My very first experience with essential oils was, fortunately, a good one. As I think back to that day, I realize just how lucky I was -- lucky because it was a diluted blend, lucky because, even though it was slathered all over my hands, I didn't have an allergic reaction to it, and lucky because it convinced me of the efficacy of essential oils.
Being a retired teacher, my initial inclination was to start researching these amazing oils. A few weeks later, I attended a class on essential oil safety presented locally by an RN Aromatherapist. That class is the reason I learned early on to check for any warnings or contraindications when using essential oils - and to respect the potency of the oils. Fast forward four years, and I'm now a certified, and scholar's level, aromatherapist with well over 400 hours of formal training. I know a lot about essential oils now - and yet, what I know is only a tiny fraction of the available information. I will be studying these oils for the rest of my life - and I will still not have learned everything there is to learn about them. It's the same for the herbs and the carrier oils, and now I'm delving into studying nutrition as well. Training is what keeps us informed of scientific studies that prove the effectiveness of the folkloric uses of herbs and studies that prove and/or discover new chemical therapeutic properties of essential oils. This training allows aromatherapists and herbalists to more effectively create products for our families and for individual clients. Training allows the aromatherapist/herbalist to use essential oils/herbs that can be enjoyed safely and productively and that won't interfere with individual physical conditions or medications a person may have. Training also brings us into a high level of awareness and understanding of safety factors within our craft. It keeps us from falling for gimmicks or false information promoted through advertisements - whether those ads come through social media or by word of mouth. If you are looking to add the use of essential oils and/or herbs in your life, I strongly recommend that initially you seek out a trained aromatherapist or herbalist. Following that, it's important to begin your own path of study. When I first started selling my essential oil blends at Old Rooster Creek Flea Market in Princeton, TX, I was afraid I'd sell out of things fast, so I made several bottles of the blends I thought would be best sellers and brought them to my new booth.
BIG. MISTAKE! Long story short, I ended up with a lot of product that timed out and I had to dispose of it. Let me share with you what I learned from that experience. 1. Make samplers of the essential oil blends for potential clients to try, then if they order, make the product fresh for them. This pertains to the blends in liquid oils. I keep my essential oils, my carrier oils, and my stock blends refrigerated, so it only takes about 10 minutes to make fresh product. Many of the liquid carrier oils have a one year (or less) shelf life (i.e. Grapeseed Oil, Hemp Seed Oil) which means if they expire, product containing them expires. My clients love the idea that they're getting a product made when they order it and are happy to wait while I make it. 2. Make small batches of products like lotions, skin butters, and deodorants that will sell within a few months. These take a lot more time and effort to make, but they have a longer shelf life because butters tend to be more stable oils. I generally make enough to fill 8 - 10 containers (i.e. bottles, tubes) at a time. When all of them are sold, I make a new batch. I determine the number I need based on the sales I make. For example, the flea market where I have my booth is not well known yet, so traffic is very light. It takes about three months for me to sell 8 bottles of my Sweet Summer Lotion during the colder months, but only about four weeks to sell 8 bottles during spring and summer (when mosquitoes and flies get really bad). Since I buy the all natural lotion base, I purchase more in March than I do in October -- which brings us to the next recommendation. 3. Pay attention to trends and seasons. Some months have higher overall sales volumes and some products sell better during certain seasons. My skin butters and lip balms tend to sell better during the winter (specifically, in January and February) because they're deeply moisturizing and protective of the skin barrier. My BBG butter sells better in summer and fall (usually June through August) because insects are biting and people are spending more time outdoors during these seasons. Paying attention to specific times with higher volume of sales of a product will allow you to plan ahead and order the supplies you need to keep up with demand. 4. Stock the supplies you need and will use up before they expire, and store them appropriately. To do this, you need to know the shelf life of your supplies. Citrus essential oils generally have a shelf life of 1 - 2 years, so you wouldn't buy a gallon of lemon essential oil for personal use. On the other hand, if you sell a lot of lemon essential oil, a gallon might last a few months before you sell all of it. Patchouli essential oil can last up to 20 years (or longer), so buying a larger quantity that might take years to use up would be fine. Some companies put 'use by' dates on their labels, and this is very helpful. If there is no 'use by' date, write the date you open the bottle on a label and attach the label to your bottle. Storage of your materials fits in here because how you store your oils affects their shelf life. If you buy a quart of Olive Oil and store it in the cabinet above your stove, that oil will likely go rancid faster than a bottle that's been stored in a cool place. The general rule-of-thumb is to store oils and butters tightly sealed and in a cool, dark place. This will slow the oxidation process and keep them from going rancid too soon. Refrigeration may not be necessary, but it is my preferred method of storage. I have one refrigerator for my essential oils, and another for my carrier oils. 5. Make stock blends of essential oil blends you've created. For every essential oil blend you see in my online store, I have a 'stock blend'. That means I've already combined the essential oils in the proper proportion for that blend, but I haven't diluted it yet with a carrier. In most cases, my stock blends are made in 5 mL bottles so they are used up long before they can 'time out'. Since Total Knot Out and Joint Candy are my two best selling blends, I now make the stocks in 1/2 oz bottles. When a blend is ordered, I simply put the drops from the stock bottle in the (disinfected) container, add the Vitamin E and the carrier oil(s), cap the container, and label the product. It cuts production time by more than half. Having stock bottles of my blends is the reason I can make my essential oil blends fresh for my clients at the flea market. These stock blends are also kept refrigerated to maintain their shelf life. (It's important to note here that the shelf life of one of these stock blends is that of the 'shortest-lived' oil in the blend.) So how does this affect on-line orders? When you order one of my products on-line, your product will be fresh. Items like essential oil blends or bath salts will be made within 24 hours of receiving your order. Products like deodorants, skin butters, lip balms, and lotions will generally be made within one month prior to your order, or will be made fresh within a day or two after your order. All product labels will include the date that product was made. My freshness policies allow me to personalize your products. For example, if you want to order Sweet Summer Lotion and you would like me to add Lavender Essential Oil to it, we could make arrangements to do exactly that. (Note: Old Rooster Creek is an indoor flea market which means my booth stays set up. I have a workroom at the back of my booth. Half of that workroom is kept disinfected so that I can make product there.) As I try to start my blog for this week, I find myself stuck. I have so many ideas and concepts firing through the synapses of my brain, that I’m having difficulty focusing in on just one. Each time I think I’ve come up with a good idea, I go back and review my research on it, then look at even more research – in my books, journals, and online. That’s where I seem to hit a wall. I’m wanting to write about herbal energetics and individual constitutions, but as I research, I find myself thinking ‘I need to delve deeper into TCM, Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism before I can write about this.’ Perhaps the difficulty I’m having is because of the differences in the way I look at these ideas now vs the way I’ve looked at them for most of my life. One seemingly simple concept – and a major difference between allopathic and herbal/aromatherapy approaches to optimal health lies in how treatment is viewed.
