Today’s essential oil spotlight shines on galbanum essential oil. Finding a single word to capture the essence of an oil doesn’t always come easily to me. They are complex and subtle individuals, after all. It’s like those annoying personal growth or business team building exercises where you have to sum yourself up in three words. But [...]
Today’s essential oil spotlight shines on gentle and honey-like cistus essential oil. Sounds pretty, doesn't it. Where does cistus essential oil come from? If you have a green thumb maybe you already count on cistus shrubs as hardy favourites, especially if you have a Mediterranean garden. There are upwards of 20 species of the genus — [...]
Being pale when you're naturally fair-skinned is beautiful and sun smart, but still seems slow to catch on! Bronze still seems entrenched as the desired colour of summer. But let’s face it, tanning is not something that’s a healthy past-time. If you still think it’s attractive to risk melanoma, age prematurely and have skin that feels [...]
Blue tansy is just one of the many charms that come from Morocco and it's ideal for unwinding. If Humphrey Bogart’s Rick of Casablanca fame had been peddling this relaxing essential oil at his nightclub and gambling den, the plot would have been a lot less tense. For the sake of good action, it's just as [...]
Getting married is such a special time. Just as life is about the journey rather than the destination, so is getting married. Whether a quiet, simple ceremony or something on a grander scale, each strand you weave into the day becomes part of the tapestry you’ll want to remember with fondness in years to come. Essential [...]
Tired, puffy eyes? Chamomile teabags can be your best friend. Better yet, steep the teabags to make yourself a relaxing cup of tea, pop the used teabags in the fridge while you drink the tea, and you’ll be in a great mood for a quick bit of shut-eye while lying down with cool teabags on your [...]
If there was a prize for ‘most common plants for window boxes’, geranium could get the gong. Its prolific, hardy nature and cheery, colourful blooms make it an easy inclusion in gardens and planters. The geranium variety used for essential oils is Pelargonium graveolens. The oil is steam distilled from its flowers and leaves, and it [...]
Back in the day, no beauty routine was complete without suffocating clouds of highly perfumed hairspray and holding your nose. Considering smoking was very much in favour at the time, it’s a miracle hair wasn’t being set fire to on a regular basis. Maybe it was and we just didn’t hear about it. You can probably [...]
One of the easiest ways to freshen tired-looking eyes (and lightest on your purse) is using chamomile teabags. Cold spoons work well, too, I’m told. Even if you aren’t well versed in natural remedies, you’ll surely know a cup of chamomile tea is soothing for jagged nerves and a relaxing prelude to heading off to the [...]
Christmas is a special time for giving homemade gifts. This spiritual occasion is always at risk of being over-commercialised in spite of our best intentions. With 24 hour Christmas trading hours on offer, have you ever found yourself hitting the shops in your daggiest clothes and joggers at the eleventh hour, beating down feelings of gift-giving [...]
