infections, tooth decay, cavities and bad breath.
Anti-Inflammatory
Frankincense has long been used for conditions associated with inflammation or pain. One of its active ingredients, Boswellic Acid has been shown in preliminary laboratory test to reduce chronic inflammation like arthritis, sinusitis and asthma. Moreoever α-pinene has shown promise as an anti-inflammatory.
Headache
Great for headaches at night, Frankincense Oil works by relaxing the blood vessels for lower blood pressure and tension. It’s a great nightly alternative to my go-to headache oil, Peppermint, since peppermint can keep me wide awake for hours after use.
Congestion and Asthma
As an anti-inflammatory it’s also great to use to clear up congested nasal passages to make breathing easier for those with allergies. I like add a few drops of frankincense, peppermint, bergamot, eucalyptus, melaleuca (tea tree oil), oregano, and rosemary to a cloth and take some deep breathes to calm down my sinuses. I’ve added this combination to a steaming bowl of water for great effect as well. This combination also works well to relieve the muscle contractions associated with Asthma.
Joint Pain / Muscle Fatigue
For healing joint, muscle or arthritis discomfort mix a blend of frankincense essential oil, lemongrass, white fir and cypress in fractionated coconut oil and apply directly to the problem area. This powerful combination of anti-inflammatory oils and antispasmodics (for nerves) can help reduce swelling, pain and nerve discomfort for a quicker healing process.
Theraputic Grade Essential Oils
Just like anything in life – quality does matters. That’s why we recommend buying oils from a reputable company like the company my family trusts doTERRA. Their oils go through extensive 3rd party testing to receive a Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) approval prior to selling. If you’re buying online: be wary: there’s a TON of hucksters looking to make a buck by diluting or worse: substituting one oil for another just to make a quick profit. If you see a deal on Amazon or elsewhere that’s just too good to be true, well – it probably is. Choose an established provider and be sure to ask if your oils are Therapeutic grade – cooking grade oils just won’t cut it!
I sincerely hope this article has helped you learn more about this “holy grail” of oils. If you have any questions about Frankincense, Essential Oils or anything on this site, please don’t hesitate to contact me @ meagan@greenscenegal.com
via Green Scene Gal, a site dedicated to providing simple solutions to consumers looking products and foods free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides...
I love my olive oils. From flavored-infused to straight up, I use them for cooking, on my salads, my fried eggs – seriously, just about everything and anything. It’s wonderfully versatile and imparts a beautiful taste to my foods, and I can’t envision cooking without it. Problem is: Up until a year ago, I’m not sure if I had ever really tasted the real stuff. You know: Olive Oil. What it clearly says on the Bertolli labels in the picture...
Bertolli Oils - Is that even a REAL Italian Countryside?
Imagine my disgust when I found out last year that most of the olive oil, including some sold at my favorite grocery store Trader Joe’s likely contains oils other than 100% Olive Oil. At first, I was incredulous that such a scam could be pulled on such a large scale. But the more and more I read, I realized: most of the olive oils my parents…and their parents, parents were buying… were likely adulterated – a lot. How much? Well, today it’s been estimated that over 70% of the oils on our grocery shelves are fake!
The present-day scam is now linked to seven well-known Italian olive producers including those sold in the US under the Bertolli and Santa Sabina brands. These companies were knowingly involved in mislabeling their bottles and diluting whatever Olive Oil they were using, with cheaper oils like vegetable, soy and sunflower oil. Some for many, many years. Understandably this has elicited a major public outcry as olive oil consumers and lovers seek to find, what they thought they were getting – authentic, 100% olive oil.
With the revelation that this food fraud and scam has been going on for millennials, how can we, as consumers, tell if the olive oil in our kitchen is fake?
Tips on Finding Authentic Olive Oil
If the olive oil seems too cheap to be real (like that $8.00 bottle of Bertolli), chances are extremely high it’s a fake.
Be very wary of any bottle that says something like “100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil – – bottled in Italy”. Yeah maybe it’s bottled in Italy, but it ain’t from Italy and it’s not Extra Virgin. Additionally Italy seems to be the source for much of the illicit olive oil trade.
Find local producers or Co-ops available near you and purchase directly from them. Here in Raleigh, we buy our oils directly from Mid-Town Olive Oil which purchases only fresh, unblended oils from Mediterranean climates around the world. I continually amazed by the differences in tastes each region’s oils have.
