Aromatherapy Notes Has Moved!

My blog, Aromatherapy Notes, can now be found at:

Aromatherapy Notes

Although I was originally going to delete this blog, I decided to leave the old content up for now.  However, you can find all the original content of this blog on my new blog - plus a lot more!  So come on over!

Thank you for visiting!

...And I'm Back on Aromatherapy Notes - at Least for Now!

So, last month I transferred the Aromatherapy Notes blog over to its own domain name.  Unfortunately, I suffered a devasting blow to all of my blogs and websites last weekend when a hacker maliciously hacked them all and caused them to go down.  In addition to that, it appears that we have some sort of major problem with our main home computer (at least I have my laptop for now).

So, after a few days of fretting, I came back to blogger and, resurrected from the ashes, the old Aromatherapy Notes blog.  It hasn't been updated in over a month but it does provide a resource of all my past aromatherapy information and links to all of my essential oil profiles at Suite 101 (which were not affected in the hack as it is an independent website that I write for).  I wanted to at least provide something of aromatic use to my readers :)

My aromatherapy websites and the Aromatherapy Notes blog WILL return but the process is taking longer than anticipated.  And, in the name of professionalism and continuity I wanted to put something back on line.  So, here we are!  Back on blogger for now!  I'll keep you updated and thank you for being here :)

In addition, you can find some of my aromatherapy wedding products now over at Etsy!  Click here.

And you can still find me on facebook:

Sedona Aromatherapie
Aromatherapy Wedding
Chocolate Aromatherapy
Girly Chat

or follow me on twitter @sedonaaroma or @girlychat

Just for your info:

My websites that are currently out of service are:

http://www.sharonfalsetto.com/
http://www.sedonaaromatherapie.com/
http://www.aromatherapywedding.com/
http://www.chocolatearomatherapy.com/
http://www.aromatherapylibrary.com/
http://www.aromatherapyglossary.com/
http://www.aromatherapynotes.com/
http://www.girly-chat.com/
http://www.writewebtext.com/

But in the words of Arnie, "I'll be back!" :)

Aromatherapy Notes Blog Has Moved!

We have now moved!

I posted on Monday that the Aromatherapy Notes blog was moving to its own domain name.  Well, that move has now taken place.  Although there are a few tweaks and final bits to polish up, the main web site is up (including content imported from this blog) and I will be posting new aromatherapy blog posts on the new domain from now on.

I notice that some people follow this blog through both networked blogs and google connect.  You can still do that on the new Aromatherapy Notes blog but you will need to switch over :)

So come on over!  All the new aromatherapy talk is now over at Aromatherapy Notes!

See you there!

NB - BY THE END OF THE YEAR (2010) THIS BLOG WILL BE DELETED.  ALL CONTENT CURRENTLY ON THIS BLOG CAN BE FOUND ON THE NEW DOMAIN.

The Aromatherapy Notes Blog is Moving!



We are moving!

 Its been on the cards for a while, but last week I finally got round to starting to move the Aromatherapy Notes blog to its own domain name.  The new Aromatherapy Notes blog isn't quite yet complete, but I hope to get it fully functional by the end of October.  All the original content from this blog has been transferred over to the new Aromatherapy Notes blog, so the information hasn't been lost.

However, if you currently "follow" this Aromatherapy Notes blog on blogger, you'll need to make a note to "follow" my new Aromatherapy Notes blog.  I'll post another post when the new blog is fully functional to remind you, but I am not going to making any more "proper" aromatherapy posts on this blog from now on.

The reason I'm moving the Aromatherapy Notes blog onto its own domain name is simply to make the blog more professional looking - and to link it more easily into my "aromatherapy family" of web sites.  I hope that you will like the new Aromatherapy Notes blog and will continue to "follow" me over there!  See you soon! :)

Sustainability of "Threatened" Essential Oils

A couple of months ago I wrote an article about the Difference between East Indian and West Indian Sandalwood Trees.  Sandalwood, like some other essential oils such as rosewood, attracts media attention because the extraction of the essential oil "threatens" the plant species from which it is extracted.  Some aromatherapists will not use sandalwood essential oil for this reason, and prefer to use an "alternative" oil.

