Category Archives: Lavender

Ode to Jean Nate’

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Anybody remember this fragrance?  This was my go to scent in the 80’s!    I loved smelling good even in my elementary years.  I would splash this stuff all over me and then I was ready for the day!  I’m sure my family and kids at school appreciated the fact that I smelled like I had swam in this stuff.  🙂

I sure loved my Jean Nate’!

jean nate

I still love smelling good, but I have become pretty sensitive to chemicals.  I used to walk in a department store and try all the free samples of perfume… now I instantly get a headache.  There is a way to smell good and not get bombarded with chemicals— that is making your own perfume with essential oils!  And you get the added bonus of all the health benefits of the essential oils at the same time.

First you want to narrow down what essential oils you like the most and figure out your signature scent.

You want to normally have a top note, a middle note and base note in your blend.

Top Note– They are the fastest acting… the first scent you notice.  They are the quickest to evaporate.  They are the most stimulating and have an uplifting effect on the mind and body.  Some examples would be:  Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit and Lime.

Middle Note–  They do not evaporate as quickly and are the more balancing of the essential oils.  Here are a few middle note oils:  Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary (avoid with high blood pressure) and Rosewood

Base Note–  Slowest to evaporate.  They are the most sedating and relaxing.   Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Sandalwood and Rose are all base note oils.

Note:  This is the information that I have learned in my aromatherapy class.. some other sites may choose to include certain essential oils in the top notes instead of middle.  And that is okay…  it is more important how it smells to you as the blending occurs.

You don’t want it to be top heavy or base heavy.  A good rule to follow is to blend all the drops evenly.  Or distribute the drops for the top to have 30% the middle to have 50% and the base to have 20%.   The best way is to simply start adding the drops (base notes first) and test by smelling to see if you like the way it is turning out.

It really is a lot of fun and a great idea for gifts for people, if you know the scents they like.  Once you make it– let it sit in a cool dark place for about two weeks.  Then you are ready to splash yourself with your own unique perfume.  Well… not splash, but dab.  🙂

There are a couple different ways to make your own.  My favorite is using the essential oils in Jojoba oil.   You can also make your own perfume in an alcohol base.  You want to use distilled water with it– the ratio would be 5-30% alcohol.

First you need a dark glass bottle.  I filled my bottle with 10ml of Jojoba oil and then added my essential oils. You want to do about 15-20 drops.

Here is my recipe for my favorite scent:   1 brown glass bottle or cobalt blue (just make sure it is dark),  1 glass dropper,  10 ml of Jojoba Oil,   6 drops of Bergamot,  7 drops of Lavender,  4 drops of Vanilla and 3 drops of  Sandalwood. (15-20 drops total of the oils)  I actually didn’t follow the exact blending “rules” on this, but it was close enough.  I will probably double my recipe next time.  This is smelling so yummy!

brown bottle

Bergamot has a fresh sweet citrus scent… I find it has a little kick to it.  It is a great tool for battling depression and anxiety.  Not only are you smelling good… this is helping you emotionally as well.

Lavender has a light floral aroma.  It is a calming essential oil that can help combat stress.

Vanilla has a sweet rich aroma.  (Love Vanilla)  It has comforting properties.  (Vanilla is a base not, but I tend to use more because I love it so much.  And it doesn’t seem as heavy as the other base note oils.)

Sandalwood is sweet, spicy and woody.  It can be expensive, but you don’t need to use much to get your desired effect.  Sandalwood is thought to be an aphrodisiac!  It also is great for the respiratory system and soothing emotions.

Here are some other ideas:

Orange, Lavender, Vanilla and Jasmine

Bergamot, Rosewood, Vanilla and Ylang Ylang

Grapefruit,  Lavender and Neroli

I could go on and on….  The possibilities are endless in creating your own perfume…  experiment and have fun!

Here are some other bottles I have ordered… these are so cute.  Great to put your perfume in or to give as a gift!

blue

Remember to take frequent breaks while blending… smelling too much Ylang Ylang or Jasmine can cause headaches.  Step outside and get some fresh air or breathe some coffee grounds to clear the scent.  Also, when making perfume for yourself– always check the contraindications of each oil.    Skin/patch test first as well.

Happy blending, friends!

Lavender

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Lavender.  I use to hate the smell of Lavender.  It actually made me feel sick.  Little did I know back then that I was not really smelling true Lavender.  Most of the Lavender products on the market are synthetic Lavender or they have very little pure Lavender oil in them.  Once I smelled 100% pure Lavender, I was shocked.  It smelled delicious.. kind of like grape flavored gum.  Then I started using it on a daily basis and it quickly became my favorite oil.  I started using it to help relax and to sleep at night.  I rub this on my feet and wrists right before bed every night.  Or I mix it with some almond oil (you can use extra virgin olive oil or a good veg oil too) and add to an Epsom salt bath at night.  You will literally feel drugged (good drugged) after a Lavender Epsom salt bath.  I also put this on my kids feet every night before they hop into bed.  Sometimes I will hear my youngest son yell downstairs, after I have put him in bed,  in his cute deep 8 yr. old voice, “Mom, I need some more Lavender.”

