Natural Body Guru

One Sunday our central air conditioning stopped working. The indoor temperature was rising, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it until time to fix dinner. It was so hot in the house that I suggested we go out for dinner.  My husband looked at the thermostat and it was 83 degrees and warm air was coming out of the vents. Outside, the air conditioner was making a screeching sound so we turned it off and called the AC company we use to come early Monday morning, we then packed a few things and went to a motel.

I don’t know if it’s just me or if this happens to most people when they stay in a motel; it takes me forever to finally get to bed. I can’t find anything and I usually have left something crucial at home so I’m trying to improvise. Anyway, it was quite late when I finally laid down and then I got up 30 minutes earlier than usual so I could repack and still have time to go eat the complimentary full breakfast.

The main point of this blog is to let you know how sleepy and tired I was at work the next day. I drank tea, water and coffee plus I nibbled on stuff all day trying to stay awake. OK, I confess, I get sleepy almost everyday at work. Tomorrow, I am going to take some peppermint essential oil and sniff it whenever that happens. Peppermint is reported to have stimulating properties. I will let you know if it keeps me awake and alert or if I need to blend it with another oil.

Therapeutic grade essential oils are mainly concentrated herbs and people are missing out on their health benefits because of the misconception that they are only for elevating mood and to be used as perfume oils. Numerous essential oils also have properties that kill germs, purify the air and much more. They can be used as alternative first aid care for everything from acne to urinary infections.

If you would like to add additional essential oils to the basic three we discussed in the previous post, you may wish to include rosemary, peppermint, orange, geranium and lemon. Your Aromatherapy First Aid Kit should also include carrier oils such as almond oil, jojoba oil, and or  liquid shea oil to mix your essential oils in, plus aloe vera, vitamin E and garlic oil, which can be created by mixing garlic cloves with sweet almond or grape seed oil.

Every home has a first aid kit but there is an alternative, have you ever thought about assembling your own aromatherapy first aid kit? All you need is a good container marked Essential Oils, Alternative First Aid, or Aromatherapy to house the kit and keep your oils away from light, dampness and extreme heat so they don’t deteriorate. The three major oils to stash in your kit are eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree oil.

These three oils will aid with colds, wounds, burns, bruises, insect bites, muscle pain, fungal infections and much more. They can be dispensed in a number of ways depending on the need including directly from the bottle, in a carrier or base oil, in a steam bath, or on a compress. We will continue with more information about your alternative aromatherapy first aid kit as well as a few more essential oils to add to your stash in another post.

Shea butter is a 100% pure and natural cream containing vitamin A and vitamin E which has exceptional healing properties for the skin. The vitamin A in shea butter is important for improving skin conditions including blemishes, wrinkles, eczema, and dermatitis as well as properties that treat skin allergies, insect bites, sunburns, frostbites, and many other common skin conditions. The vitamin E in this rich creamy extract may serve as an anti-free radical agent that aids in preventing the harmful effects of the sun and environmental exposure on the skin.

Shea butter is derived  from the seed of the shea tree and is extracted and prepared without the use of chemicals. The best shea butter for skin use is prepared by cold press methods without the use of added chemicals or preservatives.

Did you know that you should eat your carrots because they can help you have great eyesight? This is something my grandmother used to tell me and I thought it was an old wives tale. Now I know 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.

Are you confused about whether to use an ointment, a lotion or a cream to relieve your dry skin? These terms describe the way skin care products are prepared. Ointments are prepared using oil and may stay on your skin longer but many people don’t like them because they are  greasy and don’t soak into the skin. Creams are less oily than ointments and can be made from natural products so they do soak into the skin easily. Lotions are water-based and get absorbed into the skin quickly, causing instant, but not long-lasting, relief. For longer-lasting relief, choose ointments or creams.

If you have dry or itchy skin, avoid using too much soap, antiperspirants,  hot baths or anything else that removes your natural oils. Skin dryness and itchiness is worse when the humidity is low and you should definitely avoid stress, too much exposure to the sun, and smoking or secondhand smoke.

Aromatherapy and romance are natural partners so it is logical that the seventh part in our series of essential oil uses in the home concerns the bedroom.  If you want essential oils that will keep your bedroom smelling dreamy and enhance the romantic experience, you will want to make a special blend and keep it separate from the regular household essential oil formulas. For a synergistic romantic bedroom blend, spray the following formula in the air and on carpets: 8 drops palma rosa, 1 drop ylang-ylang, 2 drops clary-sage, 2 drops nutmeg, and 4 drops of lime mixed in 2 ½ cups of water.

• Other great scents of a more general nature to use in the bedroom include chamomile, geranium, lavender, or lemon.
• If you have trouble sleeping, use a diffuser with a relaxing oil like chamomile or clary-sage on it.
• You can also wash, dry and store your linens with essential oils (see Essential Oils at Home V) to aid sleep.
• Put a cotton ball with one drop of your favorite scent on it in the corners of your bedroom closet.
• Use essential oils on drawer liners and also line the floor of your closet. Don’t use more than one or two drops of oil because you just want a subtle aroma to keep the air fresh, not enough to interfere with your perfume.

Essential oils can be used in the living room to freshen carpets, curtains, and furniture. Make a carpet freshener powder by mixing 1 drop of your favorite essential oil per tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda or borax powder. Add the essential oil to the powder and mix it well in a blender. Allow the mixture to sit overnight before using it the first time. You can make as much as you want to have on hand and store it in a zip lock bag or a sealed jar. To use the carpet freshener, sprinkle it on your carpet, leave it there for a few minutes, then vacuum. You can also add the powder directly to your vacuum bag to stop odor; add 8 drops of essential oil to a cotton ball and put it inside the bag each time you change it; or simply add 8 drops of essential oil directly onto the bag.

