Spotlight On: Patchouli

Botanical Name: Pogostemon cablin

Type of Plant: Herb

Method of Extraction: Steam distillation of the dried or macerated leaves

Patchouli is a part of the mint family , and you can certainly see the family resemblance when you look at the above photo.  This oil is often associated with the hippie era of the 60s and 70s.  It’s easy to see why patchouli was chosen by Mother Nature’s children as their fragrance of choice – because it smells just like the earth.  Or dirt.  Or mildew.   Actually, to me, patchouli has always smelled like a cottage that’s been closed up all winter long.

Lest I give you the wrong impression, I should probably clarify here that I don’t hate patchouli, but I do find it a bit hard to take on its own.  It can blend beautifully, though.  I paired it with Bitter Orange to make a brown sugar scrub for my partner to use after he’s been cleaning fish.  He likes that it’s a nice ‘manly’ scent, since I’m normally partial to sweet-smelling scrubs, like this one.

In therapy, this oil is excellent for all manner of skin problems.  Patchouli is anti-inflammatory and fungicidal, so this would be a great one for athlete’s foot.  It is a very grounding oil, so it’s also very helpful in chakra work, especially when balancing the Root chakra.

It’s beginning to look a lot like…wait, what?!

Okay, I know the holiday season is still 4 months away.  We haven’t even had Halloween yet, for Pete’s sake!

Yet I’m already tagging my Etsy listings with “stocking stuffer”! 

What can I say?  I like to plan ahead.  That, and a four-month allowance for shipping times isn’t completely unreasonable when it comes to Canada Post and Customs (for international orders).

I’ve added a listing for a pack of ten Aromatherapy Inhalers.  It’s a significant savings over buying them individually or in the 3-Packs.  They make great little party favours, or you can stick one in everyone’s stocking.  You’ll be everyone’s favourite person this Christmas if you do that.  I promise.  And they’ll all remember how awesome you are when your birthday rolls around next year.

And now I’m including this pretty carrying case with the Chakra Inhaler Kit.  To heck with the extra shipping it will cost due to the added thickness!  I’ll pick up the difference.

I’ve also added a new Tarot Card listing, and some gift certificates are in the works.  Stay tuned!

Natural = Safe?

I don’t like to rant on this blog.

It’s unprofessional.

So I won’t do that here.

But….

I need to get something off my chest.

There are a lot of products on Etsy that contain essential oils.  Many different products by many different sellers  -- balms, salves, lotions, sprays, soap, etc…  People are leaning towards more natural ways of doing things these days.  Our skin is our largest organ, and anything we put on our skin is absorbed directly into the blood stream.  So the less synthetic and dangerous chemicals we put on our skin, the better.

Most of the shops selling these products really know their stuff.  They’ve read books, or conducting research.  They’ve questioned experts.  They have a background in herbalism or aromatherapy.  The products are labelled properly and carry instructions for proper use, as well as possible dangers and whom should or should not use the product.

But.

Lately I’ve noticed some shops that don’t look like they’ve done their research.  In these shops, essential oils are used freely and without warnings/guidelines about use on babies or young children.  There are also no warnings about pregnancy, hypertension, sun sensitivity, epilepsy and medication interactions, just to name a few.  The people making the products have no reference anywhere in their shop regarding their experience or qualifications in Aromatherapy.

Some of these products contain essential oils that are contraindicated if a person has any of the above-mentioned health issues. Some of these products contain essential oils that are on the Do Not Use list compiled by the International Federation of Aromatherapists.  Some of these products can be downright dangerous if used by the wrong person.

Just because essential oils are “natural”, that does not mean that they are all safe and can be used without thought of the consequences.

Many of the body or room sprays are created by simply adding some essential oil to plain (or distilled) water.  There are a few problems with that.  For one, essential oils are not soluble in water.  They will never properly mix.  When the product is sprayed (even if it is shaken first), there may be a few miniscule droplets of EO here and there, or a large drop here and a small drop there, or there may be none at all. 

