Tea Tree

Tags

essential oil, health, tea tree

Tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) is a very beneficial EO that I seem to have gotten away from using! Long before I started actively studying essential oils, tea tree EO was my go to oil as it seems to fix just about everything. Tea tree belong to the botanical family Myrtaceae, the same family as Eucalyptus. The EO is distilled from the leaves of the plant, native to Australia and New Zealand.

Tea tree EO is not something I use in facial skin care, though success has be reported with using it to treat acne. A very antiseptic EO, it does have a strong smell. And there are lots of other EOs that will help the skin with a more pleasant scent! It is good for helping to treat nail fungus and athletes foot.

For me this was something I used often when taking care of small cuts (like paper cuts when I was doing corporate admin work) or to help ward off colds in the winter. Tea tree is antibacterial and antiviral so works well at keeping germs at bay. Just a whiff of it can help open up congested air passages and, in the winter, I often put a drop on my coat collar as I walk out the door to walk through the cold and then get on a crowded, germ-filled subway. I am looking at some inhalers for the fall/winter season and will most likely be incorporating a bit of tea tree into at least one recipe.

Tea tree EO should never be taken internally and should be kept out of reach from children (as should all undiluted EOs).

Lemon Essential Oil

Tags

essential oil, lemon, skin care

Lemon (Citrus lemon) EO is an oil I should use more often. Not sure why I don’t as I love the fresh crisp scent that it has. The EO comes from the peel of the fruit and is obtained by the expression method. (https://lazycatoils.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/how-is-an-essential-oil-made/) It belongs to the Rutaceae botanical family along with all of the other familiar citrus fruits like oranges and limes.

Among its many benefits, lemon has antibacterial, antiviral, and astringent properties. It has a very uplifting scent and it always makes me smile when I smell it.

For the skin and hair, it can be helpful in reducing excess oil. It can also help restore dull looking skin to a more vibrant look by helping increase blood circulation. It is used to treat acne and oily skin. Many of the citrus oils are also photosensitive. Damage to the skin can be caused if the skin is exposed to sunlight after using oils like lemon. It is recommended to avoid sunlight for up to 24 hours after using some of the citrus EO. And of course, using any EO in a diluted form is always recommended.

A look back at the past year

Tags

Big On Bloor Festival, cosmetics, essential oil, health, Jan Benham, Music Toronto, reflexology

A year ago I was getting ready for my first outdoor street festival! It was a great success and a turning point for me – a chance to step things up with my own business, knowing that I was about to leave my full time job and start a new path with another job but only part time. I’m getting ready to take part in Big On Bloor (http://bigonbloorfestival.com) once again and thought this was a good to look back at what has happened over the past year and what lies ahead!

At the end of last August, we went on a lovely vacation to California. Saw lots of places and would love to go back in the future and see some more! Returning from vacation saw me being back to self employed and very part time employed in a new job. My new job is with Music Toronto, a chamber music presenting company (www.music-toronto.com). Initially the plan was to only be working for them one day a week to start and to increase my time and my role over the next several years. Well that timetable has moved up considerably and as of this month I’m now working for them 4 days a week! It has been a great experience and I’m loving the work I’m doing with them.

I’ve been doing lots of reading and studying and moving more towards the treatment side with essential oils. I’ve been working away at my thesis and hope to finish off all of those related courses by the end of the summer. I took some more classes with my teacher, Jan Benham (www.makeyourowncosmetics.org), last October. I spent 5 days learning how to do facials and haven’t looked back! In November, I started booking some room time at a clinic near me and I’m giving facials on a regular basis now. I’m building my clientele slowly as I don’t have that many hours in a day. I’m loving it and the response has been great! Jan will be back again this October and I’m signed up for a chair massage class and a week long course in reflexology. So looking forward to both of those!

I have continued to launch a few more products this past year, adding in some more makeup items in the past few months. Next weekend I’ll be back at Big On Bloor and I’ll have my usual favourites and some of my new items available for purchase. The festival takes place over 2 days – Saturday and Sunday – so come on by and say hi if you are in Toronto! I’m hoping to be close to the Lansdowne end of the festival. Watch my LCO Facebook feed (https://www.facebook.com/LazyCatOils) for updates as we get closer to the end of the week.

BIG On Bloor Festival – July 19, 2014 – noon to 9pm; July 20, 2014 – noon to 6pm. http://bigonbloorfestival.com