10% Off Backflow Incense Products!

 

10% off all Backflow Incense Products!

COUPON CODE: BACKFL10
Valid until: Sunday 19/03/2017
Click ‘Shopping Cart’ to enter coupon code.

 

 

Please Note : Our backflow incense products are very popular and sell out very quickly. Limited stock available.

Also be aware that unlike aromatherapy and essential oils burning incense does not have the same therapeutic properties. It is advised to not directly breathe in the smoke.  

Recipes Using Castile Soap

Make your own products using castile soap

Here are some simple recipes using our castile soap as a base with our essential oils.

Our Castile soap is made with sunflower and coconut oil and contains no harsh foaming ingredients. Castile soaps are the mildest and most moisturising of all soap bases, they are mild and gentle enough to use on a baby's skin.

Castile soap is detergent free so it will not produce a lot of sudsy lather. It is a great alternative to the more commonly used synthetic petroleum based soap products.

 

All the recipes below are based on 100mls of castile liquid soap.

Use a 2% ratio of essential oils (approx) and 1% or less for the baby & pet recipes.
So you could try using other essential oils if you prefer.  

2% ratio = 40 drops total of essential oil + 100ml castile soap. 

Note : 20 drops of essential oil equals approx 1ml

 
Store all the below recipes in dark bottles out of heat and sunlight.
Shake bottle gently after combining ingredients. Use as needed.

Please read our essential oil safety information prior to use.

Liquid Hand Soap
100ml castile soap
20 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drops orange essential oil 

5 drops peppermint essential oil

Body Wash 

100ml castile soap
20 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops geranium rose essential oil
10 drops grapefruit essential oil

 

Children's Bedtime Bath 

100ml castile soap
15-20 drops of lavender essential oil

Dog Shampoo
100ml castile soap
50ml apple cider vinegar
10 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

5 drops lemongrass essential oil 

Homemade products using castile soap

< Shop online for castile soap >
< Shop online for essential oils >

DIY Incense Sticks

Unfragranced incense sticks enable you to create your own mood enhancers using essential oils. (purchase here)

Directions :

 

1. Using a long flat dish, drop approx 20 drops of essential oil along each incense stick.

2. Roll the stick in any remaining oil to coat the stick evenly. ( It's recommended to wear gloves while applying the essential oils )

3. Let dry overnight before burning.

An olive dish works well

I used this flat dish to do multiple sticks

My incense sticks left to dry in an old jar

Alternatively the fragrance strength of the oils can be decreased by diluting them with a base oil such as Di Propylene Glycol to 15%.

Dip your sticks in or spray them with the mixture and allow them to dry.

Purchase unfragranced incense sticks here :

Incense Sticks (Unfragranced)

12 Oils Of Christmas

1 - Frankincese
A warming and protective essence, supporting the immune system, helping to maintain well-being and beneficial during times of stress and illness.Expectorant, it is useful for respiratory complaints; regenerative for mature skin and healing for minor wounds. SHOP >

2 - Orange

 Orange essential oil has a rich, citrusy scent that lifts the spirit while providing a calming influence. Orange brings peace and happiness to the mind. It is rich in the powerful antioxidant d-limonene. SHOP >

3 - Scots Pine

 Scots Pine has a powerful clearing effect which is suited to use in inhalations, and is a valuable support for the respiratory system. It is soothing for sore muscles and joints, and can be used in a bath, for local massage or as a compress to ease discomfort. Its stimulating quality helps banish exhaustion and mental fatigue. It refreshes the mind, body and spirit. SHOP >

 
4 - Vanilla 
The rich, sweet aroma of Vanilla is one of the most familiar of all the essential oils. It has an alluring, comforting effect that can be used to help create a warm atmosphere of security to encourage the expression of deeply felt emotions, frustrations and hidden sensuality. The steady, restorative tones can also be used to support emotional balance when challenges loom large. SHOP > 

5 - Cinnamon 
Cinnamon Bark has the wonderful cinnamon scent loved around the world. Warming and stimulating, it is comforting during the cold season. Many people find it highly romantic. SHOP >
 
6 - Nutmeg 
Nutmeg helps aid digestion, gallstones and rheumatism. The oil supports the adrenal glands, because of its corticosteroid activity and has shown to be a potent natural anti-inflammatory. SHOP >
 