Real Olive oil does not taste bland. While each region has its own distinctive palette, all olive oil is going to have a pungent, peppery, taste. I always cough when I try a taste test. Blended oils, on the other hand, are going to be bland.
Avoid buying olive oil labeled “olive oil” or “olive pomace oil” “pure” and “light” oil, because they have been chemically refined. Also purchase olive oil labeled “extra virgin,” if possible. It doesn’t guarantee quality, but it has more chances of being an extra virgin olive oil than if it is not labeled at all.
Good olive oil goes bad after a couple of months. Like essential oils and beer; a good manufacturer will use dark amber, brown, blue or green bottle will keep light from deteriorating the oil.
Buy from producers in the U.S. While not perfect, growers and manufactures in California and Washington has a great track record for authenticity as well as the right climate to grow the olives.
Good olive oil doesn’t have to look like the canola oil your mom used to cook with. Real olive oil come in a bunch of different colors from a light green to pale yellow.
Purchasing an olive oil with the International Olive Oil Council certification, which is supposed to audit the grove-to-store shelf supply chain, is a definite YES!
Keep in mind: a complete fail-proof test to determine olive oil does not exist. Even experts have a difficult time discerning real 100% olive oil from the fake stuff (Check out this article on the subject from the Guardian blog). However by following the tips above, you can significantly cut down the chances of buying another fake bottle of olive oil and supporting this disgusting scam.
As always, if you have questions on this article or any others, please e-mail me @ Megan@GreenSceneGal.com
Originally posted on our site @ Green Scene Gal, a site dedicated to providing simple solutions to consumers looking products and foods free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides...
So you’ve gotten your essential oils and they’re working for you just fine. Great in fact. You feel like you’ve gotten the hang of using them and then someone mentions that you should “blend” your oils for maximum effect…huh?! Blending Essential Oils? Wha? Why?
It took me a little while to really get oil blending, but what helped me most was thinking about it like I’m baking a cake. What I’m able to produce (i.e. – the cake) is a big improvement over the sum of the individual ingredients. I mean, have you tried eating flour by itself – it’s terrible. The same goes for Essential Oils. If done correctly, combining the oils can positively boost the effects that the individual oils possess on their own.
Then there’s recipe…OK, so the ingredients in your blend may be a little more straightforward than those in a cake, but having the right oils in the right quantities is an important part of the equation (Too little baking powder? Hope you enjoy your flat pan-cake). How about the order the ingredients are added to your cake mix? Important right? When you add your essential oils can have an effect on the end result, since changing the sequence can dramatically change the chemical reactions, and the end result – including the fragrance.
It may sound complicated, but it isn’t really. By following some basics guidelines, all you’ll need are the right tools, a willingness to learn, and some practice.
So without further delay, let’s get started on your blending recipe…
Choose Your Adventure…
You’ve got your tools in place. Now it’s important import to understand what you want from your Essential Oil Blend. Do you want to become more focused, or relaxed? Maybe you’re searching to get rid of your pounding headache, or perhaps you hoping to clear your sinuses. Or how about finally making that natural bug spray or that pine “Christmas Blend” for the holidays? Whatever it is – pick your goal – and write it down. I keep a journal to write in.
Next, if it isn’t completely obvious, think about how you would like to apply or dispense your blend. Write this down in your journal or paper. Here’s some common methods of using oil blends to get your imagination going:
Nasal Inhaler
Aromatic Room Spray
Outdoor Bug Spray
Massage Blend
Tension Blend Roller Bottle
Face or Body Cream
Bath Salts
Tools Needed
Blending essential oils – just like baking – requires certain tools to do it right. Imagine trying to mix the cake batter with your hands instead of using your kitchen mixer! So before we start anything let’s get you set up properly – I don’t want you to get halfway through the process only to discover you have to go to the store to buy something.
I’ve organized my list into “Required” and “Nice to Have’s”:
Required:
Dark-Colored Glass Containers: Dark glass helps prevent sunlight from degrading your oils and are available in a number of sizes and shapes, ranging from 5mL up to several ounces. There are some made for storage, others are spray bottles and still other are made for roller application of your oils. Bottom line: Think about the goal you’ve made in the last step and get an option related to this goal.
If you’re not sure what to get – or if you’re looking to go all-in – here’s my list of go-to bottles I buy pretty regularly:
Glass Droppers: Get yourself some good glass droppers: they’re a must for measuring blends and recipes. While it may be tempting to purchase a bunch of cheap plastic droppers or “pipettes” like you used in science class, it’s really hard to clean the residue from the inside of a plastic dropper once they’ve been used.