If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one oil with me-  what would that be?  You got it… Lavender.  It is the most versatile oil and it helps so many things.  If in doubt– use Lavender.  It has been labeled the “Swiss army knife” of essential oils.

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Lavender has been clinically evaluated for its relaxing effects. The fragrance is calming and relaxing.  I know this is true because I have seen my kids calm down immediately after putting this on them. I keep a bottle in my kitchen (for possible burns- because I am spastic in the kitchen) and one upstairs for bedtime.  Lavender oil is not only an anti-fungal, it is also anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antispetic and more!

I use Lavender daily and here are the three ways you can apply it:

1. Neat-  You can put directly on the skin… don’t have to mix with a carrier oil.  You can not do this with all oils. Some oils are very hot.

2. Inhalation-  put a couple drops in your hands and breathe in or diffuse

3. Ingest-  Not all Lavender oil is the same, so if you get something at the store and it says do not ingest– do not.  You can ingest Young Living Lavender.  I will put a drop in my water to help relax or you can add to lemonade– delicious.  You can also buy clear vegetable capsules and put a couple drops of Lavender in that and swallow.  This is great to take every day for allergies.

Here are 30 ways you can use Lavender oil:

1.) Rub Lavender oil on the feet for a calming effect on the body.

2.) Rub a drop of Lavender oil on your palms and then apply to your pillow to help you sleep and for insomnia.

3.) Put a drop of Lavender oil on a bee sting or insect bite to stop itching and reduce swelling.

4.) Put 2-3 drops of Lavender oil on a minor burn to decrease pain and help prevent scarring.

5.) Drop Lavender oil on a cut to stop the bleeding.

6.)  Mix several drops of Lavender oil with olive or coconut oil and use topically on eczema and dermatitis.

7.)  To alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness, place a drop of Lavender oil on the end of the tongue, around the navel or behind the ears.
8.)  To stop a nosebleed, put a drop of Lavender oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice.  Push the tissue covered ice chip up under the middle of the top lip to the base of the nose and hold as long as comfortable or until the bleeding stops (do not freeze the lip or gum).

9.) Rub a drop of Lavender oil over the bridge of the nose to unblock tear ducts.

10.) Rub Lavender oil on dry or chapped skin.

11.) Rub a drop of Lavender oil on chapped or sunburned lips.

12.) To reduce or minimize the formation of scar tissue, massage Lavender oil on and around the affected area.

13.)  Rub 2 drops of Lavender oil over the armpit area to act as a deodorant.  ( I might try this 🙂 )

14.) Rub a drop of Lavender oil between your palms and inhale deeply to help alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.

15.) Rub several drops of Lavender oil into the scalp to help eliminate dandruff.

16.) Place a few drops of Lavender oil on a cotton ball and place in your linen closet to scent the linens and repel moths and insects.

17.) Place a drop of Lavender oil in your water fountain to scent the air, kill bacteria and prolong the time between cleanings.

18.) Place a few drops of Lavender oil on a wet cloth and throw into the dryer which will deodorize and freshen your laundry.

19.) Put a drop of Lavender oil on a cold sore.

20.) Diffuse Lavender oil to alleviate the symptoms of allergies.

21.)  Spritz several drops of Lavender oil mixed with distilled water on a sunburn to decrease pain.

22.) Drop Lavender oil on a cut to clean the wound and kill bacteria.

23.) Apply 2-3 drops of Lavender oil to a rash to stop the itching and heal the skin.  (Good for Eczema)

24.) Apply 1-2 drops of Lavender oil in your iron to freshen your clothes.

25.)  Apply 1-2 drops of Lavender oil on a wet cloth and place in the dryer for an all natural dryer sheet.

26.) Rub Lavender oil on the back of your neck, chest, and in between your eyes to alleviate sinuses, sinusitis, allergies.

27.) Add Lavender oil to your recipes. (Lavender Blueberry Banana Bread)

28.)  Add drops of Lavender oil to your favorite beverage:  tea or lemonade.

29.)  Rub a drop of Lavender oil on your temples to alleviate a headache.

30.)  Rub a drop on the base of the neck to relieve stress and anxiety.

As you can see, Lavender is an essential oil that can uplift your life (and mood) and help your health in a variety of ways. It’s a great secret weapon to have on hand at all times!

Please leave a comment below with any essential oil questions and tell us what your FAVORITE uses for oils are!

*Sharing experiences with essential oils is an effective way of learning to utilize these powerful gifts from Nature.  With this knowledge we can take control of our personal health.  However, we are required by law in the USA to state, “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products and techniques mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”