The Aromatics International Blog

Spring is starting to bloom, little by little. It’s almost time to open the windows and clear away the clutter, grime and general feeling of the long winter. If you’re like us, you’ll be incorporate handmade products and essential oils into your spring cleaning efforts.

Here are some tools to stock up on before you get started:

Cleaning Rags and Sponges
Try using old tee shirts and worn out towels for cleaning. When buying sponges, look for all-natural materials. Many name brand sponges are full of harsh chemicals. To keep your organic sponge fresh, just toss it in the cutlery rack in your dishwasher.

Empty Spray Bottles
Buy two or three industrial-size spray bottles at your local hardware store or big box store. You should be able to find them in the cleaning aisle. Use these to put together your heavy duty surface cleaner recipes.

Castile Soap
Buy organic Castile soap in bulk. You can use it in everything from liquid hand soap to abrasive sink cleaners. Save money and raw materials by getting a big bottle and pouring it into smaller containers as needed.

Hard-working Essential Oils
When using essential oils to clean, you need a few hard-working oils as your foundation. After that, use your stash of essential oils to tweak recipes and create your own favorites. Here’s the bare minimum to stock up on when it comes to cleaning:

• Lemon essential oil
• Tea Tree essential oil
• White Pine essential oil (or pick your favorite piney oil!)
• Lavender essential oil
• Peppermint essential oil

Tags: cleaning with essential oils

Over the years, many of our friends and students have asked for advice and recommendations for web design. Cindy and I are excited to be working on a project with Andi, our web designer, that will offer a great solution for creating a new website.

We are now in the final stages of this new website business called Business Scents. We are developing easy, functional website templates for you to create an affordable, beautiful new website. We are just finishing the development and design, and are looking at an April 1 launch date – so it’s just around the corner.

Some of the exciting features:

• You can pick from five elegant fully-customizable templates for your website.
• We handle domain registration, hosting – all of it in one package, for an entire year.
• Choose a simple brochure-style website, one that lists classes and events, or a fully-functional online shopping site using PayPal for checkout.

Not only that, but we’re going to be providing some of my aromatherapy photography as an option – from plants to distillers to simply nature shots, you’ll have vivid imagery to catch your visitor’s eye.

How about content?  Our site builder will walk you through writing your web content with simple, leading questions and pre-written copy where you need it most.

So stay tuned – we’ll blog about another update later in the month as we get nearer to our projected launch date.

If you are interested in being on our email list to let you know when the websites are available, you can sign up at this link: BusinessScents.

Looking forward to supporting your business,

Andrea, Cindy and Andi
Aromahead Institute

Tags: aromatherapy websites, business scents, ecommerce, online shopping, selling essential oils

The Latin name for Red Palm oil is Elaeis guineensis. This bright red oil is produced from the flesh of the palm fruit. The fruits are washed and gently steamed for a few minutes to soften the pulp. The fruits are then pounded to separate the flesh from the nut.

The flesh is placed in a hand-operated press, which presses the oil out of the flesh. The red oil is heated slightly to remove water, then filtered through a gravity filtering system to remove any impurities.

Red Palm oil is considered the richest natural source of skin-healing carotenoids.  The oil contains about about 15 times more carotenoids than carrots do! It is a great skin conditioner/moisturizer and known for soothing eczema and psoriasis. It brings a bright red color and soft texture to your butter blends. When Red Palm oil is cold is looks and feels more like a soft butter. The aroma is peppery and bright.

I add Red Palm oil to my body butters for its pronounced skin healing properties and the additional benefit of the color it brings to the butter!

Did you know?

• Red Palm oil is a rich source of vitamin A in the form of carotenoids. The carotenoids gives the oil its deep red color.

• The oil is used as food and as a skin conditioner and has cultural significance in many African regions.

• Red Palm oil is high in tocotrienols, which are antioxidants that belong to the Vitamin E family. Red palm oil is particularly rich in these tocotrienols and is one of the only vegetable oil that has an abundant tocotrienol content.

• Red Palm oil doesn’t play well with white shirts! Be sure to dilute well with other carrier oils to protect light color clothing and sheets.

Tags: antioxidants, aromatherapy blending, butter butter, carrier oils, red palm oil

Common name: Sitka Spruce
Latin name: Picea sitchensis

I am always interested in essential oils that contain beta-myrcene as part of their chemical make-up. The most recent Sitka Spruce we imported from one of our French distillers has 23.5% beta-myrcene. The research on beta-myrcene indicates that the component offers analgesic, anti-inflammatory and CNS (Central Nervous System) sedative effects.

We consider oils high in β-myrcene to be good pain killers, and tend to use them in our blends to reduce pain. Sitka Spruce is one of these oils. It has an earthy, woody aroma that I love. It is also indicated for people suffering from respiratory issues such as allergies, colds, the flu or sinus infections. If the sinuses are inflamed and there are aches and pains related to it, Sitka is a great choice. (We also use Mastic essential oil which can have a content of 50% beta-myrcene.)

Below is a great stock blend for cold and flu. Several drops of this blend can be used in a diffuser or can be added to a carrier such as a bath salt, inhaler, jojoba, lotion or salt scrub.

