This product was, as are all of our products, formulated for practical applications. We had already blended and used our Deet-free Herbal Insect Repellent in a personal-care spray and cream, but realized we were using it on our dogs as much as ourselves. It truly became evident one summer when the flies literally were causing open areas on Abby's nose that I needed to do a little more research. It kept the fleas and ticks off of her, but not the flies. I did some more research on flies and essential oils and tweaked our original formula - it worked! I can say that for the past 10 years the flies haven't bothered our dogs. The pet insect repellent blend is available in either a distilled-water based or organic aloe vera base for those pets who might have sensitive skin or skin issues. Our house backs up to a wooded area off the city bike trail and ticks, flies, fleas, chiggers and mosquitoes are frequent visitors in our neck of the woods - but not on us or our dogs. We knew we wanted a natural, Deet-free, choice for our dogs as well as us, and after reading the chemical-laden ingredients on most of the pet collars on the market - knew we had made the right choice.

Please note the following concerning EPA registration numbers as our product contains exempt ingredients:

Registered or Exempt Pesticides: Under FIFRA, any product making a pesticidal claim must be registered with EPA, in order to review products for reasons of human health and environmental safety. An exception to this rule exists for products based on certain active ingredients (the “25b list,” named for that section of FIFRA), which are considered minimum risk products. These products will not have an EPA registration number, and usually have a statement to the effect that “the manufacturer represents that this product qualifies for exemption from FIFRA.” For exempt pesticides, all inert ingredients must be on EPA List 4A, and must be disclosed on the label. Many exempt products, but not all, meet the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program.

Herbal Balm – perfect for nurses!

What's new about our all purpose herbal balm? Well, we've added certified organic unrefined (high oleic) Avocado oil, a particularly nurturing oil for the skin. We are now using certified organic food grade Avocado oil, unrefined, not the cosmetic grade that other cosmetic companies might use - and that actually we used to use. Why did we change? Because the unrefined retains all of those natural vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E. It also has sterols, lecithin and other essential fatty acids that are lost in the refining process. These are properties we need to impact the health of our skin. Is this certified organic, unrefined oil more expensive? Yes, it certainly is, but for now we can absorb the cost and keep the price of this very effective healing balm the same as we have for probably five years. Check out our ingredients' information data base to find out just exactly what that means - if you're interested. This oil has a long history of being particularly helpful to those with skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea - or just dry, thirsty skin! When we opened the container of the new unrefined avocado oil it was amazing and we knew it was worth the extra cost - very dark, rich green and thick. We have in the past used cosmetic grade which was colorless, odorless and thin and, frankly, we just weren't satisfied with that. We think you'll notice the difference. We certainly did.

Calendula is an important folk medicine plant, often used for treating inflamed tissue. During the Civil War, doctors used calendula leaves to treat open wounds on the battlefield. Calendula flower is among the most soothing of herbs for salves. Herbalist Aviva Romm, author of Natural Healing for Babies and Children (Crossing Press, 1996), uses it along with chickweed (Stellaria media), plantain (Plantago spp.), comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and chamomile (Matricaria recutita) to soothe children’s skin. There is a study of calendula for wounds that showed it to noticeably stimulate physiological regeneration and skin healing. We've taken out the comfrey leaf and root botanicals simply because of some controversy and frankly we're just not sure if it's justified or not - so we just figure we have enough good stuff in this jar that it doesn't need "iffy" stuff. I personally love comfrey and will continue to use it, but I understand and love ingredient readers who do their research - that's why we are a business and that's why we started making our own products.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Seriously?! You can’t beat this offer and it won’t be available after Christmas. If fact, this one is only good for today, Nov. 21st, 2011. Not only is the special “special”, but we have available now limited holiday editions only. Stock up now – pure handmade, cold-processed soap, made the old-fashioned way that results in a nice large, hard bar of soap that lasts a long time. No more itchy, dry skin for me. Trust me once you start using these soaps, you won’t be satisfied with anything else. To check out raw pictures of these soaps as they were made take a look at our Facebook page – while you’re there, we’d love for you to sign up as a fan!

Herbal Balm – perfect for gardeners!

What's new about our herbal balm? Check it out here and see what we've added to make this already very effective balm into an even more absolute necessity in your medicine cabinet.

Includes Certified organic Chamomile, Calendula & Helichyrsum flowers infused in certified organic extra virgin olive oil. We’ve been infusing our own organic oils – using certified organic extra virgin olive oil and organic botanicals. By doing this we know that the oil has been infused at the highest level possible to extract all the beneficial properties. We go above and beyond the normal and infuse the oil longer and at low temperatures.

