Why We are Here

This weekend's email brought an amazing reminder of why we are here...and I was given permission to share:

From Alisa, who has been a client for just a few months now:

"Your site means a lot to me. I have loved aromatherapy before I knew it had a name.

During college and law school I forgot all about my passion to create, customize and blend to make myself and others feel better. But then after my father died of a long debilitating illness (12 years), my mother had an aneurysm ruptured and fell into a coma. I used to do fragrance therapy on her. I had read that fragrance memory is the most powerful stimulant. She did start coming around but she had stroke after stroke until she just could not go on. But I remember using fragrances of different oils and objects to “engage her in conversations.” I remember buying regular lotions and then adding things to it to make it uniquely hers and then massaging her feet and hands. My brother spend the last 10 years of his life in a nursing home. I have had a lot of losses.

For many years now I have been in health care as an attorney. I have seen too much. I have regulated nursing homes, in home care providers, and paramedics. I have litigated Medicaid and disability claims. For the last few years, I have worked with terminally ill clients. Sometimes it seems that much of my life is about death and dying. Aromatherapy literally adds a sweet fragrance to it. It is healing to me in so many ways. I have used products that I have brought from you to bring smiles and comfort to others. I am seeing new ways that I can take care of deeply troubled and terribly hurting people.

Thank you for your website. I wanted to tell you just how much it has helped. You are a true healer.

Alisa"

Just a reminder this Monday morning that all of us who work with these amazing healing oils are so very blessed to be able to do what we do!

Health Alert: Avoiding Synthetic Fragrances

This was the headline in a Consumer Reports newsletter in my mailbox today.  Now, I have been avoiding synthetic fragrances for decades.  But... for those who don't know:

Consumer Reports just issued a report criticizing the use of synthetic fragrances in the dryer. "Consumer Reports environmental experts say you should get nervous about smells that won't quit, especially when you don't know what you're smelling. The product's label just says "perfume dispersant, perfume and dyes." The manufacturer, Procter & Gamble, told Consumer Reports that perfume ingredients are "proprietary information," but it says that the chemicals they use are at safe levels."  I am sure we all find that reassuring.

The good news is that it is possible to add fragrance to your laundry, and know exactly what you are using!

This is what I do.  (Years ago a serious case of contact dermatitis landed me in the ER.  I was taught there to *never* use a "dryer sheet" to soften cloths,   to buy and use only the "FREE" detergents - unscented with no color -  and to put some white vinegar in the fabric softener cup of my Washing Machine.   Two washing machines later, I'm still following that advice.)

If I'm washing clothes that may have a bit of musty mold scent...  a generous splash of Palma Rosa or Eucalyptus citrodora (Lemon Eucalyptus) goes into the wash water with the detergent.  Anti fungal oils will freshen towels that perhaps sat, damp, too long.    If clothes are grease stained,  some Orange essential oil with the detergent will remove any greasy aroma. (Be aware though, that Orange Oil CAN discolor white clothes.)  LilBit slept too long on my quilt?  Fresh Aire synergy does a GREAT job at removing the scent of wet dog.

Other things that I do.  (For various reasons I can't dry my clothes on a clothes line. Cold water washing and low heat drying is as "green" as I can be.)   There is NOTHING like the smell of sheets and pillowcases, blown dry on a line in the sun and freshly made up on your bed.

Lacking that option... I have two or three old washcloths (rags!) that sit on the dryer.  When a load of clothes I want to subtly scent goes in the dryer,  a few drops of essential oil or blend go on a rag, and it gets tossed in with the wet clothes.  Normally I am aiming at a VERY faint aroma, and use only a few drops of EO.  More essential oil, obviously, makes the scent of the clean and dried clothes a bit stronger.

Fresh Aire, again, for towels, and a lot of my clothes.  Linens?  Lavender, or, if I am feeling decadent and self indulgent..a drop of Rose.   A man's laundry could be scented with Cedarwood or Sandalwood.

You may read the entire Consumer Reports article quoted above here.