Fresh Off The Flower Power Press

'Tis the season for scented candles with sweet, festive aromas. We know you love your scented candles - but don't kill the messengers - here's what you need to know about burning scented candles in your home...

more & more, the healing power of trees is being substantiated by scientific research

Trees, especially conifer trees, produce antimicrobial airborne biochemicals that have been found to stimulate immunity, lower blood pressure and slow heart rate in humans. This group of biochemicals are called Phytoncides and they comprise the beautiful aroma that fills a forest, stimulating the health of the entire ecosystem and cleaning the air we breathe.

Does your diet change in the warmer months? Typically your body starts craving salads, fruit and colder meals over the soups and ‘comfort foods’ of winter. The same is true for your skin! 

In our philosophy of Raw Skincare, we believe that feeding your skin what it’s craving, and changing your skincare ingredients with the seasons is incredibly important for your skin’s vitality. 

Here are our favourite raw skincare ingredients for summer…

What is Tooth Pulling?

Tooth pulling is an ancient ayurvedic practice of swishing coconut oil around in your mouth for ~ 20 minutes per day. This process if thought to pull toxins out of the body, improve oral health & whiten the teeth. Anecdotally, we can confirm it to be a very effective and enjoyable daily ritual. It of course does not replace brushing and flossing the teeth daily. 

Rosemary Oil for hair growth is all the rage right now, but it isn't always the best choice for everyone's hair & scalp. Here's the tea...

Rosemary is liposolvent, it helps the natural oils in the hair (& skin) flow from the follicles (& pores), this helps the hair to grow longer, stronger & shinier. 

For those who are hoping to encourage hair growth, we recommend brushing Rosemary essential oil through the hair. To do this, place 3-4 drops Rosemary in the palm of your hand and rub the bristles of your brush in it. Brush thoroughly from root to tip.

We also recommend spritzing your hair daily with Rosemary Hydrosol to increase strength & shine.

However, if you tend to get a dry, flakey scalp, Rosemary on its own may not be the best choice for you. 

That time of year is upon us again, so here you have it; a natural cheatsheet for all things back to school…

Combat Anxiety ✓

New teachers, new classmates, maybe even a whole new school; this time of year can be stressful and unsettling. Natural aroma can help to ease anxiety, create a sense of wellbeing and draw others to you.

Plants can’t run away from bugs, so they make their own repellent. 

We can too.

1 bottle of essential oil will make ~ 12 batches of Outdoor Spray!

DIY Outdoor Spray...

Our new roll-ons are expertly formulated to cover all your bases.

Pure essential oil in pure, organic jojoba oil - and that's all. 

Smell the difference.

Likely, when you think about blending you think about essential oils… or perhaps smoothies, but probably not hydrosols.

We are huge fans of blending our hydrosols; not only does it give the opportunity for indescribable aromas and completely unique custom products, but it also allows you to combine the skin loving actions of your hydrosols - creating skin superfoods.

You can not go wrong with the gift of flower power. Whether you're a maker, a stocking stuffer or a big spender; we've got something on this list for you!

Sweet Lil' Handmade Lip Balms

The secret you won't have to tell the people you give these to; lip balms are actually simple to make!

1. Follow the Balm recipe in our Encyclopedia.
2. Add a warm, festive combo of essential oils like Vanilla & Sweet Orange.
3. Package them up into these cute individual balm containers and give them to all the sweeties on your list

If you follow us on Instagram you know; we love all kinds of DIY products, but roll-ons have to be the most versatile application of essential oils. 

Here are the top 5 reasons we love roll-ons:

Blending can seem overwhelming; the material feels too precious to waste on mistakes yet finding balance in a blend often takes time.

It is true what we say, blending is an art form. However unlike most artistic avenues, virtually anyone can become a talented blender. If you have a sense of smell, you have all the prerequisites you need.

The chemical balance in our brains changes constantly. 

Every second of the day. Every thought that we allow to pass through our minds, everything we see, everything we hear; causes an alteration that mediates emotion, whether slight or significant.

Inhalation of essential oils is a very efficient way to alter our neurological function, as the smell receptor sites in our nasal cavity have a direct link to the brain, via the limbic system. 

These mask sprays are cute, essential & effective. 

The Mascne (Mask Acne) Spray 

The struggle against mascne is real. This spray will help to combat this pesky issue with a combo of our best acne fighting essential oils. It also smells divine. 

This time of year we’re usually just wrapping up our two part Distillation & Formulation Course. There’s so much more we can do when we’re together in our space, with all of the equipment and tools, however there’s also a ton you can experiment with on your own at home.

This is Part I of a Blog Series that will take you on a little At-Home Alchemy journey. Enjoy!

Let’s face it, this year has been stressful. Here are some quick and easy ways to calm anxiety and promote relaxation in your daily life. 

1. Sandalwood. All of the santalum album. 

Place a drop of Sandalwood in-between your eyebrows. Make yourself a little Sandalwood & Jojoba Roll-On. Apply a drop of Sandalwood to pulse points. 

Bring Indian Sandalwood into your life in any of these small ways and we guarantee you’ll feel the calm flowing back into your body & mind. 

