Essential Oils are very powerful and should be used with caution especially during pregnancy.  As a pregnant mama myself I thought it appropriate to put together a simple list of oils that are considered safe and also those which should be avoided.

The safe oils can be most helpful in relieving those common yet sometimes very uncomfortable pregnancy woes.  Here is a list of safe essential oils to consider using during pregnancy and also what their benefits are:

Bergamot:  Analgesic, antiseptic, antidepressant, uplifting, and refreshing.

Cypress (After 5 months along):  Antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent and diuretic. Helps sooth varicose veins, hemorrhoids and swollen ankles.

Frankincense:  Antiseptic, astringent, sedative and warming.

Geranium (after 3 months along):  Antiseptic, antidepressant, astringent, refreshing and uplifting. Helps sooth achy legs and improves circulation.

Grapefruit:  Astringent and stimulant. Helps to ease water retention.

Lavender:  Antiseptic, antibiotic, analgesic, antidepressant, healing and relaxing. The most versatile oil as it soothe all kinds of tension, aches and pains of pregnancy.

Lemon:  Antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, astringent, stimulant, tonic. Helps to sooth varicose veins.

Mandarin:   Antiseptic, refreshing, tonic and mild relaxant. May ease fluid retention in legs and ankles and makes a nice addition to massage oil.

Neroli:  Antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and relaxing. Helps ease stress and tension.

Patchouli:  Antiseptic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and nerve sedative.

Roman Chamomile:  Antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. Soothes pain from muscular aches and headaches.

Sandalwood:  Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant and sedative.

Tangerine:  Antispasmodic, lymphatic stimulant, calming, sedative.  Helps prevent stretch marks.

Ylang-ylang:  Antiseptic, antidepressant, aphrodisiac, sedative and helps lower blood pressure.

Oils to Avoid During Pregnancy are cedarwood, cinnamon, clove, fennel, hyssop, myrhh, pennyroyal, thyme, thuja and wintergreen.  You may come across the use of Clary Sage in some pregnancy massage oil blends.  This oil should be avoided during pregnancy and only used during labor.

As always use caution when dealing with essential oils.  It pays to be safe and do a patch test if you have never used a specific oil before especially during pregnancy when your skin is extra sensitive.

I highly recommend using Lavender and Roman Chamomile Oil to sooth and calm any skin ailments.  I found them very helpful in relieving a terrible bout with Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) as they helped relieve the itch and calm my skin.  I was actually using my Soothing Baby Lotion with Lavender and Chamomile. I heard from other mamas they too love this lotion for themselves and that it was great for skin ailments such as dry patches and even eczema.  Its amazing what we discover when we are not trying to.

Today I was inspired by Vanilla… I’ve always wanted to work with it but I just couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted to use it in.  So today I set out to conquer the bean…  I love the smell of pure Vanilla.. there is nothing quite like it.  Its Intoxicating and comforting all at the same time.  Vanilla has been used throughout history as an aphrodisiac, in perfumes and has been one of the most sought after fragrances.  But artificial fragrances don’t really give the same effect as true vanilla so its gotta be the good stuff.  Anyway the Vanilla Plant is actually a climbing Vine native to Central America.  They pick the pod (fruit) out of the flower, cure and then let it dry until it turns into the delicious flavorful bean.

On the skin Vanilla is very beneficial as it is considered a powerful Anti Oxidant.  But lets not leave out the other benefits as well.  It is an Anti Carcinogenic, Fever Reducer, Antidepressant and Relaxing.

So I bought some very high quality Vanilla Essential Oil to use in one of my future products.  This product is still in the testing phase but I will give you a little hint…  it is used on a certain dessert..   basically YUMM is the best way to put it.  So stay tuned for some great new products using this wonderful Oil. Here is a sneak peak!

