June is for Dads
And a happy Father’s Day to all the dads reading this. (Truth to tell, we have a lot more Moms in our readership, but we have a few.)
This newsletter contains:
June Specials Page Contents:
Blog Update
There has been little time for writing:
- In May Christi shared her experiences in treating Atopic Dermatitis in her dogs.
- I wrote a brief introduction to our staff. We’ve had some changes and wanted you to meet everyone.
- Already this month, Christi has vented a bit about some really basic safety concerns.
- And I shared a couple of recipes – on for a yummy summer cooler using our Rose Hydrosol.
Client Testing Panel:
We’re still evaluating toners for different skin types. If you would like to be one of our testers, go to our sampler page, and select the sample packs that fit your skin type. Please not more than one of each sampler pack per customer. In about two weeks you will receive an email asking you to evaluate the three samples in the pack or packs you ordered. We are counting on your input, so please, if you receive a sampler, answer our questionaire.
Our Clients Say:
Fragonia™
A customer from Rochester recently commented, “I typically do not remember dreams and those I do are memorable because they are frightening. Since I started applying Fragonia™, neat, to my third eye before retiring, I have slept more deeply, peacefully, and remembered many lovely and inspirational dreams.”
I’m another who doesn’t dream. (Yes, a sleep clinic, years ago, showed that I really do NOT dream in an average night.) I know when there is Fragonia™ (or Christi’s Relax Synergy) in the aromastone on my bedtable I have a lovely unbroken night’s sleep. May try it on my third eye to see what happens.
My eldest grandson is a sophmore in high school, and a dedicated basketball player. He also has asthma, which can drastically limit his ability to run up and down the court. Recently he had been struggling with his breathing and developed a deep, bronchial cough. His dad mentioned to me “I have to go refill the script for his inhaler.” I asked if he had tried using the inhaler I had made for him..one of our basic plastic inhalers, filled with Fragonia™. “No, we totally forgot about it.” A few days later I found out the cough was gone, he was breathing freely, and they hadn’t needed to fill the script for the inhaler! YES! (My family tends not to take what we do here seriously, so I love it when we can really make a difference with something for them.) One caveat on dealing with asthma and the aromatics. Asthma so often has an allergic component. And actually *any* essential oil could trigger an attack in someone who is allergic to that plant. So discretion is key. We have a blog article written about dealing with asthma.
SkeeterBeater:
Jennifer Chambers emailed with a question Sunday evening, and mentioned in passing:
My daughter is HIGHLY allergic to mosquitos and the Skeeter Beater is the ONLY product I have found that will keep them away. when I asked Jennifer about quoting her she replied: Absolutely! I’m very serious when I say that this is the only thing I have found! She won’t even go out the door after the sun starts to go down without saying “Mommy, I need my Skeeter Beater on”! She just turned 4 and has been using it since she was 2! If I can just find something to treat the bites that she infrequently receives (at random times during “non-mosquito” typical hours or, believe it or not, when one (1) flew in the door last week and I couldn’t find it inside the house – it bit her during the night 6 times!!).
I love hearing that! Knowing that we help. At least once a week we have an order from someone going on safari, it seems a LOT of safari guides are now suggesting they contact us and order. I wish I could tell them how much to buy, I honestly don’t know how much they will need.
Lemon Teatree: Anti-Funk!
Nina from Crystal Lake recently wrote:
Funny, I was thinking about sending you a lemon tea tree oil based recipe that I made up recently…
I call it Anti-funk-al Oil. It smells very lemony and I’m looking forward to trying it on my sock-free feet this summer to see if it keeps my footwear lemony fresh!
30 drops lemon tea tree oil
20 drops patchouli oil
10 drops spikenard oil4 oz carrier oil
(In the back and forth emails that followed I wondered about using Aloe instead of a carrier oil for cases of “funk” that just don’t seem to need oil on them…)
Nina wrote back:
I think aloe would be very nice…light and anti-funky…I just used what I had in stock to dilute the oils, as I was feeling rather funky, but if I ever get some aloe…
I forgot to mention that I use this on my pierced ears and on clogged pores as well…small places that can also be really funky, but not noticeably so, like feet can be.I thought this one up because I thought the patchouli and spikenard would be a good bridge between body-funk and the theraputic lemon scented tea tree that I suspected would make body-funk disappear!
