To develop this aim we also sought the best advice we could find from the professionals out their working in the field – literally with hands on experience. We knew we couldnt get better advice than from daily practitioners who knew what   their clients – and therefore our clients – wanted from their Aromatherapy Products, and one person we met very early in our development stages – almost 2 years ago – was a practitioner based in Eastbourne and Brighton – Wendy Spencer –  know for her passion for complex and dynamic fragrances. We approached her to blend for us and over the next few articles Id like to hand over to Wendy for her to explain the creative process and just what she has created which has made us so proud of our products!

‘How I came to create the 3 blends for The Aromatherapy Store

Creating these 3 blends was a lot of fun.  I had the brief to create a blend under each heading, Relaxing, Restorative and Rejuvenating. In some way I worked backwards from how I would like to feel after applying each blend, what setting would I be in, what time of day would it be, what season was it, could the scent transport me to another place in my mind, how would my body feel when I used it? By feeling or imagining the final blend in this way I was able to instinctively chose a combination of essential oils to blend together to create an sensual alchemy of all these factors.’

In my next article Ill focus specifically on the beautiful blend that Wendy created for our ‘Relaxing’ Range’ , in the meantime found out more about Wendy and her work at her new site Let The River Flow .

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

These ranged from some beautiful organic baby products through to great  organic body lotion and top quality natural massage oils. The one premise was that all the ingredients from this huge pool of suppliers and manufacturers was all derived from purely natural ingredients. For most of the suppliers there was also a very strong element of ethical sourcing and that meant a range of concepts, including such ideas as sourcing from Fair Trade backgrounds, sourcing ingredients using only indigenous plants and materials which puts money and labour back into deprived communities, and of course for many of the suppliers the element of organic source was also really important.

What did really come across was how difficult it had been for the producers to find these great quality ingredients and this was testament to just how dedicated the producers were to creating the best product they could. For instance to create a truly beautiful organic body lotion whilst its relatively easy to locate good quality almond oil , jojoba or coconut butter – it wasn’t always easy to find them totally unadulterated by additives or diluted by thinners. Another problem they regularly reported was the difficulty in checking accreditation for organic quality. It was this high determination to assure themselves that their products were the absolute greatest quality they could achieve.

Organic body lotion was also something that we saw many producers trying to reinvent – by adding various unusual products renowned locally for their efficacious qualities as well as their unusual fragrances and perfumes.

Organic baby products too seemed to becoming ever more popular with manufacturers like Weleda really increasing focus on those areas. But it was particularly the smaller independent producers that really impressed.

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

As part of our commitment , not only to great quality but to sustainability we made the decision very early in our development that we would only offer products which were entirely ‘natural’. Our definition of natural being ingredients which were not in any way synthetically produced through an pharmaceutical means, and further were not derivatives of any petro- chemical products. It goes without saying that we were determined to avoid Parabens, SLS, mineral oil, synthetic colour & fragrance and Propylene Glycol. 

Our biggest aspiration was to offer products which could be applied to the skin with the absolute assurance that no ‘nasties’ were being applied – that even the most sensitive skins would only benefit from the great ingredients which would enrich the skin and leave it feeling rehydrated and provide a great barrier against all the poisons and toxins in the modern day streets and offices most of us inhabit.

All of our products were chosen individually by either Julie, Lee or myself, Mike based on our own personal experience and preferences when using them in our own homes on on our own bodies – and in the case of Julie on the bodies of her children. Personal experience is very important to us and further to that we’d love to hear your own experience of our products and if there’s an amazing product out there that we’ve missed, we want to know about it. tell us if you believe it should be on our shelves!

We want to hear about what you consider the best in the market – the greatest products you’ve discovered -and what you recommend to your friends and family.

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

With the changing climate of an area from year to year then even having sourced one oil one year and decided they are the supplier for you then, come the changing of the season, and the vast swings in climatic conditions this year and last, even that is never a promise for future quality. 

One thing that we find with all our suppliers, they all try to establish loyalty with the small landowners and land workers that produce the original plants. Very often these are planted on the edges of other land used for cultivating more main stream crops like corn and vegetables and fruit – with the aromatherapy plants being cultivated just to provide an additional source of much needed revenue for the family. This can be difficult though as a bad year means that the oil producer is not getting the quality of oil the end user in the UK and Europe insist on. Even if the basic therapeutic quality is the same – if the fragrance is not exactly as you remember it form the bottle you bought last year, then consumer confidence can sometimes be stretched. The thing with oil is to always remember that its like wine – the vintage counts – and once you’ve found a good supplier then chances are the quality will always be the optimum available for that vintage. Accept the variations as a true indicator of how responsive our earth is to the effects of the environment!

