Home Made Beauty Rituals - Natural PMT and Menstrual Pain Remedy

If like myself you suffer from that monster called "PMT" taking over your body every month or have a daughter going through puberty or approaching it; then this easy peasy recipe could help. 

Image via Toon Pool

1 drop of good quality Roman Chamomile Essential Oil in your body lotion every day throughout out the month regulates the hormones and can help reduce or alleviate symptoms of PMT and menstrual pains. For pre-teen and teenagers add 1 drop to 20ml of body lotion.

Interesting Fact:
Girls start hormonal changes approximately 3 years before their period's start - WOW am I glad I have a son?!!

Take a look at my other articles on Essential oils including some great companies to buy from:
Amazing Essential Oils - Not Just a Pretty Smell
Tips on Using Essential Oils & Diffuser Blends

PLEASE ALWAYS take note of the contraindications (condition or factor in which the use of a particular product or treatment is not advised) of the various oils. Always do the patch test before applying the oils to detect the reaction of your skin. For use on pregnant women (or trying), babies & children, or if you have any medical condition, please refer to a qualified Aromatherapist first. 

Tips on Using Essential Oils & Diffuser Blends

In my Amazing Essential Oils - Not Just a Pretty Smell article I gave you interesting history and facts about essential oils, so you will know why I absolutely adore these precious beauties. So I thought it was about time I told you about the many easy ways you can use these gorgeous oils.

Image via Energy Healing Info

This is information I have gathered and sent to various friends, family and clients since studying Aromatherapy.

 Many Uses of Essential Oils

Collage Images via:
Aromatherapy, Health Benefits, Health Medical Articles, Squidoo, Find Home, Remedy, Salvoweb, Deolivia on Pinterest, Debeloh on Pinterest, Decor Pad.

Diffuser/Nebulizer
Put 1-6 drops in oil diffuser/burner or nebulizer (liquid vaporiser).
For children 1-3 drops.  Babies 1 drop.

Steam Inhalation 
Put 2-3 drops into a bowl of hot water, cover your head with a towel and breathe deeply.
Not suitable for babies and children due to the risk of burns, we recommend using in a warm bath or diffuser method.

Bathing/Footbath
Mix 2-4 drops to 10ml of oil or milk and to bath once run.
Children 1-2 drops/10ml. Babies 1 drop/10ml.
A mix of Lavender and Roman Chamomile is great for calming stressed out little monsters!

Massage 
Add 2-4 drops to 10ml of massage oil.
Children 1-2 drops/10ml. Babies 1 drop/10ml.
 
Radiators
Put 1-4 drops on a cotton-wool ball or tissue and lodge behind the pipe or somewhere in contact with the heat.
Children's rooms 1-2 drops. Babies room 1 drop.

Wardrobe and Linen Cupboards
Put 1-4 drops on a cotton wool and put in drawer or base of wardrobe or in your linen cupboard/airing cupboard to keep clothes, bedding and towels fresh.
I like to use Lavender as moths and flies hate it!

Bathroom Freshener 
Put 2-4 drops on the cardboard ring inside the toilet paper roll.
Lemon works really well.

Utility Room
Put 3-5 drops into the softener compartment of your washing machine.
I like to use Lavender and Roman Chamomile for our sensitive skins.

For use on pregnant women (or trying), babies & children, or any medical conditions, please refer to a qualified Aromatherapist first for safe oils.

Which Oils To Choose?
If you have had Aromatherapy treatments, have you ever wondered why one time you may love a smell and hate it another? Well if your body needs an oil you will like the smell, if it doesn't you won't - so  - makes sense! So get sniffing and listen to your body!

My idea of heaven.

Prometheus Springs Aromatherapy Apothecary

Some of My Favourite Oil Blends - the list could be endless so I've whittled it down to just 3!


Eve Taylor's Winter Blend 10ml £6.37
This goes with me everywhere, this amazingly effective blend of Tunisian Rosemary & minty Eucalyptus clears & cools the sinuses, chest & head. Ravansara clears the chest & is anti-viral. French alpine Lavender soothes & comforts. Madagascan Palmarosa clears the mind & stimulates the senses.

Safe for all the family. Anti-bacterial & anti-viral - for colds, coughs, seasonal allergies & sinus congestion. Use around the house, at work, on planes, public transport or stuffy atmospheres to help keep a clear head  & fight off bugs in the atmosphere.


Eve Taylor's Relax Blend 10ml £6.30
And Relax! Unwind your mind  & body. This oil blend is fantastic for de-stressing and great for using in a massage blend as well as a diffuser. I use this a lot around the house and in treatments as it is so effective and everyone loves it - who doesn't need to relax hey?!

I quote: It has warm earthy aromas of Egyptian Geranium, sweetened by the richness of Indonesian Patchouli, gently unwind the senses. The hint of ripened Italian Mandarin, permeates through the subtle smoothness of Bulgarian Lavender. Sounds like a fine wine!!


Aromatherapy Associates Revive 10ml £20
I love this blend of Bergamot, Pink Grapefruit and Frankincense - it's 'Wake Up and Shake Up' in a bottle! Detoxifying and uplifting - just what we need!