Gathering qualitative information about the sustainability of "threatened" essential oils is difficult because people often have opposing opinions on the matter!  However, there are both organizations and individuals around the world who believe in helping to spread the word about such matters.

I was recently contacted by Mane Essentials, a small supplier of essential oils in the UK, about the article I mentioned above.  Although Mane Essentials have a small operation, if you take a look at their web site you will see that one of their aims is "to monitor the market for...endangered products and to keep up to date with crop reports which will ultimately affect our industry."

Mane Essentials very kindly linked to my sandalwood article on their web site and this in turn lead me to discover some information about Cropwatch.  According to their web site, Cropwatch is:

" an independent Watchdog for Natural Aromatic Products used in the aroma, traditional herbal medicine and phytochemicals industries."

In the US, a similar project, in the form of the Aromatic Plant Project, aims to:

"encourage the growing and distillation of true essential oil plants in the United States for the production of hydrosols and essential oils."

If you take the time to do your own research on these operations, and on others, you will find that there are a lot of "small" voices fighting for the sustainability of "threatened" essential oils and distilling essential oils from plants in the best and "purest" way.  After all, essential oils come from a natural source - and if we destroy that source in its entirety, there will be no more of that particular plant, or essential oil!

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we do not seem to appreciate what we have until its no longer there - so take the time to research and learn as much as you can about the essential oil you are buying.  Your children, and grandchildren, may thank you in the future :)

Professional Aromatherapists and Professional Organizations

I published an article a week or so ago on professional aromatherapy organizations.  Although, it doesn't cover all the professional aromatherapy organizations out there, I tried to include a sample of the main professional aromatherapy organizations in the English speaking world.  These organizations do not "regulate" the aromatherapy industry but do provide a tier of "professionalism" for those aiming to be a "professional aromatherapist" in an often unregulated world (especially in the United States).

For further information, here's the link to the article:

Professional Aromatherapy Organizations

The "Quality" of Aromatherapy Teaching

As I've discussed in previous posts, including distance learning aromatherapy courses, essential oil suppliers and aromatherapy information to be found on the internet, finding "quality" aromatherapy information is difficult.  Especially if you don't know what you should, or should not be, looking for.  Its no different when you are assessing the "credibility" of an aromatherapy teacher, or an aromatherapist who is holding aromatherapy information seminars.  As someone who is planning to set up some aromatherapy information seminars in the coming year, and also take some further education in aromatherapy, I thought I would look at how you can assess the "credentials" of your prospective aromatherapy teacher/instructor!

Regulations and rules vary from country to country for aromatherapy, so I can only write about what I know and have learned from my time in both the U.K. and the U.S.  However, there are some general points you should be checking off your checklist before signing up for an aromatherapy course/information seminar with a prosective aromatherapy teacher/instructor.  These include:

•  what are the qualifications and experience of your aromatherapy teacher/instructor?
• how long has your aromatherapy teacher/instructor been practising aromatherapy and in what format? (i.e. treatments, products, writing etc)
• what is your aromatherapy teacher/instructor's reputation in the aromatherapy world?  Find all the information you can on them to verify their credibility, i.e. interviews, magazine articles, web site reviews etc
• who did your aromatherapy teacher/instructor train with themselves for their aromatherapy qualification?  This can tell you a lot about the "seriousness" of your aromatherapy teacher/instructor.  If they themselves trained with a highly respected aromatherapy "authority", chances are your training/instruction will be of the same standard.
• what kind of aromatherapy class are they offering?  If it is a "diploma" in aromatherapy, is it accredited by an aromatherapy organization?  Or is it a simple information session, which will not give you the "credentials" to practice aromatherapy, but enough information to stimulate your interest for further study or use a few blends safely at home?
• do they belong to a professional aromatherapy organization?
• is it instruction in "true" aromatherapy and the use of "pure" essential oils?
• can the aromatherapy teacher/instructor answer your questions personally?
• what is the cost of the course/class/session?  Is it "over the top" or "reasonable" for the information you will get?  Prices can vary from several hundred dollars for a 2 day course to several thousand dollars for a diploma course.

Aromatherapy regulation is different in the United States and the United Kingdom (the United States is essentially unregulated, so be very cautious as to who you give your money to and for what kind of an aromatherapy "course").

