I know it is not really fair for me to write about the winter given that I live in Florida… but I’ll justify it because I lived in Ithaca, NY during the winters for many years! I know all about scraping car windows, black ice and freezing cold feet.

I had a few blends I used in the winter that really got me through. So if moving to a tropical climate is not on your list for this winter, here are a few recipes to support your health through the cold months.

Steam Now

(for the moment you feel even a hint of a cold)
Use a 5 ml bottle with an orifice reducer. Make a stock bottle with the following essential oils and then use 1 drop for your steam:

• 25 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• 25 drops Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora ct 1,8 cineole)
• 25 drops Black Spruce (Picea mariana)

Need to learn how to do a steam? Register for Aromahead Institute’s free online class.

The Best Inhaler

Add these oils to a blank inhaler and use 2-3 times daily for a few months:

• 3 drops Lemon (Citrus limon)
• 5 drops Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
• 2 drops Laurel Leaf (Laurus nobilis)
• 3 drops Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)

Video on how to make an inhaler

Awesome Aloe Wash for the Shower

Begin with 2 oz Aloe vera gel in flip top (pop up) PET plastic bottle and add:

• 10 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• 3 drops Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara)
• 7 drops orange (Citrus sinensis)

Use freely on your body at the end of your shower and then rinse off.

Keep Your Cold to Yourself Diffuser Blend

Add drops to an electric diffuser filled with water and run until the finished.

• 10 drops Siberian Fir (Abies siberica)
• 5 drops Orange (Citrus sinensis)

Right Before Bed

Add drops of the following oils to 1 oz of unscented lotion:

• 5 drops Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
• 5 drop Sandalwood (Santalum album) Vetiver or Patchouli can be substituted for Sandalwood.

Apply gently to your legs, feet, neck and stomach.

During Your Morning Shower

3 drops of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ct camphor/ 1,8 cineole) on the shower floor in front of where you stand. Breathe deeply!

Essential oils can offer excellent digestive support. This is a simple and helpful blend that smell great!

For Digestive Support
4 drops Cardamom essential oil or CO2 extract (Ellettaria cardamomum)
5 drops Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
3 drops Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
3 drop Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)

Blend essential oil in 1 oz. of unscented cream or jojoba oil. Massage into abdomen after each meal. This blend of oils can also be used in an inhaler for nausea or car sickness.

We all have those nights when sleep escapes us. Try this blend to assure a good night sleep.

If you don’t feel like taking a bath this blend works great as a foot soak before bed. Just add all the ingredients to a pot big enough for both your feet. You might like this enough to buy a plastic bin that you dedicate to foot soaks.

I Want to Sleep Bath Blend
Spikenard 2 drops
 (Nardostachys jatamansi)
Orange-1 drops (Citrus sinensis)
Lavender -2 drops (Lavandula angustifolia)
Epsom salts: 1/2 cup
Neroli Blossom infused Jojoba Oil: 1 tablespoon
Pink Himalayan salts: 1/2 cup
White clay: 1 tablespoon ( a very fine and light clay that naturally absorbs and cleanses)

Do you have a bath blend to share? Please add it to the comment section, thanks!

Here are a few fun tips about cleaning from my new eBook, Essential Living eBook: Aromatherapy Recipes for Health and Home. Purchase this eBook now for $19.95! Just click this link and as soon as you pay you will receive a link in your email. Once click and the book is yours! To buy the book as a gift simply email me: andrea@aromahead.com.

Cutting Boards

To keep wooden and plastic cutting boards free of bacteria, use a few drops of Lemon essential oil to 
clean the cutting board. First, wash the board with hot water and castile soap. Then put about five
 drops of Lemon essential oil on a clean sponge and wipe the board vigorously, front and back. The 
“side effect” is that the sponge is now also clean and bacteria free!

Floors

Use hydrosols and hot water on the floors. Any mop will do, but we suggest mops with a removable
 terry cloth cleaning surface. They’re great for cleaning hardwood floors, ceramic tile, marble, and 
vinyl. They also work well on ceilings, walls, and windows. The terry cloth cover is removable and is
 machine washable.

When cleaning floors, soak the terry cloth cover (or regular mop) in hot water. Squeeze the water out, 
then pour a cap full (a few tablespoons) of Lavender hydrosol or Sweet Grass hydrosol directly onto 
the mop.

