Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Posts Tagged ‘ylang ylang’

Refresher – Cool Ya Down, Freshen You Up

Posted by terrepruitt on May 2, 2018

I used to use SeaPlasma for so many things. It was a great moisturizer that I could spray all over;  my hair, my face, my skin, my clothes . . . it didn’t matter. Of course I didn’t spray it on my clothes to moisturize them, but when I sprayed it on me I was not worried about it getting on my clothes and staining them. I didn’t worry about it getting on my car’s upholstery or my furniture. It was a great way to “freshen” up when I had to go somewhere right after teaching Nia.  I loved it and have been using it since Junior High. Sad, so sad, to say that it is not being made any more. So . . . I am always on the lookout for something comparable. I have found a couple of moisturizing products but they are basically made of oils so I don’t trust them on my clothes or furniture. I also don’t like to use them in my hair as they just make my hair oily. The other day, after posting about peppermint oil, I decided to make a mixture of my own.

I had a little spray bottle and I filled it almost all the way up with witch hazel, I added a few drops of peppermint oil for its cooling properties. Since it can help with allergies, congestion, among other things, I thought it would be a nice addition. I put in a few drops of lavender oil primarily for its calming effects. And I put in some Ylang Ylang because I enjoy the smell and it can help with anxiety, high blood pressure and restlessness. I topped the bottle off with water. I thought this would make a nice mixture for cooling me down. I think it will not be drying and it smells nice.

Witch Hazel is an astringent made from the bark and leaves of North American witch-hazel shrub. But even though it is an astringent it is not a harsh one. It does not dry out the skin, in fact it helps with moisturizing the skin and hair.

I am not so worried about it on my clothes although I should probably test it out. For now I just have a bottle by my bed and it helps me get to sleep on those warm nights.

I think I will make some more to use in replacement of my beloved-yet-no-longer-made SeaPlasma.  I really love the smell!

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit________________

Refresher

Small spray bottle
Witch Hazel
Peppermint oil
Lavender Oil
Ylang Ylang Oil
water

Fill the bottle almost all the way with Witch Hazel, then add about 7 drops of peppermint oil, 7 drops of lavender oil, and 3 or 4 drops of Ylang Ylang oil. Top of with water. Shake.

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As I said I have not tested this on clothing or furniture so be cautious. Also, this is just a loose recipe and IDEA of what to do. Add more or less oil as you see fit . . . do what works for you.

Do you have a recipe for a refresher?

Posted in Essential Oils | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

More On Ylang Ylang

Posted by terrepruitt on May 6, 2014

I was looking at my collection of essential oils and I found it interesting.  The ones I use the most are peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus.  The ones I use the least are Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, and Frankincese.  They are also the three that I only have one bottle of.  I bought a set that contained peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus.  I used it and bought another set.  I used those three out of the set and bought another set.  At least I THOUGHT I bought a set, but I must have duplicated my order and ended up with two sets.  Which is fine because of the three I use all the time.  Plus I have used them in my sugar scrub so that uses them up more quickly.  But I was interested in learning more about the three I don’t use often.  Also I happen to see some information on Ylang Ylang.  So I decided to do more research and report about it.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaI find it most interesting that the bottle of the brand I purchased states ” . . . Ylang-ylang Essential Oil is best suited for use in the perfumery and skincare industries.”  I know that when you mix scents with other scents you can come up with something delicious, but . . . seriously???  Have you ever smelled Ylang Ylang?  It is an odd scent.  I can’t really describe it.  The words that came to mind made it sound good , but I wouldn’t really call it a good smell.  It REMINDS me of smoke flavor.  I know that is odd to assign a scent a flavor, but that is what I think of.  I have not tasted it.  I am not that brave.  In addition to smoke flavor I think of a wet barrel.  Not wet wood, but a wet barrel that might be a bit moldy.  So odd, that is what it smells like to me a smokey wet moldy barrel . . . yet it is used in the perfume industry.  And I even used it in the sugar scrub.

