Holiday Sex

What's a better present for your loved one than the gift of sex?  Especially if you dole it out sparingly througout the year.  Although this blog is a bit cynical about the role of sex, it can add wonders to your relationship and also cooperation (think designer handbag for christmas).

Lack of desire can be due to many reasons - stress, hormones, a new baby, boredom with your partner and not wanting to change the sheets.  Sometimes though it is due to being tired and lacking in the mood.  You can change the mood with essential oils.  Some oils are very sexy and relaxing indeed. 

Try diffusing a combination of pure sandalwood and rose, or if you  don't have that try sandalwood and lemon or jasmin and orange.   Lemon is uplifting, Jasmin is an aphrodisiac and sandalwood is relaxing.  Lower the lights and viola, a setting out of Arabian nights.

Have fun

The Scent of the Holidays

The holiday season officially kicks off tomorrow evening with Thanksgiving Eve and continues in New Years.  For some people it is a really difficult time.  No matter where you are in the US you can feel those holidays. 

Its generally silient on the streets - even Manhattan on Thursday, Thanksgiving afternoons as people run hither and yon with their sweet potatoe pies.  If you are alone or stressed out, Thanksgiving can be the longest day of the year.

Even if you aren't alone and you are planning to get together with family, these gatherings can be difficult.  The Father-in-law who thinks he's fat.  The stupid cousin, the silly aunt and the burnt turkey. Every hour can seem like a year. 

A great option is the essential oil of black spruce. Try buying everyone an Omstone available from http://www.omstonearomas.com/  These gorgeous hand made stones absorb essential oils for days.  One drop and you are good to go and they make stunning gifts.  It comes with a small vial of oil -- request black spruce.  Its refreshing, green, uplifting and calming without being piney.  Black spruce blends well with lemon for a truly uplifting experience.

If you are spending Thanksgiving by yourself, rose geranium for comfort is a nice choice of oil to diffuse or to dab onto your omstone.   If you are around people who have a negative vibe, block it out with a rich, spicey, somewhat suggestive scent of frankincense.  If you have faux tree, you can add a few drops of black spruce, spruce or cedar for an aromatic tree.  Happy holidays.

Aromatic advice for Kim Kardashian

Aromaram generally focuses on topical and relevent issues, however, much to the blog's amusement Kim's marriage bash has surpassed her wedding What a twist to the marriage that was described by the press as royalty.  Was the split truly unexpected?  Of course, we can always ask mama Kris who claims she could have saved Nicole Simpson.  Oh yeah?  why couldn't she save her own daughter?  Guess mama Kris knows disaster brings in the dollars.

Well just in case Kimmy is crying her eyes out in Australia, we have some aromatic advice for her...  Rose, Lavender and Sweet Orange.  Rose of course, to mend a broken heart and heal disappointment.  Especially since she may have to return that two million dollar ring.  Lavender to relax miss Kim and help her sleep as she promotes hand bags in Australia, and sweet orange, because it is sunny and bright like her native Los Angeles and will keep her smiling through out the drama of her televised divorce.  Will Kris Humphries be featured?  Don't know if there are any oils for suckers but he could try sandalwood to stay cool calm and collected.  He'll need it.

If you buy only oil buy this one!

If you are planning to purchase only two oils buy these:  Lavender .   Lavender is a virtual pharmacy in a bottle that performs a myriad of functions.  It is excellent for skincare, it disinfects, it is an excellent air and laundry freshener, calms pets and people.  It can help with sleep and anxiety.  It helps heal wounds and burns and takes the itch out of bug bites.  You can add to water for an all purpose cleaner.  What more could you want/

If you or someone you know have had or has an estrogenic cancer then you might want to consider grapefruit.  This sunny, fresh, citrus oil is also excellent for the skin -- helps kill acne bacteria and exfoliates mature skin.  It is refreshing and calming.  An excellent oil to sooth the nervous system, calm children with ADHD and use for general housekeeping. 
Of course, grapefruit oil may cause sun burn, so if you apply it to any areas of your body exposed to the sun, you'll need to use sun screen.
If you don't have any health issues, why not purchase both oils?

