aromatherapy

Fragrance Friday: Is Lavender The New Valium?
by

Fragrance Friday: Is Lavender The New Valium?

This week, the New York Times published an article detailing research that suggests lavender really does have the healing power of calming stress and anxiety for which it has been reputed over centuries: Lavender’s Soothing Scent Could Be More Than Just Folk Medicine.

In a study published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, [the researcher] and his colleagues found that sniffing linalool, an alcohol component of lavender odor, was kind of like popping a Valium. It worked on the same parts of a mouse’s brain, but without all the dizzying side effects. And it didn’t target parts of the brain directly from the bloodstream, as was thought. Relief from anxiety could be triggered just by inhaling through a healthy nose.

But why stop at lavender? It seems the key substance is linalool, which occurs naturally in many plants and spices, and is listed as an ingredient in fragranced products, as Lush notes:

Linalool is a colourless liquid with a soft, sweet odour. It occurs naturally in many essential oils, such as tangerine, spearmint, rose, cypress, lemon, cinnamon and ylang ylang. It has a soft, sweet scent. Ho wood oil is used in some fragrances, which is linalool in its natural form, for the woody, sweet note it gives.  Even when ingredients are naturally occurring fragrance constituents they are included in quantitative ingredients lists,  this enables people to decide which product is right for them.

One can even search on the Lush websites (UK and USA) for products by ingredient, so it is possible to identify specific products of theirs that contain linalool, including several of their solid and spray perfumes.

Time for me to break out an essential oil diffuser with a strong dose of lavender! That seems fitting for a blog titled “Serenity Now.” Do you find that lavender has a calming effect on you? How do you use it or other essential oils to create calm in your surroundings?

Featured image from http://www.nytimes.com, by Eric Gaillard for Reuters.

by

Fragrance Friday: Shampure

This past week, I have needed “comfort smells.” To be honest, the American Presidential election and its outcome were shocking to me and I am downcast, to say the least. I have had trouble sleeping and it took several days for me to stop waking up in the morning thinking the whole thing had been a bad dream. I also had a nasty little virus that stuffed up my nose and kept me coughing uncontrollably. I needed aromatherapy!

And something that I have found comforting is Shampure Composition Oil, made by Aveda. Aveda’s website describes it as a blend of sunflower and meadowfoam oils with 25 different plant and flower essences. It can be used as a massage oil for body and scalp, moisturizer, bath oil, etc. and, in the website’s words: it “calms the senses with an aroma with 25 pure flower and plant essences including certified organic lavender, petitgrain and ylang ylang.” That sounded promising, and I have a small one-ounce bottle of it from the local Aveda boutique, as a birthday freebie.

I have been rubbing it onto the back of my hands when I go to bed, so I can smell it while I read before I sleep. The scent is a pleasant blend of herbal, floral and lightly spicy notes. MakeUp Alley says that some of the 25 essential oils are: Rose, Lavender, Aloe, Rosemary, Orange, Eucalyptus, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang, Anise, Fennel, Licorice, Bergamot, Coriander, Peppermint, Petitgrain, Vanilla. The ones I smell the most, in no particular order, are probably the aloe, eucalyptus, orange, ylang ylang, peppermint, petitgrain and rosemary. It reminds me of Miller Harris’ La Pluie, which shares several of its aromatic notes.

And yes, I am finding its fragrance very soothing at bedtime. I do like to wear fragrance at night sometimes, but it can be challenging to find one that is calming enough to support sleep. The scent of Shampure also wafts up nicely from the back of my hands if I’m up reading, and it is close but not too close when I finally turn out the lights and try to sleep. Added bonus: the oil feels great on my skin and my hands are benefiting from the moisture!

So that’s my current regime of election aftermath aromatherapy. I’m sure I’ll be ready for more resilient fragrances soon, suitable for the long period of resistance I foresee ahead. Something, perhaps, by Boadicea the Victorious.

Queen Boadicea of the Britons, warrior leader against Roman occupation of Britain

Boadicea, Warrior Queen

Image from the Brooklyn Museum.

Fragrance Friday: Aveda Composition Oil and Aromatherapy
by

Fragrance Friday: Aveda Composition Oil and Aromatherapy

For my birthday, the Aveda rewards program sent me a gift certificate for a free 30 ml bottle of any one of their “composition oils.” I chose Shampure, which the Aveda website describes as a “nourishing blend of certified organic sunflower and meadowfoam oils for body, bath and scalp.” All the composition oils are meant to be used for several purposes, including as a massage oil, bath oil, cuticle oil, oil to rub into one’ scalp or brush into one’s hair, additive to lotions, personal aromatherapy fragrance. My personal fragrance journey hasn’t (yet) included aromatherapy, as I’m still educating myself about perfumes, but never say never!

Shampure is the classic Aveda fragrance you smell when you walk into an Aveda salon. It is very soft and soothing, and is said to contain 25 different plant essences or oils. Some of the essential oils are: Rose, Lavender, Aloe, Rosemary, Orange, Eucalyptus, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang, Anise, Fennel, Licorice, Bergamot, Coriander, Peppermint, Petitgrain, Sandalwood, Vanilla. Other ingredients are: Farnesol (floral), Eugenol (derived from clove oil and other spices and herbs), Linalool (floral/herbal notes), Citronellol (rose and geranium notes), Citral (found in lemon myrtle and lemongrass), Limonene (from citrus oil), Geraniol (a main ingredient in rose, palmarosa and citronella oil), and Cinnamyl (storax, balsam). Most of those are actually organic compounds. Just a couple of drops inside my elbow are plenty to waft up to my nose in a very pleasant manner.

I’m not much of a salon or spa-goer, but I do like some Aveda products very much. I’ve always loved their special tea blend, with its licorice, peppermint, fennel and basil flavors. I don’t know that I would have gone out to buy this Shampure oil without the gift certificate but I’m enjoying trying it. Do any of you use essential oils for aromatherapy?

Photo from http://www.raynauds.org.