Glass Bowls: (For larger mixes for soaps and salts): The smaller glass bowels you have in your kitchen are perfect for preparing aromatherapy products like creams, soaps and salts. Make sure to thoroughly wash your bowls before using them.
Scent Strips or thick coffee filters: You’ll want to have some medium for testing your blend’s aroma in order to “dial-in” the correct mix. Scent-Strips are easy to use and relatively inexpensive. If you can’t stomach the cost or can’t wait to get them, we’ve used thick coffee filters, cut into ¼” strips as a descent alternative.
Carrier Oil: “Carrier” Oils are used to dilute your essential oils for blending – which is what you’ll probably want to do. I’ll get into the reasons why in a bit, but just get it for now. There’s many carrier oils available but I nearly always use Fractionated Coconut Oil (DPW) – it’s cheap, odorless and can be used for tons of other things. Check out this article on 99 uses of Coconut oil from Dr. Oz
Towel or Tissues: For cleanup
Notebook: Sure, you COULD get by without a notebook, however I strongly suggest keep a notebook or journal. I’ve got me a medium-sized leather bound journal where I jot down my initial reactions to the different mixes. I find it to be a great tool to keep my brain focused. Mine has a lot of erase marks, comments and doodles.
Nice to Have’s:
Diffuser: A diffuser produces a consistent mist of essential oils into the air and are wonderful tools to have for mediation or mood-enhancing blends. I’ve put this in this in the “Nice to Have” column – but if I were you, I’d get a diffuser straight-away. I normally use my doTERRA nebulizing diffuser, but there’s tons of other options out there. For more information on diffusers and a bunch of recommendations on our favorites, click on our “Everything you ever wanted to know about diffusers” article…
Glass Mixing Rods: Since metals, and plastic can affect the oil reactions, I recommend using glass whenever possible. Designed for mixing liquids that react with metal or plastic, glass rods are good to have if you’ll be working with recipes containing large qualities of ingredients
Glass Funnels: I use glass funnels when pouring oils from one container to another, mostly to prevent spilling my oils. I’ve used plastic funnels before, but it’s difficult to clean thoroughly.
Although it may cost a little bit to get started get these tools – it’s worth the investment. These will help you get the most value from your oils through accurate measurements, plus you’ll be able to prevent unwanted chemical reactions that can occur between essential oils and plastic.
Picking your Oils
Now we’re going to choose the potential list of oils we’ll be using in our blend. Get an essential oil reference book or a phone app like this one from Modern Essentials and find out which essential oils have a history of providing the results you’re looking for. Find as many oils as you can and write these down on the same sheet of paper where you jotted down your blend “goal”. Make sure to find at least 6, preferably more
If you’re halfway serious about using and blending essential oils, you can’t go wrong having at least one essential reference book at home. The internet and quick lookup apps like the Modern Essentials App are great for an on-the-go reference, but I haven’t found a replacement yet for the depth of knowledge provided by my oil books. And I use them every day. Here’s my list of books that I have on my shelf right now:
Modern Essentials – A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils
Essential Oils Natural Remedies
Essential Oils for Beginners
Duke’s Essential Herbs
Know thy Blending Rules
Ah…my young grasshopper, you’ve made it this far in your journey. At this point you should:
Understand the purpose of your blend
Understand how you will use your blend
Have your blending tools and equipment
Have a list of potential oils to use
We’ve now got to come up with the best order to blend your oils together. This is important. Combining your oils all willy-nilly can have a dramatic effect on the chemical reactions in the final product, so we’ll need a strategy. There’s a couple different theories on the best way to blend, but I belong squarely in the “Note” camp.
This method involved assigning your oils to one of three classifications based on its “SmellPower” (my term). More specifically:
Top Notes give off the first-impression of a blend. Typically vibrant, sharp and short-lasting, they evaporate quickly. They are also considered more “volatile” meaning that they are quickly absorbed by your body. Many citrus-based oils and mints plants fall this category
Bergamot, Lemon, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Verbena, Tea Tree
Middle Notes are considered the foundation or bouquet of the blend. More viscous than Top Notes, they don’t evaporate as quickly and tend last a couple of hours. Many evergreen trees and floral scents are found here
Black Pepper, Cypress, Cardamom, Chamomile, Juniper, Rosemary, Lavender, Ginger, Geranium
Base Notes oils are generally the most viscous and, as a result, have the longest lasting aromas. They also work with Middle and Top note aromatic oils to “trap” these volatile molecules so their aroma and absorption into the body can be slowed.
