I recently went to the Hickory Southern Spa Salon Conference. I want to share some lovely tips and information I learned from Cynthia Loving about Essential Oils (EOs). Visit her website Loving Scents to learn more about her.
Let’s start with some interesting facts:
It takes about 60,000 roses to produce just 1 ounce of oil, and ten thousand pounds of rose blossoms to produce 1 pound of oil. That is a lot of roses!
It takes 3 million jasmine flowers picked by hand or 10lbs of flowers to make 1 lb of oil.
It takes the peels from 20 whole lemons for 1 drop of lemon oil.
DON’T INGEST ESSENTIAL OILS. I know it is very popular right now to ingest Essential Oils (EOs), but this can be deadly and very toxic to your organs.
Aroma diffuser jewelry is great way to use inhalation therapy all day. Use 1 drop, max 2, and enjoy the scent of the therapy throughout your day.
Did you know that the kind of scent you like also says something about your personality? If you like:
Wood Oils – you tend to be a dreamer, but have terrible follow through – tree, root oils are for grounding.
Flower Oils – ylang ylang – you never met a stranger, you are fearless.
Citrus Oils – you don’t get enough play and need be be reminded to play. Citrus helps elevate mood, great for waiting rooms.
Bergamot – Earl Grey Tea, changes the perception of pain.
EOs are fabulous to use but you really need to use them in a safe and healthy way. There are only a few oils that you can apply directly to the skin, Lavender being one of those. However most oils must be in a carrier oil and must be very diluted.
Some EOs to use with caution – (there are several to be careful with, but these are a couple that we talked about in class):
Wintergreen – can cause hemorrhaging, cannot take with any anticoagulant meds, can kill children with just a few drops. Kids love it because it smells good and taste sweet. This is really an EO that should be used by professionals only. 
Cinnamon EOs (there are several different kinds) – all are very heat producing and although smell lovely, they should be used with caution and should not be sprayed in your mouth. I didn’t know this either and had been using an EO spray that you sprayed into your mouth. Always learning!
If you are using an EO ask the manufacturer for the Certificate of Anaylisis (CofA) – what the chemical makeup is of that oil – an MSDS Sheet. They should have one on every oil.
Suggested Dosages:
Making a blend for an adult, use 9 drops of EO in 1 oz of CO (Carrier Oil) or 15 drops of EO in 2.5 oz CO.
You should not use EO on anyone under the age of 3. You shouldn’t even use EO in a diffuser for anyone that young.
After the age of 3 you can use a small amount of EO. You can make a blend with 3 drops EO to 1 oz CO for children.
Here are some helpful suggestions about a few oils that we talked about:
Geranium China – great for menopause – can really work well for hot flashes – can use 1 drop under you nose, add to a bath before bed and be sure to mix with milk or epsom salt – something that will help it disburse.
Geranium Rose – similar to Geranium China just has a more rosey scent.
Plai (from Central Thailand) – Ginger family, this is cooling, better anti-inflammatory – great for sore muscles and pain. In studies using undiluted Plai after knee surgery with no pain meds, patients have been doing well.
Adrenal exhaustion – could lead to an autoimmune disease – geranium could help.
If skin will tolerate, use in a bath every day, or do both bath and diffusion or just diffusion.
Bach Flower remedies are great to use.
There is new research showing progress using Frankincense and Lemon with breast cancer. Hopefully some good news will come from this research. Time will tell…..
According to the Bible, the 3 wise men brought Jesus the gifts of Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold. The first 2 are considered healing oils. Frankincense and/or Myrrh would stop the spread of disease, things that rotted the flesh like leprosy. Read more about it in this article, A Wise Man’s Cure: Frankincense and Myrrh.
I just bought a blend for pain for Nan and going to take it to her at Christmas. I will let you know what she thinks.
Diabetes can be hormone related – ylang ylang is really good for the pancreas. It can be used in hot compresses. It could help to regulate Type 1 Diabetes.
Acne – Hormone – can add geranium or clary sage to a mix of orange and patchouli then apply to the skin. Acne can be caused by several different things. Narrowing down the cause will help you treat it better.
Gut – Brain Tie – if your gut is messed up eat coconut oil. I have actually been doing this for acid reflux and it helps a lot.
Great herbal tea to try for helping your gut: Turmeric, Ginger tea and 2 tsp of coconut oil
Studies are currently being done on the affect coconut oil has on Alzheimer’s and how it could stop and sometimes reverse early stages of the disease. I figure it can’t hurt.
Some Great Resources
EssentialOils.org – more advanced chemistry. One of the leading chemists of essential oils.
The Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy – This link shows cases of people injured when incorrectly using EO’s. This site is dedicated to education and training in aromatherapy.
Essential Oil Safety. This is a good book to study. It is the only comprehensive text on the safety of essential oils, the first review of essential oil/drug interactions, and it provides detailed essential oil breakdown information.
Great Books on Essential Oils and Health:
Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease
The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy
Jimm Harrison – Aromatherapy: Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils for Esthetics
Some Very Educational Websites – use these to learn more about the correct use of EOs.
Floracopia – David Crow Aromatherapist – fabulous source for knowledge.
Pubmed has some information on essential oils.
MedScape – I didn’t sign up for an account but lots of great info on their site.
Atlantic Institite of Aromatherapy – lots of great info here.
Shirley Price – Certified Organic Manufacturer and Handler since 1974.
Robert Tisserand – great blog with lots of aroma therapy info.
AromaHead – School of Essential Oil Therapy
If you are interested in reading the other posts I have on EOs, check out this post on practical ways to use EOs and this post with helpful ideas for personal use.
Don’t forget Tuesday December 1 from 5-9 PM is my Raspberry MoonLight Market. We’ll have lots of fun stuff to help with all your holiday shopping! Check out my invitation on Facebook for more information.
