Here s some information that I feel you will find interesting.

Comment

Comment by Marlene M. Mitchell on December 3, 2009 at 2:42pm

Dear Mike: I'm glad you enjoy what I have added. I feel safety is so important in aromatherapy.

Aromatic Blessings,
Marlene Mitchell

RELAXING ROOM SCENTS

Since stress in its many guises is a contributing factor in the development of cardiovascular disease, vaporise any of the following relaxing blends as your moods dictate. Put the essential oil into a 50 ml dark glass bottle, then fill with water and shake well. Pour a little of the mixture into the reservoir of a nightlight burner or electric vaporiser designed for water-based blends. Remember to shake the bottle each time before use to disperse the essential oil

Recipe 1
50 ml water
2 drops neroli
8 drops mandarin

Recipe 2
50 ml water
6 drops chamomile (Roman)
2 drops rose otto
8 drops bergamot


Recipe 3
50 ml water
2 drop frankincense
8 drops lemon
6 drops juniper

Recipe 4
50 ml water
8 drops galbanum
6 drops lavender
8 drops petitgrain

Comment by Mike Hinkle on December 3, 2009 at 9:31am

Hi Marlene,

Thanks for all this fantastic information!

Comment by Marlene M. Mitchell on December 2, 2009 at 2:09pm

Hello: Here is some more information that I feel you will find interesting.
Aromatic Blessings,
Marlene Mitchell
Certified Aromatherapy Teacher
BATHING

The skin patch test and contraindications of specific essential oils are indicated throughout the program.
When using essential oils in a plastic fibreglass tub some essential oils can cause staining. Using oils in baths is an uncomplicated, efficient and pleasing way to relax and receive the therapeutic benefits. Water itself has therapeutic value, which enhances the powers of the oils. The addition of a few drops of the right essential oil can do more to enhance your bath than almost anything. A full-body bath is defined as “the complete immersion of the body in a fluid or in a vaporous medium such as steam” (Green 2,000, p. 254). The effects of a full-body bath will vary according to the temperature of the water and the duration of time the individual will be immersed. The essential oils or hydrosols should be added to the bath once the individual is in it. Once the individual is in the bath, add the appropriate essential oil drops that have been combined with a dispersant. Do not add undiluted essential oils directly to bath water. Add 1 – 4 drops of essential oils in 2 tablespoons of carrier so that the oils spread evenly over the surface. Placing essential oils in the bath prior to immersion can lose some of the desired effects, as well as increase the chance of irritation to the mucus membranes of the vaginal/rectal area. There are some oils, such as jasmine, when 1 drop will be sufficient and other oils, like lavender, when 3 drops would be fine. Avoid essential oils that are dermal irritants, dermal sensitizers, and mucus membrane irritants in baths. This means that the body picks up a very thin, even layer of oil as a person enters the bath and it guards against a whole drop of oil settling on the skin, which can be slightly irritating. When essential oils are put directly into bath water without a dispersing agent, they can harm the skin because essential oils are soluble with the lipid membranes of cells. The oils have an unmatched ability to disperse within minutes throughout the body when absorbed by the skin. This is similar to how nicotine and hormone skin patches rely on transdermal absorption to deliver drugs into the bloodstream. Adding essential oils to bath water is challenging because oil does not mix with water. For even dispersion, drop in the oils while running the bath or add 1 – 4 drops of oil to a cup of Epsom salts. Epsom/sea salt baths are highly effective in aiding and supporting the body in detoxifying, both physically and emotionally. (Note: Do not use Epsom or Sea salts with people who have high blood pressure) or bath salts which will mineralize and increase the buoyancy of the bath or bath gel base and pass this mixture under the faucet. Either method will help the oils disperse evenly and prevent stronger oils from stinging sensitive areas.
If a person has moderately sensitive skin use less rather than more essential oil. Specific essential oils are mentioned throughout the program. Agitate the water to disperse the concentration throughout the bathwater. Essential oils are lipophilic and hydrophobic, so most often the essential oils will quickly seek to be absorbed by the skin.
The average time for a full-body hot bath 100 degrees F is twenty minutes or less. The water should be at the desired temperature. The warm water gently disperses the oil and surrounds you in a soothing, healing immersion. As you soak, your pores open to absorb the hydrating fluid. You inhale the fragrant steam and become permeated with your bath oil blend. Although bathing is thought of as one of the gentlest applications of aromatherapy, total immersion can have undesirable results if the wrong oils are chosen.
In general, aromatherapy full-body baths are useful to:
Reduce stress/anxiety
Alleviate muscular aches, pains, and tension
Soothe mental or physical fatigue
Stimulate circulation
Enhance lymph circulation
Reduce pain and stiffness
Increase local circulation
Improve tone and health of skin
Aid detoxification