How Essential Oils Can Bring Sex Back into Your Marriage

Its been said before: Its all in your mind. Attraction begins in the brain and moves outward. There's alot about chemistry that we don't understand but some of it is stimulated by ambiance. Ambiance can set the mood. Think about it. When you first start getting close you buy sexy lingerie. Take long baths and pay lots of attention to grooming. You dim the lights switch on the music and take your time. As you become more familiar with your partner, certain things just slip away, the lingerie is replaced by cotton, the pretty nighties by gray sweat pants and perfume by nothing. He stops using mouthwash before coming to bed. It just gets boring and same old, same old. You may not care and he may not care but lack of sex leaves your marriage vulnerable and unless you are willing to take risks it might be wise to indulge every so often, but how can you get that old feeling back? You can fake it. You can fake it with the lacy panties and the baths and by creating an ambiance. Essential oils can help. Use scentless candles in a dimmed room and diffuse a blend of jasmine, rose, neroli and sandalwood. Some of the most beautiful oils available. Jasmine is an aphrodisiac, rose addresses the heart, neroli the senses and sandalwood adds a spicy, somewhat musky undertone. After sex, as no one smokes anymore, indulge in a little after aromatherapy. Add a drop or two of lemon, orange or bergamot to a cotton ball and give to your partner to inhale. This will lock in a pleasureable experience into his or her brain and enhance the feeling and memory.

Back to School!

BACK TO SCHOOL Time to think about germy thing coming home in your kids back pack and of course getting them to calm down and do home work and get to bed evenutally. I will be doing a three part series on:

Using essential oils to wake kids up
Using essential oils to calm kids down
Essential oils and how to use them to kill off the yucky flu bugs. S

So stay posted

Bug Bites, Bruises and Helichrysum

I love the summer.  I particularly love sitting outdoors at night and reading.  I find the muggy, humidity reassuring and soothing.  I am though, a nipping post for anything that bites.  Usually, they itch a little and then disappear. This time something vicious got its teeth into me, in a few areas around my ankle.  The bites were weepy and my ankle swelled to double its size, most unattractive.  The glands near the bottom of my foot began to swell and the area was hot and red and very inflammed. So inflammed, I couldn't walk.

I spent hours with my foot elevated.  I sprinkled tea tree and lavender directly on the bites.  I soaked a soft cotton wash cloth in a basin of lavender and tea tree and applied it to my ankle.  It didn't help. I took advil.  I used over the counter anti-itch cream and and calamine lotion.  My ankle continued to swell, became more and more tender to the touch, and the skin surrounding the bites became hotter and redder.  Finally, I remembered Helichrysum, which I know, is excellent for bruising and inflammation.  It is an expensive oil running about $15 a ml. In my refidgerator I keep a selection of hydrosols - the water steamed from the flowers, herbs and plants during the distillation process of essential oils.  Hydrosols contain about 0.5% of essential oils. 

I sprayed the the icy helichrysum hydrosol on my ankle and immediately the bites began to cool down. Within minutes, I felt complete relief from pain, and it lasted several hours.  So how does this work? 

Helichrysum chemical structure sets it apart from other essential oils. It contains di-ketones which is excellent for fading brusies and regenerating the skin.  Helichrysum italicum, which is a herb also known as everlasting or immortelle has a strong analgesic effect due to its high content of sesquiterpenes and esters.

A woman in her mid 30's consulted me about her hormonal acne which was leaving bluish, greenish bruises on her jaw line.  I blended helichrysum withaloe vera and these bruises disappeared. 

Helichrysum is more anti-inflammatory than chamomile and is probably the most effective skin rejuvenator.  Here is how you can incorporate helichrysum into your life:

Skincare:  Wounds, antiaging, rejuvenation, bruising, under eye circles.
Emotions;  Used to unblock emotions. High content of esters relax the nervous system.
Spirtiual: Helichrysum connects the body with spirit.
Detoxifying:  In a 1:1 ratio add helichrysum to a carrier oil such as jojoba and blend on the reflex points of the feet that correspond to the liver.

They hydrosol has a unique aroma which can only be described as toasted coffee.  It i s quite pleasant and relaxing.  Do not use helichrysum if you are pregnant or nursing or under 12 years old.

