Base Formula Blog

Super rich gardener’s hand cream recipe

sharonlovett — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:26:23 +0000

If you’re a keen gardener then Spring will be your busiest time. Plants are waking up and winter clear-up has to be done, not to mention getting on top of the weeds before they really get going – and this is all before we can start planting this year’s garden.

Unfortunately all of this gardening can have a detrimental effect on our hands. The embedded dirt and constant washing of our hands leaves our skin feeling really dry and rough. This can then lead to painful cracks, calluses, dry cuticles and split nails. Coupled with all the usual scratches, scrapes, aches and pains your poor hands will almost certainly be in need of a little TLC.

To help protect your hands try covering then in moisturiser (see recipe below) before putting on your gardening gloves. This will help the clean-up operation as dirt will be trapped by the oils in the moisturiser and will wash off more easily. You can also pop a little cream under your nails to prevent dirt getting underneath.

If you still can’t get rid of ingrained dirt then try making your own stain removal scrub. Simply mix some porridge oats with milk and rub into your hands for a few minutes. This will not only help remove stains but the oats will also help to soothe and soften the skin.

Once your hands are lovely and clean make sure you apply plenty of moisturiser to keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. Try our super rich hand cream recipe below.

Super Rich Gardener’s Hand Cream Recipe

100ml fragrance free Moisturising Lotion
5ml Vitamin E Oil
2 drops of Benzoin essential oil
4 drops Frankincense essential oil
10 drops Lavender essential oil
8 drops Geraniun essential oil
6 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

Mix ingredients together and store in an air tight jar.

Disclaimer: The information provided on the Base Formula blog is for personal information and interest only. It is not intended to offer professional medical advice or treatment for any condition. We recommend that you consult your GP or nurse if you have any health concerns whatsoever. Our advice has been provided on the basis that there are no known contra-indications to treatment. If you have any health problems or are taking any medication you should seek advice from your healthcare provider prior to using aromatherapy. We would also advise that you make an appointment with a local aromatherapist who will be able to take a full case history and offer you tailored treatment advice. Please note that Base Formula accepts no liability for misuse of essential oils or other products or for any reliance on the information provided within.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Holistic advice for spring allergies

sharonlovett — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:29:33 +0000

Spring brings blue skies, sunshine (well, it’s meant to, but we’ve not seen much of either of these so far!), singing birds, blooming flowers and blossoming trees – and unfortunately for some, the onset of hay fever!

If you suffer from seasonal allergies you’ll know that there are numerous over the counter and prescription medicines that can help. But, if you prefer a natural approach we’d recommend you try the following holistic advice to help avoid or minimize the symptoms

Avoid dairy produce as this may generate excess congestion when you are already coping with excess mucus.
Try rinsing out your nasal passages with salt water (morning and night) to help reduce inflammation and remove stray pollen grains that might be causing irritation.
Take extra Vitamin C – try BioCare’s Low Acid Vitamin C Powder (Magnesium Ascorbate rather than the high acid Ascorbic Acid) – 1gm daily am and pm if you’re very congested. (Seek further advice if you are on medication)
Try a regular aromatherapy inhalation with 2 drops Frankincense, 1 Eucalyptus and 1 Tea Tree. This is the most effective way of delivering the essential oils’ decongestant and anti-inflammatory properties straight to the problem zone.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Wash the rain away with our natural home spa treats

sharonlovett — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:00:34 +0000

Feeling cheesed off with all this rain? Why not treat yourself to a natural home spa this weekend. Many of us are feeling the pinch in these recessionary times, so there’s no better time to realise that you can treat yourself ‘really’ indulgently, without spending a fortune. If you use our products as a base, and blend in your own essential oil combinations, you’ll know there’s no hidden chemicals or exorbitant costs – just the scent and therapeutic benefits of the pure, skin loving essential oils.

If you’re a therapist, perhaps you should also start making up more products for your clients that are specific to their individual needs and favourite aromatherapy fragrances? Treat yourself first, enjoy the results and then grow your ideas and business opportunities from first hand experience.

Bath Salt Boost:

Blend 100g of Dead Sea Salt with the following essential oils, add to a lovely warm bath and wash your blues away:-

For Him: 10 drops Lavender, 8 drops Bergamot, 1 drop Benzoin and 4 drops Sandalwood

For Her: 10 drops Lavender, 8 drops Bergamot, 4 drops Geranium and 2 drops Neroli or Rose.

Refresh & Radient Facial:

First of all, put about a litre of pre-boiling water into a bowl. Add 2 drops Geranium and 2 drops of Lemon. Steam your face for 5 minutes to open up the pores and release any congestion. Then splash your face with cold water after steaming to stimulate your circulation. NOTE: Bypass this if you have any broken veins, as the heat could worsen the condition.

Then, try this exfoliant face pack blend. Massage it in using circular motions and leave to dry for 5 -10 minutes. Then place a warm wet flannel on the face to soften the mask and wash off to see your skin gleam!