Go down your list of oils and jot down its “Note” on the notebook paper.
Fine Tuning your Blend
If you haven’t guessed it already, it makes good sense to have a balanced blend of Top, Middle and Base notes. For example, you wouldn’t want a blend of just Top notes, because it would evaporate way too quickly. Same goes with a blend with just middle notes. I dunno, it might be fine, but because there’s no top notes to energize it, it’s probably going to be a bit bland. If the oils you’ve chosen fall too much into a single category, you’ll want to choose even more oils from your reference book until you’ve got a good mix of Notes.
NOTE: Click here for a complete list of oils and their related Note assignment
Let’s say I’m going for a sweet-smelling “Springtime Blend”. I’ve got my list together and it looks like this:
Bergamot (Top Note)
Anise (Top Note)
Geranium (Middle Note)
Lavender (Middle Note)
Jasmine (Middle Note)
Rose (Base Note)
Sandalwood (Base Note)
Patchouli (Base Note)
I feel like I’ve gotten too many middle notes, so I cut out Juniper:
Bergamot (Top Note)
Anise (Top Note)
Geranium (Middle Note)
Juniper (Middle Note)
Lavender (Middle Note)
Jasmine (Middle Note)
Rose (Base Note)
Sandalwood (Base Note)
Patchouli (Base Note)
Now that’s a fine mixture of all three groups, if I don’t say so myself. In fact, let’s use it in our example going forward.
Commence Scent Testing!
OK, now this is the fun part. On some paper towels, layout all your oils on the table and line up those “Scent Strips” or Coffee Filter strips we had discussed in the Tools section.
Starting with the Base oils, apply a single drop of each BASE oil to its own scent strip. Take a nice big whiff of each and make sure you still like the smell of each oil. (I have to pick mine up and bring it to my nose to avoid contaminating the smell with the other base notes).
Repeat the process with different 2-oil combinations of the base notes together and finally all base notes on the same strip. Decide then which combinations of the base notes you like. I like Patchouli, but it didn’t work in my example above so I’m going to scratch it off my list. I’ve also noticed I the combination of Rose and Sandalwood when I add Rose first and THEN Sandalwood. I’m writing down all of this in my notebook J!
NOTE: Make sure to clean out your glass dropper with water after each use. If not, you’ll get some of the residue effecting the aroma.
Do the same steps with the Middle Note and Top Notes, Back to my example: while I love the smell of Anise, I thought that Bergamot should be the dominant Top Note. So I added an extra drop for every drop of Anise. Guess what? It worked!
At this point, here’s my notes for my “Spring Time” blend:
Anise (Top Note) – Apply 1st, 2 drops for every 3 drops of Bergamot
Bergamot (Top Note) – Apply 2nd, 3 drops for every 2 drops of Anise
Geranium (Middle Note) – Apply 3rd, equal parts Geranium, Lavender and Jasmine
Juniper (Middle Note) – TOO MANY MIDDLE NOTES
Lavender (Middle Note) – Apply 2nd, equal parts Geranium, Lavender and Jasmine
Jasmine (Middle Note) – Apply 1st, equal parts Geranium, Lavender and Jasmine
Rose (Base Note) – Apply 1st, equal parts Rose to Sandalwood
Sandalwood (Base Note) – Apply 2nd, equal parts Rose to Sandalwood
Patchouli (Base Note) – DON’T LIKE THE SMELL WITH ROSE OR SANDALWOOD
Now you’ve decided what Top, Middle and Base note combinations you like. Now add 2 drops of the base combination and 2 drops of middle combination together in a small bowl, adding first the Base and then the Middle notes. Siphon a drop from the mix and add to a scent strip, again taking a big whiff. Write down your thoughts.
2 drops of the middle and base notes, smelled fine, but I found that adding more middle notes brought out the aroma I’m looking for. So I’m going to decide to add 3 drops Middle Note for every 2 drops Base.
At this point I’m good to go with my Base and Middle notes, so onto the Tops! Begin with the Base and Middle Note mix in one small bowl and the Top note combo in another. Add your top note combination, one drop at a time to the Middle and Base note bowl and smell the resulting combination – either in the bowl, or on a scent /coffee strip. I found that adding 1 drop for every 3 drops of the Base Note and Middle Note mix smells the best to my nostrils.
