Nature’s Gift MARCH Newsletter
Leap Year Day, and St. Paddy’s Day, the Equinox, and (we hope) the end of Winter. Lots to celebrate this month.
This newsletter contains:
Infused Oils
I had been taught that infusing blossoms repeatedly in a carrier oil can give a truer aromatic profile than an absolute or a distillation. Our new Blue Lotus is SO much more floral than the absolute we’ve offered for years. I fell in love when we sampled it and have been waiting since before Christmas for this aromatic treasure to arrive. Intensely aromatic, it works as a perfume or for a spiritual anointing oil. Also, less intense, coconut oil infused with blossoms of our beloved Golden Champa. A wonderful after bath moisturizer.
Floral Hydrosols – Jasmine (Motia), Golden Champa, and Parijat (Nightblooming Jasmine Tree) hydrosols from our Indian producer. For him – Cedarwood Hydrosol – wonderful for skin and hair care, and a wonderfully masculine aroma.
SPECIAL SALE DAYS:
LEAP YEAR SALE: February 29th comes but once every four years. So of course we have to celebrate.
On Wednesday, February 29th, Leap Year Day we will have a very special Sale event. A special Promotional Code. The value of the code will vary. Most of the night and day, it will be worth 10%. For a VERY brief period it will be at 29% for the 29th of the month. There will be times that it will range anywhere between those two numbers. Enter the promotional code “leap year” without the quotation marks, in the box marked “promo code” at check out, and press apply. If the discount is not reflected on your screen do NOT submit the order; we can not apply it retroactively. Have fun! As always, discount codes will not apply to a few select items… our “rare and special books,” our essential oil kits, bulk products and fast buys may never be discounted. Free shipping may not apply to any order using a discount code. (That would be a double discount, and we can’t do that.) Almost all of our normal retail size and priced products will apply.
St. Patrick’s Day Sale
On St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17th enter the promo code “blarney” (without the quotation marks) and receive 17% off all of our Hydrosols. (And if your name is Coleen, or Brigid, or Patrick you may receive an extra surprise gift, as well.) We found a few FULL sample vials of undiluted golden champa absolute…we NEVER fill sample vials full. These would be worth 0 or 2 based on our retail pricing, and should not have been poured. We also found some TINY samples, just a few drops, of rare Osmanthus absolute…liquid sunshine. There maybe be a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow after all.
Blog Updates:
Very little time to update the blog during this short month:
Facebook Gleanings
On our Facebook Page over the past few weeks we’ve shared and received shares about GMO crops, nourishing breakfasts, been asked for suggestions to help with Rosacea, Cystic Acne, storing hydrosols, a study showing that Lavender helped ease Post Cesarian pain and may be more effective than Betadyne in episiotomy wound care. We shared links to other blogs and to articles that we thought would appeal to our friends and clients. New products and limited supplies of “found in inventory” products were announced there first. Various friends and clients shared their experiences using the oils for various and sundry emergencies or “situations.” Facebook has become our favorite way to have fast communication and feedback from our clients. If you have a FB account, please “friend” the Nature’s Gift page.
Our Clients Say:
Argan Oil
Recent correspondence from Vera in Jacksonville NC wrote:
Marge
I received my argan oil today with some wonderful samples. I can’t tell you how much I like this product, it has NO SMELL, and I can use it on my hair and face without having a reaction to the fragrance that is in the one from XXX’s Beauty Supply. XXX’s smells awful, just awful & is very dark. I had read on the internet it was just as good as the argan that could be ordered from sites. What a load of junk!!!! I wasted.99, when I could have added another.00 and brought the good stuff from you. Know anyone that would like a free bottle of that stuff? I have certainly found out that all argan oils are not made the same.
LaRosa
Novelist Zori Simone recently wrote:
Dear Marge,
I purchased the La Rosa blend recently and wanted to let you know how much it has soothed me. We’re a Navy family and we moved from my favorite city of San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL in December. Moving is always a challenge but my beloved grandmother (who lives in Philly) has been very ill as well… When I placed my order for two bottles of the Lavender Mailette (I knew I’d need extra with all the LIFE going on), I splurged and ordered the La Rosa as well. I am so glad I did! The blend has truly been been a balm for me these past few weeks. In addition to burning it over my diffuser, I have anointed everything with it: the cuffs of my shirts, my shower curtain, kitchen curtain, sofa pillows etc. I even put some on a cotton ball, in a ziploc baggie, when I flew to Philly last month.
Thank you!