Of course patchouli and spikenard are good for the skin as well…
Aloe Butter, and Harmony:
Alison Amick wrote in reply to our May newsletter:
Hi Marge,
I wanted to let you know how much I am loving the Aloe Butter! Especially the fast absorption. Thank you!
Quick question. Will you be offering a gift/travel kit of the Harmony products like you do the Cleopatra products? I like the Cleopatra products a lot during the winter but as the weather warms up it’s not the right fit. I’d love to be able to try all the Harmony products without the big commitment. I love that you are offering the toner samplers and will look forward to adding that in with my next order.
Thanks so much for all you do!
I just emailed Alison that the Harmony Travel Kit is now available on our new and special page.
Speaking of the Harmony Kit – we put a picture of the kit itself on the new and special page. We all fell in love with the tiny pots we used to package the Harmony Masque. I’m going to include a picture 10 ml jar here. We’re wondering if any of our clients would want us to make these wee pots available on our bottles and jars page. (You do know that we make all of the bottles and packaging that we use for our products available on our Bottles and Jars page for your use, right?)
The sort of thing that makes our day:
Jane Pinder wrote:
I just want to extend my appreciation for the service you provide at naturesgift. The quality of your products are amazing and you’re most generous with the free samples. I’ll definitely be getting the lemon verbena when it becomes available. The sandalwood is divine, by the way. Good quality essential oils have such a powerful transformative effect on one’s mood and spirit. Getting a box from naturesgift is like Christmas! Jane
Facebook Gleanings:
(Because sometimes we post snippets on Facebook that don’t make it to our blog…only BIG writings get to the blog 😉
%-age Dilutions:
Something I just learned; Someone emailed asking about diluting our samples. I answered…and then the light came on: A rule of thumb: the number of drops you add to one teaspoon of carrier tells the % dilution. 1 drop would be a 1% dilution. 2 drops, 2%, etc. (This only works with one measuring teaspoonful of carrier.) For diluting in larger quantities you did know that we have a dilution chart at the top of our “how to use essential oils” file, didn’t you?
Drink more water:
I often add a splash of one of the “foody” hydrosols to a glass of water — Melissa, peppermint, Spearmint, Lemon Verbena, etc. (My daughter’s favorite is Lemongrass). Dr. Oz gives this recipe for Lemon Peppermint Ice Cubes:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups lemon juice
15 peppermint leavesDirections: Freeze peppermint leaves in lemon juice in an ice cube tray. Add 3 cubes to every glass of water at least 3 times a day, or with meals.
Anti-fungal Palma Rosa:
Palma Rosa in Aloe Gel for Athlete’s Foot has worked in our household… more info about this neglected oil here. (An article from the very first edition of an NEW Aromatherapy Journal.)
Hospice Story:
A lot of our clients work in Hospice situations. This story touched my heart, and I’m sharing for them.
Weed Killer:
Use Vinegar instead of Roundup: http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2011/06/got-weeds-use-vinegar-not-roundup/ Warning, only use this tip on areas where you do not want ANYTHING to grow… down the middle of the driveway, for example.
That’s the sort of thing we share on Facebook.
Hints Tips and Formulas:
Since we’ve put our Sandalwood Collections on sale this month, I thought you might enjoy some recipes featuring Sandalwood.
Diane Pierce’s Yoga Blend. Diane’s website has been down for some time and I’ve lost contact with her, but I’m sure she’d not mind my sharing her
Yoga Blend for Meditation
The Yoga Blend is called “Meditation for Inner Peace” my creation:o)
Please enjoy it, you will find a great euphoric day ahead of you too:o)
Frankincense 6 drops
Sandalwood 10 drops
Neroli 2 drops
blend in 1/2 oz of sweet almond oil
place drop on wrist, back of hands, between your eye brows (3rd eye, center
of forehead)
and 2 drops on back of neck. rub into skin gently, begin deep breathing.
