#insence

Essential Oil Recipes for Specific Areas of Healing

Stress and Anxiety Relief

Anxiety

• 5 Drops of Chamomile Oil
• 5 Drops of Lemongrass Oil
• 30ml of Carrier Oil

Stress 

• 5 Drops of Peppermint Oil
• 5 Drops of Lavender Oil
• 30ml of Carrier Oil

Muscle Tension and Muscle Pain Relief

Muscle Tension

• ½ Tablespoon of Ground Allspice
• ½ Tablespoon of Ground Nutmeg
• 5 Drops of Geranium Oil
• 120ml of Carrier Oil

Muscle Pain

• ½ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• ½ Teaspoon of Ground Tumeric
• 5 Drops of Rose Oil
• 5 Drops of Tea Tree Oil
• 120ml of Carrier Oil

Chest Congestion and Mucus Relief

Chest Congestion

• 5 Drops of Eucalyptus Oil
• 5 Drops of Pine Oil
• 30ml of Carrier Oil

Mucus Build Up

• 5g of Dried Nettle Leaves
• 5 Drops of Frankincense Oil
• 480ml of Carrier Oil

Strengthening The Mind

Focus and Concentration

• ½ Tablespoon of Ground Myrrh
• 5 Drops of Rosemary Oil
• 480ml of Carrier Oil

Mental Strength and Clarity

• 1 Tablespoon of Dried Rosemary
• 5 Drops of Peppermint Oil
• 5 Drops of Spearmint Oil
• 480ml of Carrier Oil

Combating Fatigue

Energizer

• ½ Tablespoon of Dried Juniper Berries
• 5 Drops of Thyme Oil
• 480ml of Carrier Oil

Citrus Energy

• 5 Drops of Lemon Oil
• 5 Drops of Lime Oil
• 30ml of Carrier Oil

Good Night’s Sleep

• 5 Drops of Lemon Balm Oil
• 5 Drops of Ylang-Ylang Oil
• 30ml of Carrier Oil

Upset Stomach Relief

Digestion

• ½ Tablespoon of Dried Catnip
• 5 Drops of Ginger Oil
• 5 Drops of Spearmint Oil
• 480ml of Carrier Oil

The next Aromatherapy post will cover the Magickal side of scents, including but not limited too, Bottle Spells, Spiritual Components and Ritual Baths.

Specific Areas of Healing

The following will address certain areas of healing and the best scents and oils to help you. This being said these are ASSISTS, if you are suffering from a condition these may help but you should never neglect professional medication prescribed by doctors. For a good portion of my life I’ve suffered from Insomnia, lavender and citrus oils helped for awhile but as time grew on and my condition got worse I had to get prescribed Melatonin. It never makes you less of a witch to use prescribed or un-prescribed medication.

“When you start working with essential oils to address health issues, begin with just one symptom or issue you would like to heal. Focusing on that, limit your selection to only a few essential oils. Once you have all the basics down, you can create your own wonderful oil blends and also determine which are best used as perfumes, in bath salts, or added to melted candle wax at the base of a candle (never add while the candle is lit).” - The Good Witch’s Guide by Shawn Robbins and Charity Bedell

Stress

Several essential oils can be effective for relieving stress. Stress often has side effects, including anxiety, upset stomach, and rapid breathing. One essential oil that works well on stress and anxiety is peppermint. It relaxes the mind and body and helps with digestion. Lavender is another good choice, as it relaxes muscles and the vapors can help regulate breathing.

Pain and Muscle Tension

Muscle tension is something many of us deal with. When using essential oils for pain relief from muscle tension, the best approach is to create a massage oil to rub into the affected area. If you are trying to relax muscles and ease pain, allspice is an excellent choice. Geranium essential oil is a good alternative - it reduces inflammation and muscle tension and provides stress relief.

Chest Congestion

The common cold, the flu, and seasonal allergies can all result in chest congestion, so this ailment can happen at any time of year. To use essential oils to relieve chest congestion, apply a few drops of diluted oil across the chest and massage them into the skin. The best oil for congestion relief is eucalyptus oil, which can break up congestion from coughs, colds, flu and allergies and helps restore proper breathing. Thyme oil is another excellent choice for relieving congestion.

Concentration and Focus

Everyone sometimes has difficulties with concentration and focus. This can result from a lack of sleep, stress, anxiety, depression, or a reaction to life events. To use essential oils for help with focus and concentration, apply a few drops to the temples, middle of the forehead, and base of the neck. Rosemary is an excellent oil when you need to focus intently or commit things to memory. Spearmint helps relax and calm the mind, which promotes mental clarity.

