Nature's Gift April Newsletter

Welcome (finally!) to Spring Sunshine! (At least that's what we are experiencing here in Middle Tennessee. We hope Springtime is blooming where you are.)

This newsletter contains:

Two brand new essential oils
The return of some long awaited hydrosols
A "Charity of the Quarter" that is very special to us.
An Essential Oil Sale
A special sale on all of our spiritual synergies
Back in Stock - AromaStones
Time to reorder
A reminder - how to blend room, body, and linen sprays
Feedback from our clients and readers
Spring Cleaning recipes - for a Naturally Clean House!

New Oils:

A very rare High Myrcene Lemongrass. What's so special about High Myrcene Lemongrass? See our specials page to find out!

Frangipani Absolute! Some of you have been requesting this for years, and we finally found a source for this fresh, sweet absolute. It is semisolid, so we are offering it in wee glass jars, rather than bottles, but don't worry, it dissolves readily in your choice of carrier oil, and the aroma seems to become more intense as we dilute it. Available in 5 and 10 gram jars, and in a 10% dilution in 5 and 15 ml bottles. Again, only on our specials page until I have time to add it to our product listings.

The Return of the Hydrosols:

We have been awaiting delivery of our Carrot, Cistus and Blue Tansy hydrosols since before Christmas. They have finally arrived, although we have very little of the Carrot since UPS managed to trash a box in shipping. Available both on our Specials page and with the rest of our Hydrosols.

Charity of the Quarter: CASA - Improving the lives of women and children.

For 25 years CASA has been offering health services and education to the women of San Miguel de Allende, in the Mexican highlands. One of our clients, a medical doctor, volunteers at their hospital, and with their midwifery training program. Time and again she has taken Nature's Gift oils down there to train the midwives in their use. Read more about CASA on our specials page, or on their homepage above, and help us support this project that is really making a difference in the lives of women and children in a poverty ridden section of rural Mexico.

Essential Oil Sale:

To celebrate the work CASA is doing we are offering the oils we send them at 10% off. Clary Sage, English Chamomile, Bulgarian Lavender and Red Mandarine. All at 10% savings only on our Specials Page. For more information about essential oils useful during labor and delivery, please follow this link.

(On the third of March my second granddaughter was borne. Candace, her mom, was drawn to Jasmine and Lavender during labor. My son massaged her back, rubbed her feet, and gave her a tissue with the diluted oils to hold. Both oils are reputed to increase the strength of contractions and speed labor. Chelsea Morgan was not supposed to make her appearance until the next morning, and this eager Grandmom was told to go on home. Chelsea made her debut to the world shortly after 7:15 PM, so perhaps the oils did, in fact, speed up her labor a bit.)

Sacred Synergies Sale:

To celebrate this season, sacred to so many faiths, we have put all of our "rites and rituals" synergies on sale, on a special page. Far too many to list on our New and Special page: Sacred, Meditation, Protection, Valour, the wheel of the year to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes, the elementals. Order now at this special 10% off savings.

Back in Stock - AromaStones:

We waited for months while this shipment was delayed, lost, returned to the factory in the UK, but the long awaited Cobalt aromastones (and a fresh shipment of the almost gone Eggshell finish) are finally here. Featured on our Specials page, or compare them to our other diffusers on our Aromatherapy Accessories page. (My Aromastone sits on my bed table. Or did, until I took it to the hospital while Candace was in labor, and have no idea where it went after that!)

Time to reorder (limited seasonal offering):

We can't ship our Shea Souffle, Baby Bottom Balm, or our "Please Don't Eat the Belly Balm" (or Body Balm) during summer's heat - which comes early here in Middle Tennessee. At some point early in May we will decide it's too hot to let these delicate products sit in a hot mail truck all day, or an even hotter mail box. We don't want you to receive Shea Soup! So if these products are on your wish list, you might want to order enough now to hold you until Autumn.

Blending Room or Body Sprays:

We get a lot of emails and telephone calls asking how to use our oils or blends in a linen spray, room spray, or body spritz. Although the formula is given in the description of Polysorbate, we thought it worth mentioning here for our newer clients who haven't explored the whole website yet.

Start by adding equal parts of your essential oil and Polysorbate 20, then slowly add distilled water. If the resulting spray is cloudy, rather than clear, you may need to add a slightly larger proportion of Polysorbate, perhaps as much as 3 parts to 1 part essential oil. Perfect for body sprays, room sprays, and linen sprays.

The amount of Essential Oil used depends on the purpose of the spritzer. To 4 ounces of distilled water add:

8 to 10 drops for the face
30 to 40 drops for an all over body spritzer
80 to 100 drops for a room spray/air freshener

Shake well, spray. May be used as facial toner, to moisten a body wrap as an all over freshener, or as a room spray.

(I love my linen spray, with rose otto dissolved in the water. Sweet Dreams!)

Hints, tips and feedback from our Clients:

Gina in Amherst Massachusetts writes:

"Every springtime I am plagued with cracked/split NOSTRILS (at the top of the nostril).
This Spring I have been using the Shea souffle mixed with corn starch and Myrrh and Frankincense and Sea Buckthorn berry (CO2).
OMIGOD, I can't believe how effective it is!
The thicker Shea and the oils are definitely doing the trick. It's simply great.
(I also have the softest hands ever! And no cracks of the fingertips - tho the test of that will be the next 2 months!)