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

That’s why so many companies make that decision for them. and so many of the ready packaged gift sets offer a really good all-round option – giving you the key indicators : Relax, Revitalise and Re-Balance.  

Most sets will include one or two of the classic aromas – such as Lavender and Ylang Ylang – which are proven favourites and will always be a welcome addition to any set – whether its a gift to yourself or to a loved one. But another really great thing about many of the aromatherapy gift sets that are on the market is that they often introduce new aromas that you may not be familiar with and otherwise would not have tried. Rosemary is a good instance in case. This particular essential oil has a wealth of qualities and attributes that mean its a great addition to anyone’s essential oil and aromatherapy collection. Rosemary essential oil has the health benefits of its antibacterial and anti-fungal elements – and as such is a strong contender for being one of the most efficacious oils in the market alongside essential oils such as Tea-Tree for instance. But one of the particular benefits of Rosemary Essential oil is that its perfume is much more adaptable than tea-tree – containing many of the benefits of tea-tree but having a fragrance which works well in room-odorisers – as well as offering both relaxing qualities and improving a person sense of well-being. It can combine well with the more floral fragrances as well as the citrus style oils which means that it perhaps has a broader range of useful applications than Tea-tree whcih can perhaps seem a little too ‘medicinal’ for some uses.

So when you’re assessing gift sets, look for the inclusion of one or two of the classic aromas, but also keep an open mind for the slightly more underused fragrances such as Rosemary – it may just open some fascinating doors for you!

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

We eventually decided upon the three terms; Relax , Revitalise and Re-Balance.

Relax – helping you to unwind at the end of the day, perhaps the most popular category, and a property of the oils which most readily comes to mind, with the classics like Lavender and Camomile

Revitalise – re-energising you after a long day or getting the day off to a bright start with an invigorating shower gel in the morning

Re-Balance – some oils, such as Lavender will give you a pick up when youre feeling lethargic and listless , whilst also calming you if you’re feeling nervy and anxious – a good all rounder.

So if you’re looking to find the right product for you or the ideal gift then why not let us help you make that choice by clicking on the Relax Revitalise or Re-Balance Buttons!

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

A qualified Aromatherapist will have studied anatomy and physiology as part of their studies – so again seek advice from them too – especially about massage treatments that might be appropriate and safe for you to carry out yourself but can impart great benefits.

If you want a good simple guide ot various aromatherapy massage techniques then Chrissie Wildwood has some excellent illustrations and simple guidelines in her book Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy (published by Bloomsbury)

‘Pain’ is a very broad term and, of course, pain is the body’s way of alerting you to a problem – so Ill set out a couple of categories which , with a Doctors approval, you can actively combat, whilst leaving the more complicated pain symptoms to the professionals.

One type of pain which can be tackled is muscular – and in its simplest form – aching muscles which can be caused by being chair bound or bed ridden for long periods of time. This type of pain also occurs in situations where a sufferer finds themselves using muscles they wouldn’t normally tire so much when they are forced to compensate – for instance a fracture in one leg (NOT the leg to massage) can cause the other leg to take on much more of the work and so tire easily (the leg TO massage). The pain and discomfort suffered in this leg, or the pain and discomfort suffered from an aching back caused by being immobile for long periods of time is certainly an area which can be safely tackled (with a Doctors approval) – but will go a long way to making the patient more comfortable . So ascertain the condition of the patient and try and identify areas which you can bring comfort without compromising any other conditions.

The following oils can all assist in alleviating this kind of pain:

Clove – Eucalyptus – Peppermint – Rosemary – Sage – Thyme – Pine – Lavender – Roman Chamomile

Its a fact that gentle manipulation – whether thats effleurage or more penetrating manipulation – in its own right will help alleviate discomfort. aching muscles, cramps caused by immobility, and encourage recuperation after a sports injury (again I stress caution as you dont want to exacerbate the problem) but the essential oils listed above also have accredited qualities which stimulate heat and blood circulation to the applied area. In his book Medical Aromatherapy by Kurt Schnaubert (available from Amazon) the author cites Roman Chamomile and Verbena as delivering  the fastest relief.

Pain, and specifically pain induced through cramps as the sufferer contracts against the condition – rhuematism sufferers for instance  will often clench their stomach, shoulder and back muscles as they ANTICIPATE a spasm of pain – and this exacerbates the whole bodies discomfort. Massage with an oil blend of Eucalyptus Clove and Peppermint will really bring warmth and release to the effected areas when applied with gentle massage.

