Leap Year  (and the end of winter)

A special gift to celebrate an extra day this year, and to reward our readers...A giveaway.  For every order over $50.00 placed between now and the VERY end of February... say "leaping lizards" in the comments box of your order...and receive a special gift.  We have oils poured in 5 mls that we don't offer in 5 mls... we have soap that came out looking very very strange (our wonderful Oatmeal, Milk and Honey...some bars came out with a streak of Shea Butter down the center...for unknown reasons.). Terra Cotta lamp rings. (we have them, we don't use them, perhaps you will.) Bath scrubbies with yellow duckies on them for clients with children (or inner children!) We have a few bars of soap from other soapmakers.  (Can you tell we've been cleaning house?)  Courtney tossed in a couple of the silver atomizers that work so beautifully with our natural perfumes. (those are more apt to go to someone who actually ORDERS a natural perfume.) A list of goodies too long to name here.  Remember, the order must be over $50.00 and you must remember to say "Leaping Lizards" in your comments at checkout.

SPECIAL SALES

Our Spring Sunshine synergy is on sale now, as is our Protection Synergy.  Save $5.00 on Spring Sunshine, and $10.00 on Protection when ordered on our New and Special Page.

NEW PRODUCTS

New Essential Oils

Bergamot Mint

We've been out of stock on this freshscented delight for far too long, and are delighted to be able to offer it for Spring.  Bright, sweet, fruity scented it is a delight for skincare, or for the diffuser or aromalamp. Available at the link above or on our specials page.

Blood Orange

We've spent a long time sourcing an organic blood orange oil.  This speciman is not Ecocert certified, but has been grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, so we are confident adding it to our collection.  Available at the link above or on our Specials page.

Ylangylang One

Softer, less exotic and more rounded than our Ylangylang Extra - this aphrodisiac oil is online at a very low introductory price for use in your favorite sensuous blends.  Read more about it on our descriptive page.

NEW AROMALAMPS
We've added several new reasonably priced ceramic aroma lamps. (Marge found a really good buy!) You may see (and order) them on our accessories page

Blending Ideas - Perfume

Someone recently wrote asking for ideas about blending our Orange Blossom Absolute...they wanted to create a sophisticated perfume based on it. And I am not a perfumer.  But Gail Adrian, fragranceur extraordaire, writes this about Orange Blossom Abs...

I happen to be absolutely addicted to Orange Flower Absolute!  It has a sensual/sexual quality that I crave when creating heady, bold, and rich perfumes.

There can be somewhat of a difference in them. . . .   Play a bit..  You can always blend it with a less audacious scent like Lav. Abs. or even Benzoin in the Base.  Something else
that might mitigate it, might be some excellent Frankincense.  Use some lighter middles, some Ho leaf or  Ho wood, some of the earthier spices such as Coriander, or Ginger.  a lovely Green Coriander would also pick up that middle then, in the top use something really ephemeral to balance out the
eroticism of the bottom perhaps a Violet leaf, if you have it, or a Frangipani, or if you don't want to break  the bank a lovely
petigrain/bitter orange/ with perhaps a dash of lavender?

When I smell Orange Flower Absolute, I think of Louis the XIV and the Hall of Mirrors yummmm  It doesn't get more decadent than that."

I thought that might start the creative juices flowing.You may read about and purchase our Orange Blossom Absolute on our descriptive page.

Almost out...

We are selling out of , Winter Savory, Zdravetz and Coffee, and are very low on all three. We may be able to get more if there is a special request. If you like any of these you'll want to get them while you can. We're almost out of Osmanthus and aren't sure whether or not it's worth reordering. We also just sold our very last Davana, undiluted and it's doubtful that we will get more. If you enjoy the Davana, you may want to get the diluted version or the perfume. We are almost out of Vitex as well, and our producer is no longer distilling it. We are considering other sources, but aren't sure if we will offer it again. There is a small amount left, and we also have plenty of our Passages blend which contains Vitex.

BERGAMOT MINT BLENDS:

Jenine Stanley shared her favorite New Year's Eve blend a long time ago. We think it is a delightful 'end of winter' blend so are reprinting it here.

10 drops Cedarwood
5 drops Juniper
25 drops Bergamot Mint
10 drops Lavender (she used Bulgarian, but I'm tempted to try Himalayan.)

Let this sit for several days as its character seems to change a bit as it
ages.

I liked this so much that I decided to use it a perfume, diluted in Jojoba
oil rather than putting it in the diffuser. I'm really fussy about
fragrances and this one really seems to capture what I want plus having the
properties of the oils that I really tune into. The combination of the
cedar, bergamot mint and lavender is really stunning.

