I wanted to share some new essential oil diffuser blends I have come to enjoy this fall. Most of the blends include Basil essential oil which has become a new favorite for me.
Basil essential oil is used in traditional Asian Indian medicine. The name basil comes from the word “basileum” which is the Greek name for king. Uses for basil according to my pocket reference book are: help with migraines, combat throat-lung infections and insect bites. The fragrance is also know to fight mental fatigue – promoting energy, alertness and good decision making.
Two of my favorite combinations of the above list are:
Basil, Peppermint and Lime
Basil and Peppermint
Both of these combinations smell good and seem to give me energy to get things done, which I can always use.
Basil, Cinnamon Bark and Lime is another pleasant combination.
So far I have only tried Basil essential oil and these combinations in the diffuser. It seems that Basil oil when applied topically with a carrier oil, like jojoba oil, would be good for colds or congestion. According to some information in my Aromathreapy 101 book Basil is a good oil to aid with respiratory illnesses and muscle spasms in the chest area, especially when used with Eucalyptus oil.
I use Young Living essential oils. Please contact me using the form below if you would like more information about Young Living and how to use their essential oils.
What are some of your favorite essential oil combinations in the diffuser? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Essential oil books are great to refer to once you start using essential oils. I mentioned this in part 1 of my post on essential oil books and today in part 2 of the series I am going to share a couple of other books I use regularly when working with essential oils.
In addition to the books I wrote about in part 1, I have also been reading and referring to The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood and Aromatherapy Through the Seasons by Judith Fitzsimmons and Paula M. Bousquet. I bought both of these books over 10 years ago when I began learning about essential oils.
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy is one of the reference books that is very nice to own if you are focused on learning more about essential oils and how to use them. This book is full of great information on using essential oils for your body, your home, your pets and cooking with essential oils. To cook with essential oils you need to use therapeutic grade, high quality, oils safe for ingestion such as Young Living oilswhich are the kind that I use.
Recently I have used the Complete Book of Essential Oils to make up some blends for stress. There are two pages in this book devoted to various blends and what type of stress they are best used for and for the level of stress. One of the blends is for general stress that I have use in my diffuser as well as topically mixed with a carrier oil.
General Stress Blend:
Grapefruit – 15 drops
Rosemary – 11 drops
Palmarosa – 5 drops
To use the above blend mix in a small recycled 5ml glass bottle or buy a glass bottle with a dropper. Use 7 or 8 drops in a diffuser with water or add a few drops to a teaspoon of almond or jojoba oil for topical use.
Another stress blend from the book I have tried and like to use on my neck and feet at bedtime is one for Low Immunity. I figure it will help me sleep better, strengthen my immune system and lower my stress level while I sleep due to the properties of some of the oils in this blend.
Low Immunity Stress Blend:
Vetiver – 10 drops
Lavender – 10 drops
Geranium – 10 drops
Combine all the drops in a 15ml empty bottle and top it off with almond oil or your favorite carrier oil. I did not put the reducer back on the bottle – to use just shake it gently and pour a small amount in the palm of your hand and rub it on your neck, thyroid area and then the bottoms of your feet at bedtime.
The other book I have been using lately is the Aromatherapy Through the Seasons as I mentioned above. I love how this book is written. Each chapter is a month from January to December and there is an oil recommended for that month. For example, March is cedarwood and there are lots of great recipes using cedarwood oil – along with other basic oils like lemon, lavender, rosemary and melaleuca a. (tea tree). The beginning of each chapter-month explains the oil and its uses. For cedarwood there are recipes for hair care and skin care. I also like how many of the pages have inspiring quotes. There are lots of recipes in this book for body care and for your health – like a cold blend, a flu blend and allergy blend.
In my opinion if you are looking to expand your knowledge and have some guidance with your essential oils both of these books would be great to add to your library. Next month I will be reviewing some essential oil books on body and skin care for part 3 of this series.
I recently made up a couple of essential oil blends to help with my hormonal issues. Any woman in their 40’s knows what I mean when I mention hormone issues. So far these blends have proven effective for me and my needs and I wanted to share them on my blog.
Hormone Balance Blend using Geranium – 20 drops, Clary Sage – 14 drops, Palmarosa – 8 drops – in a base of jojoba or grapeseed oil
The first blend is an oil that I have been using topically in the morning and at bedtime on my neck, lower abdominal area and on my spine and sometimes my feet – the inner side (like the arch area) which is the reflex point for the spine. I call the blend Hormone Balance – as you can see from my lovely handmade masking tape label in the above photo – it is getting kind of worn out after using it for the past month.