Congratulations! You’ve got your mix!!
It take some math to get there, but here’s my mix recipe so far for a 100 drop mix (scale it up / down as you see fit).
Base Note: 30 Drops
15 Drops – Rose
15 Drops – Sandalwood
Middle Note: 45 Drops
15 Drops – Geranium
15 Drops – Lavender
15 Drops – Jasmine
Top Note: 25 Drops
10 Drops – Anise
15 Drops – Bergamot
Safe UseIt’s always a good idea to check for recommendations on application and safe use. For example, many oils from the company I use (doTERRA) are acceptable for internal use while others are not. Tree oils like Melaleuca, Douglas Fir and Cypress are strictly for topical or aromatic use and states the recommendation on the bottle. Additionally, citrus-based oils like orange, bergamot and lime are considered “phototoxic”. This is where topical application may cause the user to burn easier in the application area if exposed to sunlight. In general, while most oils are safe for just about anyone to use, make sure to check on the bottle or manufacturers website for recommendations on usage, and take note of any warnings. Write any warning or recommendations next to the oils you wrote down earlier.
Tone those oils down some
In most cases, you’re going to want to dilute your blend. Carrier oils and water are the two mediums used to thin use to dilute your oils. Why would you want to dilute your oils? 3 reasons mainly:
Carrier oils are used to blend with less viscous essential oils that on their own would evaporate quickly after application
Carrier oils are used to dilute essential oils that are, for the most part, considered too strong to be used “neat” (without dilution)
Diluting your oils can help extended the use of your oils. For example, diluting your oils to 5% can extend the life of that bottle of Frankincense 20 times over.
NOTE: Since Carrier Oils are thicker than most Essential Oils, they are not designed for your diffuser (or for inhalation for that matter) and will gum up the nebulizer. Again, only use carrier oils for topical applications
Coconut, sesame, grape-seed, wheat germ, jojoba and sunflower oils are examples of popular carrier oils. But unless I’m making soaps or a blend recipe that call for something different, I nearly always use “fractionated” coconut oil. It’s cheap, doesn’t smell and lasts a long time. The word “fractionated” means it stays a liquid at room temperature.
How much to dilute?
Most therapeutic blends call for between 25 and 30 drops of essential oil to approximately 15ml of carrier oil. A 15ml bottle can hold about 300 drops of liquid – so that makes a solution that is between 8% – 10% Essential Oil (EO) to Carrier Oil (CO). Or in nerd form:
25-30 drops (EO) : 265-270 drops (CO)
If you plan on using this blend for children, or for pregnancy you may consider dialing that percentage down to:
2 – 6 drops (EO) : 298 – 294 drops (CO)
For severe, short-term concerns like migraine headaches, muscle tension or bruising you may consider a 25% – 35% ratio or:
75 – 105 drops (EO) to 225 – 195 drops (CO)
I don’t usually recommend applying your blend “neat” (without dilution). I feel like it wasting my oils. I suppose if you’ve tried diluting your oils and it doesn’t work for you, try it neat and see what the results are. Just be aware of any sensitivity you may have to the stronger mix.
*** All equations above assume that you’re making a 15ml bottle of your blend. If you’d like to make more, simply increase the volumes by the appropriate percentage.
Other Carriers
Aside from oils, there’s other mediums you can use to mix with your essential oils. For a Green Gal like myself there’s only two others I would consider: water and alcohol.
Water
Mixing you essential oils in water makes perfect sense in spray-type applications like in a bug spray, cleaner-spray or misting-spray where you’re looking to disperse a diluted mixture over a large surface area. And since the water to essential oil dilution is so high, you don’t have to worry about keeping it in a glass bottle. For example, I keep my orange and clove cleaning spray in a plastic bottle with an industrial spraying nozzle.
A couple things to keep in mind with a water-oil blend. Since oil and water don’t mix…at all, you’ll need to shake the bottle almost constantly while you’re spraying it to keep an even solution. What’s more, evaporation will increase when you add water, so while I like using it for a quick spray blend for the bathroom, I don’t use it for aroma I want to stick around.
