essential oils

How to Boost Your Mood with Citrus Oils

January 14, 2017 by Joni Leave a Comment

Citrus oils are fantastic!

Just smelling the aroma of citrus oils opens your mind and awakens your spirit, and it just so happens they are great for mood elevation and can also help alleviate stress.

On top of that, citrus oils have properties that can be used to help inflammation, depression, sepsis, and act as an aphrodisiac.

So many studies have been done on the different reactions people have to various smells by measuring vital signs and mental stimulation. When people were exposed to citrus oils, the participants showed immediate signs of lowered anxiety and stress and more relaxing readings.

Some other incredible benefits of citrus oils include improved digestion and reduced nausea. It is also effective to add these oils to your cleaning materials or make your own cleaning materials with them. They have a disinfecting quality and make your home smell great.

I always have a spray bottle with a citrus oil and water on the kitchen counter to disinfect and keep the kitchen sparkling!

When you are trying to lift your mood or just brighten your mind and day, use citrus oil directly on your skin (diluted with fractionated coconut oil), diffused into the air, or put them into a relaxing bath.

One of my favorite afternoon pick-me-ups is to diffuse peppermint and wild orange. The peppermint peps me up and the wild orange helps me stay in my mellow groove. If you don’t have a diffuser handy just put a drop of each in the palm of your hand, cup them and sniff away! 🙂

What’s your favorite citrus oil? For me it’s hard to pick a favorite. Lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, wild orange, bergamot…oh my! That’s why I have one of each on hand at all times, but I always make sure it is 100% pure. Yes, you really can smell the difference. 😉

An important word of caution: Some oils, especially the citrus oils, are photosensitive. When using a photo sensitizing oil, wait a minimum of six hours before exposing skin to UV rays. The stronger and more lengthy the UV ray, the longer the wait should be.

Oils for Mood Management

February 9, 2016 by Joni Leave a Comment

“We see the world not as it is…but as we are”

How’s your view? My view is a lot calmer and pleasant since I started using my oils daily for natural mood management.

Understanding essential oil use helps you seek natural options for your own wellness, to effectively manage your health on a day-to-day basis, and to have alternatives to manage health issues as they arise.

Essential oils support the body in a beautiful way when it comes to managing mood! Through the sense of smell, essential oils have the ability to affect our emotions. I think it’s often underestimated how powerful it is to use an aromatic approach – your olfactory nerves communicate with the limbic system which controls how you feel in your body.

Diffusing or directly inhaling essential oils is the most rapid and intense way to experience their influence on emotions.

We use the mood management oils every day in our home:

Grounding Blend (Balance): I apply every morning to pulse points. Keeps me grounded throughout the day.
Calming Blend (Serenity): On pulse points every morning and evening. Really helps keep me from amping up into Crazy Town.
Joyful Blend (Elevation): my daily perfume – on my aromatherapy necklaces and in my diffuser.
Wild Orange: Diffused in the mornings and as afternoon pick me up I toss in some Peppermint!

We’re all different and what works for me may not be your solution, but these oils are a great place to start. To learn more, or get started managing your wellness in a more natural way, contact me and we’ll get you started!

Tips to Relax from Holiday Hoopla

December 26, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Puh-wooooosh! That’s the sound of us all deflating after the holiday hustle. Do you feel it?

You’ve spent weeks rushing around and making sure you’ve gotten everything done for your friends and family, but there’s one gift left that you need to give yourself this season: the gift of a peaceful mind. If you could take just one day, or just part of one day, to relax your mind and body, you’ll be sure to close out this year on a good note. Here are some of my favorite ways to relax and recharge my peaceful mind batteries!

Tips to RELAX

Get Moving

Exercise is a fabulous stress and tension reliever. A nice walk outside is a great way to restore some peace of mind. If it’s too cold where you are, some yoga or simple heart rate boosting jumping jacks and pushups will do the trick. The exercise will increase your endorphins, which are known stress-reducers, and increasing blood flow helps you feel better, too.

Listen to Calming Music

Science backs me on this one. Scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. Plus, my own empirical data proves certain music is just the thing to soothe the savage beast inside. Choose soothing sounds, not jarring combinations of notes, and just let it work its magic!

Conscious Breathing

I know that deep breathing can reduce stress and promote relaxation, calm and inner peace. By paying attention to your breath, you will rapidly change your state of consciousness, begin to relax, and slowly detach from ordinary awareness. Try this breathing exercise and see for yourself!

Take a Warm Bath

Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of a nice, warm bath. Once you glide into the water and your muscles voluntarily relax, your tension floats away. Adding a few drops of lavender essential oil will melt your cares away even further. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a few moments of quiet alone time?

Essential Oils for Stress

Essential oils can be perfect for helping take the edge off your stress. Some of the best essential oils for this purpose are:
• Lavender
• Frankincense
• Chamomile
• Patchouli
• Wild Orange
(Find these 100% pure essential oils here.)
Some essential oils can be applied to the skin, but almost all can be used in essential oil diffusers.

Your Assignment

Some of us need permission to carve out some me-time. Well, here it is, Beautiful! Your decompress, relaxation plan for the post holiday hoopla. Go for a walk or get some sort of exercise to get your blood moving. Take a nice, warm soak in the tub with a few drops of lavender essential oil, as you are listening to your favorite relaxing music. While you are enjoying the soak, do some deep breathing exercises and feel the tension melt away.

When you are all finished, curl up on the couch with someone special and cuddle to your heart’s content! Being close to your loved one helps release oxytocin, and that helps reduce stress. Be sure to diffuse some relaxing essential oils while cuddling for added benefit.

If you follow my advice, the last few days of the year will feel much richer and clear your head to start setting intentions to make your new year FABULOUS!

Enjoy!

Humidifier, Vaporizer or Diffuser. . .

November 20, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Humidifier, Vaporizer or Diffuser…What’s The Difference?

Ready to diffuse your essential oils but not sure where to start? You’ve probably heard of humidifier and vaporizer, but the word diffuser may be new to you. There is a difference between the three, so think about them as tools used for different conditions. Here’s a simple explanation of the differences for your reference, and why you’ll want to make sure you always have a diffuser for essential oils.

The Basics

Humidifiers – vaporize water into the air. Increasing the amount of moisture in any one area. The ultimate purpose of a humidifier: To increase humidity by heating water and oils. Using oils with a humidifier can often “break apart” the full benefit you can receive from essential oils due to excess heat. Giving you less than a 100% effect.

Warning: Make sure your humidifier is actually made for the use of essential oils. Some EO’s can eat away at some plastics, and therefore ruin your machine. Be sure your machine is EO friendly.

Vaporizers – boil water, releasing moisture and steam into the air. Any liquid including that of essential oils when added to them will change into a vapor or a gas and be released into the air as a steam. The ultimate purpose of a vaporizer: Is to increase moisture and is used for individual inhaling treatment purposes by heating water and oils. Warning: Make sure you are using a vaporizer that is actually made for the of use essential oils. Some EO’s can eat away at some plastics, and therefore ruin your machine. Be sure your machine is EO friendly. If your vaporizer is not made for EO’s you can also lose the effectiveness of your oil.

Diffusers – are made up of many forms, shapes & sizes and are used almost solely for the purpose of diffusing EO’s for all types of aromatherapy purposes. This includes, but are not limited to: electric diffusers, ceramic diffusers, lamp rings, etc. Most Electric EO diffusers are designed to vaporize a micro fine mist, dispersing a cold air misting effect, scattering and spreading water molecules combined with EO’s. These very fine water droplets give the EO’s a ride in the air so to speak. Electric diffusers do not create heat to create “steam” to dispense oils. Ultimate Purpose of a Diffuser: Is to disperse essential oils into a large area to create a therapeutic effect on respiratory systems, and aromatic effect in any room.

Why should I diffuse?

I suppose it was presumptuous to think you already know the why. Maybe you do, but if not, here’s the scoop.

Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being.The inhaled aroma from these “essential” oils is widely believed to stimulate brain function. Essential oils can also be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream and can promote whole-body healing. It is used for a variety of applications, including pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive function. And now you know!

What should I diffuse?

I love to experiment and you should too! Here are some we’ve tried…

When Cassis or Cinnamon is diffused it can help with fevers, colds, flu, low vitality, chills and will support the digestive system.

Put a few drops of Eucalyptus in a diffuser to ease bronchitis, flu and hay fever.

Frankincense when diffused creates a YUMMY pleasant fragrance, yet at the same time may be beneficial with bronchitis, headaches and pneumonia.

If you’re plagued with headaches, mental exhaustion and depression, Grapefruit is a great pick-me-up.

Diffusing Lavender oil may support the body’s natural defense against airborne sensitivities to the skin and immune system. It can create a very relaxing atmosphere.

Lemongrass oil diffused can be used for nervousness and as an insect repellant. It is also great to revive the mind when feeling lethargic and to energize and relieve fatigue.

To promote sleep and feelings of peace, diffuse Marjoram. Can also prove to be beneficial when diffused for asthma, bronchitis, poor circulation, coughs, physical exhaustion, headaches, tension, insomnia, sinusitis, anxiety, nervous tension and stress.

Wild Orange when diffused can assist with colds, flu, nervous tension and relaxing for children at bedtime.

Diffuse Peppermint or Rosemary oil in the room while studying to improve concentration and accuracy.

If you want a calming and relaxing atmosphere, diffuse Ylang Ylang.

Diffuse Purify to clean the air and neutralize foul or stale odors.

To help stop nocturnal teeth grinding, diffuse Calming Blend while sleeping, also to calm overactive or hard-to-manage children.

And of course you can diffuse your favorite oil or blend of oils to enjoy a freshly scented room! Let me know if you have a favorite…