Friday, February 4, 2011

Aromatherapy in Your Beauty Routine

~ Use 2-5 drops of essential oils in a mixture of equal parts Epsom or sea salts and vegetable or carrier oil, and massage all over the body before stepping into the shower or tub. The salts will exfoliate and detoxify, while the oils will soften and moisturize the skin.

~ Add 2-5 drops of essential oils to a handful of Epsom or sea salts, and dissolve in the tub. Jars of bath salts with essential oils added can be made and kept for future use or given as gifts.

~ Use up to 5 drops of essential oils in 1 oz. of bath gel. Pour under running water for bubble bath, or use a sponge or cleansing puff in the shower.

~ Essential oils can help with many skin conditions, including dry skin, wrinkles, cellulite, and acne. Use up to 12 drops essential oils per ounce of facial cleansers, cr?mes, and lotions.

~ Purify skin by using essential oils in a facial steam. Boil 2 to 4 quarts of water, pour into a heat safe bowl. Add 2 to 4 drops of essential oils to the steaming water, and position face over the rising steam with a towel tented over the head to hold in the steam. Be sure to keep eyes closed, as essential oil vapors will irritate the eyes.

~ Both men’s and women’s haircare routines can be enhanced with essential oils. Those with dandruff, dry hair, and thinning hair may find relief by incorporating essential oils into shampoos and conditioners, or by massaging the scalp with a diluted essential oil preparation. Adding a drop of essential oil to a dollop of shampoo or conditioner just before application is a quick and simple way to use aromatherapy in hair care.

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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Affordable Way Of Battling Aging

Many individuals think that putting up an anti aging therapy is pricey and too tough. With these simple drills, starting an anti aging regimen can turn rather an easy conquest – and trouble-free at that.


How? The basics set out with these three things: A good, protein-rich diet, regular exercise, at least eight hours of sleep… and well, relaxation.

Let’s zoom in on relaxation. Reflexology, or the special art of reviving pressure points on your feet, can aid trim down stress. And if you are relaxed and stress-free, you will look much, much younger. Contrary to popular notion, there are actually approach to alleviate stress directly.

One of which is pressing your thumb into the solar plexus point located right below the ball of your foot. Another tip is elevating your head when you sleep. Adding an excess pillow reduces puffiness around your eyes by draining fluids that usually pool around the eyes. To boost your anti aging eye regimen, place a cold tea bag, a refrigerated cucumber or a chilled teaspoon over your eye areas. This will assist eliminate puffiness and thus cause you appear younger and more alert.

Another point to consider is to get perked up. Be enthusiastic and continue being lively. Anti aging has to start from within. Droopy eyelids and yawning barely show marks of youth. To have a smooth steady flow of energy throughout the whole day, try ginseng.

It offers a better wake-me-up than the quick jolt provided by caffeine boosts. Also, as the hand is a dead giveaway of one’s age, it is critical to cure your hands. Anti aging ranges to your hands too! To restore them, put on a good amount of cocoa butter lotion twice a day.

Finally, move with poise, grace and elegance. Right posture is significant. Avoid slouching and limping as these will make you seem worn out and aging.

Guest post by Agatha Harris

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

How Essential Oils Positively Affect the Immune System

Guest Post By Julie Manchester
The Merry-Go-Round of Disease

The role of a healthy immune system is to guard against disease, but a compromised immune system will likely give hints that it is not doing so well. Cues such as chronic inflammation, mucous build-up, skin lesions, and on-going fatigue all are signals that the immune system defenses are weakened.

Weakening these humoral and cell-mediated defenses, known largely as B and T cells, can result in the onset of disease. Once a body has acquired a disease, the capacity of the immune system to maintain wellness is reduced and thus a vicious merry-go-round is created.
Using Essential Oils for Immune Support

In these modern times, many are familiar with the stress-relieving qualities of essential oils as well as their antimicrobial properties. Such characteristics of essential oils are helpful in supporting a fully functional immune system; stress and microbes are known to weaken its army of defenses. Few are aware that essential oils can actually strengthen the capacity of the immune system directly to fight off foreign invaders.

Fighting off Disease

When we bang our leg, get a sliver in our hand or cross paths with infectious entities the immune system is recruited and responds with inflammation - a tool to heal damaged cells and tissue. This initial inflammatory response is vital to restoring the injured area, yet prolonged inflammation can lead to a number of debilitating and often painful diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and even cancer.

Research has established that essential oils have the ability to inhibit detrimental inflammatory processes that contribute to disease. Scientists are now investigating the actually mechanisms by which essential oils can enhance the immune system directly.

