Natural Body Guru

It is getting close to the time of year when colds and the flu are prevalent. Too many people use antibiotics to treat colds and flu but I believe antibiotics may do more harm than good. Why use a synthetic medicine when you can use pure organic essential oils that are natural and have antibacterial and antiviral properties to treat your illness?

To treat a common cold you can use the following oils in a hot bath. Just relax in the tub and inhale deeply.

2 drops – Thyme
2 drops – Tea tree
1 drop – Eucalyptus
3 drops – Lemon

If you would rather use the steam inhalation method, you can use one drop of each of thyme, tea tree, lavender, and clove in a bowl of steaming hot water. Put a towel over your head over the steaming blend and breath deeply for 10 minutes, taking a break whenever needed.

If you are away from home and can’t perform the steam inhalation method, you can take with you a tissue to which you have added one drop each of peppermint, eucalyptus, and clove. Inhale this aroma deeply whenever possible.

Before going to bed, massage the chest, neck and sinus area with the following essential oils diluted in 1 teaspoon of shea oil or another cosmetic grade vegetable oil of your choice:

1 drop – Lemon
2 drops – Eucalyptus
3 drops – Rosemary

Keep your risk of catching the common cold at a minimum by washing your hands frequently.

Lavender is a very versatile essential oil that can be used to clean and sooth minor burns, scrapes and other skin irritations. It has a relaxing, refreshing scent and also balancing properties that calm the body and the mind.  Lavender essential oil can be used both topically and internally.

Topical Uses of Lavender

• reduce or minimize scar tissue by massaging lavender on or around the area
• massage lavender onto the soles of your feet or the back of your neck for a calming effect
• soothe dry, chapped or irritated skin or relieve minor cuts or burns by rubbing lavender on the affected area
• rub a drop of lavender on your palm and smooth it over your pillow or diffuse it to aid sleep
• diffuse lavender to minimize seasonal reactions to pollen and dust mites

Internal Uses of Lavender

• use lavender to infuse lemonade, marinades and dressings to create refreshing and unique variations on your favorite recipes
• add a drop or two of lavender to your favorite herbal tea for a relaxing drink

There are many more uses for lavender essential oil. You can find other uses by searching Natural Body Guru for the term “lavender” or lavender essential oil.

Facial steams are relaxing,  stress-relieving and great pampering routines that can be done once a week, or for those with very sensitive or dry skin, once a month. Steaming is an excellent way to increase circulation to the skin, promote the release of toxins and impurities, deep cleanse and open pores, and experience the benefits of essential oils and herbs.

To prepare a facial steam, you’ll need a large heat-safe bowl, boiling water, a towel, and the essential oils or herbs you want to use. Combine the hot water and essential oils/herbs in the bowl, place the towel over your head, and lean over the bowl in such a way that the towel creates a tent, keeping the steam in. Keep your face a comfortable distance above the water, breathe deeply and enjoy for five to ten minutes taking breaks every minute or two as needed.

Essential oils can be calming, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, balancing, and fungicidal. Some common oils you might already have include lavender, tea tree, chamomile, clary-sage, and neroli. You can use fresh or dried herbs as well, including comfrey, rosemary, lemon balm, chamomile, fennel, mint, and more. Choose your additions based on your needs at the time, or simply work with combinations that smell right to you, whether they are invigorating, relaxing or simply delicious!

Yesterday we discussed essential oil blends for normal and dry skin that you can combine with your natural bubble bath. Moving forward, today we’re going to talk about oils you can use in the bath if you have problem skin that needs help.

Essential Oils for Greasy Skin

• Chamomile
• Orange
• Lemon
• Lavender
• Clary Sage
• Ylang-ylang
• Jasmine
• Neroli
• Bergamot
• Cypress

Greasy Skin Synergistic Blend

• 15 drops lemon
• 10 drops cypress
• 5 drops ylang-ylang

Essential Oils for Blemished Skin

• Geranium
• Clary-sage
• Eucalyptus/lemon
• Eucalyptus/peppermint
• Chamomile
• Lavender
• Myrrh
• Thyme

Blemished Skin Synergistic Blend

• 15 drops eucalyptus/lemon
• 5 drops lavender
• 5 drops thyme
• 5 drops chamomile

Today, I’m going to give you some body and bath essential oil formulas that you can choose from depending on your skin type. You can add these oils to the bubble bath we talked about yesterday or add it to a carrier oil like almond oil, jojoba oil or liquid shea oil to use as a massage oil.

Essential Oils for Normal Skin

• Geranium
• Ylang-ylang
• Sandalwood
• Lavender
• Patchouli
• Neroli
• Frankincense
• Palma rosa

Normal Skin Synergistic Blend

• 3 drops frankincense
• 10 drops palma rosa
• 5 drops neroli
• 12 drops lavender

Essential Oils for Dry Skin

• Patchouli
• Chamomile
• Palma rosa
• pettigraine
• lavender
• rose

Dry Skin Synergistic blend

• 10 drops palma rosa
• 5 drops chamomile
• 5 drops carrot
• 10 drops rose

Those two blends are good for many of you so enjoy them. I know there are some of us who have greasy skin or blemishes and I have formulas for you too. I’ll save those for tomorrow.