With regards to my own situation in holding aromatherapy seminars, here are a few pointers that I will be informing prospective clients of:

• I will be holding aromatherapy information seminars and not classes that will "qualify" you to set up as an aromatherapist
• my aromatherapy information seminars are simply a way of imparting enough aromatherapy information to stimulate your interest into further study of aromatherapy (and direction to accredited diploma courses) or allow you to use aromatherapy at home on yourself
• you will not receive a certificate or diploma to practice aromatherapy at the end of the day!  But I will direct you to who you can obtain an accredited qualification from.

Basically, my aromatherapy information seminars will be an "extension" of my aromatherapy articles, web sites and other information I have written over the past couple of years but giving me a chance to meet people face to face and rely more information and understanding.

I have been thinking a lot on how to plan aromatherapy information seminars in the coming year, so if you have some thoughts on something specific, please let me know.  Otherwise, I will do my very best not to "sell" you on something I am not, but give a quality and informative session!  I also have a few other unique selling points to add to these sessions, so watch this space!  And I hope to see you in Sedona some time soon!

N.B.  I will release aromatherapy information session content and dates on the "Aromatherapy Notes" blog when they are set up (probably early next year) :)

Aromatherapy or Aromatherapie?

The modern day concept of aromatherapy is accredited to Rene-Maurice Gattefosse (1881 - 1950), a French chemist, who famously plunged his burned hand into a vat of lavender, instead of water, and found that he did not suffer the scarring and burns he feared.  This new practice of the use of essential oils was therefore named "aromatherapie," the French word for aromatherapy.

When I moved to Sedona, I put a bit of thought into the name for my new aromatherapy practice.  Describing what you do and where you do it is always sound marketing advice for a business.  However, in tribute to the modern day birth of aromatherapy, I amended my business name to reflect its French origin, so rather than be "Sedona Aromatherapy" I became "Sedona Aromatherapie" (although technically, in the French language, "aromatherapie" would precede the location).

Unfortunately, most people simply do not "get" why my business name is "Sedona Aromatherapie" and not "Sedona Aromatherapy."  The common comment is that I've mis-spelled the word (subsequent explanation that it is actually the French spelling is lost on most people) and the majority of my mail is addressed to "Sedona Aromatherapy."

So, I've become resigned to the fact that I am known by both "Sedona Aromatherapie" and "Sedona Aromatherapy" (and use both names as such).  Apparently, cultural practice and aromatherapy knowledge does not always translate - literally! :)

If you want to read the original French version of  Gattefosse's "Aromatherapie", it is now translated into English and available at Amazon as Gattefosse's Aromatherapy.

A Modern Herbal by Maud Grieve: Available in Both Book and Online Format

A Modern Herbal, Maud Grieve, Amazon

If you are serious about understanding the botany of the plants used in aromatherapy, you may want to check out A Modern Herbal by Maud Grieve.  Although the book was first published in 1931, it still contains a lot of relevant information about medicinal plant uses.  Not only can you purchase the book through book retailers, such as Amazon, there is also an online format offered at Botanical.com.

Who was Maud Grieve?

Maud Grieve (1858-1941) founded The Whins Medicinal and Commercial Herb School in England.  She had extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and eventually shared this knowledge through the publication of A Modern Herbal in 1931, although she had published literature on herbal medicines during World War I (1914-1918).   A Modern Herbal has extensive descriptions of medicinal plants and herbs, including botanical profiles, medicinal uses and recipes.

Although you need to remember that the book was published nearly 80 years ago, much of the information in A Modern Herbal is useful to aromatherapists today, regarding plant profiles and medicinal properties.  Just remember that this is not a book about essential oil properties exclusively.  However, I have found it to be a good starting point for much of my article research, particularly as a source of one of the more "reliable" resources online.  I would recommend A Modern Herbal as a book for the "serious aromatherapist who wishes to understand more about the botany of medicinal plants." :)

Essential Oils as Disinfectants

Use Essential Oils to Disinfect Your Dog's Sleeping Area 

Some essential oils are particularly suited to certain jobs!  For example, last week my dog got sick and left, well, quite a mess overnight in his sleep area.  So how to get rid of the smell and make sure the area was sanitatory once again?