Melaleuca EO Helps Out

At the Laboratoire de Botanique in France (2006) researchers were able to identify that Melaleuca alternifolia was able to regulate the amount of inflammatory-causing secretions found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

In so doing, natural anti-inflammatory agents, known as cytokines, were still able to be created and thus able to boost the body's ability to protect and restore itself. This in itself is quite a finding, especially for individuals suffering from conditions associated with chronic inflammation.

Engulfing Pathogens with Niaouli

Once a pathogen gets into the cells, it is looking to replicate and destroy tissue, often resulting in painful infections. A branch of the immune system is designated to engulf cellular invaders and send lymphocytes (T cells) to destroy these foreign bodies.

At Jeonju University, Korea (2008), researchers found that niaouli essential oil (from an Australian evergreen) was able to enhance the effect of cell-mediated immunity (one of two major branches of the immune system). Researchers support clinical use of niaouli essential oil to control infectious diseases.

Ginger EO Controls Immune

The Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine in Italy (2008) found that Eucalyptus essential oil actually stimulates a component of the immune system known as macrophages. These immune cells are one of the primary defenses against pathogens invading our human cells.

Using in vivo (in rats) and in vitro trials, they were able to pinpoint that eucalyptus essential oil does indeed mimic our natural immune response. Researchers propose that such findings may drive develop of a new family of immune-regulatory drugs/treatments altogether. This could be quite helpful for those who have weakened immune systems due to contracted diseases and effects of chemotherapy.

Conclusion

In a perfect world where our planetary environment was well tended, our purpose was clear and community supported, and our foods were safe and saturated with nutrition, it is likely that few of us would suffer from disease and frequent sickness.

Yet, in these modern times of high stress, environmental hazards, individualism, and processed foods our immune systems are often compromised and in some cases malfunction. Recent research indicates that essential oils are able to boost the functions of the immune system as well as suppress certain components when misdirected. With such capabilities, essential oils seem indispensable and a gift to humanity.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Benefits Of Essential Oils

There are so many oils in the products we buy. Have you seen the words "essential oils" in products and wondered how those are different than other oils? Essential oils can be found in many marketed products as of late. But they are not new; they have been useful in societies for many years. The origins of essential oils will give insight to why we need and want them. It's important to understand what they are and learn the benefits and uses of these essential oils.

First, in defining what essential oils are it's important to know that these oils are not new just because they are being promoted in many basic household items. Essential oils have been useful to societies for thousands of years! However, recent research has shown that the usage of these oils may have many benefits; this is why you may see essential oils being featured on products.

Two types of oils exist. There are essential oils and regular fragrance oils. Essential oils always come from plants naturally. Fragrance oils are created synthetically. So let's discuss how essential oils come from plants. Essential oils are extracted from any type of plant life. This extraction happens through expression or distillation.

Essential oils are produced by extracting pure liquid or the "essence" of a plant. This extraction must occur through either a distilling or expressing process. In distilling essential oils, steam is used. In expressing essential oils, a cold-press method is used. The usage of these methods will depend on the kind of plant being used for extraction. Leaves, stems, flower, peel, bark, wood, roots, seeds and resin will all produce different types of essential oils when distilled or expressed.

The creation process of essential oils gives insight into why they are important. Because they are naturally from plants, they are pure and highly concentrated. However, this concentration does not feel oily at all. This high concentration will allow more benefits.

One of the great uses of essential oils is in the home. Some essential oils will actually repel pest. Other essential oils will naturally freshen living spaces. You can maintain your home without hash chemicals in using essential oils.

Aside from using essential oils in the home, body function improvement is another application. The topical use of essential oils may actually help improve or heal your body. However, people with allergies should consult a physician before using essential oils topically.

Certain kinds of essential oils can relax the mind as well as the body. And so, one of the most common uses of essential oils is for stress management. Essential oils may release mental tension because of their calming sent and thus, help reduce stress.

Monday, August 23, 2010

A Great Massage with Benefits

Guest post by Craig South

Massages promote circulation, relax your muscles, cleanses the body, and also make you feel good physically and mentally.

A good massage is a great way to reward yourself after a busy week. If you are new to massage, the Swedish massage is best massage to begin with. A massage is conditional upon a number of factors, including the amount of pressure used in the treatment. Yet while it is fundamental, gauging pressure is also one of the most difficult aspects of giving a massage, and is a skill that many experienced massage therapists still have trouble with at times.

A massage is about a relaxing, healing experience, not demeaning in any way. A massage is performed to loosen up muscles and tension. Feet are then emerged in lavender paraffin booties that will form a moisturizing veil. A massage is a wonderful way to end a bathing session, begin or end the bedtime ritual, or start the day.