Zori
When I wrote asking for permission to quote her, Zori wrote back, “Yes, you may quote me:) If my comments will lead to someone else benefitting from LaRosa, I’m all for it!”
We love feedback showing that what we do here has made life better for someone! It’s why we’re here…but we need the reminders sometimes!
Miracle Oil:
Earlier this month Morgan Leavitt, a massage therapist in Chicago, wrote:
I’ve been meaning to write for a while now to praise your oils, and specifically cheer for Marge’s Miracle Oil. I am a Clinical Massage Therapist, working in a multidisciplinary medical clinic, and last October the number of patients I saw per week doubled. November became a very painful month for me as my body tried to adjust to the increased work. I had a bottle of the Miracle Oil that I had been using on my private patients for aches and inflammation, and started using it on myself. I’m pretty convinced that the oil is the reason I didn’t chop my arm off. Used nightly, it reduced the inflammation I experienced from the shoulder down to my wrist, gave the tissue time to heal, and the pain went away faster. I don’t have to use it as often now, but I always have a bottle on hand. So keep doing what you’re doing! And I’ll keep buying.
(Note to everyone… we truly love it when our clients give us feedback about how our products are working for them. And we love it even more when you give us permission to share. We always ask before sharing, though. We value your privacy!)
Formulas, Recipes, and Suggestions
Skin Tonic:
A client recently wrote that she had been told to use apple cider vinegar as a facial toner for her problem skin. She tried it and (no surprise) it burned and did damage to her skin. Now, we need to maintain the acid mantle of our skin… and if vinegar is suggested, this is a more appropriate blend:
1/4 cup (2 fl oz, 60 mls) apple cider vinegar
7 3/4 oz distilled water (enough to fill an 8 oz measuring cup when added to the vinegar)
10 drops essential oil of your choice
Blend the essential oil into the vinegar, add distilled water, pour into a glass bottle, preferably with an atomizer top. Shake well before using. Spritz to refresh face and body during the day.
We suggest using glass since the essential oils will separate out and float on top of the water/vinegar mixture, and can dissolve a plastic bottle.
A reminder: All of our hydrosols are mildly acidic and will gently restore the acid mantle.
I came across these years ago and don’t remember the source:
Sunny Morn Perfume Blend
4 drops Benzoin
5 drops Geranium
10 drops Bergamot
15 drops Lemon
20 drops Orange
This blend was suggested for a body splash. However with all those citrus oils I’d be concerned about both irritation and photosensitization. But it’s a delightfully happy blend for the aromalamp. If you DO decide to use it as a body splash or perfume, please substitute Bergamot FCF for the cold pressed.
Aromatic Foot Powder
1/2 cup arrowroot (or an equal part blend of baking soda, cornstarch and clay)
8 drops essential oils of your choice (see suggestions below)
Combine the arrowroot and essential oil, crushing the small clumps of oil between your fingers or with the back of a spoon to evenly distribute them. This is made only with pure essential oils, no base oil is added.
Find an airtight container, preferably with a closable shaker top (like a baby powder bottle. Pry off the top, add the powder, then replace the top.
Aromatic foot powder may be sprinkled in socks, tennis shoes, and boots to keep the feet dry and cozy.
Suggested Oils: Cypress (especially useful for sweaty feet), Pine, Juniper, Ylang-ylang, Grapefruit, Rosewood, and Frankincense are all suitable. Teatree or Saro would be helpful against various foot fungus infections.
Fragrant Body Splash:
4 oz. grain alcohol or 39C denatured alcohol
4 oz. distilled water
1 tsp. essential oil blend
1 tsp. glycerine
Mix the e.o. with the alcohol, and *slowly* (almost drop by drop) add the water. Finish with the glycerine. Store tightly sealed.
Allergies:
The TV news has been warning us that springtime allergies started early this year here in the South. Christi reminds us all that inhaling our sweet Blue Tansy Essential Oil is the most effective thing she’s found for her springtime allergies. She also suggests putting it in an inhaler rather than sniffing from the bottle to avoid having blue nostrils!
Aromatic Quote of the Month
Because of our infused Lotus Oil:
“Instill in me abundantly that fragrance, O Mother Earth, which emanates from you your fragrance which has entered the lotus where with the immortal Gods at the Sun-daughters wedding were redolent, O Earth, in times primeval — instill in me that fragrance. Your fragrance that adheres to human beings O Earth, steep us, too deeply in that fragrance.” — by Atharva Veda, 12.1.23-26 (approximately 4,000 years ago)
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