If you go to your doctor for a broken arm, (s)he will treat the break with a cast and treat the symptoms of pain and swelling with medicine as well as recommend ice. If you have appendicitis, a surgeon will remove the appendix and prescribe medicine for pain and swelling. But what happens if you go to your doctor with chronic aches and fatigue? (S)He may run a series of tests to see what’s going on and may or may not find any answers. Even with a specific diagnosis, (s)he may not have any answers for what’s causing your condition or how to best treat it. In such a case, the doctor is likely to treat the symptoms (under a one-size-fits-all plan) without ever finding an underlying cause – and this is where a major difference exists. A trained herbalist will look at the constitution of the person, his/her lifestyle, diet, symptoms, stressors, and so on, then determine which herbs will best support that person’s whole body and return it to a balanced state called homeostasis. This is a holistic approach. TCM, Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism are based on the idea that when the body systems are balanced, the body is functioning at it’s best and when the body is out of balance, there will be symptoms and illness. So, the goal of TCM, Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism is to treat the individual whole body/whole person to bring the body back into balance- not to treat only a symptom or two. This seems straightforward, but if you’re like me – raised to get treated for symptoms – it takes time to wrap your brain around the concept of choosing herbs (and essential and carrier oils) based on the herbs’ energetics and the body’s constitution and imbalances. It’s also very easy to fall into an allopathic mindset of wanting to treat symptoms when they arise rather than determine what the actual imbalance is. For example, let’s say you are prone to catching colds every winter. You could take an over-the-counter medicine that will (hopefully) reduce the congestion and aches – that’s the allopathic way. You could look up what herbs help reduce congestion and aches and make herbal teas (or essential oil blends) to treat the symptoms – that’s also allopathic thinking. Or, you could try to understand what’s happening that is weakening your immune system and causing you to be susceptible to catching so many colds. Then, you could find a combination of herbs and/or essential oils that would support your immune system and fit with your constitution to help you reduce the number of colds you catch – that’s what TCM, Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism do. Is it really that simple? No, an herbal tea is not a panacea for everything that ails you. There’s a lot more in your life that may need changing. If your diet is lousy, it will need to be improved. If you are constantly living with high stress, you’ll need to find a way to reduce that stress. Finding the balance you need to be healthy will require changes in the ways you think and live. This blog is a generalization of concepts that are intricate and involved. Future blogs will look at the concepts taught in TCM, Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism in more detail, and eventually explore the similarities and differences between them. Have you ever gotten a paper cut? Those things hurt - but would you go to the doctor for it? No, because it's not a serious injury. On the other hand, if you fall and break your leg, you get medical attention because it is serious. This blog is about using common sense in deciding appropriate treatment.
Minor injuries or illnesses, like a paper cut or a cold can often be treated at home using herbs. A mosquito bite is irritating and can be treated with an herbal salve. Small bumps and bruises can also be taken care of with simple strategies, like ice or herbal salves. Herbal teas, fruits, and fruit juices can often help alleviate symptoms of a cold (and may even shorten the duration of the cold). Essential oils can be used for all of the above, but I prefer to reserve them for the next level of home care and combine them with the use of herbs. Chigger bites and bee/wasp stings (without allergic reaction) fall in this category - a step above the simple and minor. Achy joints, nausea, scrapes and scratches, cuts that aren't too deep fall into this category as well. Essential oil blends mixed in herbal salves work well at this level. Diffusing essential oils to help reduce germs in the house, or to help ease congestion from a cold or allergy work here too. More serious issues need medical attention. A deep cut that doesn't stop bleeding may need stitches. Flu can quickly develop complications like bronchitis or pneumonia. Severe abdominal pain or sudden, sharp, tearing pain in a joint need evaluation by a doctor. Anaphylactic shock needs emergency medical treatment. The thing to remember here is to use common sense. Minor illnesses and injuries can be treated at home with herbs. The next step up can use both herbs and essential oils. Serious symptoms, illnesses, and/or injuries require medical attention. |
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February 2021
CategoriesAuthorKaren Dragoo |