A good massage will lower your blood pressure and decrease the amount of toxins in your body. Research shows that both high blood pressure and a high toxicity level in your body contribute to weight gain. A good massage will leave you feeling physically and mentally revitalized and reduce susceptibility to injury. Why not reward yourself with a massage when you reach your training goals. A good massage will also go a long way in ensuring some pain is eliminated. It is vital for you to apply heated bandages to the affected area.

A good massage will offer more than just the joy of relaxation, by taking care of yourself, it will better prepare you to take care of everything and everyone in your life.


Learn about neck massages, also learn about how to give a good foot rub for your spouse.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Spa Music For Creating A Wonderful Experience

Technology has founded a new, high and well versed pleasing melody to end-user in this age group. Changes in extraordinary effects and musical melody is in its highest in this musical era. Online music companies agrees that the best and the most effective way to have a great spa experience that is considered to be relaxing and comforting for various reasons. The therapeutic effect of progressiv musical processing is the best alternative for laid back momentum.

Listening to spa music is a one deep entertainment method in rejuvenating the soul. Spa music supports other activities like meditation and yoga in order to acquire a better relaxed state of the mind, body and spirit, thereby making the person achieve a balance state of health. An excellent option that brings more effective results in bringing more relaxed state of both body and mind at home is acquire your own spa CD.

Spa music is known to be one of the most effective ways of enriching a person regardless of their age and gender. Flute is one of the most enchanting mode that one can listen to when she is in a spa,hence, it is one of the commonly used technique to improve the quality of service being offered at spas. The atmosphere in the spa is enhanced because of the music style by some various spa operators by infusing it together with their massage sessions.

Best loved spa music through an exclusive tuning by an adept artist and music arranger is yet another milestone in bringing a more exclusive and attractive method for enhancing various therapies performed at the spa. A sincere rhythmic music called the spa music brings a heavenly nature in the mindsets of everyone who seeks to enjoy spa experience.

Many use and believe in music as mode of giving comfort more than anything else in this world. The pleasing approach of music, rhythmic motions of this music brings the spirit and souls to a considering methodology. The comforting and other healing tools inspire music companies to make music a more effective approach in this current eras.

For info on how your Spa can create their own Spa music CD the click the link Spa CD.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Infrared Sauna

Sitting in a sauna is a great way to relax and let the stress and anxiety drain from your body. Over the years there have been a number of advancements in saunas. One such advancement is the infrared sauna. An infrared sauna uses special heaters instead of steam to heat the sauna room. This type of sauna uses a specific heater to emit Infrared Radiation (IR) which heats the body. The infrared waves cause the body to warm up while the air stays cooler allowing one to stay in the sauna longer. The deep penetration into the skin allows for better bacteria and toxin elimination and helps to stimulate muscle and joint healing. The temperatures in an infrared sauna are lower than a steam sauna allowing one to sit longer and produce more sweat which makes it a better body detoxifier.

The following explains how you can get the most out of your Infrared Sauna:

1. If you are taking any medication or have any health problems such heart disease, consult your physician before using infrared saunas. Don't use the sauna right after exercising. You should relax and let your heart and breathing return to normal. As well, do not eat a heavy meal prior to use because you may get sick to your stomach and your blood will also be aiding digestion instead of strongly circulating throughout the body. Remove any jewelry containing metal as they can get quite hot. Make sure you have gone to the bathroom before going into the sauna so you do not interrupt the session.

2. When you go into the sauna, you should begin by sitting on the lower bench. If you feel dizzy or ill at anytime while in the sauna, you should immediately exit the room. If it is your first time, you should gradually get use to the environment by sitting for about 15 minutes at a time. Work your way up to the upper benches as you get accustomed to the heat. As well, maintain a lower temperature so that you can adjust to the temperature better and not feel faint or ill. Avoid taking alcohol and drugs and make sure you have a bottle of water available after you are done sitting.

3. Whenever you move around in the infrared sauna during your session, do not get up quickly to avoid dizziness because the blood pressure is normally lower in a sauna. Relax during the session to feel its full benefits. If you are sitting with friends, avoid any conversations that cause stress. After the session, rinse off in the shower.

For more than forty years, infrared heat therapy has been used as a treatment for many injuries and aches in the body. The infrared sauna has proven health benefits such as relieving aching and swollen muscles and joints, relieving stress, detoxifying the body of harmful chemicals and toxins, and improving the condition of the skin. It also relieves tension headaches, clears up chest and nasal congestion, and provides relief of such conditions as arthritis, muscle and joint stiffness, and osteoporosis. When taking the proper precautionary measures, an infrared sauna is an enjoyable way to relax and improve your health.