7 - Ginger 
Ginger has the ability to assist us with any kinds of digestive upsets and is what it is best known for. From nausea to morning sickness to indigestion, the benefits are great. It also is a heart tonic and aids in circulation. Ginger also aids those who have cold feet and hands, angina, or cardiac fatigue. It also helps with arthritis or muscle aches or pains. SHOP >

8 - Peppermint

 Peppermint essential oil can be used to treat a variety of digestive problems such a nausea, vomiting and morning sickness. It can also be inhaled to treat symptoms of colds and coughs. SHOP >

9 - Juniper 

Juniper is used in aromatherapy to help stimulate and strengthen the nerves and bolster the spirits in challenging situations, while helping to relieve urine retention. It is used for treating rheumatism, arthritis and gout, as well as cellulite, acne, dermatitis, blocked pores, psoriasis and weeping eczema. SHOP > 

10 - Spruce

Spruce is softer and sweeter in aroma than other evergreen oils. It is refreshing, invigorating, and strengthening. It also has a long history of use in the sauna, steam bath, and as an additive to baths or massage oils used after strenuous exercise. Its aromatic influences also help to open and release emotional blocks, bringing about a feeling of balance and of peaceful security. SHOP >

11 - Clove Bud

 Useful for relieving the symptoms of colds, flu, coughs and mild respiratory infections. For dental problems, such as mouth ulcers and sore gums. Warming and analgesic for muscular and joint pain. A strong stimulating oil and highly anti-infectious. SHOP >

12 - Myrrh

 Myrrh essential oil has a pungent, sweet balsmic, slightly spicy, warm odour. This magical oil works on increasing your spiritual self. It also produces wonderful results when used to treat female complaints, skin ailments, as well as detoxifying the body and expelling mucus and phlegm from the body. SHOP >

 

Please note this information is for educational purposes only.

Some advice on products made with fragrances

 
Just a little tip when buying products that claim to be all natural and chemical free. What you think might be all natural, is possibly not necessarily true and here's why. If for example the products are made using 'fragrances' and not 100% pure essential oils, there's a good chance that in fact that they are not actually chemical free. I see this with many companies claiming to be chemical free when in fact they are probably not and are actually advertising their products incorrectly. A classic case of false advertising.

Examples may include soy candles, wax melts, reed diffusers, skin care products, air fresheners, perfumes etc. Fragrances like pear, apple, musk, caramel, strawberry, grape, cherry etc are generally not natural scents. Often rose is a synthetic fragrance due to the high cost of how much the real pure essential oils are and because the fragrance generally smells much nicer. It is impossible to extract essential oils from types of fruit like apple and pear due to their water content. I understand that it is much easier to work with fragrances when creating candles due to the fact that the essential oils evaporate easily when adding to the hot wax, and the fact that fragrances are a lot cheaper ( But it can be done ).

Fragrances are actually a blend of synthetic ( man made ) components to mimic or copy the natural scent. If you only want to purchase 100% chemical free and natural it is best to ask what ingredients are used in the fragrances. If the company doesn't know well then I suggest not purchasing the product if you wish to be safe. When you are burning or applying these fragrances to your skin then you are allowing them to absorb into your body which can potentially be toxic.

Kirsten

You may also be interested in reading :
'Essential Oils vs Fragrant Oils'

Essential Oil & Epsom Salt Bath Bombs

I love a bath at night time to help me unwind. I have also been reading lately about the health benefits of having Epson salt baths to ease pain and inflammation, help with stress and tension, detoxification and to also to aid digestion. Epsom salt can also assist in blood circulation, aid in wound healing, remove foot odour, soften your skin and increase your strength and stamina. (read more)
I thought this would also be a fun way for my son to receive the benefits of magnesium sulfate & lavender essential oil and help him relax before bedtime. It can sometimes be difficult to encourage him to take a bath ;)



Here is the recipe for some lavender & rosemary bath bombs I made. I used lavender essential oil in these and also added some lavender and rosemary leaves from my garden for a more rustic look. I did use some natural food colouring to make the pale purple colour but this is not necessary. ( Note that there is a water bottle in the photo below because originally I was going to use a different method with witch hazel instead of vegetable oil and forgot to take it out of the photo. )


Recipe:

•      Baking soda
•     Citric acid powder
•     Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate)
•    Water
•     Vegetable Oil (I used extra virgin olive oil in mine)
•   Essential oils ( I used Lavender in mine)

Optional:

•     Food colouring (natural is best)
•     Dried herbs or flowers 

 Other Equipment:

    • a whisk (or you could use a fork)
    • two small mixing bowls (preferably glass due to use of essential oils)
    • a big mixing bowl (also glass)
    • a measuring cup and measuring spoons
    • plastic or silicon moulds to shape the bombs



[ Step One ]

Mix the dry ingredients according to this ratio: two parts baking soda, one part citric acid powder, one part Epsom salt. (I used two cups of baking soda; one cup of citric acid; and one cup of Epsom salt.)

