Natural Body Guru

Using massage is an excellent way to apply aromatherapy essential oils to the body as part of an alternative healing process. It is not hard to do and anyone can do it for family, friends, even for yourself. There are several different methods you can use to massage aromatherapy essential oils into the body:

• Effleurage – this is a series of gentle, soothing strokes which allow essential oils to penetrate your body and help you to relax and become calm. For this method, use your whole hands in  either long or short strokes that can be either firm or gentle.
• Petrissage – is similar to gently kneading dough. Use the palm, finger tips and thumbs to slowly and gently knead the body. Petrissage is most helpful when used on fatty areas and on backs.
• Head massage – put the essential oils  on your fingertips to massage the scalp. Work the fingers all over the scalp.
• For migraine and headaches – massage around the base of the neck and work your way up to the base of the scalp. Massage in this manner for a few moments with firm effleurage strokes.
• For the neck – massage the neck using small, firm circular movements from the base of the neck, up either side of the vertebrae to the base of the scalp. Massage the sides of the neck and repeat these movements in a more gentle fashion and work your way down the neck. Repeat several times using appropriate essential oils.

We put makeup on our faces and go to the gym to keep our bodies in shape but if we don’t take care of our hands all that is a waste of time. The first place that shows age spots is your hands and add that to loose wrinkled skin on the backs of your hands and your hands are telling everyone that you are older than your beautiful face looks! If you work with your hands a lot, this stretches the skin even more and everyone exposes their hands to dirt, grease, grime, heavy detergents, and dish soaps etc. everyday. We really should wear rubber gloves when we do this kind of work with our hands but I don’t bother with it, do you?

Essential oils can help you keep your hands looking their best. Couple your essential oils with a good hand cream and you’ll have the whole family using your hand cream very quickly. Use any of the following essential oils with your hand cream and your hands will look their best in no time: rosemary, geranium, sandalwood, patchouli, lavender, rose, lemon, lime, or carrot. You might want to price the essential oils first because you don’t have to use an expensive one.

You can also mix the hand cream as you use it by putting some cream in your hand and adding one or two drops of the essential oil of your choice as you go. I like to use geranium usually because it smells so nice but if I have a cut or scrape (I’m a klutz in the kitchen) I often use lavender essential oil. Any of the oils mentioned above will work to make your hands as beautiful as the rest of you.

Another name for shea butter is “women’s gold” because the job of  extracting the butter from shea nuts gives employment and income to many rural African village women. Shea butter is used in foods and cooking as well as soaps and beauty products because it is so safe and beneficial. It also contains natural ingredients that protect skin from the sun.

African women and healers have known about and used shea butter for thousands of years. Its properties are so amazing it is almost magical in its healing effects on burns, skin conditions, ulcerated skin, stretch marks, and dryness. The vegetable fats in shea butter promote cell regeneration and circulation making it a superb revitalizer for troubled or aging skin.

The face is by far the most common area for wrinkles to appear on your skin, and unfortunately, these wrinkles are also the most noticeable. To reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles and prevent future wrinkles, it’s best to use a skin tightening cream. This cream will work to firm and tighten the skin underneath and around the eyes and near the mouth (the most common areas wrinkles appear). It’s also a good idea to take precautions to prevent wrinkles by reducing your exposure to the sun, and ensuring that you wear sunscreen whenever outside.

It’s impossible to prevent and remove wrinkles forever, but by taking care of your skin, you will have more years of youthful radiance. It’s better to start when you’re younger than older. When you’re older, chances are the wrinkles have already appeared. You are no longer working just to prevent wrinkles, but also to reduce their appearance. The earlier you start using skin tightening cream and promoting safe practices, the better!

There are many skin care products out there that are best left to the professionals.   Salt and sugar scrubs, on the other hand, can be made quite easily in your kitchen. For those of you who enjoy homemade products and custom scents, here’s your opportunity.  Scrubs are a way to gently exfoliate your body and promote healthy skin. They can be used before or along with your bath or shower.

The first thing you need to decide is whether you prefer salt or sugar.  Those with sensitive skin often do better with sugar, which is more gentle and melts away faster in warm water.  Then, it’s time to collect your ingredients.

The basics of the recipe are sugar or salt, food grade oil (such as jojoba, grapeseed, or avocado), and essential oils.   You can use a variety of different oils depending on your skin’s needs. For example, grape seed oil is slightly astringent and great for oily skin, while sweet almond oil is great for dry skin that needs a lot of moisturizing.  You might also choose to use a bit of honey, especially in sugar scrubs, to help smooth out the texture of the scrub.  You can get creative with seasonal scents, or even add some coffee crystals for a little extra wake-up power in your shower.

Here’s a sample recipe:

8 cups salt OR sugar (raw or light brown)

2 cups jojoba oil

1/2 cup avocado oil

Your choice of essential oils (a few drops)

Honey for texture

Slowly mix the oils into the sugar or salt. You are aiming for a consistency that is wet, yet allows you to ball it up without it dripping back through your fingers.  Add honey and/or more oil as needed.  When you have achieved your desired texture, mix in your essential oils.

