How to Use Aromatherapy for Olfaction Support in the Emotional Sphere + 3 Essential Oil Recipes to Support Your Emotions
There are times in our lives when our emotions may become overwhelming, and we may turn to pharmaceuticals and other forms of care such as psychotherapy and lifestyle interventions in addition to our plant allies to help us rebalance. But for day-to-day ups and downs or seasonal emotional swings, olfaction using our precious essential oils,…
How Does Scent Affect Mood?
On an intuitive and experiential level, many of us are aware of the connection between scent and mood. Though some may tune into the significance of scent more consciously than others, our sense of smell is intimately related to our emotions and even cognitive function and spatial awareness (Fifth Sense, 2021). Furthermore, appealing scents enhance…
How to Choose Essential Oils You Really Need
Can you relate to any of the following situations? Every time you shop for essential oils, you see a new blend or even a new essential oil listed for sale; the description of the aroma sounds wonderful, and the list of health concerns it addresses includes an issue you or your loved ones have. You…
Holiday Home Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipe
Whether we’re baking our favorite pies and cookies, decorating with fresh greenery, or making crafts and gifts using herbs and spices, we enjoy the special aromas that accompany these activities during the holidays. There truly is an enchanting, warming scent to the season. This Holiday Home Diffuser Blend recipe we are sharing below is another…
Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint Essential Oils: Boring? Or Powerful Allies?
Do you ever feel that your retailer or favorite essential oil blogger is always touting the benefits of new essential oils you have not heard of or, at least, do not own? We may or may not know much about the oil other than what the retailer or blogger claims, but the advertising makes it…
Getting Ticked Off: An Essential Oil Blend to Repel Ticks
Ticks are arachnids from the order Ixodida, divided into three families, the Ixodidae (hard ticks), the Argasidae (soft ticks), and Nuttalliellidae, which contains only one species living in southern Africa (Wikipedia, 2022). These parasitic relatives of mites are vectors for numerous human diseases, the most widely recognized being Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever…
Herbal Aphrodisiac Candle: The Perfect DIY Project For a Romantic Evening
You know the saying “love is in the air,” and the feel of a palpable swirling energy, the kind that makes you feel exhilarated? February shines a spotlight on love and as the month bursts with store-bought flowers, chocolate, and heart-shaped trinkets, let it also be a time to reconnect. A reminder to yourself or…
Essential Oil Perfume: A DIY Gift Idea
The holidays are a wonderful time to give something that the receiver wouldn’t normally indulge themselves in. Something pretty, or something sentimental, or something handmade. An essential oil perfume recipe checks all those boxes! Crafting a unique scent is a fun way to show care to the receiver, and to pull in special memories through…
Essential Oils and Pets: How to Use Them Safely
If you use botanicals for your own health and wellness, you have probably wondered about essential oils and pets. How might you use herbs or essential oils with your pets and animal companions? Veterinary visits are expensive, so keeping our animal companions healthy is also often a financial priority. Yes, you can use essential oils…
Essential Oils in Pregnancy
What makes an essential oil safe to use during pregnancy? Essential oils are potent extractions of the most volatile components found in plant matter. Thus, each botanical species should be carefully considered before use. Further, essential oils should be more heavily diluted for use during this time—one important aspect of safe essential oils for pregnancy. …
Citrus and Spice: DIY All-Purpose Cleaner
Crisp cool air and tree colors turning to auburn and golden hues welcome the arrival of autumn and winter months. Tis the season to enjoy the comforts of home, like a crackling fireplace, a cozy couch, or a clean kitchen that’s ready for cooking up hearty recipes. And speaking of recipes, have you ever tried…
Floral Mist: DIY Room Spray
A few spritzes of our DIY Room Spray will transport your mind and spirit to bright and colorful gardens bursting with flowers and light. This floral mist is a sneak peek into our Natural Perfumery Course, and it combines the fragrant aroma of jasmine and rose with the citrusy cheerfulness of bergamot. The end result…
An Aromatherapy Guide for Infants to Elders
Aromatherapy is a topic that is easily romanticized and often lends itself to fluffy writing and dreamy concepts, such as “a drop of this for that” thinking, or even more concerning, using too much, applying inappropriately, or treating essential oils as a panacea. Aromatherapy is a complex subject that requires quite a bit of know-how,…
The Ultimate Essential Oils Guide
Here at the Herbal Academy, essential oils are an important and beloved component of our herbal toolkits. You’ll find essential oils peppered amongst the tinctures, infused oils, salves, and jars of dried herbs that line our shelves, and we turn to them often to support our health and wellbeing. Just like any remedy, essential oils…
Essential Oil Myths And FAQs Answered
With all of the information in circulation regarding essential oils, you may find yourself repeatedly running into information that seems too-good-to-be-true or that directly contradicts other information you find. What can you believe? Unfortunately, there is some information out there that is simply incorrect. If you look up “mythbusting essential oil” in a search engine,…
