essential oil

Wednesday Giveaway!

by admin on April 7, 2011 · 9 comments

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Ok, ok, we know it’s really Thursday, but we’re positive you’ll love this giveaway even though it’s a little late. What better time of year than tax season to take a little time for yourself and just relax? We’ve put together a few of our products to help you do just that. One lucky winner will receive:

Lavender Massage Oil: Great for a therapeutic massage. You can also add a few drops to your bath for a penetrating and aromatic soak.

Lavender Soy Votive: This candle has a low burn point so when the candle melts it does not burn to the touch. You can massage the melted wax into your cuticles and your skin. It will also fill your room with the peaceful scent of Lavender.

“Being Peace” by Thich Nhat Hanh: “If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Need we say more?

You can enter the giveaway by answering the question below in the comment section of this post. Double your chances by commenting on our FB page too! Our giveaway will be live through Sunday. Monday morning we will pick a winner at random and announce it here on our blog and on our FB page.

Question: When life is hectic what do you do to center yourself and restore your inner peace?

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Why Hydrotherapy Gets a Good Wrap

by Leslie Billera on October 21, 2010 · 0 comments

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Hydrotherapy is the therapeutic use of water, steam and ice. For centuries, hydrotherapy has been used to treat injuries and a wide range of illnesses. Whether it’s used for something serious or as a mental stress reliever (which, let’s face it, can also be ‘serious’), hydrotherapy is a wonderful way to unwind.

The three types of hydrotherapy are cold water, hot water and alternating between the two.

In warmer climates, we tapped into the benefits of cold-water therapy. With temps going down, hot water therapy takes center-stage.  Hot water:

  • Stimulates the immune system
  • Increases circulation
  • Calms and relaxes the body
  • Soothes nerves

Alternating between hot and cold water treatments have been found to alleviate upper respiratory congestion and stimulate organ function through improved circulation.

That’s a Wrap!

One hydrotherapeutic technique usually reserved for the spa can be easily done at home – with the help of a friend or special someone.  A body wrap can help you lose inches, speed up metabolism, purge toxins from your body and best of all – simply slow you down.

To do a DIY body wrap, you’ll need:

Follow these steps to hydrotherapeutic bliss:

1. Exfoliate arms, legs and torso in a circular motion. Rinse off in the shower or use washcloths

2. Apply essential oil moisturizing in circular motions. Take your time and enjoy putting it on.

3. Wrap legs and torso in plastic wrap, leaving arms free

4. Lie down on a flat surface. Place wool blanket over your body, and lie heating pad on top of that.

5. Breath deep, sweat, and detoxify for 15 minutes.

6. Cut yourself out of plastic wrap with safe scissors.

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Mano-a-Mano

by Leslie Billera on October 5, 2010 · 0 comments

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Are you hands in fighting form?

The term mano-a-mano  – translated in Spanish as “hand to hand” – originated with bullfighting and refers to a knock-down, drag-out direct confrontation.

Hopefully, your mitts don’t need to be on that level of fighting condition…but they do need some TLC from time to time.  In these DIY recipes, organic lavender partners with other non-toxic ingredients to keep your fingers frisky and fresh.

Before you get creative, don’t forget one of the easiest, chemical-way to clean fingernails – a toothbrush and good old-fashioned baking soda dipped in water! This is a quick way to refresh your digits, kind of like mouthwash for your hands!

Give a Hand for Lavender Love

Hand Rescue Cream: yields 5 oz.

Ingredients:

How to: Melt beeswax in a pan. Add the lemon juice and oils and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Transfer to a jar. Shake occasionally until the cream is cooled and uniform. Use as an all-natural hand cream every day.

Manicure in a Jar: yields 4 oz.

Ingredients:

How to: Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and transfer to a wide-necked jar so you can easily gain access with your fingertips. One by one, dip your fingertips into the jar, massaging the sugary mixture gently into cuticles and knuckles. Julie Gabriel, the creator of this yummy recipe, recommends waving your hands gently to please your senses. Then, briskly immerse your hands in warm water to remove excess oil. Dry your hands and apply Hand Rescue Cream.