Furthermore, water (even if it is distilled) is a breeding ground for bacteria.  Unless the sprays are stored in the fridge, these products will be teeming with nasties and start to smell “off” in a few months.   Essential oil sprays that are made with water require a solubilsor and a full-spectrum preservative.

Repeat after me:  Any hydrous (aka – contains water) bath & beauty product must have a preservative!  And Grapefruit seed, rosemary extract and vitamin E are NOT preservatives.  Yes, adding a synthetic preservative such as Germall Plus will make the product ‘unnatural’, but it will also keep it safe.  E.Coli is also natural, but I don’t think any of us want to spray that around our bathrooms, or onto our children’s pillow cases.

Please, Buyers: Beware!  If you have any questions about the safety of a product that contains essential oils, ask the shop owner.  If he or she does not seem knowledgeable about the oils or the ingredients they use in their products, move on to another shop.   I am always only an e-mail or Etsy convo away, so please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you have about any essential oil.  

My offer to provide information about essential oils extends to sellers as well.   My main priority as a professional Aromatherapist is promoting the healthy and safe use of essential oils, even if it means helping out my so-called “competition”.

Smell safely, everyone!

~H

Hi! Remember Me?

Some of you may have noticed (or maybe none of you noticed, but I need to pretend I’m loved, okay?) that I haven’t been updating the blog or either of my Facebook Fan Pages much lately.  You’ll never guess why! So I’ll just tell you:  The air conditioner in my office broke and it’s way too hot to work in there right now.  We have central air in the rest of the house, but since our furnace is old and weak, it doesn’t do a very good job of pushing the cold air up there.  Cold air wants to drop, you see.  So it takes a really strong and determined furnace to force the cold air to go against nature.  Plus, the 2nd floor is essentially a converted attic, and whomever converted it did a crap job of insulating it.  (Note:  we’ll be taking care of both the weak furnace and the lack of insulation this winter when we do an government sponsored energy audit & repairs).

For those reasons, we keep a small window A/C unit upstairs.  It went kerplunkity just before we left on vacation, but that was okay because we figured we replace it when we got back.  Then we got back and it wasn’t really that hot out.  So we put it off.

Now it’s hot.

I mean really hot. 

Like, humidexes in the range of 45 degrees Celsius.  (That’s 113 degrees in American.) 

Don’t know what a humidex is?  Be glad.

Here is the latest weather report for my town.  Note the time.  It’s full dark out, and it’s still this warm.  And the humidex advisory is still in effect.  At night.  So folks, no mowing the lawns or putting gas in the car! 

Don’t know what a humidex advisory is?  Be glad.

I converted it to American just in case you aren’t familiar with the wacky metric system:

 

The goal is to have a replacement unit by the end of the week, since it stays hot well into October ‘round these parts.  Then I can get back to my informative aromatherapy and essential oil posts.  I know you’ve missed them!

(P.S.  I know that temperature is measured in degrees “Fahrenheit” and not “American”.  I just say American because I think the United States is the only country that still officially uses the Empirical system.  I am lucky enough to be bi-lingual in understanding temperatures, since I was raised right next to the American border.)

If you live in the Houston, Texas area…

And you are pregnant, or know someone who is expecting, take a look at this fabulous offer from professional photographer Wendi Schoffstall. (Click the image for a bigger size).

Wendi is a friend of mine, and she is an amazing photographer.  Check out her website to see some examples of her work.

Spotlight On: Ho-wood Leaf Oil

Botanical Name: Cinnamomum camphora

Type of Plant: Evergreen Tree

Method of Extraction: Steam distillation of the leaves

Don’t let the name fool you!  This oil does not smell like cinnamon!  It is obtained from the same tree as Camphor essential oil.  Ho Leaf is distilled from the leaves, while Camphor is distilled from the bark.