Fatigue

Many people feel exhausted at the end of the day even if they think they’re getting enough sleep. The best way to use essential oils for issues related to energy and fatigue is to apply a few drops to your wrists and rub them in. Lemon or lime oil work great here. Both of them uplift mood, relieve fatigue, and provide mental clarity and focus. Lemon also helps balance the nervous system.

Insomnia

Many people just can’t seem to fall asleep. Apply a few drops of essential oil to your forehead and at the base of the neck and see if the soothing scents relax your mind and body. Lemon balm is an excellent oil for this, as it addresses anxiety and stress and promotes restful sleep. Ylang-ylang oil can also help you sleep, and it relieves muscle pain that may be getting in the way of a good night’s sleep.

Anxiety

This is a horrible issue that involves the physical and mental body. Physical symptoms many include anxiety or panic attacks, asthma attacks, feelings of paralysis, and tremors. Nonphysical symptoms many include clouded thoughts, racing mind, feelings of confusion, and a sense of being disconnected. To treat anxiety with essential oils, apply one drop each to the forehead, base of the neck, wrists, and along the collarbone or upper chest. Chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm are excellent oils for relieving anxiety and relaxing the body.

Crafting Your Own Oil Blends

“The thing to remember about essential oils is that a little goes a long way. They are concentrated forms of the essence of plants, so you need very little to accomplish much. Less is more! One undiluted bottle of an essential oil should allow you to create several blends and treatments. 

You don't need much in the way of supplies to make your own essential oil blends. You need a mason jar with a lid, a carrier oil, and essential oils. Vitamin E oil can also be added to many blends as a stabilizer and preservative. If you do not have all the essential oils for a particular remedy, you can substitute herbs. When making oil blends with essential herbs and oils, additional supplies you will need include a scale, herbs, a grinder, and cheesecloth.

As before, when you are making your essential oils, use 1/8 cups (30ml) of carrier oil to 10 drops of essential oil. When adding herbs, use ½ a cup (120ml) of carrier oil instead of the 1/8 cups. The additional oil is there to absorb the scent and natural oils of the dried herbs.

Making oil blends is fairly simple. Start by cleaning your mason jar inside and out. If using, put the weighed and ground herbal ingredients into the jar. Add half the carrier oil. Next, add the essential oils. Add the remaining carrier oil. Cover the jar with a lid, shake the jar twice daily. After four weeks, strain a small portion of the oil into a small glass to test the scent. If it has the aroma you were trying for, transfer the strained test oil into a new mason jar, and then strain the rest of the oil into the new jar. If it’s not as strong as you would like, return the strained portion of the oil to the original jar. Add a few more drops of each essential oil. Shake twice daily. Wait two more weeks, and repeat the strain test.

Updated alter

therestlesswitch:

theburntleaf:

Experiment in formulation

Dhoop sticks

My first time making incense sticks! Before registering for the incense class I’ve been working through, I have made loose blends and cones before but never sticks. Dhoop sticks are made from solid incense dough unlike the common agarbatti that has a bamboo core. For the very first batch I wanted to try a recipe provided by the instructor before jumping into the homework of creating a personal formal … but I had to adjust for the ingredients I had on hand. The recipe called for makko as both a base and binder so I substituted using white pinewood as a base and guar gum to bind. I relied on the coffee grinder to process most of the ingredients to powder but saved the small amount of frankincense for the mortar and pestle. I mixed my aromatic materials and then added them to the wood, sifted in some binder and then added water. It took a couple tries increasing the amount of binder and water to get the dough just right. After a lot of kneading it seemed like it was ready to go into the extruder. However, upon extruding I was extremely disappointed as my sticks were instantly falling apart. I set a couple little sticks and a cone made out of frustration aside and the rest of the dough I put into the fridge to sit for a few hours. My hope was the moisture would absorb into the wood a little better making a more stable dough. The problem I run into is consistency. Processing my wood powder at home makes it tricky to work with but I’m learning. After the dough sat I added just a touch more water and tried again. To my relief, they extruded fine in both sizes I wanted to experiment with. I’ll let them dry and cross my fingers they don’t crack and will burn alright…

I’m not providing the recipe here since it isn’t my own. However, this blend is very martial and full of warming spices. I might do some tweaking for a planetary incense (lord knows I need some martial remediation) and will make another post on that if I do!

I was pretty impatient and tried burning one of my not so great broken sticks and it burned pretty well to my surprise ! The smell is great. Woody and warm with a hint of spice. The pine wood is mellow and complimentary to the pungent aromatics. It didn’t last very long but it was small, I will post a follow up on a timed burn with a full size thin and thick stick becuase I am interested in the difference. I am just overwhelmed with how awesome this turned out considering I thought it was a complete failure.

I LOVE watching the learning and creation process

Purification