3 tblsp White Kaolin Clay
1 tblsp Fine Oatmeal
2 tblsp Dead Sea Salt
1 tblsp French Green Clay
1-2 teaspoon Soya Bean Oil/Olive Oil/Sweet Almond Oil (chose your preferred carrier oil)
4 drops Lavender
2 drops Geranium
2 drops Petitgrain
1 drops Frankincense

Skin Moisture Balm:

Save yourself a fortune and cheer yourself up at the same time! Make yourself this lovely, luxuriant body moisture balm and enjoy the effect, the scent and the low cost! Blend all of the following ingredients, stir well and store in airtight jars.

250ml Moisturising Lotion
2 tblsp Aloe Vera & Rose Hydrating Gel
2 tsp Vitamin E Oil
20 drops Lavender
15 drops Geranium
10 drops Orange Sweet
6 drops Rosewood
6 drops Ylang Ylang

Clinical case study – Grief

sharonlovett — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:45:58 +0000

Clinical Case Study by natural health therapist, Joannah Metcalfe

I see this gentleman, who is in his early forties, once a month – usually for preventative aromatherapy massage and Reiki. He usually has some degree of neck/back shoulder tension/discomfort. He has an open, relaxed nature and is usually someone who finds it easy to laugh at life’s challenges and keep them in proportion, discussing any concerns easily and with a degree of self awareness.

However, on this occasion I had been briefed by a relative (with his permission) that he was struggling. It was the 1 year anniversary of the death of a very close family member, who he misses dreadfully. This, coupled with a few other issues at home and at work had compounded, and it had all become too much. He had begun to break down at the mention of his loved one, and was finding work a real pressure.

When he came in – we had decided to book a two hour session to give us all the time we needed, I first of all asked him, in his own words – to describe to me how he was feeling, and what he was worried about, if he felt able. We have a good rapport and level of trust, built up over a period of 8 years, so he found it easy to talk, which was great. With a little encouragement and discussion I was able to ascertain there were 3 main areas of concern, a work issue, a home issue but the foundation issue – the main problem that was causing the essential difficulty, was grief. I asked him if he felt that if this feeling was different for him – if he felt that the other issues would be resolvable. We agreed that he had begun to lack perspective on these other issues due to the emotional turbulence he was feeling in relation to his loss.

I suggested therefore, that we focused on this aspect of how he was feelings, and then reviewed how he was feeling about/coping with the other issues. I also suggested that we have 3 more sessions weekly to back up the momentum we started that day, so he felt additional support and was less worried about losing his job through “being unable to cope”. He appeared to feel very positive that things were beginning to move forwards almost immediately. A degree of relief at admitting how he was feeling, instead of keeping it “all inside” (not wanting to upset /worry his family). I also reassured him that I had helped other people in similar situations very successfully, so I felt confident that we could improve how he was feeling. I was also informed that he had been for a check-up to his GP, who was discussing the possibility of anti-depressant medication, had signed him off work for 2 weeks and asked to see him again at the end of that period. I asked him to let him know about our sessions, which he already had discussed, and the GP was very positive about it. Times are changing!!

I first of all started with a TFT (Thought Field Therapy) session, to clear some emotional blocks and release the lack of self confidence and fearful feelings that he had. After a mere 30 minutes he was laughing rather than crying when we revisited certain issues. I said that it was important that he could look back and remember the vastly predominant happy memories he had shared with his relative, without the recent sadness occluding these happy feelings and pictures in his mind eye. He was delighted that this began to happen again within this time. Yet again I was impressed with how quickly this therapy unlocks peoples inner resources and innate capabilities with such profound rapidity and gentle effectiveness, as blocks are released.

I then gave him a back massage and some Reiki, as he was holding on to a great deal of tension and his posture was quite hunched. I used Lavender, Petitgrain and Sandalwood to ease the physical and emotional tension and to boost confidence and a feeling of calm reassurance.

We finished with a 45 minute Hypnotherapy session. In this session I concentrated on various techniques (including NLP) to help him to release his worries and fears (in a content free way) and allow his confidence and self esteem to gather momentum once again. I finished this session with some “time line” work “future pacing”, getting him to imagine experiencing some future happy times (he had mentioned some events he was looking forwards to) and bringing those positive happy feelings back into the present moment, reinforcing his natural optimism and the “feel good factor”.

He left looking a completely different man. His colour/complexion was pink (it had been white when he came in 2 hours previously) his posture more relaxed and upright. He was grinning and laughing, and recounting some positive memories of his loved one as he left.

This type of session is always such a joy, as it enables you to hand back the inner resources that we all have within us, but sometimes lose connection with. Occasionally we all need a little help to get back to feeling ourselves once again. I have seen this gentleman again this week and he was delighted to report that he was able to remember his loved one without feeling upset, he was sleeping better and feeling more himself. We will continue reinforcing these feelings over the next few weeks, just to make sure he’s back on track. Then back to our monthly sessions once again, unless anything else needs additional attention or resolution.

Joannah Metcalfe

Q&A: Is orange essential oil safe to use in the sun?

sharonlovett — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:00:50 +0000

Q: Can you tell me if your Orange Sweet essential oil is a ‘folded’ essential oil’? I would like to use it in a body lotion but I live overseas where it is sunny most of the time.