What Research Says About Essential Oils For Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Watching a friend or family member suffer from a neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, creates powerful feelings of helplessness, grief, frustration, and even anger. Although our knowledge of the brain is currently growing by leaps and bounds, we still know so little about how our brain creates and processes memories. Since medical research…
Two Personal Inhaler Essential Oil Blends To Help You Through Stressful Times
I think it’s safe to assume that everyone, at some point, feels the weight of stress in his or her life. Whether it’s kids, school, work, or some other demand, stress is an expected part of life. Stress is rarely something that can be avoided, and thankfully, it isn’t always a bad thing. Stress can…
Essential Oil Terms To Know: How To Use “Dilution,” “Dispersion,” and “Dose” Correctly
If you have read much about the use of essential oils or essential oil safety, you have undoubtedly encountered discussions regarding “diluting” essential oils for topical use by mixing a certain amount of essential oil in a carrier oil. This is only one of the important “d-“ words regarding essential oil usage and safety, the…
28 Skin-Friendly Essential Oils for Your Next Salve
Essential oils are often included in herbal and cosmetic preparations for aromas, their anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial actions, or their effects on our psyches. The problem with using essential oils topically is that many of them are drying or irritating to the skin and can even cause allergic reactions in some people. Which essential oils are…
A Beginner’s Guide to Using Essential Oils with Confidence
How many of these phrases have you read or heard? “Essential oils are natural.” “Essential oils are safe.” “Essential oils are powerful, and you need to be very careful when you use them.” “Don’t ever use essential oils internally.” “Using essential oils internally is perfectly safe.” “Don’t use essential oils if you are pregnant.” “Essential…
How To Use Essential Oils For Hair Care
As you walk down the drugstore aisle, you can be overwhelmed with the number and variety of hair care products. Their costs range from very inexpensive to an amount that would rival the gross national product of some countries. However, if you look closely, you will notice that the ingredients contain some startling similarities. Water…
Top Essential Oils for Winter Wellness
Cool crisp air. Snowflakes floating down. Children laughing during a snowball fight. A fire crackling in the fireplace. Salvation Army kettle bell ringers. Door wreaths and garlands. Candles. Reds, blues, yellows, greens, and silver. Hot cocoa and hot tea. Snuggly blankets. Sneezing. Coughing. Stuffy nose. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Winter can be a beautiful time…
How To Make Your Home Smell Good With Essential Oil Diffuser Blends
What is one of the first things you notice when you arrive home from a long trip? What makes “home” feel so “homey” when you first walk through the door? Oftentimes, it is the smell. It might be a comforting smell, the smell that tells you that you are back in a safe place. Or,…
How To Approach Headaches Naturally With Supportive Herbs And Essential Oils
You might feel pressure behind your eyes. You might feel pain across your forehead or just on one side of your head. The ache may be dull or sharp and may increase slowly or quickly. You might have blurred vision or a sensitivity to light or sound. All of these symptoms have one thing in…
Safe & Powerful Alternative “Thieves” Blends For The 1%
One of the most famous and best-known essential oil blends is the “Thieves” blend and all of its variants. This blend is named for thieves during the Black Plague, who, reportedly, robbed the dead bodies, yet avoided catching the plague themselves because of the herbs they wore. This blend is designed as a powerful antimicrobial…
How To Use Essential Oils For Scarring
Essential oils are an excellent component in any first aid kit, as their antimicrobial qualities are well known, both traditionally and through scientific research, but their ability to help with wound healing and scar tissue formation, in particular, has not been as well established. While there is some anecdotal evidence that there are helpful essential…
Essential Oils for Insect Bites and Stings
I love this time of year—the trees, the flower, the sunshine…the bugs. While I accept that they are an important part of our ecosystem, I am not a huge fan of insects. Unfortunately, they seem to love me, which is why I rely on essential oils for insect bites and stings. I am a friend…
The Truth About Phototoxic Essential Oils & How To Use Them Safely
As you look out the window, you see that it’s another beautiful summer day! You anticipate feeling the warmth of the summer sun’s rays on your head as you spend the afternoon with your friends who are coming over to share tea with you in your beautiful, blooming garden. Before leaving the house, you smile…
Enhance Your Herbal Education with these Affordable Resources!
Aromatherapy and herbalism are vast subjects, and learning them is a joyous, life-long journey! Many of us are simply impassioned with a desire to learn and we often find ourselves looking for new resources to expand and deepen our knowledge of these subjects. Building a home library is extremely helpful for anyone learning about aromatherapy…
First Aid Essential Oils For A Summer Travel Kit
Summer is here, which means that most of us will do at least a little bit of traveling. There’s nothing like being away from home and having some sort of an illness or wound, only to realize you don’t have natural remedies with you that you need. It’s a good idea to put together a…