Deodorizing Spray for Trash

Makes: One 16 oz spray bottle

Ingredients:

15 oz water
1 oz white vinegar
20 drops Peppermint essential oil
 (Mentha piperita)
30 drops Orange essential oil
 (Citrus sinensis)
30 drops Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon)

Tools:

16 oz plastic spray bottle

Directions:

1. Simply add the drops of essential oil directly into the spray bottle full of water.
2. Close well, shake, and you’re ready to spray.

Notes:

I like to spray the trash can in my bathroom and kitchen each time I empty the trash bag. I simply 
take out the bag, spray the can three or four times, and add the new bag.

Making your own resin blends is easy and they make great gifts.

Simply mix the resins together in a bowl, sprinkle on your powders and/or dried herbs, add a few drops of essential oil and mix. Let this sit for a day or two and you’re ready to burn the resins.

You can burn the resins on charcoal tabs or on bamboo charcoal briquettes in a ceramic bowl. Simply light the charcoal or briquette with a lighter, make sure it is heating up and then add a few pieces of your resin blend on the top. Below are a few recipes I make often.

Breath Deep

1 oz Frankincense resin
1 oz Myrrh resin
Sprinkle of cardamom powder
Sprinkle of dried rosemary
10 drops Hemlock essential oil

Sweet Aroma

1 oz Opoponax resin
1 oz Benzoin resin
Sprinkle of vanilla powder
5 drops Balsam Poplar essential oil

Inward Journey

1 oz Copal resin
1 oz Pinon Pine resin
Sprinkle of Palo Santo Wood powder
10 drops Frankincense essential oil

Do you have a favorite resin? Please add yours in the comment section below.

What is a hydrosol?

Hydrosols are pure healing waters produced during distillation.

When plant material is distilled it is exposed to either boiling water,  steam or both.  The steam moves through the plant, breaks open the structures that contain the essential oil and other plant fluids.

They are then carried with the steam and are separated as the steam cools in the condensing coil. The essential oils tend to float on top of the water (except for a few oils that sink to the bottom). The essential oil is siphoned off, leaving us hydrosols.

Here are my 5 favorite ways to use Hydrosols

1. On skin: for burns, wound healing, acne, cuts, blisters, as a toner and for cooling
2. On my animals: for abscesses, little wounds, itchy areas and any skin issues
3. In my house: for cleaning counter tops, windows, glass tables, garbage cans, shower walls, any tile and to freshen the air
4. In my car: cleaning windows, dashboard, steering wheel and for aroma
5. In the classroom: on the back of the students necks on hot days, to keep everyone awake during chemistry lessons, to freshen the room and to clean the blending tables.

How do you use your hydrosols? Please add your ideas to the comment section! Thanks!

Want to buy organic hydrosols?
Aromatics International
Stillpoint Aromatics

Want to learn about hydrosols?
Morning Myst Botanics

Silver Fir (Abies alba) is a perfect winter essential oil.  The oil contains almost 50% of d-limonene. Immunostimulant effects of d-limonene include stimulating lymphocyte proliferation (4) increasing the total white blood cell count (5), increasing the number and phagocytic activity of macrophages (1,2), and stimulating antibody production (5). Additionally, natural killer cell activity was enhanced in vitro by d-limonene (3).

In other words, great oil for a cold or flu! Try using it in a diffuser, in an inhaler or for a luscious combination try Silver Fir blended into Neroli blossom infused jojoba oil and rubbed on your chest, back and feet!

Diffuser Blend for Winter Cold and Flu
5 drops Silver fir essential oil (Abies alba)
5 drops Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)
5 drops Elemi essential oil (Canarium luzonicum)
Add these oils right into your diffuser

Inhaler For Sinus Congestion and a Cough
5 drops Silver fir essential oil (Abies alba)
5 drops Black Spruce essential oil (Picea mariana)
5 drops Hemlock essential oil (Tsuga canadensis)
Drop these oils right onto the cotton part of the blank inhaler

Nighttime Cold and Flu Oil
10 drops Silver fir essential oil (Abies alba)
5 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
2 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil (Canaga odorata)
1 oz Neroli Blossom infused Jojoba Oil

References

1. Del Toro-Arreola S, Flores-Torales E, Torres-Lozano (2005) Effect of d-limonene on immune response in BALB/c mice with lymphoma. International Immunopharmacology 5:829-838
2. Hamada M, Uezu K, Matsushita J et al (2002) Distribution and immune responses resulting from oral administration of d-limonene in rats. Journal of Nutritional Science & Vitaminology (Tokyo) 48:155-160
3. Li Q, Nakadai A, Matsushima H (2006) Phytoncides (wood essential oils) induce human natural killer cell activity. Immunopharmacology & Immunotoxicology 28:319-333
4. Manuele MG, Ferraro G, Anesini C (2008) Effect of Tilia x viridis flower extract on the proliferation of a lymphoma cell line and on normal murine lymphocytes: contribution of monoterpenes, especially limonene. Phytotherapy Research 22:1520-1526
5. Raphael TJ, Kuttan G (2003) Immunomodulatory activity of naturally occurring monoterpenes carvone, limonene, and perillic acid. Immunopharmacology & Immunotoxicology 25:285-294

