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.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients list on a store-bought chest rub? When you’re congested, bleary-eyed, and feeling like death warmed over, reading ingredients is not high on the priority list, but it’s also not comforting to find out that you just rubbed a semisolid soup of petroleum products onto your skin in order to give your respiratory passages some relief. The classic over-the-counter chest rubs are often less than 10% herbal ingredients, and approximately 90% petrolatum in the form of petroleum jelly, which is generally combined with turpentine. When petrolatum is not refined properly or entirely, as is sometimes the case in the U.S., it can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens particularly when used over a period of time. There are of course excellent petrolatum-free chest rubs on the market with all the herbal benefits and no carcinogenic ingredients. But why purchase something that you can easily make at home in 15 minutes and for less money?

Clean hands are the guardians of health. And while washing your hands with warm soapy water is always best, sometimes life doesn’t allow for that luxury. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where right after you touch something, you have this inexplainable urge to wash your hands? Sometimes you can just feel when something is icky. Having found myself with this reaction more in the past few months, it solidified my practice of carrying homemade hand sanitizer everywhere I go.

Sitting beside a fire is one of my favorite pastimes. The full sensory experience offers so many aspects of comfort: the sensation of being warm and cozy, the abstract performance of the flames dancing, the crackling sound of the wood changing form, the taste of herbal tea or a craft libation I’m likely sipping on, and of course the aroma! Each of these elements brings me closer to a place of peace and contentment.

2020 has been a year of rediscovery. As we have all been limiting trips to public places, many of us have found more interest in cooking and in creating DIY products to use around the home. It was fascinating to take a look at our top recipes of the year and reflect on just what our herbal community has found to be the most helpful in 2020. The silver lining to this year is that, although it has been difficult, we are more resilient than we were yesterday, and we will continue to learn and grow every day forward. We hope you enjoy this recipe roundup as living proof of our collective vision for a healthy and sustainable tomorrow. Cheers to a hopeful new year!

When life gets a bit madhouse, it can significantly impact our ability to process information efficiently. With so much “noise” all around us, it becomes hard to create a space where we can focus and nurture mental and emotional clarity. The folks who are home-schooling or working from home these days know this all too well! Many of us are turning to our favorite herbal allies as we negotiate these challenging days, and here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we’re seeing more questions from people who are exploring aromatherapy as part of the actions they are taking to create a calm in the storm. With that in mind, we put together this list of ten essential oils that have long-established reputations for supporting clarity and focus.

 Over the years, I’ve noticed that many natural fragrances don’t last quite as long as their chemical-laden counterparts. So, what is one to do when you don’t want to compromise a natural lifestyle to achieve an enjoyable, long-lasting fragrance? In my years-long journey of creating and testing homemade skincare and aromatherapy products, I’ve learned that not only are solid perfumes incredibly handy, but their texture also helps them stay on the skin longer.

Olfactory memories are powerful things. The other day I was at the feed store picking up cat food, and as I walked out, I caught a waft of chewing tobacco. Even before I could identify what I was smelling, my feet stopped walking and my Grandpa Albert—who is many years gone—popped into my head. There in my mind’s eye, he was in his overalls, with a plug of tobacco in his pocket, snuggling small-me in his lap, playing the penny counting game we used to play. This relationship between scent, emotion, and memory is hardwired in our brains—our olfactory bulb routes the smell information it receives to the limbic system, including the areas of our brain directly related to emotion and memory. This is why just a whiff of scent took me back decades and flooded me with the same warmth and comfort I experienced playing games with my beloved grandpa. These powerful connections are a fundamental factor in why aromatherapy can be supportive in managing mood and stress because what we smell literally impacts our brains… all of which brings me in a roundabout fashion to potpourri.

Candlelight is an element of winter holidays all over the world. Whether part of someone’s deeply held spiritual or cultural practices—as during Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Diwali—or representative of age-old Winter Solstice and Christmas traditions, candles are, for many of us, a fundamental part of our winter festivities… which means it’s a perfect time to make easy homemade scented candles in preparation for the celebrations, decorating, and gift giving.