Lifestyle Choices

The fragrance of eau de Cologne is light and refreshing, perfect for an after-bath splash. Alternatively you could keep it in an aerosol bottle in the fridge during hot weather to use as a scented cooling spray. (more…)

First choose the essential oil(s) to suit your physical and/or emotional needs.

Essential oils need to be diluted at a rate of 1/2 to 3 per cent depending on the person’s skin, the strength of the essential oil and the condition for which it is being applied. The lowest concentrations (¹/2 to 1 per cent) are best for facial oils and for those with sensitive skin. (more…)

The most classic method of extraction is steam distillation, which is a sophisticated version of an ancient method first devised in Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. Plant material is piled into a still and subjected to concentrated steam, which acts to release the essential oils from the plant cells. The aromatic vapour travels along a series of glass tubes which form a condenser. The oil is then easily separated from the water by being siphoned off through a narrow-necked container. The remaining water may form a beautifully fragrant by-product: rosewater, orange flower water and lavender water are well- known examples. (more…)

Most skins (except the very sensitive) will benefit from a weekly face pack. These are designed to deep cleanse, tighten and brighten, moisturize and generally tone the complexion. One of the most beneficial substances to use as a face pack is yoghurt (live natural yoghurt, full-fat if possible) — beneficial, that is, if you are not allergic to dairy products. Fresh live yoghurt, without additives, can help all skin types, particularly excessively dry or oily skin. The lactic acid of yoghurt (due to its fermentation) is similar to that of the skin acid mantle, and appears to exert a balancing action on the secretion of skin fluids. (more…)

Home-made skin creams and ointments are richer and heavier than super-light commercial products, but they are extremely effective and economical. Moreover, beeswax and the finest quality vegetable oils will not clog the pores. (more…)

To energize and stimulate

Use: ginger, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, cinnamon, clary sage in: living rooms, dining rooms, playrooms, games or fitness rooms, halls and stairs.

For warmth and security

Use: ylang ylang, clary sage, tangerine, lavender in: living rooms and bedrooms.

To refresh and uplift

Use: sandalwood, lemon, rosemary, rosewood in: living rooms, studies, kitchens, work rooms.

For romance

Use: ylang ylang, jasmine, geranium, sandalwood in: bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms. (more…)

Kitchen

The kitchen is the place that we most associate with household smells. The wonderful mixture of natural aroma of fruits, vegetables and herbs can make the kitchen a welcoming and seductive place, but unfortunately it is also the source of many unattractive unwanted and harmful smells.

While cooking food, especially when frying or grilling, tiny particles of fat are released into the atmosphere. These cling to any surfaces with which they come into contact. These molecules lead to greasy work and wall surfaces as well as covering windows and ceilings. Rubbish is another cause of harmful smells and utility rooms which adjoin kitchens often have animal baskets and smells from boots and coats. (more…)

To counteract these toxic and harmful vibrations, introduce forms of radiant energy through light, air, aroma and sound.

Light

Pure sunlight has a very powerful cleaning action. The light rays purify and cleanse all natural objects as well as any dark spiritual forces. Curtains and blinds hold dust and dirt particles as well as block out a good deal of natural light, so if you want to thoroughlycleanse a room it is a good idea to start by taking these down. The extra natural sunlight which will enter the room through the larger window area, will help clean the room while the curtains are being washed. (more…)

Many disease processes involve inflammation, often characterised by swelling, redness, pain and heat.

These include all the `itis’ diseases — arthritis, dermatitis, colitis, nephritis and hepatitis, as well as asthma and others not often associated with inflammation, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in which parts of the brain become inflamed. Inflammation also lies at the root of atherosclerosis, the common cause of thrombosis, heart attacks and strokes. In addition, it is an underlying cause of irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, now suffered by eight million people in Britain. (more…)

Baths have been taken since time immemorial to improve both health and looks. Continuing in this tradition, bath oils, in which essential oils are used, are the most popular of our preparations.

An aromatic bath is not only useful for the wonderful aroma it creates, but also for the numerous therapeutic properties in the various essential oils. (more…)

Essential oils are absorbed through the skin and penetrate its deepest layers. The main property of all essential oils is that they are highly antiseptic, though at different degrees, depending on the essence chosen. They help speed up the removal of old skin cells and thus encourage the production of new cells.

Essential oils help muscles to regain a healthy condition and aid the soft tissue to get rid of excess fluid and waste materials or, if required, to restore lost hydration. They also act as blood regulators, improving the blood circulation. With the help of pressure points on nerve centres, the essential oils help to regulate the nervous system, making it more alert to impulses and quicker to react. (more…)

Aromatherapy is the art of using essences of plants to treat the skin, the emotions, and the body as a whole. It is one of the most interesting areas of beauty care. For each plant essence has its own unique qualities, yet like a piece of music or a painting will evoke slightly different responses from different people depending on their personalities, needs, and tastes. Learning about aromatherapy, the essences themselves, and some of the things you can do with them is sheer delight. It is also a wonderful way of looking after your skin, calming your nerves when you are overwrought, and creating interesting atmospheres in your living and working environment. If I were allowed only one luxury I could easily dispense with makeup and trips to the hairdresser, but I would never want to be without the beauty of aromatherapy. Let’s start at the beginning. (more…)

It is a good idea to start with three or four essences and then experiment, each time adding more oils to your collection as you get to know them. Some of the best to start with are jasmine, sandalwood, geranium, neroli, lavender, and cinnamon.