Cold and Flu Blend (found on the Sitka Spruce page)
10 drops Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
10 drops Juniper (Juniperus communis)
10 drops Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
20 drops Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora ct 1,8 cineole)

See the recipe page on Aromatics International for other cold and flu blends

Tags: beta-myrcene, conifer essential oils, Picea sitchensis, sitka spruce

A guest post by Traci Dalrymple, founder of Kokokahn and Aromahead Institute graduate.

My story begins nine years ago in Japan, where the use of essential oils as part of natural healing and wellness was first introduced to me. During my time in Japan I took a trip to Bali, fell in love, and discovered the name of my company, Kokokahn—meaning white heron in Balinese.

Organic ingredients, eco-friendly practices, therapeutic aromatherapy and safety are at the core of Kokokahn. Green initiatives are implemented through education, recycling, and formulating products with organic and un-processed ingredients. One of the reasons I wanted to create my company was to have the financial ability to give to those in need. Community support currently includes donating time and products to organizations in need. Most recently we donated 110 lip balms to the homeless in Sarasota. As we grow we will be looking for a non-profit organization to partner with in order to make a bigger impact for those in need. Creating products that are cruelty-free and not tested on animals is also an important part of our philosophy.

Aromatherapy inhalers are a convenient and effective way of delivering the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Stress Relief with lavender and chamomile essential oils helps calm and ease daily stress. Emotional Balance for those days when you’re feeling blue, depressed or experiencing grief of a lost loved one. Immune Support created with essential oils of Thyme and Rosewood provides long term immune support for overall good health. And Breathe for congestion and seasonal discomfort opening sinuses and lungs with eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils. Pop in your purse or pocket and insert in your nose breathing deeply throughout the day. The inhalers are especially good for airplanes and travel.

Kokokahn has four body balms that provide anti-aging and skin healing benefits. Their newest addition is Soothe Joints formulated for those achy joints and muscles that just won’t go away and seem to be always present. Kombo butter from Africa combined with essential oils of Ginger, Black Spruce and Juniper all proven to soothe cold, achy joints and muscles. Other body balms include Coconut Body Balm, Dark Chocolate Body Balm and Tamanu Body Balm. All the body balms are super hydrating and skin healing for daily use.

Unrefined Himalayan pink salts and certified organic sugars are the exfoliators in Kokokahn’s body scrubs. Tropical Coconut Orange and Coconut Lime Salt Scrubs slough away dead skin cells and moisturize. Pure, certified organic coconut oils, jojoba oils and citrus essential oils of orange and lime. Bright, cheery and uplifting. For a deep, peaceful sleep, Floral Harmony is perfect with aromas of Jasmine, Chamomile and Lavender. Floral Harmony is also available in a bath and body oil and bath salt. Salt scrubs can be used in the shower or bath once or twice a week. Keep one by the kitchen sink to exfoliate and moisturize your hands regularly helping to preserve their youth. They also work great for shaving your legs!

February 1st, 2010, Kokokahn is launching a men’s line. An aftershave and salt scrub perfect for your metro-sexual, masculine man on Valentine’s Day. Spicy notes of Clove and cardamom with skin nourishing patchouli and frankincense essential oils. Witch hazel is used instead of skin irritating and drying alcohol.

For more information visit the Kokokahn website, email traci @ kokokahn.com, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook!

The online business world is ever-changing.  To stay on top of the latest web trends, I regularly follow some great websites and blogs. Each one continues to contribute to my leaning and professional growth. I try to set aside an hour a day to read. This hour has proven to be extremely productive. I learn about online business, I try new web tools, formulate great new ideas and have fun while doing it. (Kimba hangs out with me while I read.) I hope these websites can provide you with some exciting new resources!

Women Entrepreneur
This online magazine features news and tips for female business owners.  Blogs, a community and success stories round it out as a great source of inspiration and education.

Outspoken Media
Outspoken Media’s blog features insight and engaging advice from a team of three social media mavens.  Read for excellent tips on online reputation management, web content and effective social media campaigns.

Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang
While not as entertaining as some blogs, this site features important news and trends in the web marketing world.  If you don’t make it an everyday read, try to stop by once in a while to get a feel for important trends.

The Facebook Blog
Want to get a better sense of how to use Facebook in your personal life and for your small business?  Make the Facebook Blog a daily read for great tips and stories of how social media makes an impact on others.

Mashable
Mashable has over two million readers for a reason.  From weird and entertaining stories to up to date web trends, Mashable is the go-to site for all things social media related.  If you want to be “in the know,” start here.

Seth’s Blog
Popular author Seth Godin posts brief bits of inspiration and insight.  His posts are easy to digest and often very helpful.  Follow along to stay for tidbits of wisdom that will help you avoid common business ruts and pitfalls.

Friday Traffic Report
Jack Humphrey’s blog offers great resources for business bloggers.  Look for news, trends and lots of tools to amp up your blogging experience.  If you blog casually and not professionally, many of these resources may not be pertinent to you.

Entrepreneur Connect
The team behind Women Entrepreneur created this social media network for business owners.  The marketplace, groups and directory are full of helpful tools and educational resources for your small (or large) business.

Erica.biz
Erica Douglass created a successful  business by the age of 26.  On her blog, she shares her personal insights and advice for other web entrepreneurs.  Her take on web marketing is often fresh and brutally honest.  Just keep in mind that her $10,000 a month blogging paycheck is not the norm!

Tags: business blogs, social media marketing