Alcohol
For perfume blends, you might consider using Everclear. That’s right: EVERCLEAR, you know…used for mixing drinks. YES, SERISOUSLY! (OK, that’s enough Megan). Perfumeries around the world use some kind of alcohol in their perfumes, so we’ll do the same. It’s a good carrier since it’s doesn’t smell (much) and gets the oils to where they need to go and then it evaporates quickly. Some folks prefer using “denatured” alcohol, which is similar to a consumable alcohol like Everclear, however chemicals have been added so it cannot be consumed. Yes, denatured alcohol is cheaper, but that’s no reason to use unsavory chemicals with your blend.
Putting it All Together
Let’s once again reference our Spring Blend. Let’s say want to make a 15ml (300 Drop) vial of this blend with 10% EO and 90% CO using Coconut Oil as the carrier.
10 percent of 300 drops equals 30 Drops of my Essential Oil Blend. You’ll make this first according to a 30% proportion of our blend, adding it to a brown 15mL bottle. Next, simply add the remaining 270 drops of coconut oil to the mix.
You’ll want to let your blend “mellow” for 24-48 hours in order for your oils to react to each other, but other than that: you….are…DONE!
Wrapping it up…
Alright, so this was a long article, power packed with information. There’s a lot to blending, but it’s not complicated, and certainly something anyone can do. My advice for those that are thinking about blending oils is: Just start doing it – you don’t have to be an expert to start! Learning to blend essential oils can be a worthwhile lifelong endeavor and – just like our baking analogy – the more you do it, the better you become.
Just keep at it, start small and don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s a lot of fun and, in the process, you may just find that perfect oil blend. You know, the one that works best foryou.
Originally posted on our site @ Green Scene Gal, a site dedicated to providing simple solutions to consumers looking products and foods free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides...
This week I wanted to focus on the first essential oil I had ever used: Lavender Eѕѕеntiаl Oil. Given to me by a friend in the form of a pillow spray, I now refer to Lavender as my “Swiss-Army” oil since I carry it around with me on a key-chain everywhere I go and use it for seriously just about everything! From sunburns to bug bites to minor scrapes and bruises, lavender oil is wonderfully versatile. But the best part is: it’s gеntlе enough to use on my kids (which I do quite a bit).
But before I get into all the delightful benefits of Lavender, I did want to talk first about a few things you should know as a Lavender Oil consumer. Namely where Lavender is sourced and how it’s made so we can understand what makes the best lavender essential oil.
From the Highlands of France To You…
Provence Region – Courtesy: www.footballerswines.co.uk
Getting it’s name from the Latin word lavare – which means “to wash” – Lavender essence was one of the primary additives to the bathhouses and soaps of Ancient Rome. This Roman association makes sense since the best lavender oils came from the flowers of theLavandula Angustifolia plant indigenous to the Maritime Alps situated just west of modern day Italy and due north of the Mediterranean sea. Now known as the Provence region of France, the area’s unique rocky soil, and warm arid summers with wet winters produce a flower that is extremely fragrant with higher esters and sesquiterpene alcohols ( which are some of the basic components that make oil of lavender so beneficial.
Also known as “English Lavender”, this misnomer may lie in the fact that Lavender grows well in the English soil and was a staple in most English herb gardens.
Where It’s Sourced Matters
The Lavender species grows just about anywhere on the planet (outside of Antarctica), but the Lavandula Angustifolia variety is quite the finicky plant. It can’t stand consistent humidity, likes cool nights, requires rocky well-drained / slightly alkaline soil between 6.5 – 8 PH and a great deal of sun during the summer months to produce the most fragrant flowers. Try as they might manufacturers have a difficult time duplicating these conditions. This is why I look for brands; doTERRA, Rocky Mountain Oils and a few others who consistently source their oils from their native environments. As a consumer this takes some of the guesswork out of the equation and produces the most authentic oils available.
I’ve been particularly impressed with doTERRA’s Co-Impact sourcing model where they work directly with local growers and harvesters to produce the raw materials for their oils. In exchange doTERRA offers on-time payments at fair-market pricing with business support aimed at developing them into Farming Cooperatives in order to best share the benefits of their product and labor.
