Getting into essential oils
Thursday, January 17, 2019
One thing I was keen to
get into last year was using essential oils. The natural world is
something which continues to fascinate me and the more I learn, the
more it fuels me to learn more. A decade ago I would never have
considered growing flowers yet it is something now I find myself
quite obsessed with and the joy of watching a plant grow from a tiny
seed into a flower then age into a source of more seeds is something
I never tire of. Each specimen provides enjoyment. The colours and
scents. This year I'm growing more than ever, with two new varieties
of sweet peas.
I've digressed slightly
but the point was that the scents of plants are unique and provoke
different sensory reactions. At this stage I'm not about to profess
that I can create healing potions and concoct powerful tinctures for
curing all sorts*. But what I would say is that I like the scents.
Individually and mixed. I wanted to indulge in them. So I did.
*and not all can be
internally ingested.
Mostly, I use them I
the bath. I'm a bath purist and cannot abide bubbles or fizzing
nonsense. I just like hot water. These days I insist on a good few
drops of oil when the water's hot which carries the scent all round
the room in a very peaceful manner. The first one bought for me was
the DoTerra 'balance' blend. This was mortifyingly expensive and I
have no idea if it's even genuine. The scent is earthy, pine-like and
yes I'd say grounding.
Instead of shipping
oils in from across the globe I really wanted to explore a source
closer to home, which is where after a quick Google I found Nature's
Best. They have a range which is manufactured in Britain and is very
reasonably priced. They have various offers which rotate so buying
the oils at strategic intervals meant that after a few months I had
all the ones I was interested in. Much as I really liked them, they
have a limited range and nothing has changed for ages so I'm
conceding that it's not updated very often. The only oil I wasn't
impressed with was the Rose and Geranium blend which has a scent when
you sniff the bottle but vanishes soon after. My favourite is the
sensual blend and the harmonising and relaxing blends as well as the
after sports mix.
The winter spice blend
is not suitable for the bath – I presume it would stain it? But I
have been putting droplets of this into the oil burner all through
the cold spell and it fills the room with the most lovely zesty and
spicy scent of Christmas.
Having exhausted
Nature's Best I tried Boots even though I've never much like the
store. It always seems ridiculously overpriced. In the split second
that followed I twigged that Holland and Barrett may be the answer so
never really looked into what Boots held. It turns out Holland and
Barrett have a huge range. Excellent. The bottles are smaller than
the blends I previously bought and the prices are all over the show,
especially with their (also regular) sales and offers. All I can say
is that I've been impressed with all the pure essential oils I have
tried so far. The cinnamon bark is my favourite and I have to be
mindful not to pick this every single time. The ylang ylang is lovely
and patchouli is interesting. I have used the bergamot in the kitchen
oil burner for it's fresh scent.The bergamot clearly dis not make it out for the pictures, oops.
Last Christmas C bought
me the plug in oil diffuser which I have on in the craft room when I
use it but it does have a low hum to it and I haven't mooted the idea
of popping it into the living room. Not sure how that would be
received but I hardly get to use it as I don't spent as much time as
I imagined in the craft room – just a bit of time in December
really. Neither do I sit in the chair I want to read in. Maybe making
time just for some craft room time would be a good idea.
In summary, I just like
the scents. They're fresh or floral or spicy or so recognisable that
it brings back thoughts. Anyway, the point is I like them because I
like how they smell, it's as simple as that.
There's a separate post
to come on the aromatherapy rollers I have in my collection too.
Take care,
Sophie
Sophie
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