Recipe Source: the green beauty guide, by Julie Gabriel

If you opt for a professional manicure, consider how your salon measures up on the green front.

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Cooking Good!

by Leslie Billera on September 21, 2010 · 0 comments

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Combine your love of culinary arts with your concern for toxin-free personal care and you’ve got The Green Beauty Recipe Book.

Julie Gabriel – green beauty aficionado and resource for many DIY recipes we’ve posted using organic lavender – is at it again. Her newest tome is a hands-on how-to devoted to homemade bath and beauty that will help you keep both gorgeous and green.

A Cookbook with a Catch

If you’re ready to craft all-natural and organic lotions and potions from your very own kitchen, this is the book for you. The catch? Less ka-ching at the beauty counter – more pure goodness at your finger tips (and on your face, neck, arms, etc.).

With The Green Beauty Recipe book at your side, you will:

  • Get guidance on formulating your own cosmetic products to minimize the risk of irritation and achieve maximum benefits for your skin condition
  • Learn the (dirty) secrets of the cosmetic industry
  • Create your own beauty products without chemicals using only natural ingredients
  • Discover which vegetable oils, herbs, floral waters, essential oils, plant-based emulsifiers, and natural preservatives to use
  • Push the envelope by packing and labeling your very own beauty products
  • Get tips for safe storage
  • Choose from over 250 recipes based on your own personal beauty desires and dilemmas – and learn how to combine all natural ingredients for best results
  • Purge phthalates, parabens, and other toxic chemicals from your bath and beauty routine forever
  • Learn about active botanicals, vitamins, minerals, and other formerly mysterious ingredients that are perfect for your homemade beauty products.

Whether you’re a curious first-time DIY-er, or an experienced beauty practitioner, Julie’s new book (available from her website)  has something in it for you.

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Breathe, Be and Believe: Empower Yourself with Essential Oils

by Leslie Billera on August 26, 2010 · 0 comments

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Essential oils positively purify three critical areas of your physical well-being: lungs, body and mind.

The Aromatherapy Bible, by Gill Farrer-Halls, cites the following benefits in his info-packed, go-to guide for all things aromatherapeutic:

  • Lungs: The cleansing breaths you take at your favorite spa put you instantly at ease: that’s essential oils at work. Essential oils replace waste products like carbon dioxide with oxygen and essential oil particles, truly clarifying every breath you take.
  • Body:  Once soaked into skin, essential oil circulates around the bloodstream, traveling to different organs and body systems. Extra bonus: different essential oils have a therapeutic affinity for certain organs. Rose essential oil, for example, is known to have a regulating effect on the uterus.  Lavender, when taken internally as a tea, has been known to help upset stomach, gallbladder and liver problems
  • Mind: Essential oils have powerful mental, emotional and psychological effects. Lavender alleviates anxiety, depression and nervousness – no chemicals, nothing synthetic. Try this holistic approach and watch your mood lift and your frazzled nerves unwind.

Put the power of essential oils to work for you – whether it’s organic lavender (as always, our vote!) or something else and add a true scent-sation to your personal care routine!

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Seek Out Essential Green Clean!

by Leslie Billera on August 14, 2010 · 0 comments

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In our 3-part lifestyle series, we’ve covered clothing (organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and more!) and bedding (those marvelous organic mattresses). Less fabulous – but equally fundamental – is green cleaning.

Whether you scrub up at home yourself – or hire someone to do it – you should know that when it comes to clean, you could be living the ultimate irony: spreading dirty chemicals around in the name of clean. One example: antibacterial cleaning products are actually registered with the EPA as pesticides. Does that sound like healthy clean to you?

