I was bottling some basil and lavender today.
It just so happened that I also was making a few room sprays for the house as well.
I couldn't resist the way they smell together so made a basil/lavender room spray for at my desk.
I LOVE it!
It's fresh and floral.
THE BLEND
I didn't measure, but I think it was about 3 basil to 1 part lavender. It doesn't take much lavender to round out the scent of the basil.
You could do this blend at almost any ratio. I prefer more basil than lavender but you could have some fun playing with it.
BTW, basil smells amazing alone. It surprisingly reminds me of licorice with a fresh, greenness about it if that makes any sense :0)
If you want to make some, go ahead and order them, any size, through the link and I'll send along a free teardrop glass mister bottle like mine (note: there is a $35.00 minimum, if you want small bottles you can order anything else on the site to go with them).
Just be sure to leave me a message in the check out area of the cart that you saw this post and would like a mister bottle with your basil and lavender.
Note: My bottle in the picture isn't radio active or filled with holy water, the picture just kept coming out that way. Told you it was good :0)
This one has been a long time coming!
I'm hoping to do at least 2 or three Christmas soap batches over this week.
Tomorrow this is what's slated.
I've tweaked it from an emu soap recipe that has always turned out good for me.
I'm out of emu and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get more anytime soon, so I decided to play around with it a little.
ORIGINAL EMU SOAP RECIPE
.5 castor
.5 cocoabutter
5oz coconut oil
6oz olive oil
2oz crisco
2oz emu
5.5 oz water
2.25 oz lye
REVISED EMU WITH ALOE OIL (INFUSED IN SUNFLOWER OIL)
.5oz castor
2 oz cocoabutter
5 oz coconut oil
6 oz olive oil
2 oz shea butter
.5 oz aloe/sunflower oil
5.5 oz water
2.25oz lye
ESSENTIAL OIL SCENT BLEND
Here is the scent blend that I'm going to try.
I've called it Angels Wings because it has a delicate, light and pretty scent, just right for Christmas.
If you add 2 more parts fir needle, to equal 6, it becomes quite a bit more coniferous and traditionally Christmas. Both are nice depending on what you are looking for.
I love the white grapefruit, it really gives it a nice clean lift.
4 parts fir needle
2 parts white grapefruit
1 part frankincense
And I'm going to try sprucing it up with a bit of red and green mica. I'm not sure exactly how I will add it yet. I may stamp it and give it a light dusting after it's made.
Decisions, decisions.
I'll keep you posted how it turns out.
If anyone tries any variations of the recipe, we'd love to hear from you.
I thought you might enjoy this article about Jack Chaitman's (Scents of Knowing) view on some of the properties of essential oils. He's an expert on plant distillation who has been actively in the field for over 25 years.
He is "inspired by nature and motivated by his love of smell as an art form". That sure does have a nice ring to it.
When I say essential oil properties, I don't mean this in the usual sense, I mean it in the way that natural essential oils touch us differently than synthetic fragrance oils, if you are open to them.
In this hurry up world, many of us miss this component.
On the other hand, many of us who remember to appreciate nature and the natural world, find ourselves 'naturally' appreciated every nuance and facade of a natural essence.
Here is an interesting quote…
As Jack likes to say, listen to the smell, the natural plant fragrances are trying to tell you something.
Natural Fragrances – Profile of a Master
I also have touched upon this aspect in my article series on essential blending. It never fails to lift my spirits and put joy in my day.
Here is a quote on page 3 -
LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES, FEEL WITH YOUR EARS, TASTE WITH YOUR NOSE (and never diet again!) – Janice Ferrante on Blending Essential Oils :0)
You can read it in it's entirety from this link
How to Create Your Own Essential Oil Blend – by Janice Ferrante
Maybe this is where the phrase 'take time to smell the roses' came from!