Aromatherapy for You & Me

From a medical standpoint the term aromatherapy is “the therapeutic use of plant-derived, aromatic essential oils to promote physical and psychological well-being that is sometimes used in combination with massage and other therapeutic techniques as part sense of smell, and treatment reminds of therapy.  So simply put the term Aromatherapy means the use of precious essential oils to treat one’s mind, body and soul with scent.  The word “Aroma” refers to the naturally occurring scent of the essential oils and the word “Therapy” refers to the physical, psychological, and spiritual treatment imparted from essential oils.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are highly concentrated, potent oils that are extracted from plants, trees, seeds, shrubs, flowers, fruit peels and leaves. Essential oils are found in special secretory glands of living plants. The aromatic oils are formed and stored in organs of a plant as a by-product or because of its metabolism. Each essential oil has its very own blueprint that is totally unique. The combination of the plants exclusive design, the energy of the sun, soil, air and water gives each its own individual perfume and beneficial healing properties contained in the living essential oil of the plant. The same species of plant can produce an essential oil with different chemical components depending on whether it was grown in dry or damp earth, at high or low altitude, or even in hot or cold climates.

According to the International Organization for Standardization, essential oils are a “product made by distillation with either water or steam or by mechanical processing of citrus rinds or by dry distillation of natural materials. Following the distillation, the essential oil is physically separated from the water phase.” The term “oil” in reference to essential oils can sometimes be misleading. Essential oils are not actually oily in the vein of vegetable oils that are expressed from nuts and seeds. Essential oils are not oily at all, in fact, most essential oils are actually very light and appear watery. Most essential oils have a low viscosity and only a small handful of them have a high viscosity (i.e. sandalwood).

Worldwide there thousands of essential oils on the market today but only about are 300 commonly used. Essential oils are the most concentrated form of any botanical. It takes an average of about one pound of any given plant to create one drop of essential oil.
Some essential oils require much more than a pound of product per drop. It takes about 1.3 lbs or 125 rose buds to produce one drop of rose absolute. Essential oils provide a concentrated dose of nature’s vast pharmacological active ingredients in a single drop of oil. One hundred percent pure unadulterated essential oils are distinguished by an extraordinary diversity of substances that only nature could produce.

Some Favorites Essential Oils and how they help the skin~

Lavender Essential Oil~ Helps treat many skin conditions including dermatitis, eczema, infections, rashes, pimples, black heads and acne. It can be used as an antiseptic, analgesic, antispasmodic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, anti-infectious, antitoxin, anti-parasitic and restorative. It is good for all skin types and helps balance skin tone.
Also good for treating burns, psoriasis, scars, thread veins, and epidermis as it soothes and regenerates cells. Overall it stimulates cleansing and detoxifying. This oil has a nice fresh, floral, light, powdery, and sweet, scent.

Tea Tree Essential Oil~ Has many beneficial healing properties for the skin including the healing of acne, rashes and dermatitis. It is Anti-infectious, antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiseptic. Also helps with regeneration of scar tissue and reduces swelling. Tea Tree has a very intense and
medicinal scent.

Peppermint Essential Oil~ Has great skin benefits. It is an antiseptic, antibiotic and anti-infectious. It is a skin stimulant, tonic, antiviral and helps cool which closes pores. Smells just like a candy cane.

Lemon Essential Oil~ Used as a general tonic to treat infections. It also helps balance skin, treat acne, boils and warts and even Increases shine and growth of hair and nails. It is a wonderful antibiotic, astringent, antiseptic, and calmative. Is good for oily complexions, hair and skin blemishes and is known to strengthen epidermis function,
aids in epidermal circulation, gland stimulant and purification. Also stimulates connective tissue, elastin and collagen and can even lighten skin pigment all with a light lemony citrus scent.

Sweet Orange Essential Oil~ Helps eliminate toxins and can be used as an antiseptic, disinfectant and general body tonic. It has a calming effect on the skin and is good for many minor skin conditions like dull, oily, puffy and wrinkly skin. It can help strengthens the epidermis, increase circulation and cell hydration, supports cell regeneration. Smells like a freshly squeezed orange.