Western cultures spend up to 90% of our time indoors, so clean indoor air really counts. A clean green home is free of dirt and germs – but also free of toxic pollution. You can use the following ingredients – many of which you may already have in your cabinets – to create powerful DIY cleaning products (great cleaning recipes are easily found using a simple google search):

  • White distilled vinegar: Use white distilled vinegar with 55% acetic acid; vinegar disinfects, deodorizes, loosens dirt, removes mineral deposits and more…
  • Baking soda: Look for baking soda that is “pure” or 100% sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is abrasive enough to scrub off dirt and stains; deodorizes carpets, drains and fridges; and softens fabric in the wash cycle.
  • Borax and washing soda: These alkaline minerals are stronger than baking soda so wear gloves. They brighten your wash, can be used to scrub stubborn stains from counters or bathtubs, kill mold and make toilet bowls sparkle.
  • Soap and water: Experts agree that soap and water are less harmful than antibacterial products – many of which include triclosan – and are just as effective. Good old soap and water can clean everything from counter top to carpet to fabric stains. Don’t forget the basics when it comes to building your green cleaning arsenal!
  • Vinegar: Kills 99% of bacteria and is not registered as a pesticide (afterall, you can cook with it too!). Use it in laundry, household filters, cutting boards…pretty much anything, safely and easily!
  • Lavender Oil: Self-promotion aside, lavender is truly one of your critical green cleaning ingredients. Add it to all-purpose or glass cleaner or dilute with water to make a lovely antibacterial spray and spread aromatherapeutic love all over your home. 100% essential oil comes in dark glass containers; be sure to avoid the synthetic versions!

Let us know what all-natural, toxin free cleaner you use at home, right here!

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Make Your Own Lavender Sleep Pillow

by Leslie Billera on July 17, 2010 · 0 comments

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Tossing and turning? Here’s a do-it-yourself, all-natural way to catch some zzzs – and float away on sweet-smelling dreams!

This mini-pillow should be placed between pillow and pillowcase, and laid on with your head to release the therapeutic aromas.

What you need:

1 cup dried hops

1 cup dried lavender buds

¼ cup dried thyme leaves

3 Tbsp. cellulose chips (cellulose chips are fixatives used to absorb essential and fragrance oils and then slowly release them)

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops bergamot essential oil

Two fabric pillows 6 inches square, each with one end open – why not make it organic cotton?

How to:

In a glass bowl or measuring cup, mix the essential oils into the cellulose chips. Cover and set aside overnight. The next day, mix in the dried herbs. Place half of the mixture into each fabric pillow and sew or fasten the open end closed with lace, ribbons or a simple sewing thread.

From: Natural Beauty Basics, by Dorie Byers, R.N.

Note that these essential oils are also known for their relaxing aromas – feel free to swap one or more into your pillow based on  your personal preferences:

  • Clary sage
  • German chamomile
  • Patchouli
  • Rose
  • Basil
  • Neroli
  • Sandalwood
  • Tangerine
  • Myrrh
  • Orange
  • Frankincense
  • Cedarwood

What all-natural sleep remedies lull you to sweet slumber? Let us know here!

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De-Stress with a Self Massage

by Leslie Billera on July 15, 2010 · 0 comments

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We’d all love to dash over to the nearest deluxe spa for massage treatments a couple of times a week.

But who has the time – not to mention the cash flow – to do it as frequently as our levels of stress demand?

Hands On Control

Wiggle these treatments into your daily schedule – after you get home for work, or maybe on your lunch break in your office or cubicle.

Not only will these self-massages refresh and relax you, they’ll give you a jump start for what’s next.

Face It!

We think of stress as building up in shoulders, neck and back…but your face holds it own tension. Follow these steps to a simple facial massage:

1. Sweep your hands over your face and lightly tap your fingers against your skin.

2. Place an index finger on each side of the sinus cavity (the bridge of your nose) and gently sweep downward.

3. Take your index finger and middle finger on each hand and place them on your temples, gently rubbing them in small circles.

Optional: Use a droplet of Napa Valley Bath’s Organic Lavender Massage oil and tap into lavender’s calming effect.

Back Up

Don’t let the stress that builds up in your back lead to serious back injury down the road. Work it out now for a healthier back later.