Note: be sure to use pure essential oils and not fragrance oils which are often synthetic and can be highly irritating.

Have you ever heard that eating carrots helps you see better? My great grandmother told me to eat my carrots because they would help me have great eyesight. This may be an old wives tale but it is true that the beta carotene which gives carrots their orange color has been shown in studies to help protect the eye, particularly the cornea, and to be useful in the prevention or slowing down of cataract formation and age-related macular degeneration.

Carrot oil is also an abundant source of carotenoids or antioxidants which  are important for fighting the effects of harmful oxidants, or free radicals in the body. Free radicals can attack and destroy healthy tissue, causing many health problems, one of which is cancer. Because of the antioxidants it contains, carrot oil can reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and it is often used in sun tan oils to prevent over exposure to UV radiation from the sun.

Moist, supple skin is the product of both hydration and a good skin care regimen. Not drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day could lead to dry sagging skin, eczema, cracked flaky skin, acne and pimples.

Stay hydrated with water-rich foods: cucumbers are 97% water; tomatoes and zucchini are 95% water; peaches contain 87% water; and grains, beans, and pastas are also good sources of water because they absorb a lot of water as they cook. Use a good quality chemical-free natural moisturizing product to keep your skin moisturized on the outside too. Moist supple skin will keep you looking young and vital.

Blocked sebum become blackheads (medically known as a comedo or comedones) when the surface cells develop sulphides which, in turn contact  oxygen, causing  the cells to turn black. Blackheads are unsightly and can easily become infected. When you remove them and the opening just fills up again with more sebum; this condition is related to seborrhea, overproduction of the sebaceous glands. Even people with dry skin can develop blackheads, especially on the nose or chin but blackheads can develop practically anywhere on the body, as well as on the face. Wherever they develop, the treatment for blackheads is the same, they need to be removed.

To remove blackheads, get a bowl of steaming hot water, put 1 drop of lavender essential oil on the water and cover your head with a towel, being sure to close off the sides too and steam your face for 10 minutes. Rinse the face with 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar mixed in a bowl of hot (but not boiling) water. If the blackheads are loose, squeeze gently taking care not to damage the skin. Then splash the face with a mixture of 2 ounces of mineral water, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon witch hazel, 2 drops each of bergamot and cypress essential oils.

After patting the skin dry, massage the following oils into the skin. This will help to prevent blackheads from coming back and also loosen the ones that are already there:

• Lemongrass – 8 drops
• Lavender – 5 drops
• Clary-sage – 2 drops
• Thyme – 5 drops
• Jojoba oil – 5 drops

Use this massage mixture morning and night. When you wash your face, take care to use a pure natural soap. You can use eye makeup if you like but avoid face makeup and powder.

Sebaceous glands are microscopic glands in the skin that secrete an oily or waxy matter, called sebum, which lubricates the skin and hair of mammals. Sebaceous glands in humans are found mainly on the face and scalp but  you will also find them in other areas of the body as well,  except for the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet.

When sebum gets blocked in a duct that has no surface opening, a hard white lump (milia) appears. Milia, commonly called whiteheads, are usually found on dry skin but they can also appear after some type of damage has been done to the skin. If you have had whiteheads for some time, they will need to be removed by a beautician or a dermatologist. However, you can break up recently formed milia by massage.

Use the following essential oils:

• Bergamot– 5 drops
• Thyme – 5 drops
• Almond oil or jojoba oil  – 1 tablespoon

Use a very small amount of the above essential oil mixture to massage the whiteheads twice a day, in the morning and at night. This will help the milia to be reabsorbed by the body.

Rosemary essential oil is a great one to use during your morning shower because it is a mental and physical stimulant and also during a relaxing bath after a long strenuous day because it is an excellent treatment for all muscular conditions. Rosemary has antiseptic properties and is often used to treat muscular sprains, rheumatism, arthritis, depression, fatigue, memory loss, migraine headaches, coughs, flu, and diabetes. It is also used in beauty treatments, hair care products, and acne preparations.

If you are one of those unfortunate people who has a case of continuous muscle fatigue or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), you may be helped by using this muscle fatigue formula: 5 drops of thyme essential oil, 10 drops rosemary, 5 drops cypress, 10 drops eucalyptus/peppermint essential oil, diluted in 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil. You can use any other carrier oil but grapeseed oil is very light to the touch.

It is important that ME sufferers get enough sleep but many times, because of their aching muscles, they have insomnia so they are extremely tired and yet they can’t sleep. The essential oils to use for insomnia are valerian, marjoram, chamomile, clary-sage, sandalwood, and lemon. Massage any of these oils into your body before having an oil bath. Use any of the above mentioned oils in a blend of a total of 30 drops to 2 tablespoons of carrier oil. Massage this over your whole body while you run a warm bath. Then put 4 drops of any essential oil from the list into the bath and swish it around before getting in. Rest in the water or read a book until the water starts to cool and then go to bed. Do this nightly to help with your insomnia.