Blossoming And Creating

What's your smell today?

Working with essential oils to create an environment I can work in, creatively and productively is vital to how I work.  To do this, I create a blend that supports the outcomes I desire for the day. 

You can learn how to utilise essential oils in this way too. Once you know how, it can be easy to create a blend that matches where you want to go in any one day.

Today, it's a day for building creatively and ensuring I'm productive in my output too.

My blend for today was designed to support this outcome - and you're even reading my blog, so it must be working well, hey?

Recipe:

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri)

Orange - sweet (Citrus aurantium var. sinensis per)

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ct cineole)

This particular blend has been created to give the sense of Blossoming And Creating

Let me tell you a little more about how I developed this blend and arrived at the overall balance of this energy...........................

Often, when I am creating a blend for an emotional reason, such as this, I look to the subtle side of the essential oils, and choose them on the basis of what the emotions are that will be supported by the oils themselves. 

These concepts have been developed by many well respected therapists over the years (people such as Patricia Davis, Jennifer Jefferies and Shirley Price, there are many others also), as opposed to looking at the physical attributes and chemical constituents of the essential oil itself. 

Though, these elements do play a role in how the emotions respond!

Each essential oil chosen fits together to create an overall blend, which will elicit an emotional response.  Read on to learn more about the emotional side of each of these oils.

Frankincense

Frankincense will allow you to cut the ties to your past, particularly when you are growing and there are personal blocks that are making this growth more difficult. 

It will ensure that you are protected so that your energy is not drained while you are working.

When you are looking to work creatively and productively, often you wish to slow down your thoughts, to take a deep breath an allow the body and mind to combine to produce something new. Frankincense will ensure you slow your breathing.

Orange

Just looking at an orange, or anything orange in colour, makes me smile - the joy that orange brings to my soul is exactly what the essential oil brings to this blend.  The sense of pure joy!

When you are creating and expressing something new, being able to do it with an innate feeling of wonderment, of pleasure and joyfulness will ensure the vibe of this new project also projects joy and a sense of wonder.

Orange essential oil is about the simple pleasure of joyfulness, it allows you to release the sense of seriousness or sadness that prevails and uplift and nourish your soul to aid you in blossoming into your creativity.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a stimulant, just what you need to begin your work day! It will allow your brain to be active, though with clarity and the ability to cut through and truly 'see' what is required in your work.

With this clarity that Rosemary brings, you will ensure your productivity levels are peaking throughout your working day, avoiding being bogged down by distractions.

Harnessing your creativity and pushing it into action, will support your ability to be productive with clear results!

Blossoming & Creating

Frankincense

Orange - sweet

Rosemary

To learn more about how you can also blend oils for your work or home, consider our upcoming Aromatherapy for Pleasure course (you can read more about it here).  Use the coupon code SVBLOG to receive a discount. TOnly the first 5 students will receive the discount!

Rose Water At Home

Rose Water

Ever wondered if you could do something interesting with the rose petals that you let fall every year? Well, you can!  This year I was prompted to make my own rose water as my roses were all blooming at once and they looked amazing, not so easy to see on this photo below, but there are reds and pinks blooming here.

What can you use rose water for once it's made?  Here's a list of ideas:

• skin toner (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties)
• hair rehydrator (final rinse after shampooing)
• cooking (think Turkish Delight!)
• ironing (use in a spray bottle, or in the chamber)
• mood enhancer (uplifting on emotions)
• bathing
• linen spray

Rose has been used since ancient times, with rose water first being prepared by the Arab physician Avicenna (AD 980 - 1037), though roses were used in bath water and as food earlier than that too. During the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance era, rose was used as a remedy for depression.  Rose water has similar properties as Rose essential oil, though not as concentrated as the oil.  Some of these properties include:

• anti-infectious
• anti-inflammatory (e.g., soothes blotchy skin)
• astringent
• cicatrizant (healing of wounds)
• neurotonic (uplifting)

Overall, rose water can be sprayed onto your skin, used to rinse your hair, as a mouth rinse and in your bath water.

There are many ways to utilise rose water once you have made a batch in your home.  

It is easy to prepare and here are the steps to follow:

1. Gather your rose petals.  Ensure you use rose petals that have not been sprayed (otherwise you will be adding pesticides to your beauty regime, or to your environment). You can also use dried rose petals if you don't have freshly gathered rose petals.  A good time to collect your rose petals is in the morning, when the aroma is the strongest. 
   
   
2. Rinse in warm water
3. Place into a pot and cover with just enough distilled, spring or rain water to cover
   
   
   
4. Gently, on a medium heat, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat (leaving the lid on) to maintain a gentle simmer.  Allow to simmer until the colour has gone from the petals, this can take up to 25 - 30 minutes. 
   
   
   
5. Leave to cool, I left these overnight. Strain. You can use a sieve or a cheesecloth (muslin).
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Bottle. I wish to keep my rose water for a little longer than 2 weeks, so I have added 5 ml of ethanol (95%) to 500ml of rose water. Store in a cool dark place.
   
   
   
   Note the amazing colour of the rose water on the left, these are in clear bottles as I will use them straight away, the remaining 2 litres I have stored in dark bottles.

Enjoy your rose water