Great for any time of the day, fantastic to use at work or for studying to get the concentration levels and enthusiasm going hee hee! Ideal for using after work to revive the senses for an evening out. Makes you happy and generally perked up!


Diffusers
Eve Taylor do a fantastic range of environmentally friendly diffusers and nebulizers which are flame free - so super safe for the entire family.

Eve Taylor Mio Petite Personal Diffuser £14.60
I never travel without this pocket sized and battery operated diffuser. It comes with 5 re-usable cotton pads to put your favourite oil blends on.

Eve Taylor Diffusers, Oil Blendss and Essential Oils are available from Rituals Beauty!

Always do the patch test before applying any products to detect the reaction of your skin.

To order any product from Rituals Beauty, call 0789 4120073 or email hello@ritualsbeauty.co.uk. If you aren't local, I offer a postal service for a little extra cost. Now taking Paypal.

I will be doing more posts using Essential Oils in Home Made Beauty, Home Making, Cleaning and Health Rituals in future posts, so keep your eyes peeled!

Clever Jewellery Storage Ideas

I've been browsing the blogosphere and the web to see what ideas are out there for making your own pretty jewellery storage. 

 

This is such a clever idea- Shabby Chic Dangly Earring Display - complete with tutorial! By Kevin and Amanda

I adore this tea cup storage idea, it's so pretty. Mind not sure I'd fancy dusting this room - oh how I hate dust and dusting! 

Image via The Decorista 

This would save on the dusting though - pop them in the drawer!

Visit The Look Today to see this and 6 other great DIY ways de-clutter your beauty closet.

Wow who'd have thought chicken wire would come in handy in the Boudoir?! This belongs Catherine the owner of Hallelu

Wow! I wish I had enough jewels to fill this stand! Via We Heart It

Kill two birds with one stone, store your precious photos and jewellery. Image via HGTV

Pretty lace hangings from La Folie Couture blog

Gosh some people are just so creative and imaginative.

Amazing Essential Oils - Not Just a Pretty Smell

I trained in Aromatherapy massage with pre-blended oils; this included studying the benefits and uses of many amazing essential oils. I was very lucky to have an amazing lecturer, who thrived on taking us that step further; encouraging us to blend our own products at home and telling us fascinating stories of her time working in Health Spas in France.

I will never forget her and feel very fortunate to have had such a passionate and enthusiastic mentor. She inspired me and gave me the confidence to delve deeper into nature's powerful and medicinal essential oils. Now they are a part of my family's daily skincare, body care, health and even cleaning, I just can't get enough of them, I love mixing up potions and lotions and always have my books to hand when anyone has health or emotional concerns. I have also been lucky enough to train with Decleor, Aromatherapy Associates and Eve Taylor.

Here's the science bit! Essential oils are not actually oil; they are a concentrated liquid/essence which comes from plants, flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds and barks. The oil is extracted through a process of either steam distillation, maceration (soaked in vegetable oil, heated and strained) or cold pressing.

Distillation Apparatus

They are the life force of the plant and are incredibly versatile. Each oil has array of benefits, healing properties and uses and best of all they are natural! The therapeutic effects have been recognised for over 5,000 years. Egyptians embalmed their dead with aromatic essences using frankincense, myrrh and cedar wood to embalm and galbanum, cinnamon and clove to mummify. The Greeks used essences as perfumes, to cure illnesses and for massage.

I love this story:  In the early 20th Century a French Chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, was working in his lab when he burnt himself badly with a Bunsen burner. He plunged his hand into the nearest thing to hand - a vat of lavender oil and discovered how quickly the burn healed, leaving no scar or subsequent infection. WOW! After this he did a lot more research into essential oils and published his first book on aromatherapy in 1928.

Most essential oils are antiseptics and bactericides meaning they inhibit the growth of bacteria. They have affinities with different organs of the body, are absorbed into the bloodstream, are mood enhancing and have many beauty and well being uses including stimulating or toning, healing or decongesting, relaxing or soothing.

I will be doing lots of posts with recipes for Homemade Beauty and Homemaking Rituals and many of these will include this powerful and natural beauties!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils here are some great books:
The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood - a classic and my favourite
New Vital Oils by Liz Earle

Or even better take a course - you'll love it! And involve your family too, my son loves making products and they make a gorgeous, personalised gift.

Image via http://littleyoyostyles.blogspot.com/

Some great essential oil companies:
Eve Taylor
Neal's Yard Remedies
Phyto Essential Oils - formerly Phytobotanica - a mass of oils, base products, lotions and potions and much more to buy - I love this place and find it so relaxing.

Phyto Essential Oils in Ormskirk, Lancashire 

PLEASE ALWAYS take note of the contraindications (condition or factor in which the use of a particular product or treatment is not advised) of the various oils. Always do the patch test before applying the oils to detect the reaction of your skin. For use on pregnant women (or trying), babies & children, or if you have any medical condition, please refer to a qualified Aromatherapist first.