The bottle also states:  ” Ylang-ylang Essential Oil can assist with problems such as high blood pressure, rapid breathing, nervous conditions, as well as impotence and frigidity.”  I can see why it might help with rapid breathing because when you smell it you stop breathing to keep the scent out.  Ok, it is not really THAT bad, but I also think I am used to it.

A few different doTERRA sources have information stating it can help with “Anxiety, Arrythmia, High Blood Pressure, Lack of Libido for Men and Women, Restlessness.”  And “helps balance hormones, promotes healthy skin and hair, and lifts mood while having a calming effect.”

Another company’s website states: ” . . . . it may help with releasing feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability.”

🙂  Which could be a result of correcting the “lack of Libido”.

I had included it in the scrub to help relieve stress.

Aroma Web says: “Ylang Ylang Oil is a rather interesting essential oil as its distillation varies a bit from most other oils, and this can affect the composition and aroma of the oil.”   Perhaps I need to smell a different version.

Summary of benefits:

Helps with:
high blood pressure
rapid breathing
nervous conditions
impotence and frigidity
anxiety
arrhythmia
lack of libido for men and women
restlessness
balance hormones
releasing feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability

Also promotes healthy skin and hair and lifts mood while having a calming effect

Of course, these are claims and I would recommend visiting a medical professional to make certain there is not a serious medical condition causing any of the above symptoms.  I also would like to remind readers that every one is different and every body is different and something that might help one person might not help another.  I personally know that I am healthy enough with no underlying medical condition, that I can use this oil for these symptoms if need be.  I think it could help release feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability if I have them.

If you use essential oils, do you use Ylang Ylang?  What do you use it for?  How do you use it?  Do you like the smell?  How would you describe it (the smell)?

Posted in Essential Oils | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Sugar Is Awesome

Posted by terrepruitt on August 1, 2013

So last Christmas my sister-in-law gave my hubby and I wonderful book.  But she gave ME some sugar scrub.  It was lemon-mint.  I thought that was a great idea.  I had always wanted to do that with essential oils.  Well, as you might be able to imagine there are a ton of sugar scrub recipes out there and on the internet.  So if you are here looking at mine —- THANKS!  Some of the scrubs I have had have been a little too oily for me, so I was going for a less oily one.  To me the scurb-y part of the sugar is what you want.  The essential oil for a little therapy.  The oil can be a moisturizer but it doesn’t have to be a lot.  So I futzed with a few of the recipes I found on-line.  I actually made my first batch months ago and this is when I am getting around to posting about the scrubs.  So I don’t remember where I got the recipes that I futzed with and I don’t remember what I did the first time.  But here is my latest recipe for a nice sugar scrub.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaSugar Scrub

2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
30 drops pure peppermint oil
15 drops Ylang Ylang
20 drops tea tree
juice of half of a lemon
zest from a lemon

Put the sugar in a bowl then pour some of the oil in.  Don’t use it all at first.  Stir and stir until it is well combined.  Then half of the peppermint.  Mix well.  Then add the remaining drops of peppermint.  Mix well.  Add more olive oil.  Mix well.  Add the Ylang Ylang.  Mix.  Add the tea tree, then mix.  Add only as much of the olive oil as you want.  You may even want more oil.  But add then mix.  It tends to LOOK like it is not enough but then as you stir is mixes in and the sugar gets saturated.  So pour and mix.  When you are done adding all the oil you want, then add the lemon juice.  Then add the lemon zest.  Mix, mix, mix.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaI have canning jars which really make a nice presentation, but they start to rust in the shower/bath.  Plus you have the band AND lid to deal with.  It is kind of a pain in the shower.  So I was looking for a pretty flip top jar, but then I realized that the little hinge would probably rust.  So finally I settled on something that is not as pretty, but I think it is much more functional.  Just a regular plastic container.  One lid to deal with, easy on, easy off.  No screwing and unscrewing involved.  No metal to rust.

Again, maybe not as pretty, but I think it will be better in the end, because rust isn’t pretty either.