Recovering from Casey Anthony

Casey Anthony was acquited.  Many people gasped in astonished horror.  The jury said there was not enough evidence to convict her.  Some people believe Anthony got away with murder.  Some people view this as the triumph of evil and blights their hope for a better world.

The opposite of evil is good.  Pleasure is good. Essential oils can help restore pleasure to life, especially in the face of depression and loss of hope. Of course essential oils cannot rectify people who are cruel and destructive, however they can help you feel good and massage the areas of the brain that feel hope.  Any oil that you find pleasing will help, but I truly recommend neroli.  Neroli is the oil of orange blossoms, the flowers that were carried in a bride's bouquet in Italy.  It is gentle yet sweet.  It calms heartache, disappointment and relieves insomnia.

Just one inhalation of this oil will remind you of the beauty in this world. Other benefits include reduction of stretch marks, acne, broken capillaries soothing of dry and mature skin.  I

Neroli is a very expensive oil, so use it with care.  It can also be diluted in jojoba to extend its quantities.
If you find yourself feeling down, and broken hearted over the state of the world, or something you just don't think is right or fair, break out the neroli, and put a drop or two in a small amount of jojoba. Dab on your temples and close your eyes and think of the gorgeous gardens of Italy.

That Neck Thing -- Don't Feel Bad About It

Erma Bombeck feels bad about her neck.  So bad, she wrote an entire book about it.  From an essential oil perspective there isn't much you can do to tighten your neck.  You can use oils such as rose geranium, clary sage, a bit of lemon and lavender to brighten your skin and lighten those age spots.

The most effective answer to a sagging neck is a face lift.  However, if that isn't in your cards, you can hide it.  Wear high necked sweaters and shirts, or add a light scarf  and wrap around your neck for a fabulous trendy look. You can also wear an enormous necklace that will take away from the droop. 

Wear a signature scent created from essential oils that reflect the person you are and bring out your inner energy.  Aromas can be blended to your exact specifications for a signature scent.

Still feeling bad about your neck?  loose yourself in our gorgeous blog -http://heavenlyom.blogspot.com   You'll find yourself feeling wonderful.

Nausea and Essential Oils

When it comes to research and the use of essential oils, the Brits are way ahead of us.  Here is a note from researcher in England describing how and which oils they are using for nausea due to illness and the effects of chemotherapy.

From : 

Jeannie Dyer

Clinical Lead for Complementary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Our normal practice at this hospital, outside the study, is to offer aromatherapy massage for any patient who wishes to have it for whatever reason they feel it will be helpful to them. We do see patients while they are undergoing chemotherapy if that is what they want, and they are able to choose the essential oils which they like – or choose to have just base oil if they prefer not to have an odour. We use sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, and calendula infused oil (in sunflower oil), as the bases. We have a range of essential oils. We have recently performed an audit of our aromastick use for nausea in which we used three different combinations of oils to inhale to help patients combat nausea caused by a variety of things, including chemotherapy, and found all three blends were helpful. This article will be published shortly in the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy. The oils used in the reflexology / massage study are whatever oils are chosen by / offered by / considered suitable by the four therapists on the study.

The most recent article we wrote about the use of aromasticks for nausea will be in the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy vol 7 issue 2, 2010 which has got held up and has not got published yet as far as I know. An earlier article on the use of aromasticks was published in vol 5 issue 2 2008 same journal. Information about this journal can be accessed online if you google IJCA. An aromastick is like a Vicks inhaler device but you put 10-20 drops of essential oils on the blank wick, place the wick inside the plastic tube, put the stopper in the end and then it is sealed in, you screw it shut or open to smell it or not smell it – so very effective for quick whiffs rather than a constant stream like from a diffuser, and can be carried around, and is not expensive.

We consider any of the oils we use safe for chemotherapy patients as long as they like the smell. The only oils we would consider not safe would probably be considered not safe for other people also, not to do with the cancer.

The oils we used for nausea were ginger / peppermint / lavender; eucalyptus / lemon; cardamom / spearmint / orange. And some others chosen individually. We try not to use single oils for nausea so that a smell association is not built up to a familiar oil like peppermint or spearmint which the patient may then encounter in some other situation, which might then trigger nausea. We use a blend which will not smell like anything else.