Here is the blend:
Geranium essential oil – 20 drops
Clary Sage essential oil – 14 drops
Palmarosa essential oil – 8 drops
Jojoba oil or grapeseed oil – 4 tsp
Blend all of the above listed oils in an empty 15 ml bottle – shake lightly before each use. Use 2 to 3 times a day on abdominal area, lower back, spine, neck, wrists and feet. Note: all oils used are Young Living essential oils – those are the kind I prefer to use due to their therapeutic qualities. Also – I do not use the reducer dropper on the bottle – I just pour the oil onto my palm from the bottle.
I actually think this blend has a better and stronger scent to it if you use the jojoba oil but I have also used the grapeseed. I like the fact that this blend works to help my hormones and it also smells nice – I had it on the other day and a friend of mine commented that I smelled good. Some blends I have made up do not always smell so great but I use them for therapeutic purposes – not always to smell great. It is nice that this one has a pleasant scent.
The other blend I made up about two weeks ago is a spray. The spray can be used on your body, clothes, in the air in a room or on your bed linens or a pillow. I am calling the spray Hormone Happy Spray. In a 4 oz. glass bottle combine:
Geranium essential oil – 8 drops
Clary Sage essential oil – 6 drops
Elemi essential oil – 3 drops
Fennel essential oil – 2 drops
Add 1 tsp witch hazel and top off with filtered water
Again, I have my really fancy hand written masking tape label. I am constantly changing blends or using the bottle for other things when one runs out so I hate to invest in printing labels – also those seem harder to get off the bottle and the masking tape comes right off. This is just for my personal use anyhow so it is fine for my needs. Again all the oils used in this blend are also Young Living.
These two blends seem to be providing me some relief from some hormonal imbalances I have been experiencing – the joys of getting older! Please note that I am not a doctor and I am just sharing with you what has helped me. Everyone is different and sometimes you have to try some different oils or blends to figure out what will work for you and your body.
Young Living also makes some of their own blends like Dragon Time, Lady Sclareol, and Sclar Essence that also help with female hormone issues. I have tried Sclar Essence and it also works well but I think my new blend is working better for my needs at the moment. Sclar Essence is a blend of clary sage, spanish sage, peppermint and fennel and it has a pleasant scent. It can be applied topically, diffused and also be ingested – I have drank it as a tea.
I have recently ordered Lady Sclareol and I will write more about that one after I have tried it out for a while. I like to use things for a little while before I decide if I like them or if they are working for me.
If you are interested in learning more about Young Living please contact me via email kkg@kimberleeskorner.com Also, if you are interested in signing up for a Young Living account you can click on the highlighted Young Living link or the button in the sidebar.
Essential oil books are great to refer to when you get into using essential oils. There are several essential oil books that I refer to and use on a regular basis. I find myself referring to these books and continuing to learn more about different oils all of the time.
One of the books I received from my friend Julie when I signed up for Young Living. It is the Essential Oils pocket reference. This little book has a wealth of information – I don’t think a day goes by without me looking at it. To give you a breakdown of what is in it:
Chapter 1 – Yesterdays Wisdom, Tomorrows Destiny – This gives you the history of essential oil extraction and includes biblical references to certain oils
Chapter 2 – How Essential Oils Work – info on the chemistry, standards and testing and the influence of aromas
Chapter 3 – How to Safely Use Essential OIls – This is about guidelines for use, a chart of cerified GRAS – generally regarded as safe – or as a food additive, by the FDA. Also in this chapter are things to know before you start; info on topical application, diffusing and other uses
Chapter 4 – Single Oils – This is alphabetized and lists all the single oils from Young Living. For each one you get: Botanical Family, Extraction Method, Key constituents, Historical Data, Medical Properties, Uses, Application, Cautions (if any), Found In (lists other Young Living blends or products can be found in)
Chapter 5 – Essential Oil Blends – This describes how Young Living blends are formulated then lists each blend alphabetically and the same info I just listed above for the singles such as use and applications, etc.
Chapter 6 – Techniques for Essential Oil Application – This explains the different techniques in detail and gives you vita flex foot and hand charts as well as a nervous system connection point chart of the spine. If you are into massage therapy it gives you the overview for the application of the raindrop technique
Chapter 7 – Personal Usage – This is a great reference chapter on giving you info on taking charge of your health, developing your program and a complete reference guide for many common health issues like: arthritis, colds, flu, headaches, insomnia, pain, skin care and problems, sore throats, and stress – just to name a few common ailments. I love this chapter and refer to it all the time just to learn more about certain health aspects.
