The Aromatics International Blog

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

I find it fascinating to smell and blend with essential oils that were cultivated in the same country. Despite a wide variety of chemical components, plant families and plant parts—plants that grow in the same region have a distinct synergy with one another.

For example, oils from Nepal have very unique aromas that stand apart from all other oils I know.

• Xanthoxylum – Zanthoxylum armatum
  Floral, fresh, fruity and quite exotic!

• Rhododendron – Rhododendron anthopogon
  Balsamic, fresh, sweet and herbaceous.

The oils from India tend to have a softer aroma when compared to the same oil cultivated in another country.

• Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia
  Sweet, floral, soft.

• Cedarwood (Indian) – Cedrus deodara
  Earthy, warm, radiant, woody.

The oils from Madagascar have a medicinal aroma that explains why so many of the Madagascar oils are used for healing.

• Saro – Cinnamosma fragrans
  Camphoraceous, fresh, warm.

• Helichrysum bracteiferum – Helichrysum bracteiferum
  Camphoraceous, fresh, herbaceous.

To take advantage of this special synergy, I create blends using oils that were grown and distilled in the same country.

Nepalese Ease
to calm anxiety
Spikenard - 10 drops
Xanthoxylum - 5 drops
Lemongrass – 2 drops
Add to a blank inhaler and use often.

Indian Perfume
exotic and warm
Jasmine – 5 drops
Lavender – 3 drops
Sandalwood – 10 drops
Black Pepper – 1 drop
Blend into 2 oz. of jojoba oil or unscented lotion.

Madagascar Steam Blend
for tightness and congestion
Saro – 20 drops
Helichrysum bracteiferum – 10 drops
Ravintsara – 15 drops
Niaouli ct 1,8 cineole – 5 drops
Blend into a small orifice reducer bottle and then use one drop total of the blend in a bowl of steamy hot water. Close your eyes, cover your head with a towel and breathe for a few minutes.

If you are interested in exploring essential oils by their country of origin, we have a fun search tool on Aromatics International. Begin by clicking on an oil that interests you.  Then click on the country of origin to view a list of oils from that county. Click on any individual oil to learn more.

Are you using Avocado oil (Laurus persea) in your aromatherapy and massage blends?  If not, you’re missing out on a natural, fresh oil that has a really nice aroma. While you and your clients enjoy the scent and texture of this carrier oil, it goes to work behind the scenes restoring and rejuvenating the skin naturally.

Avocado oil is highly penetrating, deeply nourishing and softens dry skin. It’s known to restore and re-moisturizer the epidermis. Repeated applications of moisturizing butters, oils or lotions made with Avocado oil reveal an increase of hydration of the upper layers of the skin, and an improvement of the skins elastic properties. Whether you’re looking for an oil to use as a carrier with essential oils or to blend with other moisturizing oils in a product, Avocado oil plays well with others.

How is the oil derived from the fruit we commonly know as a salad topping or the main ingredient in guacamole? Avocado oil is expressed from dried avocado fruit flesh. The fruit is peeled, the pit removed, and the fruit is sliced and dried to remove any water. The dried slices are cold-pressed to remove the oil. The process is time-consuming and complex—and true, organic, high quality, cold-pressed, unrefined oil is difficult to find.  The Avocado tree itself can grow to be quite large and bear hundreds of fruits. We have a tree growing in our backyard that has produced over 100 avocados this year (yes, I have eaten more then I thought possible)!

Refined Avocado oil is pale yellow, so it’s easy to distinguish between the refined and unrefined product. True, organic, high quality, cold pressed, unrefined oil is a medium to dark olive green in color, somewhat thick, and very rich in texture. The aroma is similar to the ripe fruit, fresh and somewhat spicy/nutty.

Here are some of the wonderful properties of Avocado Oil:

• Prevents chapping, cracks and stretch marks
• Good hair growth stimulant
• Ideal oil to offer light UV protection for the skin
• Mixed with equal quantities of sesame and olive oil, it offers some light sun protection for the skin
• Excellent skin moisturizer
• High degree of penetration into the epidermis
• Promotes cell regeneration
• Used for skin inflammation
• Used to clean the skin
• Has a high sterol content (about 10%) and is used as a carrier for arthritis pain blends
• Has more Vitamin D than eggs; useful for people living in low-sunshine areas
• Used for post menopausal women who have aging skin

Avocado oil is also high in sterolins, which are reputed to be beneficial in healing scars and moisturizing the upper layers of the skin. The sterolins in Avocado oil have been found to diminish age spots. Oils with the highest levels of sterolins are Shea Butter, Avocado oil, Sesame oil, Soybean oil and Olive oil.

Did You Know?

• Avocado oil has been used as a hair pomade to stimulate hair growth.

• Avocado oil contains more than 20% essential unsaturated fatty acids. It contains vitamins A, C, D and E, proteins, beta-carotene, lecithin, fatty acids and potassium.

• Avocado oil has at least a one-year shelf life, and it is recommended not to be kept in the refrigerator as it may forms deposits and congeal when chilled.

• As Avocado oil gets older, the color will turn from olive green to brown.

• Another oil is produced from avocado seeds, but it is rare and regarded as toxic.

• Try adding Avocado oil to your body butters and lip balms for fabulous texture.

Eucalyptus dives is a unique essential oil that I love having in my collection. It is especially good for reducing thick mucus, great for that cold or flu that you just can’t get rid of and the congestion is driving you crazy! You can steam with it, put it into a chest rub, dilute it in an unscented lotion and massage your feet with it, or simply diffuse it. It has a lovely camphoraceous, minty aroma that differs from all the other eucalyptus species aromas. Eucalyptus dives is great to use with children and adults, and is deeply effective against congestion.

Recipe

Eucalyptus Steam Blend
10 drops Eucalyptus Dives
10 drops Siberian Fir (Abies siberica)
10 drops Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora)

This undiluted combination of oils becomes your “stock bottle”. Use one drop total from the stock bottle in a bowl of steaming water. Place a towel over your head and the bowl, close your eyes and breathe. Be sure the water is not too hot and that your skin feels comfortable with the steam. I usually steam for about a minute. Great way to clear your head!

Tags: eucalyptus dives, ravintsara, Siberian Fir, steam blend

The heavy scent of YlangYlang fills our heads during warm humid nights and early mornings. The scent is so strong and carries so far that we have neighbors a few houses down inhaling deeply whenever the tree blooms.  Our little neighborhood is indeed mellow and sweet smelling these days as the tree has sprung an incredible amount of flowers for the new year!

The first time we saw an Ylang Ylang tree was in Belize. It was huge, and beautiful, with a colorful Toucan sitting amongst the flowers. A few years later we visited a house in Sarasota, Florida that had a Ylang Ylang tree and were inspired to plant two of them in our front yard.

Our Ylang Ylang tree is now huge! Last week we were admiring the flowers on the tree and noticed a small owl tucked high up in the branches! I smiled to myself and thought, we have a Ylang Ylang tree in our front year with hundreds of flowers and an owl living in it. What could be sweeter? The owl has been there for a week now, and seems to like when I take pictures! I even got a wink (see picture)!

Tags: aromatherapy, Essential Oils, ylang ylang