In my travels as an herbalist, I have witnessed plants used in many ceremonies. One of the first that I learned early in my path was spiritual bathing. Spiritual bathing is using the plants and the elements (fire, water, earth, sound, air, nature) to facilitate wellness on an energetic level. From birth to death, spiritual bathing ceremonies use elements such as incense, sacred water, decocted plants, sound, and even “forest bathing'' to bring balance. In my own practice, I have found it to be one of the most powerful modalities for times of transition and transformation.

Massage oils are one of the easiest DIY preparations to craft, which is especially helpful when you consider the host of health benefits that a massage has to offer. While commonly associated with relieving tight or sore muscles, its benefits reach much deeper than that. Massage helps improve blood flow and circulation, bringing fresh oxygenated blood to the body while pushing toxins out of our tissues. Massage is also a great way to ease our over-active minds, offering us the opportunity to breathe deeply, let go, and just be.

Blending botanical perfumes using essential oils is one of the beautiful ways that we can incorporate pure oils into our daily lives. There’s nothing quite like blending a favorite floral aroma with a little spice or a little citrusy zest and grounding it with a rooty, earthy scent. But there are many ways that perfume blending can go awry! Just because we love the aroma of lavender, and geranium, and vanilla doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll love the three together. To keep aromatic perfume blends balanced, there are a couple of essential oil categories we need to keep in mind. As we say in the Herbal Academy’s Natural Perfumery Course, “Although training one’s nose to distinguish subtle nuances of scent takes years, there is always value in improving one’s scent awareness. One can identify note, fragrance intensity, fragrance category, and eventually, the subtle difference within a fragrance category.”

Essential oils are growing in popularity. With uses ranging from green cleaning to DIY skin and body care, it’s no wonder they are becoming a staple in cabinets and home apothecaries around the world. One of the uses that I have been appreciating lately is the incorporation of these precious oils in hair care. In addition to helping with the maintenance of healthy hair and scalp, they also provide an aromatherapy experience during self-care time. Plus, I take the opportunity to swap synthetic fragrances for pure oils any chance I can get.

Of all of the DIY skin and body care products I love to make, share, and write about, lip care products are easily my favorite. It sounds trivial, and it might be, but I have a lip balm recipe for just about every season, mood, and occasion. It’s something that I use so often, it brings me great joy to create new, unique ways of delivering it. And since lip products are so easy to make in bulk, they are always great gifts to share with family members or friends.

It’s wonderful to see more and more people using aromatherapy to support healthy mood, memory, and overall wellness. We regularly hear from customers who want to begin diffusing essential oils at home, or who are interested in learning more about how to incorporate them into their body care recipes. The common dilemma is where to begin. There are wonderful books and educators to guide you but picking out the right oils can be a dilemma. With that in mind, we are excited to introduce our expanded line of essential oil kits. Whether you are looking for the highest quality classic oils, pure ingredient blends, oils for cleaning or harmony in the home (the list goes on), these kits provide the perfect collections to get you started. As with all Mountain Rose Herbs hand-crafted products, the oils in these kits have undergone strenuous quality control testing to ensure you receive the most effective, safe, pure experience.

In my early 20’s, I began to experience blemishes, breakouts, and red, splotchy skin. This turned into a difficult and embarrassing time for me and I became increasingly self-conscious. In an effort to take control of the situation, I tried many different soaps known to be “good for acne”, tea tree spot treatments, and other things that I thought were supposed to help. At my wits end, I scheduled an appointment with a local esthetician. During my initial consultation with her, she informed me that my issue was dry skin, and all of the things I had been trying were actually driving me further down the rabbit hole instead of giving my skin the help it was asking for. I learned that dry skin can lead to occasional blemishes just like overly oily skin does! This revelation saved my skin and my sanity.

Bath Bombs can be a soothing addition to the bathing experience, and I’ve always wondered how left out people without tubs must feel. As the empathetic person I am, I started to ponder ways in which everyone could enjoy the wonders of a fizzy, aromatic bathing experience. That’s when I dreamed up the idea of shower bombs. As it turns out, however, there were many others who’d had this dream before I did. In the past year, I’ve seen “shower bombs” begin to make their way on the shelves of my local grocery and natural food stores. Yet, my passion for DIY was too strong to simply buy one. I was on a quest to create the perfect shower bomb!

No matter how fulfilling or joyful our lives are, experiencing sadness and grief is a natural part of our being. When we have the blues, it shows us that we care enough about something to give it our energy. Experiencing this also exercises our ability to navigate through the full range of feelings that we are lucky to possess as humans. As a wise woman once told me, “Not everything is rainbows and unicorns all the time.” At first sound, the statement sounded cynical but the more I pondered it, the more I realized that I was wrong. What it really means is that sometimes it’s okay for things not to be okay. And while the blues can be unpleasant, there are ways to naturally work through them.

The olfactory magic of essential oils is a very personal journey. In many ways, the power of scent and the power of devotion are bound inextricably together. They can illicit passionate and intoxicating sensations, pure comfort and relaxation, or a feeling of deep connection. Each of these oils celebrates this communion of the senses with earthy, sensual essential oils that have been crafted to inspire closeness and affection. We invite you to relax your hard-working mind, envelop your senses, enhance your self-appreciation, and create memorable moments through scent.