Calendula is an important folk medicine plant, often used for treating inflamed tissue. During the Civil War, doctors used calendula leaves to treat open wounds on the battlefield. Calendula flower is among the most soothing of herbs for salves. Herbalist Aviva Romm, author of Natural Healing for Babies and Children (Crossing Press, 1996), uses it along with chickweed (Stellaria media), plantain (Plantago spp.), comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and chamomile (Matricaria recutita) to soothe children’s skin. There is a study of calendula for wounds that showed it to noticeably stimulate physiological regeneration and skin healing. Then top all of that - we also add the essential oils of high altitude Lavender, Tea Tree, Roman Chamomile and German Chamomile - all well known for their comforting, anti-inflammatory and healing properties.

 Red Thyme essential oil - information concerning benefits, properties, use and safety coming soon!

Palmarosa Essential Oil (Cymbopogon martinii var. motia)

Palmarosa became one of my favorite essential oils this past year, after a decade of being ignored by me. I discovered while one of my family members was struggling with a yeast overgrowth that this particular essential oil contains a large percentage of a chemical constituent called "geraniol". Now why is that important? Mainly because there are research studies showing that geraniol is quite effective at inhibiting yeast, and specifically Candida in quite a few research studies, one of which is indicated below (1). Candida is a type of yeast that most often causes diaper rash, thrush, yeast overgrowth and other unpleasant things - yep, that one too.  It also has a very nice fragrance which has been likened to that of rose. I don't quite smell that in the samples I've tested, but it does blend well with other essential oils and is widely used in the fragrance industry. It reminds me of a combination of rose and geranium with maybe a little green note to it. I like it, but like it best when blended with other essential oils.

Palmarosa is a grass and a relative of the aromatic and culinary lemongrass. The leaves are distilled for their essential oil. 

1.  Maruyama N, Takizawa T, Ishibashi H et al (2008) Protective activity of geranium oil and its component, geraniol, in combination with vaginal washing against vaginal candidiasis in mice. Biological & Pharmacological Bulletin 31:1501-1506

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You are responsible for understanding the safe use and practice of aromatherapy and these products. If you have any questions, please feel free to consult us or another aromatherapy professional for further information.

Amazing blend of soothing, warming, comforting essential oils that help with monthly cycles that bring about irritation and depression. This blend will soothe the "beast" in all of us - and is good all month, but particularly good for those times that you just can't seem to get in a good mood. I've learned that I can't make this blend in the middle of the day usually - it relaxes me too much. So - don't use it and drive would be my caution for you. Perfect for an evening bath or a way to calm the entire family when diffused into the room. It also smells very good and makes a very good natural perfume.

 We reformulated this already effective blend in the summer of 2011 after reading more and more research about the immunostimulant properties of quite a few of the essential oils we already love and use in this and other blends. We will soon be adding links to some of the best articles for those who want to know the why's of this blend and the proof that the chemical constituents in this blend have been researched and shown to be very effective. The predominant chemical constituent in some of these oils have studies showing they activate white blood cell activity (basically your immune system's army), are able to inhibit airborne germs, and general immunostimulants. The perfect blend to use if you're going to be traveling, in a conference with lots of people stuck in the room for hours at a time, shopping on busy holidays, a childcare setting, a hospital hallway or nurses' station or just being exposed to potentially dangerous colds and flu's. We've detailed below the properties of each oil:

Petitgrain - contains a high percentage of Linalool and Linalyl acetate known to be immunostimulants

Dill Weed, certified organic - contains Carvone which has been studied and shown to increase white blood cell counts, and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Clary Sage - also contains about 50 to 60% Linalyl acetate and is believed to be an effective immunostimulant

Oregano - contains Carvacrol, which is a well-known to have highly effective antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties, plus it is suggested that Carvacrol might have some of the strongest antioxidant properties.

Basil, ct linalool - this particular chemotype contains approximately 92% linalool, and as stated previously, is believed to be a very effective immunostimulant.

Tea Tree, certified organic - this oil is one of only a few essential oils used in aromatherapy that contains a fairly large percentage of Terpinen-4-ol and though well-known for its germ fighting abilities, it is believed to be an effective immunostimulant and plays a part in activating white blood cell activity (our front-line germ fighters)

Lemon, certified organic - contains d-limonene a powerful helper for our immune systems as studies have shown that it contributes to the activity of some of the most important aspects of our bodies ability to fight off infections, including increasing the total white blood cell count, antibody production and enhancing our natural killer cell activity. 

Cinnamon leaf - contains Eugenol which has been studied and found to be a very effective germ fighting constituent

Black Pepper, certified organic - contains Caryophyllene-b, shown in studies to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties

Clove leaf - also contains Eugenol and has the properties as stated above has been shown to be highly antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory

Bergamot - contains Linalool and as stated previously has been shown to be an effective immunostimulant  

SEE OUR SAFETY AND USE CAUTIONS FOR THIS BLEND

Clove leaf essential oil

For benefits, properties and general description see Clove Bud as both have very much the same properties and safety cautions.

Cinnamon leaf essential oil (Cinnamonum verum)

Description coming soon and you will find more indepth information and research references in our Essential Oil Database (under construction.)