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk

• Fear and Anxiety
• Pain
• Muscle Spasms
• Weight Loss – poor appetite
• Mouth problems – ulcers, dry mouths and/or infections
• Breathing Problems
• Lethargy
• Skin problems – dryness, itchiness

Being sensitive to the occurance of these conditions can help the carer provide some alleviation in the practical form of essential oil usage, as well as the psychological benefit gained by the sufferer receiving ongoing support and comfort alongside their regular medical treatment.

Modern medical care continues to make significant advances, and the huge increase in life expectancy for all of those suffering from ‘terminal’ illness means they  need to change any mind set from ‘I only have a short time left ‘ to ‘My life may continue for some considerable time yet…’  - so by tackling head on the conditions listed above will make the quality of that life better. A sick person who can side-step the irritation and annoyance of itchy skin, for instance, can channel that energy more constructively. Improving appetite will inevitably increase nutrient levels being ingested and the benefits gained thereby – as well as giving the sufferer pleasure – we all know the comfort that food can bring!

In a later blog I will elaborate on the particular benefits of specific oils for the symptoms but for the moment I will just give a brief list of oils which may alleviate the conditions. (You should always seek advice from the patients Doctor before embarking on any oil treatment – and this might be a suitable time to spend an hour or so with a qualified Aromatherapist to get guidance on how to use the oils to the maximum benefit of the sufferer and get their recommendations.)

• Fear and Anxiety – ROMAN CHAMOMILE/EUCALYPTUS/ROSA DAMASCENA/NEROLI
• Pain – LAVENDER/PATCHOULI/CLOVE/NEROLI/GINGER/NUTMEG
• Muscle Spasms CLOVE/NUTMEG/BERGAMOT/PEPPERMINT
• Weight Loss – poor appetite BERGAMOT/MOST CITRUS BASED OILS -MANDARIN -LIME/ANISEED/SAGE
• Mouth problems – ulcers, dry mouths and/or infections CALENDULAR/MYRRH
• Breathing Problems EUCALYPTUS/SAGE/THYME/HYSSOP/MINT
• Lethargy- CINNAMON/MINT/EUCALYPTUS/PINE
• Skin problems – dryness, itchiness – MINT/PATCHOULI/CHAMOMILE/LAVENDER

* Again the valuable text Aromatherapy for Health Professionals by Price and Price and published by Elvisier provides much of the source of the information discussed here – Shirley Price herself being one of the most respected authors in the Aromatherapy world in the last 20 years!

One of the first things many of us do is a Google search – what treatments or products are out there that can alleviate the problems caused by cancer, or indeed what may contribute to its cure? What can we actively do to combat this for ourselves or loved ones.

My personal experience of this particular search, when a family member was diagnosed with cancer, proved to be pretty overwhelming – with such an array of proferred advice – some seemingly sound, some clear money spinners, and many well meaning but potentially detrimental to the health of the sufferer.

So, on the basis that anyone already reading this has an interest in Aromatherapy and Essential Oils, I want to consider what possible place essential oils and aromatherapy might have in this arena.

I think its fair to say that if the vast research body committed to battling cancer, in all its forms, had found some miraculous panacea amongst the bottles of essential oils on our shelves then we’d know about it – so however much I would wish to be able to suggest a quick one stop solution to this,  its not going to happen!

So lets instead look at what evidence is out there and see if there is anything we can actively do for ourselves or sufferers we know.

The subject is vast and so I intend to address the different areas in separate articles, but today I want to look at the area of Palliative and Supportive care. Wikipedia defines palliative care as follows:

Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex illness.

Palliative care is particularly targeted towards conditions such as cancer, HIV related health issues, degenerative neurological disorders (MS and Parkinsons Disease for instance) various genetic and congenital disorders and childhood disorders such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. The conditions all share the common elements that they can be expected to continue over an extended and unspecified period of time, and that the treatment which tackles the conditions can have negative side-effects in themselves, and that there is a specific relevancy in taking into account the quality of life of the patient as the condition may be prevalent for many years.

But there is also another particular characteristic shared by the conditions mentioned above which I want to explore and that is the increased likelihood of fear, psychological, social and spiritual distress – all of which can have a negative impact of a persons ability to fight off infection and weaken the bodies immune system.

I think all our lives experience demonstrates that the following statement is true:

Assist the sufferer reduce their anxiety and stress, and they will increase their potential of  getting a better nights sleep. A better nights sleep will increase the bodies ability to repair itself and recuperate from the physical and mental stresses of the previous day. Waking after a recuperative nights sleep improves the mood and sense of well being within a person leading to a more positive approach to the day ahead. The sufferer enjoys a better day (the quality of their life being improved – justification of the approach in itself) and the improvement in their mental state benefits the immune system which is adversely influenced by depression and anxiety – better armed mentally and physically  to face the challenges of the day

I acknowledge this is a very simplistic statement but a totally defensible one I believe. So, on its most obvious level, an evening massage using essential oils which encourage relaxation and the relief of stress, perhaps followed by a warm bath with a few drops of the appropriate oil can contribute significantly to encouraging a positive environment and state of mind for a good nights sleep for the care-receiver.