I HIGHLY recommend this for skin splits."

Thanks, Gina... I am thinking of that so many people suffer from the skin on their heels or their fingers and palm splitting. Scooping out some of the contents of a jar of Shea Souffle and rewhipping it with a kitchen mixer (or even just whipping with a fork!) lets you incorporate other ingredients easily and evenly. Gina didn't give her proportions, but I would keep the total EO concentration below 2.5% if using on cracked skin. For the (approximately) 3 oz (by weight) of Shea Souffle in a 4 oz jar, that means a TOTAL of 45 drops of essential oil. For the above mixture, I would perhaps use 25 drops of Frankincense, and 7 or 8 drops each of Myrrh and SeaBuckthorn Berry Extract.

(T commented that this will smell wonderful, she is the Frankincense and Myrrh fanatic of our crew. She's planning on mixing herself up a batch before gardening season starts.)

Another Shea Souffle blend:

Lissa in Illinois wrote some time ago:

"I wish you had a helichrysum shea butter blend, but it would probably be too expensive to make. Being a diabetic, I have to take special precautions
with my feet, and I have had great results with heli in the 10% jojoba for
calluses and scratches that could cause problems if left unattended. Of
course tea tree and lavender in an ordinary fragrance-free moisturizer also
works well, but the heli is very sumptuous and really rejuvenates my skin."

Since we don't scent our Shea Souffle, so it would be easy to stir in a ml or two of Helichrysum.

SPRING CLEANING HINTS AND TIPS:

(from a years old report on a "Natural Living" seminar. The friend who shared it gave permission for us to pass it on.)

Glass & Mirror Cleaner

1 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup water
9 drops citrus essential oil (lemon or sweet orange)

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to blend.
Spray on. Wipe off and polish with a clean cotton rag.

Note: If you have used commercial window cleaners over the years there will
be a build-up of wax on your windows. Vinegar alone won't remove this
residue. So, the first time you use the Glass & Mirror Cleaner you will
have to wash the window or mirror first with a few drops of liquid dish
detergent on a damp sponge. Wipe dry and then use the Glass & Mirror
Cleaner. From this point on you will only need the Glass & Mirror Cleaner
for your windows!

Basic Soft Scrubber

Use this on the bath tub, sinks, Formica countertops and in the shower
stall. Great for pots and pans. An excellent hand cleaner.

1/2 cup baking soda
enough liquid soap or detergent to make a frosting-like consistency
5-10 drops essential oil such as rose, sweet orange or lavender

Place the baking soda in a small container with a tight fitting lid. (If
you are into recycling try using yogurt cups for containers) Slowly pour in
the liquid soap, stirring until the consistency reaches that of frosting.
Add a few drops of essential oil and stir well. Scoop the creamy mixture onto a sponge,
wash the surface and rinse. Close lid tightly to prevent scrubber from
drying out. Perhaps sweet orange oil for the kitchen to cut grease and another
with lavender (to kill germs) for the bathroom.

Note: If you are trying to become chemical free in your life, try to use a
vegetable oil-based liquid soap or detergent. It removes stains and cuts
grease. Both soaps and detergents are surfactants. This basically means it
is a washing compound that mixes with grease and water. Soaps and
detergents are not the same thing. Soaps are made of materials found in
nature. Detergents are synthetic. Soap is better for your health and the
environment than detergents. See our Liquid Castile Soap (and inquire
about larger quantities!)

Counter Cleaner & Kitchen Freshener

2 cups club soda
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent.
10 drops essential oil (I used lemon e.o. -- it smells so clean!)

Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to blend (careful -- you are
using club soda here and it likes to "fizz" on you!) Spray on. Wipe off.
Shake the bottle each time before using.

Antiseptic All-Purpose Cleanser

Not only does this preparation clean but the essential oils disinfect and
provide a natural fragrance.

1 teaspoon (5 mls) antiseptic essential oil (lemon or lavender are nice, as are any of the spice oils.)
1 teaspoon washing soda
2 teaspoons borax
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
2 cups hot water (to dissolve the soda and borax)

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to dissolve and blend the
minerals. You can spray this cleaner onto a surface then leave it for 15
minutes before wiping it off, to give the essential oils antiseptic
qualities time to work (makes 2 cups).

Variation: Peppermint Cleanser. Substitute 1 teaspoon peppermint essential
oil. This repels flies and ants in the warm months and it smells great.

Variation: Clove and Cinnamon Holiday Cleanser. Substitute 1/2 teaspoon
each clove and cinnamon leaf essential oils.

Tea Tree Oil Mold & Mildew Remover

Nothing works to eradicate mold and mildew as well as this spray.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle, shake to blend and spray on
problem areas. Do not rinse. The strong odor will dissipate in a day or
so. Makes 2 cups.

This is also a good deodorizer. If the medicinal smell is too strong for
you, add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the solution.

Aromatic quote for April

"Perfumes are the feelings of flowers." ~Heinrich Heine, The Hartz Journey

and one of Christi's favorites:

from Andrew Harvey's THE DIRECT PATH:

"To know the truth of your divine consciousness is to see it reflected back at you from all living things. To deepen that experience constantly, through adoration, wonder, insight and direct protective service and action is why we are here."

May your April be filled with balmy breezes and bright sunshine, and may you always have your umbrella for the showers!