Another book I refer to a lot lately is Aromatherapy 101 by Karen Downes. I have owned this book for over 10 years. I bought it back in early 2000 when I first got into using essential oils. I like this book because it explains what aromatherapy is, what essential oils are and gives you info on how to properly use them. The book also lists the oils alphabetically. She gives you a great description of each oil, the issues it addresses, what it helps promote and any safety information.
Lately I have been reading this book a lot again and referring to it along with the pocket reference. I also like how in the Aromatherapy 101 book she recommends oils that blend well together. Even though this book is older, published in 2000, I still see it around on the internet and I think it contains some really good and helpful information for anyone learning to get more from their essential oils.
If you are interested in learning more about Young Living essential oils you can email me kkg@kimberleeskorner.com Also, if you are interested in signing up for Young Living you can click on the highlighted Young Living to take you to the sign up page. You can sign up for a retail account but if you sign up for a wholesale account, or distributor, you will save 24% on all your orders. There are not a whole lot of rules and requirements to be a wholesaler – you have to order a starter kit is the main one. After that you can order as much as you want or never again.
If you decide you love Young Living like me then you can sign up for Essential Rewards that is a monthly auto ship where you decide what you want in your order each month and it has to be a minimum amount of $50.00. Also, if you decide to sign up I will send you a copy of the Essential OIls Pocket Reference – that is the first book I mentioned above in the post.
One of the books I will be reviewing in Part 2 of this series will be Aromatherapy Through the Seasons. This is another book I have had since the early 2000’s. So follow my blog or check back for part 2 on essential oil books coming in February. I will also be sharing some recipes for foods and skincare using essential oils in the future.
Essential oils seem to be everywhere lately. I first learned about essential oils over ten years ago. I was learning how to make my own cleaning products and found that essential oils are used in many of the cleaning recipes in some books I purchased back in early 2000. I still have and use the books and they are still available today.
Books for natural cleaning recipes
Recently I have learned about Young Living essential oils. I kept finding information about them on pinterestand I also read about them in my fitness group on facebook from someone who was using Thieves oil for illness with her kids. Then, I remembered that a friend of mine was selling them so I contacted her to learn more and how to get them.
After talking to my friend I learned that Young Living is a company that only sells the oils to “members”. You can buy at a “retail” level but you pay more money. To get a better price you have to join and be considered a “distributor” to get the wholesale price. Also, when you join at the distributor level you are required to buy a kit for your first purchase.
Well, after learning those facts I was kind of apprehensive about “joining” their company and being part of something I may or may not like. I talked to my friend some more and she assured me I would love the oils, since I already knew so much about essential oils, and that the Young Living oils were very high quality. She also told me there was not a catch to joining that if I bought a kit and decided I didn’t want anything else ever again I would not be obligated to order monthly or ever again for that matter. The only way you are obligated to maintain a monthly order is if you join their ER – Essential Rewards – program that is optional on your part.
So, I did more research on Young Living – found even more great info on pinterest and decided back in November to join and ordered the Everyday Oils kit that also comes with a diffuser and a few samples. The oils that come in that kit are the 5ml bottles and I have already used most of them up in the past six weeks.
Everyday Oils kit
I am in love with these oils and use at least two or more daily for the past six weeks. I like the fact that so many of their oils are therapeutic grade and can be ingested. The essential oils I have used in the past could only be used topically or in my cleaning recipes. I also notice the Young Living oils smell much stronger and have a lot more staying power – the scent does not fade off quickly. The Young Living oils have also helped me and my family with some recent health issues. I think that when used properly essential oils can offer some alternative therapy for many common ailments.
In addition to making my own cleaning products, which I have done for years – I am now making my own face and body care with these oils. Some of the things I have made are recipes I have found and tried from pinterest and others are a combination I have created using books I have and my own personal preferences. I am trying to be more chemical free and use less toxic ingredients on my skin. I am now making and using my own face wash, face toner, moisturizer, body butter and deodorant. I will be sharing my recipes and more info on these in future posts on my blog.
If you are interested in joiningYoung Living you can click on the highlighted text to take you to the sign up page on the Young Living site. You can also message me via email at kkg@kimberleeskorner.com for more info if you have any questions.