There is nothing more soothing and relaxing than lying back in a bath full of bubbles while the aroma of your favorite essential oils wafts through the air around you. Here is a recipe for a cleansing bubble bath that you can make yourself. Use only 100% pure soap.  You can use either the pure soap flakes or grate your own pure soap flakes from pure soap bars.

RECIPE

•  8 ounces soap flakes or grated soap
• 2 tablespoons witch hazel
• 2 cups almond oil
• 2 cups spring or distilled water

Boil the water and melt the soap flakes in it. In another bowl, mix the almond oil and witch hazel together and shake well. This can easily be done in a blender. Slowly add the soap mixture to the blended witch hazel and almond oil and shake or blend again. The end product will be a large enough amount that you can add whatever essential oils you want as you need them. For each 2 tablespoons of base bubble bath, add 15 drops of essential oils and mix well. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons  of your final product (bubble bath blend with added essential oils) in each bath.

Osteoarthritis is diagnosed when the cartilage of the joints wears away and the bones form rough deposits. You basically have bone rubbing against bone which can be very painful. This form usually occurs in older people but it can also be genetic and occur at younger ages especially when other diseases or injuries are present.

As with rheumatoid arthritis, nutritional factors are very important in the treatment of osteoarthritis. So again take the following nutritional steps:

• Limit or cut out completely dairy and wheat products, red meat, salt, sugar, acidic fruits, and soft drinks.
• Eat vegetarian foods, white fish and poultry, plus lots of salads with raw vegetables and any form of cooked or uncooked cabbage.
• Drink lots of water and add carrot juice to your diet.
• Increase your vitamin and mineral supplements; especially take calcium, zinc, and vitamins C, B, and D.

To detoxify your body  before using aromatherapy and essential oil therapy for osteoporosis, the cabbage treatment has proven to be very effective. Iron the cabbage leaf to release its active properties and wrap it, still warm, around the sore joint. Rest for at least 15 minutes but longer is better (up to an hour.) Then soak in a warm bath to which you have added 4 drops of essential oils from the following list and 1 cup Epsom salts. You can use any one or a mix of these oils: ginger, eucalyptus, thyme, coriander, marjoram, lemon, or basil. After the bath, have a massage with the following oils mixed in 2 tablespoons of almond oil: 10 drops of ginger, 5 drops of basil, and 10 drops of marjoram.

Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammation of the joints, can occur at any age. It affects connective tissues and may be brought on when the autoimmune system turns on itself and then attacks healthy cells. When this happens, joints can become useless and muscle starts wasting away. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include acute or chronic pain, headaches, and tender swollen lymph nodes.

Nutrition is important in the treatment of arthritis. Limit or cut out completely dairy and wheat products, red meat, salt, sugar, acidic fruits, and soft drinks. Eat vegetarian foods, white fish and poultry, plus lots of salads with raw vegetables and any form of cooked or uncooked cabbage. Drink lots of water and add carrot juice to your diet. Increase your vitamin and mineral supplements; especially take calcium, zinc, and vitamins C, B, and D.

Use any of these essential oils in your bath and massage oil: eucalyptus, peppermint, chamomile, geranium, rosemary, lemon, thyme, and lavender. Before beginning your essential oil bath or massage therapy, you must draw the toxins out of your body with a clay poultice. Make the clay poultice from green clay which you can get from any health food store. Make a stiff paste by adding water to 1 tablespoon to dry clay. Then add 2 drops eucalyptus, 1 drop peppermint, 3 drops chamomile, and 1 drop lavender essential oils to the clay paste and mix well. Smear the paste over the sore joints and painful areas and cover with muslin (which you can buy by the yard) and rest for at least 15 minutes; longer if possible. Follow this course of action twice a day.

Stress is a part of everyone’s life in varying degrees on a scale from positive to distressful. Your soul, mind, and body will benefit greatly from the use of pure, safe, natural, and effective essential oils. Aromatherapy essential oils may be exactly what you need if you are trying to reduce the mental stress caused by giving or taking exams, distress over uncompleted jobs, unemployment, or financial worries.

There are specific essential oils that can be used for mental stress and they can be used alone or in a synergistic blend. The oils to use are geranium, lavender, sandalwood, basil, bergamot, grapefruit, cardamom, and patchouli. A specific synergistic blend to use might be geranium, lavender and bergamot but you can blend others or simply use just one of the above mentioned oils.

Skin problems are distressing at any age but during the teen years when their hormones kick in, they can be downright depressing. Teen skin disorders are caused by the increase in sex hormones which cause an increase in sebum production of the sebaceous glands. As the outer skin gets thicker, the pores tend to dilate. If they become blocked with dead skin cells, the sebum gets blocked and infected by bacteria. It is essential to keep the skin clean and clear away dead skin cells to avoid skin breakouts.

The following is a facial skin scrub that is good for teens and anyone with skin problems or trying to avoid skin problems and it will not damage your skin.

Teenage Facial Scrub

• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon raw egg white
• 4 drops lemon essential oil

Mix the ingredients well, wet your face and then put a small amount in the palm of your hand. Apply the mixture all over your face with a rolling motion. Wash your face with a natural soap and rinse well with water. Lastly, dab your face with a lavender splash made by adding 5 drops of lavender essential oil to 2 tablespoons of spring water. Shake the bottle each time you use the lavender water and just leave it. Repeat this treatment daily.