Extraction Process
There’s a few ways to get the essence of Lavender from the flower, but Steam Distillation is the only process that hits my three-point criteria at Green-Scene-Gal:
Maximum potency
Chemical Free
Cost Effective
For flowering plant such as Lavender, steam distillation is the most conventional way to extract the aromatic essence from the plant. Using a slightly pressurized container, steam passes through the plant mash, causing the floral compounds to be released from the plant’s material at a microscopic level. The resulting vapor is then collected and cooled where the essential oil naturally rise to the top and collected.
doTERRA maintains a rigorous quality certification under the acronym CPTG® to validate their oils meet quality guidelines. CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® Quality Testing requires that each batch be tested at multiple production points to ensure a fresh, consistent chemical composition free of any contaminants including heavy metals and hazardous microorganisms
Lavender Essential Oil Benefits
OK, at this point we know what constitutes good Lavender oils, but what is it good for anyway? As I alluded to before, the benefits are numerous and is widely considered to be one of the “core” oils you should have in your personal apothecary.
Anxiety
Rub 2-3 drорѕ оf lаvеndеr оil in уоur сuрреd palms, then uѕе the inhаlаtiоn mеthоd to draw the ѕсеnt to your brаin tо calm thе mind. Thеn, rub on thе fееt, temples, wriѕtѕ (оr аnуwhеrе) fоr аn immеdiаtе calming еffесt on the bоdу and grеаt fоr hеаdасhеѕ. Uѕе in сrоwdеd areas оr when уоu are trаvеling to create уоur personal escape with рrоtесtiоn frоm gеrmѕ.
Allеrgiеѕ
With аllеrgу season in full fоrсе, wе wanted to see hоw well Lаvеndеr would work tо hеlр оur symptoms. Wе put 2 drорѕ of Lаvеndеr, Lemon and Pерреrmint in a сарѕulе аnd took it for 4 dауѕ. Nоt оnlу wеrе оur ѕуmрtоmѕ bеttеr but wе found it dramatically hеlреd оur еnеrgу. Alѕо rub a drop of Lаvеndеr оil between your раlmѕ аnd inhale dеерlу tо hеlр alleviate thе ѕуmрtоmѕ оf hау fever.
Eсzеmа / Dermatitis
Long associated with skin healing properties, lavender is a great for soothing sensitive skin. Mix several drops of Lаvеndеr оil with a nut оr vеgеtаblе mixing oil (coconut, sesame, еtс) аnd uѕе tорiсаllу оn есzеmа and dermatitis.
Nаuѕеа or Motion Sickness
Lаvеndеr оil iѕ a muѕt have whеn уоu trаvеl. Keep it with уоu tо alleviate the ѕуmрtоmѕ оf mоtiоn ѕiсknеѕѕ. Plасе a drор of Lavender оil оn thе end of thе tоnguе, bеhind the ears or аrоund the nаvеl.
Bоdу Detox
After a workout or mаѕѕаgе trу аdding 6 drops оf lаvеndеr tо your bath аnd relax whilе уоu fееl the lаvеndеr wоrking thrоugh уоur ѕуѕtеm. Rеmеmbеr to drink аt lеаѕt 2 full glasses оf wаtеr after your bаth bесаuѕе уоu will ѕwеаt as уоu dеtоx.
Nоѕеblееd
Tо stop a nosebleed, put a drор of lаvеndеr оil on a tiѕѕuе аnd wrap it аrоund a ѕmаll сhiр of iсе. Puѕh the tiѕѕuе соvеrеd iсе chip up undеr the middlе оf the top liр tо thе base of the nоѕе аnd hоld аѕ lоng аѕ соmfоrtаblе or until the blееding stops (do nоt freeze thе lip or gum).
Cоld Sоrеѕ
If your сhild ever gеtѕ a соld sore, gо tо the drug ѕtоrе and you’ll notice that everything аvаilаblе is advised nоt tо use in children уоungеr thаn 12 years old! Not so for Lavender. Yоu саn рut essential oil on a соld sore аѕ it hаѕ amazing effects. Before uѕing on уоur сhild, dilutе it to the extreme аnd tеѕt оn yourself bеfоrе уоu аррlу.
Bug Bites
Lavender Oils works great on bug bites. As a natural anti-inflammatory, it’s knock the puffiness down and reduces the histamine your body produces, in turn reducing itchiness.
Acne
Along with Lemongrass and Melaluca, lavender works wonders on those stray zits! I had one of these nasties on my forehead last week and knocked it completely out after 2 days. Overnight any swelling was almost completely removed after the first application!
I hope you enjoyed my article today on the background and benefits of Lavender and encourage you to do more research. Also, check our article on Blending Oils for great ideas on combining this versatile oil with other essentials.
Thanks and, as always, send me a note to say "hello" or let me know how I'm doing @ Megan@GreenSceneGal.com or visit us online at www.GreenSceneGal.com…Megan