You can also use premixed bath gels containing essential oils as a liquid soap in the shower or bath. Lather down with the bath gel, let it soak in, and then rinse. To maximize benefits, leave them on the skin or scalp for several minutes to allow the essential oils to penetrate. You can create your own aromatic bath gels by placing 1 – 2 drops of essential oil in ½ ounce of unscented bath gel base. Water temperature should be comfortably warm, i.e. a little more than blood temperature. A too hot bath is debilitating and a person will feel tired and relaxed.

Adding hydrosols:

According to Catty (2001), “for babies up to six months add filled to baby depth. For children up to twelve years of age, add 1 teaspoon of hydrosol per year of age, up to a maximum of 8 teaspoons. Adults can use from 30 to 250 milliliters (or 1 to 8 ounces per tub).”
Taking a bath or shower before going for treatment is fine, although try not to use a highly scented soap.
CAUTION: If an individual gets red blotches or irritation on the skin while bathing, this means that too much essential oil was added to the bath, a dispersant should have been used, or the person has experienced an idiosyncratic or allergic reaction. Should irritation occur, recommend a light oil or aloe vera gel (if the person is not allergic to it. Skin patch test first) without essential oils; the irritation should dissipate within an hour.
However, after the massage do not take a bath or shower for at least six hours because the oils that the body needs will be washed off. After a treatment a very fine layer of oil remains on the skin and is slowly absorbed into the system. Do not use talcum powder or anything else on the skin after the pre-treatment bath.
Talc, especially, blocks the pores and will hinder absorption of the essential oils. Unless otherwise indicated, certain essential oils should not be used in baths. Contraindications of specific essential oils and carriers are included throughout the program.
Recipe for calming bath:
Use 1 drop of lavender, 1 drop of chamomile essential oil blend, 1 drop of geranium essential oil, mix into 1 tablespoon of dried milk, stir into the bath water. Children under age 3 add one half the milk mixture to the bath, under age 1 do not use.
Recipe for bath:
Add 4 drops lavender to a handful of unscented bath salt (Do not use for people who have high blood pressure) or powdered milk, add this to your bath water. Cleopatra was famous for her milk baths. After soaking in this wonderful aromatic bath, apply after bath body oil (16 drops of lavender to 4 oz. of Grapeseed blending oil. Grapeseed is a very good antioxidant).
In the wonderful book “The World of Aromatherapy” by Jeanne Rose and Susan Earle, there is a chapter titled ‘Bathing in the souls of flowers’ by Barbara Bobo. What a wonderful way to experience aromatherapy and the use of essential oils. Fill the bath tub and add 2 drop of an essential oil into a bath salt (Be careful of using bath salts with people who have high blood pressure) or shower gel for children ages 2 to 8, and 1 – 4 drops for children over 8 and adults. Not only is this a very relaxing experience, but it can relieve aches and pains and is good for the skin. (Do not add essential oils to a bath without an agent to disperse the essential oil such as bath salt.)


SITZ BATH: Fill a bathtub with warm water up to the hip level. Then add 1 – 2 drops of essential oil to 1 tblsp of carrier oil. I feel that carrier oil should be added if a person is unsure if they are irritated by an essential oil. Then swish the essential oil and 1 tablespoon carrier oil around in the bathtub. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

Alternate Hot and Cold Sitz Baths:

Although rather awkward to take, these are highly beneficial for relieving congestion in the female reproductive area, treating haemorrhoids and easing constipation. The alternate hot and cold sitz baths (employed by European nature cure practitioners) operates like a pump, stimulating venous and lymphatic drainage. When applied to congested areas the bath reduces pain and inflammation.
Ensure that the bathroom (or whatever) is very warm. You will need two bowls large enough to sit in (two plastic baby baths would work well). Fill one bowl with tolerable hot water, and the other with cold water. Add two or three drops of an appropriate essential oil to each bowl, then agitate the water to disperse the oil. Sit in the hot bath, and put your feet in the cold bath. Stay there for three minutes, splashing the water over your abdomen, then change position. Sit in the cold bath with your feet in the hot water, and stay there for 30 to 60 seconds, again splashing the water over your abdomen. Repeat the cycle two or three times, concluding with the pelvic area immersed in cold water. Carry out twice daily for several days as necessary.