An Easy Holiday Gift Idea

Looking for a gift for someone special this holiday season? Consider the Essential Living from Aromahead eBook. We’ll take care of delivery and we’ll even send a special note to your specifications. No shipping or wrapping to worry about! ♥

Order it for a limited time for $15.00 rather than $19.95

Offer good from December 9 – December 23rd, 2011.

Who Essential Living is perfect for:

• health care practitioners
• parents wanting natural options for cleaning and kids
• anyone interested in wellness and holistic medicine
• anyone interested in non-toxic options for health and home

How To Order- email: andrea@aromahead.com

• Send me the email addresses of the people you want to give the eBook to, the date you want it sent, and the note you would like to include, and I will send the eBook to them! Easy!

• I will send you a PayPal request for the $15.00, and you can pay with a credit card or PayPal.

This summer during the Component Blending class I made a hydrosol blend that has become my new favorite.

Recipe

2 oz Laurel leaf Hydrosol (Bay laurel – Laurus nobilis)
10 drops Balsam Fir – Abies balsamea
10 drops Pinon Pine – Pinus edulis
10 drops Hemlock - Tsuga canadensis

Talk about refreshing! The aromas of the forest blended with the slightly camphoraceous, sweet, and spicy undertones of the laurel hydrosol are extraordinary. Each time I spray it I am impressed with the richness and depth of the scent.

Historically, Bay laurel was the symbol of wisdom, both acquired and intuitive. The  botanical name Laurus nobilis is thought to derive from the Celtic word “laur” meaning green and “nobilis” meaning noble.

From a chemical component perspective

I like to use Balsam fir as an anti rheumatic, to prevent and/or relieve rheumatic pain and inflammation. It generally has about 35% Beta pinene, which was found to be a potent scavenger of hydroxyl radicals. This is a possible explanation for its current use in topical products for the relief of muscular and rheumatic pain.

Pinon Pine has an amazing aroma, adding a coniferous, balsamic, woody, and fresh aroma to the blend. We also add a potential antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic effect from the alpha pinene content.

Hemlock has an unusually high percentage of bornyl acetate for a conifer. This suggests a sedative and calming effect, perfect to calm tightness in the lungs and chest.

Share your blends

Do you have any hydrosol/essential oil blends you love? Let’s share some recipes in the comment section below.

This summer during the Aromahead classes, homemade foam soaps were a huge hit!

They are simple to make, soft on your hands, and smell great!  I have foam soaps by my kitchen and bathroom sinks, and people comment on them all the time. They also make the perfect gift. I buy the 2 oz and 8 oz sizes at SKS bottles. I use the 2 oz for traveling and the 8 oz for the house.  Be sure to purchase foam soap containers and not regular soap pumps.  The special foam soap pumps will create a foamy texture when you dispense it.

SKS only sells in bulk, if you want to buy them individually, Aromatics International has them.

A Walk in The Pine Forest

8 oz foam soap container
7 oz liquid castile soap (you have to leave room for the top to sink into the bottle)
30 drops Hemlock essential oil (Tsuga canadensis)
25 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)
25 drops Siberian Fir  essential oil (Abies siberica)

Citrus Sunshine

8 oz foam soap container
7 oz liquid castile soap
30 drops Grapefruit essential oil (Citrus paradisi)
25 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)
20 drops Steam Distilled Lime essential oil (Citrus aurantifolia)

Germ Away

8 oz foam soap container
7 oz liquid castile soap
30 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
30 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
20 drops Thyme ct linalol essential oil (Thymus vulgaris ct linalol)
15 drops Palmarosa essential oil (Cymbopogon martini var. motia)

You’re So Sweet

8 oz foam soap container
7 oz liquid castile soap
40 drops Cardamon CO2 extract (Ellettaria cardamomum)
30 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)
10 drops Steam Distilled Lime essential oil (Citrus aurantifolia)

If you have a foam soap recipe you want to share, please add it to the comment section. If you sell foam soaps please give us your website link.