Always keep your essences in a cool place (the refrigerator is ideal) in dark glass bottles. Essential oils are highly volatile and easily destroyed by heat and sunlight. They have to be treated like something very precious.

Here are some of the common uses of essential oils:

Skin

To improve circulation For broken veins

For oily skin (more…)

The Vitamins

Vitamin A applied to the surface of the skin either from a capsule on its own or mixed into cream and oil preparations has been used successfully in the treatment of dry and aging skin and acne. It appears to work particularly well in combination with vitamin D, which itself has a healing effect on the skin. (This is why vitamin D is often used in diaper-rash remedies and in burn ointments.)

Vitamin E, about which there has been such controversy, and vitamin C are certainly useful in the treatment of skin healing from a cut or burn. There is no conclusive evidence that, applied topically, it will do much for normal skin, although many women who use vitamin E regularly claim good results from it. (more…)

The Living Skin

Beneath the epidermis, in the dermis, or true skin (which unlike the epidermis is entirely a living thing), are found the nerves. They register pleasure and pain, touch, heat and cold. Here, too, is a rich supply of blood vessels and lymphatics plus all the various skin appendages: the hair follicles, with their sebaceous glands, and the sweat glands. Also important in the dermis is an elaborate network of fibers made by special cells called fibroblasts. These fibers look like the warp and woof of fine cloth. They are collectively known as connective tissues and are made up mostly of protein called collagen together with about 2 percent elastin. This network gives your skin its form and resilience. So long as it remains smooth and ordered, your skin stays young-looking and firm. When its fibers start to bunch up and harden or to cross-link and become disorganized, your skin rapidly begins to sag, to wrinkle, and to age. This aging process has many causes. It can occur as a result of exposure to the sun, internal wear and tear from illness, or an insufficiency of certain vitamins and minerals (particularly vitamin C and the trace element zinc), or exposure to cigarette smoke and pollution. It also appears to be part of your genetic programming. (more…)

Scientists have been working for generations trying to understand how our noses distinguish one smell from another, to find a classification for scents, and perhaps to develop some kind of notation system for their description. So far without much success. One of the most interesting theories about the sense of smell comes from J. E. Moore, a British chemist. He claims that there are seven primary odors, under which all smells can be classified. Each of these, he says, has a distinctive molecular shape, which the olfactory cells in our nose recognize and react to. And this reaction is not only chemical, as you might expect. According to Moore (and several American researchers agree with him) these special-shaped molecules slot into submicroscopic pores of differing sizes and shapes in the receptor cells. The researchers claim that any change in odor is the result of a change in the overall shape of the molecule. But just how a fragrance affects the nervous system and brings about many-layered emotional responses remains yet another unsolved mystery. (more…)

2 ID FAT AVOID BAD FATS

Some fats are essential to health, which is why we have an instinct to eat fat. The body’s ‘fat sensors’ are in your mouth - and we are instinctively drawn towards the creamy texture of fats, sauces, cheese and cream. That’s why fat-free diets are such a struggle for most of us. There are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats in food. Only when you eat the right kind of ‘good’ fats will your body stop craving that smooth, creamy texture.

GOOD FATS

The ‘good fats‘ are essential fats (listed on packets as polyunsaturates) found in seeds, grains and oily fish. They include the essential fatty acids (EFAs) such as omega-3 and omega-6. These fats are essential to health and can help you lose weight. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, your body actually craves essential fats. Secondly, they help your metabolism to work properly: they improve the effectiveness of the brain and the nervous system, they boost immunity, balance hormones and create healthy skin. (more…)

Bubble Bath Oil

This is a nourishing and softening oil and children love it.

250 ml (1 cup) good quality soap, grated

1 litre (4 cups) boiling water, into which 6 sprigs rosemary or lavender, approx 20 cm long, have been steeped for 15 minutes

25 ml (2 tbsp) witch-hazel

50 ml (4 tbsp) glycerine

12,5 ml (1 tbsp) wheatgerm oil

few drops lavender oil (more…)

Making soap from scratch is a complicated and time-consuming business, and for most people, whose lives are full and busy, far too involved and difficult — even dangerous if you are not an expert, as an alkaline can burn the skin as badly as acid. So leave soap-making to the experts and rather choose a plain soap which suits your skin and grate it. You can then add herbs, oatmeal, honey etc, using the recipes below as a guide. They are quick and easy to make and have been tested and proved suitable for most skin types. Experiment on your own (always test with care) for you will get infinite satisfaction and pleasure out of making your own beauty preparations.

Honey and Lemon Dry Skin Soap

This is a nourishing soap for dry skin, and is particularly good for legs and feet.

500 ml (2 cups) grated plain soap

125 ml (1/2 cup) honey

25 ml (2 tbsp) finely grated lemon skin or rind 12,5 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice

5 ml (1 tsp) oil of lemon

Use the same method as for the Rich Moisturising Soap.

Soft Herb Soap

This is a jelly-like soap that should be kept in a jar beside the wash basin. I use it for washing my hands frequently and, as a potter, when my hands get very rough and sore it has been my salvation many a time. (more…)

The amount and kind of food you eat affects your health and well-being.

There are about forty-five to fifty nutrients in food that are believed to be essential for the body’s growth, maintenance, and repair. These are classified into six categories: carbohydrates (and fiber), fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. The first three provide energy, which is measured in calories.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council has established a recommended daily allowances (RDA) for each nutrient. To help assure that you select foods containing the essential elements, (more…)