Aromatic Quote of the month

Some lovely new oils - Palo Santo, High Altitude Juniper Berry, Wild Alpine Lavender, and both Vitex Leaf and Vitex Berry. Back in stock items...after a long wait we finally can offer our Cleopatra's Secret Skin Toner, and, of course, the Cleopatra's Secret Travel/Gift Set. We also brought back in the little hanging clay pot diffusers, perfect for car or closet. We have also reformulated our Belly Balm, gift to pregnant women or anyone with tight, dry, itchy or ashy skin. It too is available for the first time on our New and Special page.

Most of you know that no discount ever applies to any of our kits and sampler packs, since they are already steeply discounted. This month, though, we've put two seasonal kits on special sale - our Conifer Oils kit, to help you prepare for the holiday season, and our Eucalyptus Species Sampler, to help ease winter's coughs and congestion. All these special prices are available only on our New and Special page.

More new products: We've restocked all of our semiprecious stone Aromatherapy Amulets, and added T's favorite - Black Agate, recommended for strengthening and protection against negativity. We've also added a pretty new Angel Aromalamp. Quantities on this are very limited so you may want to order now, if it catches your eye.

Antibacterial Essential Oils - we are offering a 10% discount on some of our less well-known anti-bacterial essential oils - Niaouli, French Spike Lavender, all three of our Thyme Oils, Manuka and Kunzea from New Zealand. Special Sale pricing available only on our New and Special page.

Holiday Sale

In about two weeks we will be sending out another newsletter, with our special Thanksgiving and/or Cyber Monday sales for your holiday shopping. Please watch for it for very special savings indeed. In the meantime, for the early shoppers, please look at our Suggested Gifts page.

Hints, tips, formulas and blends

Flu Foil Spray formula, and results:

Gerry Overly recently shared:

Also, I mixed 8 drops of your Flu Foil Synergy in 10cc vodka for emulsion and then added enough distilled water to fill a 2 oz spray bottle. Gave it to my daughter to spray my granddaughters room for flu prevention. Before she used it, Madeline got sent home from school with a 103 temp. Her Mom used the spray in her room, on her pillow and her bed clothes and even sprayed some around her neck and arms. She woke up the next morning with 99.6 and by that night, the fever was gone and she felt fine. Needless to say, the other granddaughters room gets sprayed every day, too. Thank you for your wonderful oils. Now, all her friends want it, so you may be getting a bunch of orders!!
Sincerely,
Gerry Ann Overley

Teething Pains:

Susan Fleet, a practitioner in New Zealand had been writing about the CO2 extracted German Chamomile and gave me a hint for teething little ones:

"I have found this extract [the German Chamomile CO2] far superior to that of the steam distilled oil for all sorts of inflammations and the aroma is a lot more rounded and truer in aroma to the herb. I dilute this with roman chamomile to a 5% dilution for teething in babies and mums rave about it."

My comment: 5% is a strong dilution for a baby or toddler, but one would need just one or two drops, applied to the exterior jaw line. Eases the pain, and the fiery redness teething can cause. The roman chamomile will probably ease the former sufferer off to sleep. (Hope my daughter's in law are reading!)

For the perfumers - A Leather Accord:

Last summer my friend Ruth Ruane of White Witch gave this suggestion in a forum for perfumers:

"I tried different combinations of saffron and blond tobacco along with
some frankincense of all things. In the end it came down to something quite lovely with just two:
Blond Tobacco and Beeswax Absolute

10 drops Blond Tobacco (diluted to
5%) and 20 drops of Beeswax Absolute 20% diluted. It does it for me : )
I'm all inspired. Thanks."

Now, I was thinking that "leather" notes feel appropriate for fall and winter... and Ruth graciously gave me permission to share her accord with you.

Because she was using different dilutions of her aromatics, I pulled out my trusty spreadsheet so we would be comparing apples to apples. Unless my math was totally wrong... if you started out with UNdiluted aromatics, or if you were using the same dilution of each, let us say 10% dilutions of each, then what she used basically were one parts of the Tabac and eight parts of the Beeswax absolute, either undiluted or in equal dilutions.

Thinking that this is the season for a leather chypre, and wondering what this would do if combined with some of the ingredients in our Chypre kit. Ahhhhhhhh.. a "leather chypre"... ;)

A reprint: Blend for the Crankies:

Last summer Kathryn Blankenship emailed asking me to help find a blend formula that we had published years before. I'm going to reprint both the original blend, and her comments and suggestions, since she says she thinks it would be a lovely blend for the upcoming holidays. (I'm seeing it made into bath salts, or mixed with some unscented Bliss Bath as "hand crafted gift" for every woman on your list!)

She wrote:

Yes, this is the blend. Remind folks to let the blend sit a day or so. I was amazed at how the scents blended and changed over the course of a few days. Since I lost my hard drive and had to re-copy ALL of your newsletters and then re-organize All of the blends by topic in order to re-locate them as needed, I know that you posted this recipe twice, about a few years apart. The second time, you said it was for the Crankies. Although I no longer get cranky, just other people, I too find this blend very soothing. Almost as much as your Reunite. :)

PS I think this will make a great layering scent for Christmas. It is subtle and soft, yet surprisingly tenacious. I think the "girls" will love it.

