Applying warm oil to your scalp and skin may sound icky at first, but the relaxing and beauty benefits you reap from it are well worth any challenges and disbelief. The very application of oil involves heating it to a comfortable temperature and then using massaging motions to apply it—whether to the scalp and hair roots, or to the skin.
Many stay away from anything homemade and organic when it comes to beauty, usually because of the exhaustive list of ingredients and the many steps involved in making them. So why don’t we take the pain out of beauty from the gardens, and leave you with just the joys of good skin and pure ingredients? Here are 10 very easy face masks with just one (or two, we promise!) ingredients that help you achieve your skin goals the organic way.
When I first studied aromatherapy and learned that perfumery was part of the course I thought “Well, that part’s going to be boring.” Perfumery is now my favorite part of aromatherapy. Natural perfumes are fun to make and the more developed your nose gets from blending, the more nuanced your perfumes will be.
Most of us will do the kitchen-made masks and massage creams but may stay away from essential oils—believing them to be too potent to use on the skin. That is a mistake. If used correctly, essential oils can prove to be a natural, organic and skin-nourishing tactic in aging gracefully without showing much of it on your skin!
Sleep pillows are a sweet way to help when a restless mind or body, recurrent anxiety dreams, or even outright nightmares are keeping you awake. The use of sleep pillows is not new. “Dilly pillows” stuffed with dill, lavender, and other relaxing aromatic herbs were traditionally used to help babies relax and fall asleep. Sleep pillows also make great gifts, something to keep in mind as the holidays approach.
Recently, a client was hauling it very quickly down a hill on his road bicycle and took a trip over the handlebars. Unfortunately, spandex doesn’t do much to protect the skin and he wound up with some pretty nasty road rashes, something most cyclists are familiar with (or may be at some point if not yet).
Essential oils are immensely useful and are loads of fun to work with, sniff, and collect. I usually have about 80 of them at any given time! Essential oils are very concentrated aromatic oils that are distilled or pressed from plants. Similar oils, called absolutes, are obtained via solvent extraction from more delicate botanicals like tuberose and jasmine (more on these in a future article).
Tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, and its popularity in America seems to continue to rise. The thousands of tea varieties available, from traditional caffeinated teas to herbal infusions, can make choosing one overwhelming.
What Ayurveda prescribes as summer skin care is not so different from what experts claim today, but it does give you some organic alternatives to skin care that help you keep away from harsh chemicals and more…
Floral waters are distilled water infused with the essence of flowers. There are so many different kinds of floral waters, but two all time favorites are rose and lavender. They're extremely versatile and can be used for more things than you may think. Wonder how they're formed?