ahh Aromatherapy

When I used to have my own office (looked like a glass wardrobe but it was my own space and I did not have to share it) I loved to regularly spritz myself with Honeysuckle or Fig Leaf cologne by The Library of Fragrance (sadly discontinued so I have to hunt out bottles in TK Maxx). That small fragrant hit was such a mood enhancer but I haven’t had much opportunity to do it in my new workplace. Since I am sat in the middle of the open plan office surrounded by mostly men in suits. I feel even a bit inconspicuous powdering my nose and re-applying lipstick at my desk as I face directly another male colleague. 

I don’t want people to think I am vain but it’s these little things to keep everything in check and well presented or well preserved as I normally say as a joke. My interests in smells and oils have been re-awoken during my time off work. I had studied Aromatherapy and practiced it a short while back in the 1990’s until I realised how manual it was giving massage treatments with my own blended oils. It was hard going physically and standing on your feet all day doling out massages in an exclusive practice in Knightbridge. What I truly loved is the action of alchemy of putting a few drops here and a few drops there of pure essential oils to create a bespoke blend. I purchased some interesting oils and am making blends to help the curly haired beauty with her moods. 

Puberty had struck her early (pimples) and she and I were not prepared for how quickly her emotions dramatically change. Tears are triggered if the right cereal is not available or if the hair is not looking right. The battles over social media or lack of access to it is also a touchy subject. Luckily a pupil at the school had their WhatsApp account hacked so kids were spammed with messages - so that’s now knocked it on the head for now and she doesn’t feel the pressure to be in the WhatsApp group anymore and experience FOMO. I told my daughter we can review social media again next year in March 2019 once she has settled into her new school and made some friends that she can rely on. It’s all so hard to navigate and I know at some point technology will overtake my own knowledge and my children will become far more advanced. 

But back onto oils – pure essential oils, the good stuff, not the oils you can buy in Holland and Barrett or Boots (although OK to chuck into a bath or a diffuser but not superior for skincare) I have managed to track down Blue Tansy (Tanacetum Annuum) which you may have seen as an active ingredient in the exclusive skincare range by May Lindstrom,   Herbivore Botanicals and Sunday Riley . It’s blue in colour and has a fresh light herbal scent almost like chamomile (hay smell). The therapeutic properties seems almost too good to be true, anti-inflammatory, mood enhancing it just ticks all the boxes for myself and daughter. Using a carrier oil base of Rosehip seed oil, which alone is beneficial in reducing red marks, pigmentation. A drop of Ylang Ylang and Lavender and a dash of jojoba oil. A soothing concoction to inhale deeply and apply to the skin and massage gently over the cheeks and brows and add in a few lymphatic drainage movements to complete the treatment. I can feel myself calming down just by typing these words. 

As with anything this potent its important to be careful to store away the oils from sunlight and heat and treat with respect and caution.  Never apply neat to the skin and always check for any contraindications to your/others health. Certain oils should be avoided during pregnancy and lactation. As a trained aromatherapist (but CPD has lasped and no insurance to practice on clients) I know what I am doing when using my blends on myself and family. 

Its all too easy nowadays to do a internet search and proclaim yourself an expert after reading a few Sunday supplements. I remember at a party and in a conversation with another women who proclaimed essential oils ruined her skin so she avoid any products that contain them. When I got to the bottom of the cause; she had applied neat camomile essential oil direct around her eye area. In her mistaken  self diagnosis thinking camomile was good for eye infections!