Foot and Hand Baths

A hand or footbath means the complete or partial immersion of only the hands or feet in water. Green (2000) comments that “the sole of the foot is one of the most important areas in the body, having direct connection with the nerve centers that control the circulation of the pelvic and abdominal viscera” (p.272). Foot and hand baths can be used as an aspect of reflexology or bodywork treatment.

In general, aromatherapy foot and hand baths are useful for:

Stress/anxiety
Poor circulation
Low energy
Foot or hand aches and pains
Arthritis and rheumatism (subacute phase)
Nail and toe fungal infections
Comfort therapy


How to make a Foot/Hand Bath

Fill basin with water at the desired temperature and add in chosen essential oils and/or hydrosols. A dispersant such as vegetable oil or milk may be used but is not necessary in a hand or footbath. Place feet or hands in the basin. Let feet or hands soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Add ¼ cup of Epsom or sea salts (if the person does not have high blood pressure) for enhanced benefits.

Therapeutic Dilution Recommendation

1 to 4 drops of essential oil in a basin of warm/hot water
1 to 3 tablespoons of chosen hydrosol.

An Aromatic Footbath

Consider offering your clients an aromatic footbath and/or salt scrub prior to the treatment. Footbaths are a perfect addition before an aromatherapy treatment, and they are a great way to introduce your clients to the many benefits of aromatherapy.

Refreshing Aromatic Footbath

1. Fill basin with warm/hot water.
2. Add fresh orange slices to footbath.
3. Add 3 drops of peppermint e/o and 4 drops of sweet orange e/o.
4. Allow client to soak feet for 5 to 10 minutes prior to an aromatherapy treatment.
• Safety - Nebulizers are safe to leave unattended, and some have timed cycles or flow adjusting. This greatly expands the range of environments that they can be used in. The models with built in timed cycles reduces the chance of saturation or overdosing from the essential oil.

SAFE STORAGE

"What's the best way to look after my essential oils?" This is usually one of the first questions asked by newcomers to aromatherapy, and it is definitely worth knowing a few do's and don'ts on this important subject. Why? Because the way that you look after your oils affects their shelf life. So these two subjects are inextricably linked. Since essential oils are natural compounds they need to be looked after and be stored correctly for them to retain their potency and kept safe. Essential oils are precious gifts from nature, and can be a substantial financial investment. To ensure their therapeutic properties are maintained for the life of the oils, please treat them with care and thoughtful handling. Proper storage is the key. Usually the spoilage of an essential oil is attributed to some general reactions as oxidation, resinification, polymerization, hydrolysis of esters, and to interaction of functional groups. Essential oils are extremely precious and should be treated with respect - they can also be very expensive. Pure Essential Oils are a natural product and contain no preservatives or additives.
A few of them can also be quite dangerous if not handled correctly. Some basic procedures should therefore be observed in order to ensure safety but also the quality of the oils in storage.

Preserving your precious essential oils requires a few simple steps. First you need to
know the four basic categories your oils fall into.
1. Pure steam distilled single oils.
2. Pure steam distilled oil blends in a carrier oil.
3. Cold pressed or expressed oils.
4. Absolutes
The lifespan of essential oils varies tremendously from one botanical to the next, from one batch to the next, and from one supplier to the next. Other factors that can directly affect the shelf life of an essential oil include the following:
• The method of distillation
• The conditions and care used during the distillation
• The quality of the botanical used
• The care in bottling, storage and handling of the essential oil by your supplier and any suppliers they obtained the oil from
• The storage conditions of the oil
Providing the oils were fresh when you purchased them, correct storage is most definitely the key to getting the most out of your oils. Both essential and vegetable oils do not like extreme, or repeated changes in temperature, and having spent your hard earned cash on all those wonderful oils, you need to make sure you look after them properly or their therapeutic properties may be lost.
Many Essential Oils are flammable and/or act as strong solvents. Eucalyptus Oil for example can be used to remove glue from old stickers or to strip paint.
A few suppliers list a shelf life for each of their essential oils or provide guidelines on the expected shelf life of their oils. Though difficult and not always accurate, this can prove helpful to those new to using essential oils. It is especially helpful when suppliers base it upon their knowledge of when the essential oil was actually distilled and how long they have had the oil in their inventory prior to sale.
Essential oils have a general shelf life of two to five or more years depending on the individual oil and the manner in which they are stored. Pure essential oils will last for approximately three years from the bottling date. In excellent storage conditions (amber bottles with a tight lid in a cool place) they will keep for about five years. For instance, citrus oils, with the exception of bergamot, tend to have a much shorter shelf life than more viscous essential oils such as vetiver or patchouli. Citrus essential oils are the most prone to oxidation and some coniferous essential oils, so to avoid the damage caused by temperature variations you could store them in the refrigerator if you have the space.
It is wise to replace citrus essential oils every six to nine months to avoid adverse reactions caused by oxidation of compounds found within them.