1. Take a medium-sized ball and place it between your shoulders and a wall.

2. Bend your knees and slowly roll the ball up and down your back.

3. Feel the tension in your back dissipate.

Nectar for Your Neck

Anxiety and stress can cause muscle tension in your neck. Rolling your neck in a circle from time to time during the day is a simple and effective stretch. Try this quick neck massage too:

1. Use both of your thumbs and find the indentation where your neck meets your shoulders.

2. Gently press your thumbs into the indentation and rub slowly.

If time and location allow, light a soy burning candle and set the mood. Soy burns cleaner than traditional paraffin candles. We recommend our Organic Lavender Soy Massage candle for its glowing aromatherapy (and you can use the melted soy as a massage oil!).

Do you have a quick fix for stress relief? Let us know your favorite ways to de-stress right here!

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Rub a Dub Dub: The Benefits of Bath-Taking

by Leslie Billera on July 10, 2010 · 0 comments

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I consider bathing the comfort food of cleanliness. A decadent soak in a warm bath spurs a host of beautiful – and very real – benefits…

  • Water suspends your weight, enabling your muscles to relax as you take on a lighter sense of physical being
  • Your blood pressure safely decreases in response to your blood vessels dilating from the warmth
  • Sore joints – if you have them – feel more relaxed
  • Tension just seems to melt away
  • In cooler temps, a warm bath becomes a special way to warm both body and spirit

Ingredients in a glorious green bath include milk, salts and fragrant oils – forget about detergent-based bath foams. When it comes to bathing ingredients, less is definitely more.

Consider some of the ingredients we opt for in our bathing milks and teas:

  • Organic mustard – an amazing detoxifier
  • Organic buttermilk – high in fat, buttermilk is an amazing skin softener
  • Dead sea salts – cleanses and detoxifies and an absorber of essential oils
  • Organic lemon and rosemary essential oils – therapeutic aromatherapy
  • Lavender – the ultimate cure for insomnia
  • Chamomile – relaxes and uplifts spirits
  • Calendula – a skin-soothing botanical

Is it any surprise why the Romans made bathing a vital social event of every day life?

One Stipulation for Soaking…

Make sure that the bath water is no hotter than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celcius) and that you soak no longer than 20 minutes. Prolonged bathing – even with the most natural and luxurious bathing salts, teas and milk – can dry out the skin, so stay within these guidelines for maximum benefits.

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Get Misty with Rose & Lavender

by Leslie Billera on June 22, 2010 · 0 comments

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We’ve waxed poetic about organic lavender. We’ve hailed lavender hydrosol for its healing properties. And we’ve even extolled the virtues of lavender in food, both sweet and savory.

But once and a while, we recognize that other worthy floral blooms offer their own contribution to our bath and body routine.

A Rose By Any Other Name…

Like lavender, rose water – or rose hydrosol – soothes irritated skin. It is considered a mild, natural sedative that can act as an anti-depressant. And rose is used in treatments to ease everything from nervous tension to peptic ulcers to heart disease.

This Lavender-Rose Sweet Water Mist is a multi-tasker extraordinaire.  Mix up this DIY recipe and use it to…

  • Repel moths and other insects before winter storage
  • Promote rest and relaxation before bedtime when spritzed on your pillowcase
  • Give your clothes a lovely lift when used as a mist before ironing (see you later spray starch!)
  • Use your favorite lavender essential oil from Napa Valley Bath!

So without further ado, here is a great DIY recipe for yourself, or to make as a gift for a friend or loved one…

Lavender-Rose Sweet Water Mist

Ingredients:

- 4 ounces rose hydrosol (available at natural-foods stores)
- 1 ounce distilled water
- 1 tablespoon 150- to 190-proof alcohol, such as brandy, unflavored vodka, or grain alcohol
- 10 drops vegetable glycerin
- 45 drops lavender essential oil

How To:

In a small spray mister, combine rose hydrosol, water, alcohol, vegetable glycerin, and lavender essential oil. Cover and shake well to blend.

source:   WholeLiving.com

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