"Margie Curtiss recently wrote:

I accidentally stumbled on something that smells absolutely wonderful and is
emotionally healing at the same time!
My 13 year old daughter can be quite grumpy around her monthly cycle. When I
received my latest order I was looking to make up a blend to help her...well,
I found it! It may not have been the best cramp formula, but her emotions
have calmed considerably with the use of this blend. Marissa has never been this
pleasant in the mornings. I am in awe, truly!
5 drops clary sage
2 drops jasmine sambac
4 drops geranium
8 drops lavender
2 drops fennel
3 drops vanilla bourbon
2 drops violet leaf
6 drops ylang ylang
Blended in 15ml of the fractionated coconut oil, "
My note...that's a strong dilution... 10% if my math isn't wrong. a ml and 1/2 of oils in 15 mls of Frac. I'd not want it for a full body massage...but as a "personal perfume" it would work out quite well.

I was thinking this might make a wonderful room or linen spray, as well.
LINEN SPRAY:
(This is far too strong to use as a facial or body spray, but wonderful as a linen spray.)

5 mls Essential Oil or blend of your choice.

10-15 mls EITHER our Polysorbate 20, or Ever Clear (pure grain alcohol.)

4 ounces distilled water.

Best and easiest to first dissolve the essential oils in two or three times their quantity of our Polysorbate 20 or in the same quantity of either high proof vodka or grain alcohol.

Having predissolved the essential oil in your diluent or solublizer, then add distilled water to fill the bottle. Cap with an atomizer, and voila.

Personal note: I splurged and was decadently self indulgent...used 3 mls of true rose otto to the 4 oz of distilled water. The wee bottle of linen spray lasted me over a year, and I have the best smelling pillows in all of Tennessee!

Our Clients Say:

"Miracle Oil"

Onika Thomas recently wrote: (we had corresponded previously about a friend who was having severe pain in her leg, I can't remember the cause--)

"Hi there Marge! First, I'd like to say: Your Miracle Blend helped my friend who hurt her leg. It worked better than the [addictive] pain pills the doctor gave her. ~laughs~ She was very amazed. We can add one more believer to the list. ~smile~ So that's a great BIG thank you right there! My mom is having surgery soon, & I've already stocked up on it."

(Feedback like this just makes our day! Helps keep us focused on why we are here!)

Lemon TeaTree Oil

Carol Ivance recently wrote:

If you need any further testimonials for Lemon teatree, it is GREAT for getting rid of ants, and anything else with 6 legs that happens along. I mixed some with water in a spray bottle, and it's amazing how well it works. We have tried all kinds of remedies, and none have been permanent, until now:) Thanks for all your helpful tips.

Which makes me wonder if the Lemon TeaTree oil (or SkeeterBeater, which is based on it) would help repel spiders. With the cooler weather I'm seeing more of them.

Fragonia

Katrina Anderson wrote:

I wanted to tell you that I have really enjoyed the Fragonia oil. I teach
emotionally disturbed children and frequently come home too tired to
relax and sleep. The Fragonia is very relaxing and I sleep like a baby.

Osmanthus

Mei-ling recently wrote:

I received my order last week, and only have one word, fabulous!!

My favorite is jasmine sambac and osmanthus. I grew up in Taiwan, and osmanthus trees are quite popular in my hometown. People infuse its petal into honey, apply it to cooking. In my childhood, we used to have Arabian jasmine brush and osmanthus tree in our front yard. According to my memory, Arabian jasmine blooms first in the beginning of summer, and then osmanthus follows till autumn. All the summer nights are filled of joyful aroma. Your jasmine sambac and osmanthus really make me feel going back when I was 10.

Sorry I am not good at english writing but I tried to describe what I felt as possible as I can. Anyway, I really appreciate your gorgeous essential oils; I hope I can place another order soon. Thanks again and have a nice week, oh, and the following trip.

*I* think Mei-ling writes like a poet..I loved the description of the summer evenings!

Overall Quality:

Chelsea Mulrony has been a client for years. She always asks questions that make me think. A few months ago she wrote, as part of a longer conversation:

Your oils are so wonderful. sometimes I buy from local stores here in

Eugene, Oregon, and i have to say that nothing compares to yours!

take peppermint, for example. I use a lot of peppermint, for my

headaches and just to burn in my aromastone because i love the smell.

well, I have bought two peppermints locally and they just don't have

the quality of yours... there is always something less than desirable

lingering beneath the peppermint. same with other lavenders I tried,

as well as nutmeg. your oils smell so perfectly pure, and I just love

them.
Again, we just love hearing feedback like this!

Flu Foil

Dr. Nina Cahan, a holistic Family Practitioner in Coppell TX quite often buys huge quantities of some of our products for her clients use. (She always stocks up on Baby Balm before it goes offline at the beginning of summer.) In Mid October she ordered 60 bottles of Flu Foil and wrote:

Special Instructions / Comments: Hi, Ladies. Please send as much flu foil

as you can now and the rest as you can. I am not sure if you have enough

to fill my order. It is working really well for flu and

pneumonia. Thanks. Nina

(And she ordered another 20 bottles this past weekend!) We really appreciate the clients who give us permission to quote their comments!!!

Blog Updates:

In October, Christi blogged about diffusing Blue Tansy Oil to deal with chronic allergies.

I blogged about using Flu Foil and KleenHandz the weekend I spent rooming with someone who seemed to be battling the flu all weekend.

We shared "aromatic care packages" with troops stationed in Afghanistan. (If this is an activity you'd like to support, the blog article gives contact information for the UAE. They would welcome your donations!)

I gave a partial review of the recent Alliance of International Aromatherapists conference in Crystal Lake IL.

Christi wrote of her battle with a mouse infestation.

And I shared about a charming little shop I wanted to browse, visit, and spend money in...but was forced to leave.

Note to Facebook members: all of our Blog articles are "ported over" to the Nature's Gift Facebook page.

Aromatic Quote of the Month:

"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived." ~ Helen Keller

We're having a week of perfect "October" days here in middle TN. Hope you are too!