And Stephanie Bowker wrote:

"I'm thinking of using your bergamot mint (which I love! I made a soap with
that, lime, lavender and a bit of clary sage that's just wonderful - very
clean and refreshing. I'm also using it in lingerie rinse water.) in a lip
balm. I'm assuming, being a mint, that it's pretty non-toxic (although
pennyroyal's a mint too, and certainly not non-toxic!), but it isn't listed
anywhere. Your opinion? I was thinking of blending it with some sweet
orange - sounded yummy to me."  (and, since mentha citrada is an edible
mint, I would be comfortable using the EO at very low levels as a flavoring."

Request for Help

It is amazing how many charges are declined because an incorrect billing address was submitted, or an incorrect number on the credit card information. When an charge is declined, and we have to rebill it it costs us both time and money.  It also delays your receipt of your order.  For the time being we are absorbing the extra costs involved, but we will not be able to do so indefinitely. PLEASE be very sure that your billing address information on your account matches the actual address where you receive your credit card bill.  If the address is incorrect on your account, you may choose the "Edit your Account" option from within the shopping cart.  You'll get your order faster, and we'll all save time and money.

Phone calls
Before calling with a question, please search the site to see if it is already answered online. Courtney answers Email VERY quickly, and can deal with several emailed questions in the time one phone call will take.

SPECIAL SALE PRICING

Carrier oil sale

We've put some of our favorite (and unusual) carrier oils on sale.  go to our Specials page for deeply discounted prices on Avocado, Apricot Kernel, Calophyllum inophyllum (Foraha), Hazelnut and  Kukui Nut oils.

Skincare Special:

Order one 16 oz container of our "Please don't eat the Belly Balm" described on our Mother and Baby page, and receive a free bar of our Orange Truffle soap.  They compliment each other beautifully.

Back in Stock - Green Myrtle Hydrosol

We have been waiting for a long time.. It's back...both on the new and special page, and with the rest of the hydrosols

More Recipes - or answers to questions:

End of winter Hair Conditioner

                  The extremes of heat and cold we endure throughout winter can make
                  even the greatest of hair look and feel like straw. This nourishing
                  conditioner blends honey for shine; olive oil for moisture and essential
                  oil of rosemary to stimulate hair growth.

                  Gather:

                       1/2 cup honey
                       1/4 cup warmed olive oil (2 tablespoons for normal to oily hair)
                       4 drops essential oil of rosemary
                       1 teaspoon of xanthan gum (available in health food stores)

                  Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour into
                  a clean plastic bottle with a tight fitting stopper of lid.
                  Apply a small amount at a time to slightly dampened hair. Massage
                  scalp and work mixture through hair until completely coated. Cover
                  hair with a warm towel (towel can be heated in a microwave or dryer)
                  or shower cap; leave on to nourish and condition for 30 minutes.
                  Remove towel or shower cap; shampoo lightly and rinse with cool
                  water. Dry as normal and enjoy shinier, softer and healthier hair the
                  natural way.
I wish I knew the source of this one..it's been in my files for a long long time.

Someone wrote asking if I had a formula for an all natural deoderant, and I found this in my files.  Again, this comes from the early days when I didn't KNOW to save my sources.

Deodorant Bar
1-1/2 oz beeswax
1/2 oz cocoa butter
1 oz coconut oil
10 drops rosewood essential oil
4 drops cypress essential oil
4 drops spanish sage essential oil
4 drops coriander essential oil

Melt beeswax and cocoa butter. Remove from heat and add coconut oil.
Stir until melted. Allow to cool but mixture should still be warm and
pourable. Add essential oils and pour into deodorant container.

"STRESS RELIEF" Blend

No...it's not a 'destressor'...see our Destress Synergy for that...But a true and natural essential oil variant of a popular commercial scent.  Bright, fresh and springlike.  The original formula comes from a talented blender known as Cat... we've tweaked a bit..  this makes a wonderful lamp or diffuser blend.

measure by drops, The total will be approximately 1 1/2 ml. 

• Spearmint - 6
• Bulgarian Lavender - 4
• Juniper Branch & Berry - 4
• Clary Sage - 4
• Peppermint - 3
• Eucalyptus Globulous - 3
• Bay Laurel - 2
• Mandarine Red - 2
• Coriander - 2
• Jasmine Grand - 1
• Clove Bud - 1
• Scotch Pine - 1

blend, let stand.  Enjoy!

Aromatic quote of the month:

Don't forget to say "leaping lizards" for your leap year order gift.  and enjoy the extra day we are given!

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