 [ Step Two ]

In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. I used about 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2-3 teaspoons of essential oil and 1 teaspoon of water. Be careful not to add too much water or your bath bomb will fizz away before it’s even fully formed.

[ Step Three ]

Using a whisk or fork, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry mix, one teaspoon at a time. If you pour too much in too quickly, it will start fizzing. If your mixture starts to fizz, add dry ingredients to the fizzing parts to stop the chemical reaction. You could also add a few drops of your food colouring at this point, whisking all the while. Blend everything really well. I used my hands in the end to mix. Your finished mixture should have the consistency of slightly damp sand and should squish in your hands without crumbling (if it doesn’t, add more wet or dry ingredients as needed).  Be careful not to add too much wet ingredients as they will puff and foam up when you put them into the moulds. They should be dryish but still stick together (you will know when it's not right believe me ). If you do add too much wet ingredients you can just add some more dry to make it the right consistency.

[ Step Four ]

Now for the moulds! Grease the insides of your moulds with a single drop of vegetable oil. You won't need to grease them if they are silicon. I actually sprinkled my silicon moulds with some baking soda. I placed some rosemary and lavender leaves and flowers in the bottom on my moulds. Then fill your moulds with the damp sandy mixture. Really pack the stuff in and squish it down. If it is the right consistency and not too wet it won't puff up. If it does seem to puff up put it back into the bowl and add more dry ingredients.



If you don't have moulds you can roll the mixture in your hands to make rustic ball shaped bombs. I made some using the moulds and the rest I rolled into balls.



[ Step Five ]

Take the bath bombs out of the moulds by flipping the molds over and lightly squeezing their sides. If you used silicon moulds without oil to grease you can leave them in and wait for them to dry more.



[ Step Six ]

If you used plastic moulds and greased them with oil then you don’t want these to fizz out at this point, so lightly tap them with a paper towel to soak up some of the dampness, then let them dry out for a while. I rolled mine in some Epsom salt to give it a crystalised look on the outside & to help dry them out more. I then put mine into airtight glass jars. I found that you could still probably use them within a couple of hours but it is probably best still to let them dry out more.

Play around with them. You could add rose petals, glitter or other essential oils for something different.

Thanks hope you enjoyed this post!

Yoga & Essential Oils

Practical Applications in Yoga

Essential oils can also be inhaled or applied topically to certain areas of the body to increase energy, relaxation or focus, decrease stress, or deepen meditation. Below is a basic guide of how to use oils during your yoga practice. 

~ Before Practice ~

• Purify: Diffusing oils like lemon essential oil, grapefruit essential oil, Citrus Fresh™ essential oil, Thieves® essential oil or Purification™ essential oil before or in between yoga class will purify the air while bringing a refreshing, uplifting energy to the space.
  
  
• Cleanse: For cleaning the studio floor, use Thieves Household Cleaner. This non-toxic product is safe for hardwood floors and can also be used for cleaning yoga mats and bathroom surfaces.
  

~ During Practice ~

• Meditation (dhyana): Diffuse or directly inhale oils such as lavender essential oil, Peace & Calming™ essential oil, or frankincense essential oil for a deepened, more relaxed experience.
  
  
• Breathing (pranayama): The pure aroma of essential oils such as frankincense essential oil, peppermint essential oil, and Raven™ essential oil assist in opening pathways to a more emotional state of mind via the pineal gland. Directly inhaling peppermint can help bring more oxygen to the brain.
  
  
• Exercise (asana): Topical application of oils such as Deep Relief™ essential oil roll-on, Pan Away™ essential oil, or peppermint  essential oil may help alleviate muscle soreness and tension. Peppermint can also aid to increase focus and mental clarity, and when added to a cool glass of water, can help sooth minor stomach discomfort. Lavender essential oil can also be used to decrease post-practice muscle irritation.
  
  More Information : http://www.youngliving.com/en_AU/wellness/yoga_health/
  
  ------------------------------------
  SIGN UP TO ORDER  :
  https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?sponsorid=1372654&enrollerid=1372654
  ------------------------------------
  
  
  

  

  
    © Aromatherapy for Australia