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Carrier oils such as almond are useful in making your own concotions
public cookery demonstrations as I do get nervous .
I also use this as a massage when diluted in sweet almond carrier oil . It helps eliminate fluid retention so helps with feelings of bloatedness . If you don ’ t wish to use as a massage oil a few drops in the bath will also help . It can be added to soap or shower gels and massaged into the skin that way .
My other great favourite , simply because I love the smell of it , is Patchouli . It seems to envelop me when I wear it , which I have for many years . It was only whilst listening to a talk by a local policeman when I taught in a primary school , did I discover that many people who smoke marijuana wear it to cover up the aroma of the smoke .
Tea tree is also one oil I am never without as I use it in foot soaks to keep fungal infections at bay . I have used it in shampoos when my children were susceptible to head lice and it seemed to keep them away on me too , during my teaching years . It ’ s anti- bacterial properties have helped complexion breakouts , I dilute it with a little cooled boiled water and dab it on the spotty areas to clean and dry up spots , though it can be very drying on the skin so take care with the amount of essential oil you use . I add about 30 drops of tea tree oil to an unfragranced shower gel base , this makes an effective after sport body wash for my son , Josh who is at present studying Sport Science at University .
I have never like using aerosol room freshening sprays , I much prefer to fill a spray bottle with a mixture of water and thyme , rosemary and lavender oils . That make the room smell fresh and clean and I feel they help clean the air , but that is just a personal opinion . Another pleasant air freshening combination is lemon , lime and grapefruit oils , they wake me up on hot tiring days , not that we have had many of those lately !
Finally , and most recently , Paul has suffered from neuropathic pain in his feet and he has had some relief from a massaging mixture of black pepper , peppermint , geranium and rosemary oils in a light carrier oil such as apricot oil . He also soaked his feet in the oil combination alongside a tablespoon of Epsom salts .
Apart from their usefulness in many toiletries and household preparations , using them is a pleasure and learning about their many properties is of continuing interest to me .
I am sure there are many more of our readers who feel the same and we would love to hear from you about your favourite essential oils and how you use them .
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