Last year, when one of our own got pregnant, we set out to make the most nourishing and regenerative belly balm ever. Now we can certainly confirm that we accomplished our goal!

This balm is by no means cheap, but if you want the ultimate protection against stretch marks, cracks, extreme dryness and damage, look no further. It has zero filler; every single ingredient in this recipe contributes directly to the healing action. 

In addition to being a balm for big beautiful pregnant bellies, this could be used on any area of scarring or stretch marks, as well as extremely dry or chapped parts of the body such as elbows, cheeks and heals. 

This year more than ever, we’re looking for tools to ease our kids’ transition back to school.

Olfactory memory is incredible for creating feelings of comfort, especially in children. When you diffuse essential oils in your child’s secure home environment, you’re creating a scent memory that can travel with them to school, camp… wherever!

The big bonus to using the blends suggested below? They’ll also help to strengthen your family’s immune systems, clear the air of germs and make everyone happy. 

Rather than focusing on everything that's missing from our lives right now, we're focusing on everything there is suddenly ample space for; long walks, relaxing baths, deep breaths.

Feeling good isn't on lockdown. In fact, there's likely more time for it than ever before. Do things that make you feel close to yourself and the people you love. Natural scent can provide a beautiful passageway to positive emotions & an escape from the fear and anxiety we’re all experiencing…

While we’re staying inside our socially distanced ‘bubbles’, there’s a lot we can do to stay healthy. It’s vital to try and address a viral infection at the earliest stage of development, and many essential oils can help us to do that. 

Social Distancing & Diligent Hygiene

As we all know, influenza can spread by airborne droplets, close contact with an infected person, and contact with objects contaminated with the virus. Our best defence is to avoid contact! These particles can remain active on objects for days, so effective sterilization is an important step in preventing the spread of influenza. Current guidelines suggest disinfecting objects with chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, soap, and/or alcohols. So, our second best defence is to sterilize anything that may have come into contact with the influenza germ.

Room Diffusion for Sterilization

Here you have it folks, a few quick & easy DIY recipes to build up your Defences!

Our Defence Blend (formerly called Thieves Blend) is a powerful line of defence against germs. The story of this blend goes back to the time of the Black Plague. Doctors wore long, beak-like masks stuffed with antimicrobial herbs over their noses and mouths to defend against the sickness. Our Defence Blend is made up of the most potent immune stimulating and antimicrobial essential oils

New year, new me? 
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the concept of resolutions and change; becoming a different, better version of ourselves, but we’re here to remind you that the current you deserves some love and appreciation. 
Take some time out of the hustle to administer some self-care. Your future self will be better for it, we promise!

It isn't too late to plan thoughtful, customized and low waste DIY Christmas Gifts for everyone on your list!

From stocking stuffers, to culinary delights, to the perfect beard spritzer; we've got all your gift-giving bases covered.

From the point of view of Yoga Philosophy, everyone and everything in our universe is made up of three ever-changing qualities. These qualities of nature, or ‘Gunas’ are:

Tamas, the power of solidity, constancy and stability.

Rajas, the power of change, action and energy.

Sattva, the power of peace, harmony and intelligence.

In our daily lives, these three qualities often become imbalanced, and this can affect our moods, our skin and our overall health. 

These 11 Life Hacks are game changers! You’re welcome.

For the first time ever we're releasing these tips from our secret vault! Get amongst them before we change our minds...

From cold sores to hot flashes; we've got your back ;)

Who else’s skin needs some serious TLC before being exposed to the world!?

Seriously, it was a long winter, and our skin has been trapped under layers for months. Give it some love with these quick, easy & beautifully natural Raw Skincare Body Treatments!

We’ve categorized the recipes by Dosha, so you can find the recipes that’ll be best for your skin type, and your overall systemic needs. Not sure what your Dosha is? Take the quiz!

Is anyone else's skin getting whiplash from all of the quick changes in weather we've been having? Is it dry, is it breaking out; it can't decide.

The past few days however, it's dry, no question. The high winds and considerable drop in temperature has our skin screaming out for some deep moisture and nourishment. Naturally, we're reaching for 3 of our most nourishing ingredients; Dry Skin Synergy, a nice fresh Avocado and Organic Liquid Honey.

Putting these together into a face mask is not only super easy, it's packed full of everything your skin's been asking for! 

Essential Oils can help with a lot of things; they can't replace a restful night's sleep, but they sure can help you achieve one!

You need your sleep, and it doesn’t have to be a nightly struggle. We’ve designed these recipes with the absolute best essential oils for encouraging restful sleep. We know you’re tired now, so you can thank us later!

Anyone who’s taken one of our DIY Workshops, or worked with one of our DIY Skincare Kits, knows that we LOVE Honey. Period.

Honey is an amazing base for a huge range of natural products. Much like the more common bases (such as Floral Hydrosols and Carrier Oils) Honey is a raw ingredient that not only creates an amazing base for botanical actives, but brings its own arsenal of action to your DIY Products.

In terms of essential oil use, Honey is a great base for essential oils because it acts as a natural emulsifier; it bonds with the essential oil, and helps the oil to mix evenly into water bases.