I chose a peppermint essential oil because it has an invigorating effect, so I thought that would be good for morning showers.  Ylang ylang is for stress relief, which many people would appreciate.  Tea Tree Oil helps stimulate the immune system. It is known to fight bacteria, fungi, and viruses.  To me that is perfect in a scrub.  Since I teach Nia which is a barefoot cardio dance, I think of scrubs as being primarily for my feet.  So a scrub that invigorate, relieves stress, AND fights bacteria and fungi —- is GREAT.

I hope you like it.  Of course you can use an essential oil you like.  What oil will you use?

Posted in Essential Oils, Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Chakras And Single Essential Oils

Posted by terrepruitt on April 13, 2013

In my post Balancing The Chakras With Essential Oils I shared a technique for balancing chakras that was adapted from a specific essential oil company using their specific blends.  It seems like most companies that sell essential oils have their own blends with their own cute little names.  As I stated in that post, I have a sample of one of the blends and it smells terrific, I really like it.  In case you are not interested in buying the blends that are named in that post I did a little research on the internet about single essential oils that associated with balance and/or unblocking the chakras.  Just like with pretty much everything there is a ton of information out there.  I am not an essential oil expert nor a chakra expert.  I created this list off of various websites.  I picked the oils that I saw associated with each chakra on multiple websites.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaAs all oil is not created equally I would use these oils topically with a carrier oil or diffuse them.

•   Crown chakra:  sandalwood, lavender, jasmine

•   Third Eye chakra:  sandalwood, frankincense, sweet marjoram

•   Throat chakra:  bergamot, chamomile

•   Heart chakra:  peppermint, eucalyptus

•   Solar Plexus chakra:  peppermint, ginger, coriander, rosemary

•   Sacral chakra: sandalwood, bergamot, ylang ylang, orange

•   Root chakra:  sandalwood, frankincense, ylang ylang

As you can see sometimes one oil can help with multiple chakras.  So that is helpful in itself.  Instead of buying seven different blends you can buy one oil, say sandalwood, and use it for four of the seven chakras. Using that formula, you could buy peppermint for another two, and then bergamot or chamomile for the last one.  That would be only three oils.  Since good quality essential oil can be expensive, to me it helps to figure out a way to get more uses out of one oil!  That is just an example.  I am sure there are many more combinations.

Of course, you might find that you use one oil more than another and you just want to have it on hand.  There are many ways to use essential oils so I am sure you can find other uses.

Here is a little bit of information on the oils, herbs, scents, etc. listed:

Sandalwood is actually fragrant wood from specific trees.  Thought to have a calming effect.

Lavender is a plant used both as a flavor in food and a scent.  It is believed to have a calming, relaxing effect.

Jasmine is also a flowering plant, that is very fragrant.  It is said to help relieve tension.

Frankincense is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia (from Wiki).  It is claimed to help many things including over all health.

Sweet marjoram is an herb, I use in cooking quite often, the oil is said to relieve pain.

Bergamot is a type of orange the color of a lemon, good for treating skin ailments.

Chamomile a daisy like flower that is commonly used for tea.  Especially tea that is promoting relaxation and even sleep.

Peppermint, most people are familiar with this flavor or scent.  Peppermint has an invigorating effect.

Eucalyptus from the Eucalyptus tree, very aromatic and believed to promote healing.

Ginger, this root is used often in helping with motion sickness and nausea and digestion.

Coriander to me are the little seeds used for cooking . . . doing the research for this post, I learned that the LEAVES are what I know as cilantro!  It has a calming effect.

Rosemary an herb used for cooking.  Kind of like tiny twigs.  It’s oil can be used to stimulate and help with concentration.

Orange, a fruit that which the oil is from the skin.  Orange sent can be uplifting!

Ylang ylang, this oil comes from the Ylang Ylang tree/plant blossoms.  Thought to help relieve stress.

Do you use essential oils?  What do you use them for?

Posted in Chakras, Essential Oils | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »