«   Back to List View

2003 08: Aromatherapy Newsletter August 2003

President’s Letter

Dear Aroma Friends,

July has been a busy month for all of us at Green Valley. It saw the printing of our new book ” Aromatherapy Essentials“, which is now available. The new full colour catalogue with many new products finally went to print and will be mailed out at the beginning of this month. I must acknowledge that all the staff at Green Valley have put their blood, sweat and tears into getting it all together. As we had to have photos of the new products, we decided to take new photos of the staff as well, seeing as the last ones were a little outdated and there have been new additions to our “family”. We had quite a job getting the “perfect” picture with bad hair days, minor eruptions of the facial kind, and, for some, the total dislike of having their picture taken. Despite it all I think we managed quite well, so be sure to check out our new staff photos at the back of the catalogue.

Due to our ever-expanding business, we are planning major renovations. We will be increasing the shipping and production areas and moving the offices to the upper floor of the building. We don’t anticipate any interruptions in business.

It feels strange in this hot July weather, to be thinking about preparing for the Christmas season, but it is constantly being brought up as we consider new products to add for that period. Watch for our Christmas Gift Ideas flyer in October to see what all the excitement is about!

I forgot to mention in my last letter, that our Relay Team the “Tarts 4 Life” participated in the Canadian Cancer Society”s “Walk For Life” in June and we raised over $1200 for Cancer Research. Great fun was had by all and a special thank you goes to Bobbi for her organizational efforts.

Here’s to an exceptional August and be sure to take time to stop and smell the roses.

Barb Greenwood
President & CEO

Aromatherapy is Great for Men Too!

Even though women have a greater number of scent receptors available to them, men can also benefit greatly from the use of essential oils. Whether it is used to help the body relax or wake up, boost the immune system or even act as a natural aphrodisiac, aromatherapy can be one of the most helpful, natural and convenient therapies available.

Our society has typically been structured in such a way as to disallow men their ability to listen to their body”s biological signs. The usual result of such denial is a system crash of major proportion. For some men this crash is a wake up call, reminding them that they are NOT immortal and/or made of steel. They finally understand the necessity of honoring their body’s needs and caring for themselves appropriately.

This usually means a lifestyle overhaul including diet, exercise and stress management techniques. Aromatherapy and essential oils can help with many of these categories, thus the focus of this month”s newsletter.

Here you will find tips and tricks as well as recipes (including what to do with your creations once you’ve made them). While it may feel a little foreign to implement these measures initially, if you can commit to adding aromatherapeutic products into your life for only two weeks, you will find these subtle nuances will be indelibly interwoven into your existence.

Enjoy!

“Essentials” for Sports

Ok, so you’ve decided to make the commitment to begin working out in earnest. Good for you! Before you throw yourself behind creating a well muscled physique or running a half marathon, here are a few ways essential oils can help make your transition from flab to fab less painful and more enjoyable!

Before heading off to the gym (or on your run) make up a blend of 10 drops each Eucalyptus essential oil (globulus), Rosemary essential oil and Geranium essential oil. Add this to 60ml of carrier oil and massage into your muscles. This blend can help to reduce inflammation that may be present once you begin the process of utilizing muscles that haven”t been called upon to perform in a long time. It can help improve your circulation, give you a mental boost and bring oxygen back to starving cells.

Once you return from your workout and head into the shower, you may wish to expand on the benefits your previous blend initiated. After a thorough scrubbing to stimulate your skin, and a light toweling off, massage the following blend into the muscles you targeted (tortured) during your workout to help disburse any lactic acid build up and help improve overall circulation. Blend together Eucalyptus essential oil (globulus), Tea Tree essential oil and Rosemary essential oil (10 drops each) and add to 60ml of vegetable oil. This blend is only meant for specific muscles as opposed to a full body massage.

Working out can be difficult enough (especially when you are beginning from scratch!) so why not add some interesting and healthful benefits to your program by utilizing the healing powers of essential oils. What have you got to lose except perhaps, excessively painful muscles?

Oil Profile: Lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon citrates)

This scented grass is native to India but is now also grown in the West Indies, Indonesia, Sri Lanka as well as parts of Africa. It can grow to be three or more feet high and once harvested the grass is cut into small pieces to make the process of extracting the oil through steam distillation that much more efficient.

Lemongrass essential oil is a powerful antiseptic and bactericide. It is also known as an anti-oxidant, analgesic, deodorant, fungicide, insecticide and tonic. It is useful for athlete’s foot (especially when combined with Tea tree). Like all lemon scented oils, Lemongrass essential oil makes a good insect repellent and may be used alone or in combination with other insect repelling oils. Due to its fresh aroma this is a great oil to diffuse in the hot summer months to help keep the bugs out of your home. Lemongrass is also useful in men”s skincare due to its’ astringent properties, making it a natural for aftershave treatments (see our recipe section).

Other uses for Lemongrass are: muscular aches and pains, circulation, colitis, indigestion, fevers, infectious illnesses, headaches, nervous exhaustion and other stress related disorders.

Be aware that this oil may irritate sensitive skin so use sparingly.

General properties

  • antibacterial
  • antimicrobial
  • antioxidant
  • antiseptic
  • astringent
  • deodorant
  • digestive tonic
  • insecticidal

Aromatherapy uses: May help with illness recovery, infections, headaches, fevers, respiratory problems, sore throats, oily skin and acne. Lemon grass is used to energize and stimulate circulation.

Ways to use: Diffuser, massage, bath, compress, inhalation, footbath and lotion.

Product Highlight: Hand Blown Glass Amphorae

Glassmaking is one of the true ancient arts. In 1450 B.C. the Egyptians were making vessels by wrapping softened glass rods around a sand cone. These vessels were used to contain perfume oils, lotions and medicines.

Using a procedure similar to the ancients, a Canadian artist has created these vessels using fine Italian glass, melted in a flame and hand sculpted to form each unique piece – a beautiful, functional form of art never to be replicated.

To use these sculptures, simply remove the cork and drop in the essential oil, or blend of oils of your choosing. Replace the cork firmly and carry on about your day. While wearing your vessel, minute particles of oil will permeate the cork for your enjoyment and well-being.

Did You Know?

When essential oils are applied externally there are two main ways by which they reach the blood stream: via absorption through the skin and through inhalation by the diffusion of the oil’s molecules across the alveoli in the lungs.

When we inhale them, the aromatic molecules of the essential oils pass through the nose, over the olfactory bulb and into the lungs where they diffuse across these tiny air sacs (the alveoli) and are then passed into the surrounding blood capillaries, eventually finding their way into the systemic circulatory system.

While many of us know that our skin is capable of excretion, what we may not be aware of is its ability to absorb. The molecular structure of essential oils is small enough to pass through the hair follicles and diffuse into the bloodstream or into the lymph and interstitial fluid, the liquid surrounding all body cells. Skin can be made more receptive to absorbing essential oil molecules by the action of massage, after soaking in a warm bath, or after heavy physical exertion.

So, whether you choose inhalation or direct application, know that your body is indeed receiving the benefits from your chosen oils.

Congratulations!

Green Valley would like to offer our congratulations to one of our customers, Leanne, on the birth of her new son Daniel. While giving birth Leanne used the following blend and she swears it made her journey into motherhood that much easier. Mother and baby are both doing well.

The Birthing Blend

Add to 30ml of carrier oil

Online Poll Results

How do you use essential oils?

  • 25% – Diffusers
  • 18% – Massage oil
  • 16% – In the bath
  • 30% – In handmade products
  • 4% – Direct inhalation
  • 2% – Other

Recipes!

Sports Splash

Combine in a 60ml spray bottle and shake well. Use after shaving or to cool the skin.

Athletes Foot Blend

Combine in 5ml bottle and shake to blend well. This product can then be added to witch hazel (1 drop per ml of your carrier) for a foot spray, or blended into Epsom salts for a foot soak (5 drops per 1/2 cup of salts).

Muscle Strain Blend

Blend well in a 5ml bottle. This blend can then be added to a carrier oil and used for massage. Blend at a rate NO MORE than 15 drops of this blend to 30ml of carrier oil due to the potential for irritation of some of these oils when used in higher concentrations.

Quotes

“Dream as if you”ll live forever; live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”
– James Dean

“Men for the sake of making a living, forget to live.”
– Margaret Fuller

“No man is such a conqueror as the man who has defeated himself.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

*This is educational information and any opinions expressed here-in do not replace professional medical advice. If you are ill, see a suitably qualified medical practitioner.*

All articles on this website are copyright Green Valley Aromatherapy Ltd. If you wish to reprint any article from Green Valley Aromatherapy’ website in your ezine, website, blog, forum, RSS feed or print publication, you must first agree to the conditions of our article reprint policy.

SHARE ON