Citrus oils tend to have a shorter shelf-life due to their high proportion of terpenes, as do absolutes and resins which thicken even more with age and the smell of solvent becomes more noticeable. Once citrus oils start to turn cloudy or smell rancid they should be disposed of.

There is no doubt that oils with a high content of terpenes (all citrus oils, pine needle oils, oils of turpentine, juniper berry etc) are particularly prone to spoilage, due probably to oxidation, and especially resinification. Being unsaturated hydrocarbons, the terpenes absorb oxygen from the air. Essential oils containing a high percentage of esters (oil of bergamot, lavender, etc.) turn acid after improper storage, due to partial hydrolysis of esters. The aldehyde content of certain oils (lemongrass for example) gradually diminishes, yet much more slowly than if the isolated aldehyde (citral, in this case) were stored as such.
There are chemical constituents in essential oils called esters. Esters are a balanced chemical formula. An alcohol combines with a naturally occurring acid, which is often ascetic acid or vinegar. Alcohol combines with acid and creates an ester and water. Esters have a wonderful scent often described as fruity and sweet. If extra water is added to esters or oils containing esters, the water balance is upset and the oil sours. Heat can also disturb the balance and the ester creates vinegar or acid. Now the fruity sweet scent is lost and there is no way to repair this.
Quite probably the essential oil contains also some natural antioxidants, yet unknown, which do a certain extent protect the aldehyde while it is contained in the oil. A few oils improve with age, rather like some good wines. In fact they should be aged for a few years before being used in perfume compounds. Examples of these are sandalwood, patchouli, and frankincense. But the more you open the bottle, the greater the chance of oxidation – a process whereby a substance is chemically combined with oxygen and its original structure altered or destroyed – as reflected in the deterioration of the aroma.
Essential oils evaporate readily. Adhering to the following guidelines will enhance the longevity of essential oils. Certain types of essential oils, especially those containing alcohols (geranium oil, for example), are quite stable and stand prolonged storage. A delightful lavender with full ester and alcohol content will sour left in the heat and humidity. A lovely oil will become one that is not tolerable and your only recourse is to throw it away.
Some discoloration may occur in the process of storage. For instance, some species of chamomile, when young, are a dark, green/blue, but over time turn to a midnight blue. Do not be alarmed, as this is a natural evolution that occurs when they are stored for a certain amount of time. This does not mean that they have ‘gone bad’. This is merely a transformation in hue and aroma that it is subjected to. Lavender that is freshly distilled has often been cited as having an unpleasant aroma.
The smell has often been referred to as herbaceous. But, this smell changes over time. So, a seasoned store of lavender, in the light of fears that it will ‘go bad’, actually enhances the aroma and causes it to have a more pleasing smell. This is not to compare lavender to something like wine.
It indeed will lose its effectiveness and scented aroma over time. But, in contrast to freshly distilled lavender, it is better to have it sit for a short time, which it usually does in the case of retail stores’ shelves and the like.
Should you decide to store essential oils in the fridge, always take them out at least an hour before use. If too cold, essential oils do not flow freely. Don't have the refrigerator setting too cold, anywhere between 5 - 10 degrees Celsius is fine, and much better than on the window-ledge in the kitchen! Certain essential oils need special treatment. The cooler conditions of the fridge will prevent the oils from escaping by evaporation so that they will not be lost. If for the sake of taste, you do not want your food tasting like essential oils, make sure you get an airtight lid so that none of the aromas are transferred to your foods.
Essential oils are volatile organic compounds that are sensitive to heat and light changing an essential oils chemical composition into a substance that no longer has any therapeutic value.

Oils kept in air conditioned area out of the light, heat, and humidity can remain fresh and delightful for years.