To get rid of streaks on freshly cleaned windows, bunch up a sheet of newspaper, put a drop of lemon, lime or grapefruit essential oil on it and polish the glass with this combination. The essential oil soaks into the newspaper and combined with the newsprint it removes streaks and creates a sparkling finish. You get an added bonus when the sun hits the glass and warms the essential oil releasing a subtle fragrance into the living room.

Make your own furniture polish and banish chemicals and synthetic fragrances from your home with this recipe: melt 8 ounces of plain unrefined beeswax in a double boiler, add 2 1/2 cups of room temperature turpentine and put it aside. Boil 2 1/2 cups water and add 2 ounces of grated pure soap (purchase at the health food store) or grated castile soap and stir until melted, then sit it aside until it is cool but still warm. Slowly add the warm soap and water to the beeswax and turpentine a little at a time stirring constantly. Now add 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice and blend the entire mixture well. Store your furniture polish in a tin can or a small ice cream carton (a Ben and Jerry’s carton will work well and you get to eat the ice cream first.) You only need a small amount at a time to polish your furniture and you will be greatly rewarded for your work by the fragrance of the essential oil and the shine of your furniture.

Lastly, you can use a plant mister spray filled with 2 1/2 cups of water and 8 drops of essential oil to freshen  furniture, curtains, and carpets. Since the living room is where you spend time with family and friends you will want to choose the right blend of essential oils. A calming synergistic blend includes 8 drops geranium, 3 drops clary-sage, 5 drops lemon, and 3 drops bergamot. A stimulating blend to use on a lazy afternoon includes 8 drops of grapefruit, 4 drops lavender, 4 drops lime and 2 drops of basil.

Before washers and driers, our ancestors laid their clothes on lavender or rosemary plants to dry so that the scent would permeate the garments. Today we can use essential oils in the washer, dryer, drawers, and closets to keep our clothes smelling nice and to receive even more benefits.

Add 3-5 drops of lemongrass or lavender to your rinse cycle water for wonderfully fresh smelling clothes. For a more alluring fragrance, add ylang-ylang essential oil to the final rinse. During the cold and flu season rinse your bed linens with eucalyptus, rosemary, or pine essential oil to relieve coughs throughout the night. Use a rinse of peppermint essential oil when your children have whooping cough. If insomnia is a problem, rinse linen and nightwear with marjoram, chamomile, or sweet orange blossom essential oil to aid sleep.

Add 2 drops of essential oil to a 4 inch square piece of material and put it in the dryer with your clothes. To infuse your garments with a fresh scent use lavender, rosemary, or bergamot; for a floral scent use geranium, or palma rosa; for a romantic or exotic scent use ylang-ylang, jasmine, or rose essential oil.

Other uses for essential oils with clothing include:

• Making a natural moth repellent by placing cotton balls with lavender, lemongrass, camphor, or rosemary essential oil on them between clothes in drawers.
• Making fragrant drawer liners with no chemicals by cutting blotting paper to drawer size and dotting it with essential oils. Brush the paper with orris root powder which acts as a fixative and then shake the powder off and place the liner in your drawer.
• Making a synergistic blend of 3 drops lavender, 2 drops sage and 5 drops of rosemary essential oil to add to sneakers and repel odor. Add this blend to a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture into sneakers and leave overnight for fresh smelling shoes the next morning. Don’t forget to tap the soda out in the morning or you will be walking around with puffs of smoke coming out of your shoes.

Kitchen smells run the gamut from the wonderful aroma of freshly baked cookies to the stinky smell of burnt popcorn. Kitchens have a trash area where garbage is tossed, a spot for wet coats and muddy boots, and a corner for dog bedding and the cat’s litter box. Essential oils are a natural alternative to commercial air sprays because they cleanse the air for you instead of masking odors; they are harmless to food, humans, and the ozone; and many of them are antibiotic and antifungal so they may even help keep you from getting sick.

• To cleanse kitchen surfaces add 4-6 drops of any one of the following essential oils to one pint of water: eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, lime, grapefruit, pine, or lemongrass. For a kitchen synergistic blend combine the following essential oils: 10 drops lavender, 15 drops lemon, and 5 drops eucalyptus. This mixture is disinfectant, antibacterial, and leaves a lovely fragrance when used on kitchen surfaces. You can add 8 drops of this formula to 2 1/2 cups of water in a plant spray bottle to spray the air or surfaces.
• To kill germs on dishtowels soak them in a bowl of boiling water and 1 drop of eucalyptus, thyme, tea tree, or lavender. Let the towels soak  until the water is cool then wash as usual. This will keep your towels germ and bacteria free.
• To lighten the chore of dishwashing and uplift your spirits at the same time, add 5 drops lime, 3 drops bergamot, 2 drops lavender, and 1 drop orange essential oil to your dishwashing liquid. The natural aroma of these essential oils will make a boring task take on a much lighter note. If you use a dishwasher, simply add 2 drops of lemon essential oil to the detergent you use in your machine and stir it before closing the door.

Essential oils lose their therapeutic properties after about two years but do not toss them out! Put two drops at a time down kitchen drains to create a nice scent when hot water runs down. Also use them in the water you use to wash windows and trashcans both inside and out. Essential oils make kitchen work safer and much more pleasant.