Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

A versatile and popular essential oil, lavender has a calming fragrance and is particularly renowned for its ability to relax and promote restful sleep, its rejuvenating soothing effects make it an effective skin treatment and a good skin healer.

Lavender oil has a softening and conditioning effect on the skin and can be added to creams, base oils and bath preparations.

It is regenerative, making it useful for wounds and mouth ulcers.  Lavender is one of the few oils that is perfectly safe to be applied neat to the skin and is a must-have in your first aid box for cuts, burns, bites and stings.  In fact the term aromatherapy was coined by a French chemist called René Maurice Gattefossé in the 1920’s.  René worked in his family perfumery business.  One day he burnt his hand and plunged it into a vat of lavender oil to cool it down.  He discovered that the lavender oil helped his burns to heal and prevented scarring and went on to use oils on soldiers wounds during the First World War, he discovered that they leaped heal wounds much faster.  He went on to research the therapeutic properties of essential oils and first used the phrase aromathérapie in a scientific research paper he delivered in 1928.

Deeply relaxing, lavender helps reduce stress levels and anxiety and is a popular remedy for promoting restful sleep.

Mild analgesic properties make lavender a good treatment for headaches and migraine, as well as muscular and nerve pain.  As an anti-spasmodic, it eases menstrual cramps.

It keeps wounds, ulcers and sores clean, in a shallow bath, its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it excellent for infections such as cystitis.

It also makes an ideal deodorising and antiseptic room spray.

If you think you don’t like lavender, it’s possibly because you have only experienced the artificial fragrance, try gently inhaling the scent of a pure essential oil, the two aren’t comparable!  Check the label for the name Lavandula angustifolia.

Best uses:

As a bath oil - add 8-12 drops to 1 tablespoon of base oil or full-fat milk and disperse in a relaxing bedtime bath.

As a massage oil - add 12-20 drops to 2 tablespoons of base oil.

Safe usage - non-toxic and non-irritant.  Can be used neat on small areas.

Orange (Citrus sinensis)

Sometimes called sweet orange, this versatile oil is widely used for its uplifting, calming and detoxifying effects.  

Orange essential oil has a cleansing effect throughout the body, used as part of a massage blend, the oil helps to improve the circulation, stimulates the lymphatic system and the supports the action of the bladder and kidneys, facilitating the removal of toxins and waste from the body.

In skincare, orange helps to promote the production of collagen and supports the skin’s natural repair process. It also has toning and slightly astringent properties that can help to clarify oily-looking skin and revitalise a dull or tired-looking complexion.

Orange supports the immune system, and it cooling and refreshing properties can also help to relieve the symptoms of a feverish cold or flu virus.

As with other citrus oils, orange calms the digestive system, helping food to move efficiently through the gut, and in turn relieves constipation and trapped wind and eases indigestion.

Orange essential oil has a sweet, uplifting scent that can calm nervous tension , lift feelings of depression and promote restful sleep in cases of insomnia.

Like most citrus trees, the sweeet orange tree originated in China.  Today, however, most of the commercial production takes place n Brazil, the USA and Cyprus.

Orange oil is cold-presss from the rind of the fruit.  A fine oil, it is a pale orange-greenish colour with the same sweet, fresh, and fruity smell you get when you peel an orange.

Best Uses

As a bath oil ~ Enjoy a relaxing bath that smoothes and tones the skin by blending 6-8 drops of orange oil in 1 tablespoon base oil or full-fat milk and dispersing into a warm bath.

As a massage oil ~ To relieve nausea and indigestion if you have over-indulged and to release trapped wind, add 4-6 strips to 1 tablespoon base oil and massage the abdomen in a clockwise direction.

In a diffuser ~ Used in a diffuser or room spray, the oil can help clear the air and mind.  Its disinfectant action is useful in sickrooms, while its calming aroma can aid restful sleep for both adults and children.

Blends well with..

Lemon, sandalwood, vetiver, frankincense, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, clary sage, litsea, bergamot and clove essential oils.

Blue Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

A deeply soothing and calming oil, chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties that make it ideal for treating allergic skin conditions and sensitive skin and scalps.

It helps to relieve the itchy, inflamed skin caused by rashes, cracked nipples, and conditions such as chicken pox.  

A repairing oil, chamomile helps heal scratches and wounds and its mildly astringent properties help clean blocked pores.

The anti-inflammatories present in chamomile, bisabolol and apigenin, work in a similar way to painkillers such as ibuprofen, providing effective mild pain relief and helping ease conditions such as arthritis.

Chamomile is a natural soother and a popular remedy for calming digestive upsets.  It can be used to treat a range of digestive complaints such as indigestion, peptic ulcers and bouts of colic.

Use chamomile as a first line of defence against viruses and infection.  It boosts immunity by stimulating leucocyte (white blood cell) production.

Chamomile helps to calm irritability, nervousness and tension headaches, helping promote relaxation and sleep.

Also known as German chamomile, the plant, which has delicate feathery leaves and simple daisy-like white flowers on single stems, is cultivated widely throughout central and northern Europe.

Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) is a milder, sweeter oil with similar anti-inflammatory properties that is particularly suitable for infants and children.

A deep ink-blue viscous liquid, the oil is steam-distilled from the flowers.  The heavy, herbaceous sweet smell has a fruity note.  Roman chamomile makes a paler oil.

Best Uses:

As a bath oil ~ mix 8-10 drops with 1 tablespoon base oil or full-fat milk and disperse in a warm bath to relax muscles and help calm anxiety.

In a massage oil ~ add 16-24 drops to 2 tablespoons base oil for a gently massage tom ease insomnia, back pain, stomach upsets and period pains, to boost immunity and to lift depression.

In a compress ~ add a few drops of chamomile essential oil to a wet, squeezed out cloth to make a cool compress that can help heal sores and calm allergic skin reactions.

Blends well with ~ bergamot, clary sage, lavender, geranium, jasmine, tea tree, grapefruit, rose, lemon and ylang ylang.

Safe usage: non-toxic, non irritant in dilution.