Wonderful!
Dragons Blood Scent Blend
2 parts (drops, teaspoons, etc.) sandalwood
1 part frankincense
1 part myrrh
1 part rose absolute
1 part patchouli
Angels Whispers
12 drops Bulgarian lavender
6 drops sweet orange
4 drops Roman chamomile
4 drops ylang ylang
3 drops sandalwood
(This just sounds wonderfully relaxing.)
Loving Heart Blend
5 drops rose absolute or rose otto
5 drops sandalwood
3 drops jasmine grandiflora absolute
2 drops sweet orange
4 drops bergamot FCF
1 drop ylang ylang Complete (may substitute Extra)
2 drops Roman chamomile
My Favorite Massage Blend
Sandalwood (your choice, if you choose Indonesian, you will need less than if you choose Vanuatu. I would not use Australian.)
Rose Otto 10% (either.)
Blend to taste. I like equal parts, or perhaps 2 drops rose 10% to one drop Sandalwood. The gentleman I have massaged with it loved about 8 drops Sandalwood to 1 or 2 drops Rose 10%. Blend what you think you will like, let stand for a few hours. Does it need more Rose? More Sandalwood? When you have it just right. (I hope you’ve been writing down the number of drops you have used. You DO want to be able to do this again!)
For a full body massage, add 15 drops of your chosen blend to one fluid ounce of Carrier Oil. (I always use Fractionated Coconut.
One could even make two versions of this…His and Hers…with a bit more Sandalwood for him, and a bit more Rose for her. Every Christmas and Valentines Day we talk about offering these, and never have time to put them together. Maybe next year 😉
From one of our “hints and tips” files:
The Sandalwood Body Envelope:
(a wonderful after shower oil!)
Add 3 drops of Orange (or Mandarine, my thought!) 1 drop Rose 2 drops Sandalwood to 1/2 ounce of your favorite massage base oil, and envelop yourself in the Sandalwood Body Envelope…or better yet, have someone else envelop you in it!
© 2000 DonnaMaria Coles Johnson, shared with permission. I highly recommend it!
Shangri-La massage and/bath oil base.
sandalwood 10 drops
rose absolute 20 drops
ylang ylang complete 10 drops
benzoin oil 10 drops
rosewood oil 5 drops
sweet orange oil 5 drops
This should give you 3 mls (60 drops) of base blend.
I would add to 27 mls Fractionated Coconut oil for a 10% dilution for perfume, to apply to pulse points.
Note… almost any of the above blends would be wonderful added to any of our salts (which are on sale this month!)… I think particularly the Himalayan Pink Crystal salts would be lovely. Remember, you want to use between 8and 10 drops of your blend per bath.
A reminder of our Charity of the Quarter
Midwives on Missions of Service travel to the poorest parts of the world to share information on safer pregnancies and birthing methods, to help improve the lives of women and children.
from their website:
MOMS is a non-profit, non-denominational organization whose purpose is to improve maternal health through education and service.
How we fulfill our mission:
Prepare women to educate and support their communities, especially the pregnant women in those communities
Train women in the skills and knowledge they need to support local women in normal birth
Promote effective maternity care to all women
Our Philosophy of Mission:
We serve marginalized women. We have a vision of improving women’s and children’s lives by helping provide excellent maternity care. We stay focused on serving women and preparing them to support their communities skillfully. With our experience in effective management, we also think creatively. We act responsibly with the trust our donors and clients have given us. We like to have fun, not taking ourselves too seriously, while taking MOMS’ work very seriously.
Aromatic Quote of the Month
“It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes,
And pleasant scents the noses.”
— Nathaniel Parker Willis
(Christi found that for us six years ago. It just delighted me then, and still does!)
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