Although it’s currently not a widely-known oil, Ho Wood Leaf is gaining in popularity.  Due to similar chemical compositions, it is being touted as an alternative to Rosewood oil.  There is some ethical controversy surrounding the methods used to obtain Rosewood oil.  Although the oil itself is a by-product of the lumber/furniture industry, the entire tree must be destroyed in order to get at the heartwood that the oil is obtained from.  Since Ho Wood is distilled from a leaf, the tree doesn’t need to be destroyed.  Furthermore, leaves regenerate every year, rather than the 30 years a Rosewood tree must grow before it’s suitable for producing essential oil.

Their chemical compositions may be nearly identical, but Ho Wood and Rosewood do not smell alike at all.  Rosewood has a sweet, soft, rose scent (just as one would expect), while Ho Wood is astringent, sharp and camphor-like.  In her book, Aromatherapy, An A-Z, Patricia Davis contends that Ho Wood Leaf should never be used as a substitute for Rosewood.  In fact, as a member of the camphor family, she believes Ho-Wood Leaf is hazardous and should be used only by professionals.  I tend to agree with this.  Even if the two oils have similar therapeutic applications, I just cannot see substituting something as lovely as Rosewood with something as sharp as Ho Wood.

Currently I’m experimenting with this oil. I’ve been using it for muscle aches and colds/congestions.  I prefer to think of this oil as a less hazardous alternative to straight Camphor, rather than a replacement for Rosewood.

Sweet Relief!

I just submitted my case studies to my instructor for her review.  Now I will finally receive my Aromatherapy certificate! Thirty treatments/massages may not sound like a lot, but with a full-time job, a part-time business, two crazy kids, three crazy animals (and a partridge in a pear tree), it’s a lot to squeeze in!

The last step is to take the CFA exam and I’ll be an official CAHP (Certified Aromatherapy Health Professional).

Phew!

Oh wait, I’m not done yet!

In order to maintain my membership in the CFA, I have to earn a certain amount of continuing education credits every two years. So there are quite a few courses I have lined up.

Starting with this one.

Spotlight On: Sweet Birch

Botanical Name:  Betula lenta

Type of Plant:  Deciduous tree

Method of Extraction: steam distillation of the bark

This week’s Spotlight is a little bit different.  Usually I would profile an oil and give you suggestions on how to incorporate that oil into your lifestyle.

However, Sweet Birch oil carries with it strong warnings and cautions.  This is not an oil that the average person should be applying to their skin on a regular basis.  The reason I’ve decided to include it is because of its interesting background.

The main chemical constituent of Sweet Birch is Methyl salicylate. Yes, that is the same chemical they now synthesize to make aspirin!  It has a scent similar to Wintergreen, but whereas the latter is on the International Federation of Aromatherapist’s Do Not Use list, the former carries only a strong caution.   It is because of the methyl salicylate content that Sweet Birch is such an excellent oil for major muscle pain and strain, but this is also what makes it potential dangerous.

In my practice, I would never use Sweet Birch on children, women who are pregnant, nursing or trying to conceive, the elderly, or anyone with a general weak constitution. Ironically, even though this oil isn’t recommended for those who are frail,  you may be surprised to learn that Bengay ointment (a scent that many of us have come to associate with grandpa and his arthritis) is comprised of 30% straight methyl salicylate!

The scent of this oil is very distinct, and may be very familiar to you, even if you can’t place it right away.  It’s reminiscent of a popular soft drink.  Often times you’ll find this drink with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it.  Give up?  I think you got my obvious hint!  That’s right, Sweet Birch smells almost exactly like Root Beer!  Along with sassafras, and various other herbs & twigs, such as vanilla, wintergreen, cherry tree bark, liquorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, anise, molasses, cinnamon and clove, it’s been used as a flavouring in Root Beer for years.

Random Awesomeness

At my sister-in-law’s stagette party, the maid of honour came up with this wonderful little game.  At least every 30 minutes, each bride was required to approach a stranger and ask them to write some marital advice in a small notebook.  While the game was fun, it was the notebooks that I was enthralled with!  I asked the maid of honour where she bought them and I had to run out the next day to buy some for myself.  Don’t they just have a wonderful, Lord of the Rings-like feel to them?

Now, what shall I use them for?

(P.S.  The books are by Paperblanks, just in case you feel you need them as well.)