Cypress Essential Oil (Cypressus sempervirens)

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cypress, essential oils, Qi Drop Therapy, respiratory

Cypress is one of the essential oils that I haven’t yet had a chance to use. I had the pleasure of experiencing it during our Qi Drop Therapy class as it is one of the EOs used for that treatment.

Cypress is a tree and the EO comes from the branches, leaves, and cones of the tree. It is generally distilled.

It is an oil high in terpenes and is good for skin care. It is helpful for circulation and rheumatic pain. It aids the clearing of the lymphatic system. In many ways it is a good general support EO as it helps many different systems in the body including respiratory, cramping, and varicose veins.

I have a bunch of essentials oils on their way to me and Cypress is one of them. I’m looking forward to working with it and exploring its various uses!

Peppermint and Eucalyptus

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congestion, essential oil, eucalyptus, peppermint, winter

As we head through fall, I am often looking ahead to winter. I am not a fan of winter – I much prefer warm temperatures and sidewalks that are not covered in ice or buried under the snow. The upside of winter is that I tend to use peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils more often when it is cold out. I think of them as my ‘comfort food’ in the world of essential oils.

They are both great for sore and achy muscles – which I have after trudging through the snow and slush. They are uplifting and stimulating EOs – helping me feel a little more upbeat when I’m feeling dragged down by the long days with little sun and cold temperatures.

And the biggest plus for me is the help they provide me with keeping my chest congestion to a minimum. I use both peppermint and eucalyptus year round to keep my respiratory system as clear as possible. I’m prone to congestion as that seems to be how my body likes most to manifest any allergic reaction I have. In the winter, the cold and flu season makes it worse and that is when I turn to my essential oils!

I use peppermint and eucalyptus in a chest rub and as a direct inhalation, both great ways to get the wonderful effects of the EOs.

Facials!

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calming, facials, health, Jan Benham, relaxation, skin care

As many of you know, I recently spent a week taking a course on Holistic Skin Care with Jan Benham. If you follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LazyCatOils then you might have seen a few pictures like this one

Me getting a kaolin clay mask!

Aside from being a great week of receiving treatments from my fellow students, it was a wonderful week of learning. We spoke about different skin types and discussed some common skin problems. We have notes on a variety of skin issues (and lots of things I want to research). With seven of us in the class, we were fortunate to have a nice variety of skin types and facial structures to work on – allowing us both to learn the techniques in general and to modify them for different people. We spoke about what you need to set up a treatment space and running a business in general. It sparked so many ideas, as Jan’s classes usually do for me!

Many years ago when I worked in the corporate world, I went for facials on a monthly basis. Life changed, my income dropped, my esthetician moved, and I eventually stopped getting facials. I did some at home facials but it is never quite the same. Over the past year I have done more of them at home since I was finally able to make my own products. And now I feel confident about being able to give facials to others. Whether it includes the dreaded extraction of blackheads or is just a relaxation facial, the benefits are evident for both the skin and the soul. And you can bet I’ll be swapping treatments as often as I can with my fellow students!