Running a warm bath for a loved one will do wonders on its own undeniably – but the addition of essential oil , Lavender for instance , achieves three things;

1) It has a physically demonstrable advantage – for instance certain chemotherapy treatments can lead to sore skin patches – a few drops of diluted Lavender oil will help alleviate the discomfort and repair the skin. It also has the following qualities (as outlined in Aromatherapy For Health Professionals by Price and Price – a volume I cant recommend enough!) Hypotensor (reduces blood pressure) Cicatrizant (healing) Antibacterial (sores can be helped resist any additional infection as a time when the sufferer doesn’t need to be troubled by any other irritations) Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Cardiotonic, Calmative, Neurotonic, and an energising tonic – benefits indeed.

2) There is the less tangible but no less essential gift of the act of caring and tending on the part of the bestower – and having a fragranced bath prepared for you as a sufferer cannot help but increase your sense of being loved, and valued and nurtured – boosting your mood, and therefore rallying all the resources which are dependent upon mood and mental state.

3) It is also a benefit to the carer – who so often ‘suffers’ from the condition themselves as anyone who has ever had a loved one threatened by a serious and/or long term will testify. The carer has their own anxieties and fears, and so being able to actively do something which addresses head on the dilemma of ‘What else can I do to try and help my loved one’ . They should also pour themselves a fragranced bath too as they too deserve some pampering and support.

In my next article I will be exploring more of the demonstrable benefits which Essential Oils and Aromatherapy can bring to long term care.

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike!

Take lavender oil for instance. The scent of lavender is one that is used extensively through our society. We will see it in air-freshners, pot pourri, furniture polish, shampoo, soap etc etc. However much of the ‘lavender’ fragrance used in these instances are actually synthetic products – which emulates a generally accepted sense of what Lavender ‘should’ smell like.  

Whilst researching suppliers for The Aromatherapy Store we purchased over 20 different bottles of Lavender Essential Oil – including the most highly respected brands such as Tisserand and Neals Yard, Holland and Barrett as well as smaller independent producers on the internet. What’s fascinating, in a blind testing scenario, is the broad difference in the smell of each of the oils.

People who research their oils know that different years produce different fragrances  from the self same producer – depending on the weather that year – humidity, drought, etc – the season at which they producer was able to harvest their crop,  and – especially amongst the co-operatives – how quickly they can get their crop through the distillation process as the aroma can fade from the raw material very quickly.

In the production of wine, a vast range of different products ends up in a bottle with the same identifying words on the label – Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc – and yet the wine buyer fully expects each vintage to be slightly different, and certainly different regions and producers Merlot and Sauvingon Blanc to be distinct.

So my point is that each time you purchase a bottle of essential oil then you should open it with an open mind and familiarise yourself with the essential essence and notes of that particular oil.

As with wines,  memorising certain  short cuts – identifying key identifiers –  can help you get a very strong sense of the ‘identity’ of your oils. For example in the wine world the scent of crushed blackcurrent leaves is a strong indicator that the grape used for the wine is exclusively or partially cabernet sauvignon. That mental note helps you cut through the myriad of possibilities when trying to identify a grape in a blind tasting.

With essential oils there are similar short routes we can take to enable us to identify different oils in blind sniffings!

Think of your oils as being categorised into five headings:

…………………………………………………..Green      -        Citrus   –           Floral   –             Spicy   –             Woody

Some suggested oils                                   Basil                     Lemon       YlangYlang           Cloves            Sandalwood

for each heading include:…………… Petit-grain            Bergamot      Lavender           Eucalyptus       Patchouli

An important point to make here – all these categories should be YOUR definition. This system of classification is for your own personal benefit and it will allow you to not only identify your oils immediately, but also provide you with a good system of oil blending – combining an oil which you classify as ‘woody’ should compliment an oil from your classification of ‘spicy’ or ‘floral’ really well, depending on what effect you are trying to create. Whereas combining two oils both  from your ‘floral’ group may create a blend in which qualities of the individual oil may be lost – and given the cost of oils you want to be sure to maximise their effect.

In my next blog in this series Ill talk more about breaking down the individual components of the fragrance and thereby getting ideas for ways of using and blending your oils.

The Aromatherapy Store is a site dedicated to promoting the safe and confident  use of the natural qualities of essential oils and related products for the professional and amateur aromatherapist alike! Call  0845 500 1215 or email us on contact@thearomatherapystore.co.uk