Essential oils to the rescue!  In this particular incidence, I used a couple of drops of both pine and lemon essential oil in water and washed down affected area of the floor.  Within a short period of time, the area once again smelt more pleasant.  Not only that, pine and lemon essential oil possesses antiseptic and bactericidal properties to make sure any germs that were still lurking were banished too :) 

Examples of other essential oils that I could have used for the same job include:

• lavender
• eucalyptus
• cypress.

The result was one happy me - and one happy doggie - who now had a more pleasant sleeping area once again.  And I hadn't exposed him to any offensive house cleaning chemical products either :)

One last tip, add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the bedding and water when putting into the washer for both antiseptic purposes and a more fragrant outcome!

Aromatherapy Magazines

Its hard to find quality aromatherapy information both in print magazines and online - and there are not many magazines and journals solely dedicated to the practice of aromatherapy.  However, there are a few magazines out there aimed at international aromatherapists and aromatherapy students including:

• Aromatherapy Today
• Aromascents
• International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy
• International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics.

For more information read:

Aromatherapy Journals and Magazines

What Does "Aromatherapy" Mean to You?

"Aromatherapy" is a word that is often loosely applied to a number of different practices.  It can mean different things to different people - which is why there is often a lot of confusion and "controversy" surrounding the practice of aromatherapy.  In the true, healing sense of the practice, aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of pure essential oils.  However, aromatherapy can also describe (either rightly or wrongly):

• massage
• fragrance oils
•  bath and body products
• candles
• other "treatment" packages.

The versatility of aromatherapy can also be its downfall in some instances.  Aromatherapy can be combined with any number of other therapeutic practices, including reflexology, ayurvedic medicine and reiki.  However, because of its versatility it can become open to abuse.  Therefore:

• check you know the difference between pure essential oils and fragrance oils
• check what "oils" are actually being used in an "aromatherapy" massage or other therapeutic practice
• check that "aromatherapy" candles, bath and body products are composed of "real" aromatherapy ingredients - or are they "fake"?

This is a subject area which I have covered before, in different formats and in different places, but I still find that many people are confused about aromatherapy.  So my advice is -  the true practice of aromatherapy is both healing and powerful - just make sure you are receiving the "real deal. " :)

The Safe Cosmetics Act (2010): What is the Impact for the Business of Aromatherapy Products?

There's been a lot of talk recently in the United States about the introduction of the Safe Cosmetics Act 2010 (H.R. 5786) into the U.S. House of Representatives on July 20, 2010.  What exactly will be the impact for small aromatherapy businesses who make their own products?

I am sort of "caught in the middle" of all the talk about it because I don't make my own aromatherapy products from scratch (as in bases, I buy those in) but I do add in essential oils to my products.  All ingredients are fully disclosed on my web sites (to the best of my knowledge) and on product labels - but if the Safe Cosmetics Act is implemented how will this affect my aromatherapy business?  Aromatherapy products are not the only part of my aromatherapy business but it is a part of it.

I am fully aware that large companies have been using "unnatural" ingredients in many familiar cosmetic products for years and it is argued that this is why the Safe Cosmetics Act is being proposed - to make cosmetics "safer" for the public.

However, those of us who have small aromatherapy businesses are probably more aware of what goes into our products than the large cosmetic companies.  I am always writing about "adulterated" essential oils, for example! In addition, aromatherapy is, by and large, an "unregulated" business in the United States, leading to further confusion, and sometimes "mistrust," of the industry by consumers, because of the "underhand" practices of some larger "aromatherapy" companies.

This is a hotly disputed debate which has lead to heated discussions on both sides of the fence.  Where do you stand on the Safe Cosmetics Acts 2010?  And what would it mean to you?

You can read more about the campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the implications for small businesses here.

Galbanum Essential Oil

Galbanum essential oil is probably not an essential oil that many people are familiar with.  It is certainly not one of the more common essential oils used in aromatherapy - yet it is one of the "ancient" oils, such as myrrh, frankincense and sandalwood, names that are probably more familiar to those using aromatherapy.

Galbanum essential oil does have some therapeutic properties for aromatherapy - it is digestive, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic - but it is probably not used my many in aromatherapy today.

To learn more read:

Galbanum Essential Oil for Aromatherapy