Ramblings of an aromatherapist
“allow things in your life which make your heart sing, feed your soul or nourish you on a daily basis”
Plants have been a huge part of my life since I was a little girl given a small plot of our garden to grow plants, when I think back to the plants I grew, I remember rosemary, lavender, calendulas, poppies, and buttercups. I loved my little patch so much, in the end, I took over my sisters too and my love of gardening, nature, and plants was born.
I knew I would work with plants in some way and after having an aromatherapy massage, my career path was decided! Nature has the best medicine cupboard, many conventional medicines are based on the components within a plant. Take a daffodil, highly toxic to eat but it is grown for medicinal purposes and contains galantamine which is used to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms. We all love Lavender which is used for so many ailments, is a powerful antiseptic, relaxing, and calming, you will find it in many creams and lotions.
I have been an aromatherapist for over 30 years, my clients laugh when I say I am 90% essential oil now but I have not had a cold for over 15 years, it may be luck, or maybe my oils build a protective layer that fights off bacteria and viruses so I take every opportunity to encourage you to include essential oils, herbs, and plants into your daily life. After all, all life on Earth emanates from the green of a plant.
Which essential oils are lovely for summer?
I grew up with a mum who changed the curtains for lighter ones, put away our winter clothes and filled our wardrobes with last years summer clothes, it was a tradition and I have to say, I do it too! I also change the oils I use to fragrance my salon and home as I prefer the lighter fragrances, they seem to fit. So instead of cloves, pimento and fir needle, my salon is scented with lavender, geranium, citrus and pine, a fresh energetic fragrance. Here are the blends which complement summer
“help me, it’s way past my bedtime” is blended with petitgrain ( from the leaves of the bitter orange tree), lavender, eucalyptus and a little bit of ginger to help soothe and calm. The scent is comforting yet still with the freshness of petitgrain and eucalyptus. This blend will help you sleep better by keeping your airways open.
“help me, i’m feeling under the weather” - all the antibacterial oils (tea tree, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus and tangerine). The scent of this blend is lovely, fresh and will help you with hayfever.
“ help me feel fresh as a daisy” - a happy, cheerful blend full of positivity and joy. We have blended sweet orange, rosemary, frankincense and cedarwood, the fragrance is light fresh and wonderful. Use it everywhere and breathe in the relaxing, joyous scent.
“help me say hello to summer” is ideal for those summer evenings sat outside. It is believed that mosquitos are deterred with sage and pink grapefruit, they don’t like the scent but we do and we are told you do too! To make this blend very summery, we have added rose geranium and lavender, two scents which are abundant during summer.
A Summer Meditation
Summer is the perfect time to have your breakfast and morning drink outside, it is recommended that we have 10 - 15 minutes in the morning sun several times per week to absorb enough vitamin D. The air is fresh and cool, the birds are singing so its the ideal time for a little meditation, this is one I love to do.
Summertime Gratitude Meditation
Find a comfortable place in your garden, balcony or sunroom, wherever you feel at ease and can hear the garden, close your eyes and take a big deep breath.
Become aware of the sunshine on your face as you turn towards the sun and dip your chin so that the sunlight is not directly onto your eyes, please keep your eyes closed. If this is ucomfortable, you can look down as you will still feel the warmth from the rays. Take a deep breath in and thank the sunshine for lighting up the garden.
Now listen to the noises within your garden, there may be birdsong, traffic or people chatting, as you take a breath allow the sounds to flow over and around you, be grateful for natures sound bath and totally emerce yourself in the beautiful orchestra. Spend as long as you wish, listening to your garden and nature.
Smile as this releases serotonin, the feel good hormone, be grateful for the time you have to meditate
Now, become aware of your breathing, inhale, hold then release. As you exhale, feel the air release any tension within your body. Just enjoy the quiet place.
As you sit quietly, think of three things to be grateful for and five things you are looking forward to today.
When you are ready, lower your face and slowly open your eyes. Take your time and allow your eyes to become used to the light. Take a breath and smile again. Today is going to be lovely.
Our News
We are very excited as a brand new soy candle and wax melt blend will be launched on June 8th, World Ocean Day. I love the sea, its like a magnet to me so I am very happy to announce that £1 from every candle sold (not wax melt) will be donated to Project Seagrass to help them carry on protecting seagrass meadows and marine ecosystems around the Uk. If the seabed is healthy, then marine life will flourish. I will have.lots more information and images for you very soon.
Have you seen our Soy Wax Melt Collection? - pure ecosoy wax and organic essential oils are handpoured into pretty moulds, they are available in all six signature blends alongwith our summer scent. Each melt lasts 8 hours and you will have 12 melts, costing £8 per day.
We will be launching our Happy Letterbox Gift and our Energy Letterbox Gift this month, perfect for students, friends and family. How lovely would it be to send a box of happiness to someone who needs a little Happy Post? Each box is filled with so many beautiful products and the box is gorgeous too, they cost just £22 (plus P&P).
June 5th is World Environment Day and my goodness this is a huge day of awareness. We all need to play out part to heal our planet. From being less tidy in the garden, eating a plant based meal, reducing plastic use, and telling your local councillors and Mp what you expect of them. Plant trees and a native hedge, get your children involved and so much more. Garden Wildlife Week starts on June 5th too, build a pond, make log piles, leave a nettle and bramble patch untouched, plant nectar rich plants and shrubs, anything to help our insects, mammals, and birds. Why not start a compost heap and wormery, worms are fantastic beasts, they keep our soil healthy and nourished by pulling any vegetation down into your soil, they are our friends, and we need to protect them. Install not one but as many water butts as you can fit into your garden.
I am an aromatherapist so from June 6th, prepare yourselves as I will be full of advice, tips and recipes to celebrate the wonderful world of aromatherapy, I cant wait!! All three events are entwined as Gardening is good for our Wellbeing, good for our natural world and when you grow plants and herbs, you can enjoy their plant essences. National Growing for Wellbeing is perfectly timed to celebrate our natural world
June ends with World Wellbeing Week, Helpmeorganics is a wellness company so we will be giving you ways to improve your wellbeing and help you feel happy, healthy and very energetic. Keep your eyes on our social media as I am already getting ready.
And finally ….
Summer is a time when we start sneezing, rubbing our sore eyes and really struggling with hayfever. Here are our Top Five Tips to ease hayfever symptoms
Place bowls of water on windowsills to catch pollen spores and keep windows closed from midday.
Have a shower before bed as this removes pollen, helps you feel fresh and keeps your bedroom free from pollen
use “help me, i’m feeling under the weather” blend to help keep your airways open. Just two drops per night on the aromastone diffuser will help you breathe easier.
Keep damp cottonwood or cloth pads in the fridge during the day to place on your eyes in the evening to soothe and calm irritated eyes. Apply Lip Balm to your nostrils to catch pollen.
Wearing wrap around sunglasses really helps to keep pollen out of your eyes and also reduces UV rays in sunshine irritating already sore eyes.
“it is June and the whole world smells of roses, I feel very lucky and blessed”