A: Our Orange Sweet essential oil is a ‘whole’ oil. It is not a ‘folded’ version, so we wouldn’t recommend that you use this oil in a ‘leave on’ product if you’re going to be out in the sun.

Certain whole essential oils such as Orange, along with other citrus oils, are phototoxic which means that they might cause skin discolouration in bright sunlight (even when properly diluted in an appropriate base). It is therefore best to avoid using these oils if your skin is going to be exposed in sunny weather.

A folded essential oil is one that has been further distilled to produce a stronger, more concentrated oil. During this process ‘terpenes’, the substance that makes an oil phototoxic, are removed, which means that folded essential oils are generally ok to use in the sun. As an alternative to Orange essential oil you could try our Bergamot FCF, which has had its ‘Bergaptene’ removed to minimise its photoxicity. We would however advise that you still use this oil at a concentration of less than 1%.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Try our oil cleansing method…

sharonlovett — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:01:14 +0000

If you’re sick of spending good money on expensive cleansers that leave your skin feeling dry and tight, you could try making your own all natural cleanser at home with a few simple aromatherapy-based ingredients.

Although cleansing your face with oil may sound a bit strange and counter-productive it can actually work in a surprisingly effective way. The oil cleansing method actually removes the bad oil from your skin and replaces it with good oil, while soap-based forms of cleansing pull ALL of the oil from your skin which can cause it to dry out.

An oil cleanser will help to remove dirt and make-up (which is often oil-based) and your skin’s own natural oils. As it is a natural oil itself it won’t dry out your skin as you are essentially replacing one oil with another.

Cleansing oil recipe

50ml Jojoba oil
2 drops of Palmarosa essential oil
2 drops of Geranium essential oil

Jojoba is as close to the skin’s own natural oil (sebum) as you can get. When you use it on skin that over produces sebum it can help to rebalance the skin. By applying the oil your skin thinks that it has produced enough sebum which therefore helps slow down production.

Palmarosa is often used in skincare for its lovely fragrance and its sebum-balancing, hydrating properties. It also helps to regenerate healthy new skin cells.

Geranium has a balancing and soothing effect on all skin types and can also help to balance sebum-production.

How to use the oil cleansing method

Apply a small amount of the cleansing oil to your face and neck and massage in in circular, upward movements. Then take a hot, wet flannel and press it against your face until the flannel becomes room temperature. The heat will help to open the pores and allow the oil to pull out impurities that are lodged deeper in your skin. Finally, remove the remaining oil with cotton wool soaked in one of our hydrolats, and moisturise as normal.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Q&A: Using seaweed powder in face masks?

sharonlovett — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:49:46 +0000

Q: Can I use your Seaweed Extract Powder in a face mask?

A: Yes our Seaweed Extract Powder, can be mixed with either our Ultra Fine French Green Clay or Ultra White Kaolin Clay to make a skin nurturing face mask. Seaweed has been used therapeutically for centuries. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and can help to balance natural moisture levels and restore the texture and tone of the skin. It also has detoxifying properties and can aid skin healing.

To make your own mask we’d recommend mixing 1 tsp of Seaweed Extract with your chosen clay base (Kaolin clay is the mildest and is more suited to sensitive skin). Blend with one of our hydrolats until you get a porridge like paste and then apply to the skin. You should only need to use a face mask once a week, this will ensure that the skin has adequate time to regenerate.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Help for headaches

sharonlovett — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:09:45 +0000

There are lots of different types of headaches and many causes. The main types however are:-

Tension headaches - mild to moderate with a fairly constant pressure/pain felt in both sides of the head and neck.

Migraines – Symptoms can vary and there are different types of migraines. Usually presents with a moderate to severe pulsing pain on one side of the head. Symptoms can get worse with activity and there may be accompanying nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and sensitivity to light and noise.

Cluster headaches – frequent short burst of one-sided pains across the temple or around the eyes. The pain can reoccur daily for several weeks and then subside. New clusters may develop at some point in the future.

Please note that this only a general guide. Symptoms may vary by person so you should always seek medical advice for a confirmed diagnosis.

Prevention

Regular aerobic exercise can help to prevent or reduce the severity of headaches. You should also avoid common triggers such as certain foods, alcohol or preservatives. A healthy balanced diet, eating regularly to avoid drops in blood sugar and keeping yourself well hydrated are also important.

Cure

Simple painkillers are the most common form of treatment for most headaches, however taking these too regularly can lead to even worse headaches which are known as analgesic-induced or drug-rebound headaches. Complementary therapies such as aromatherapy can be an extremely useful, effective alternative to conventional medicine.

If you suffer from headaches why not try the following blend of essential oils:-

3 drops Cornmint (Peppermint China)
2 drops Lavender
1 drop Valerian

Blend into 50ml of Aloe Vera Gel and apply to temples, alternatively rub into the hands and then massage your scalp in a shampoo like motion. If you regularly suffer with headaches you could also blend these oils into a fragrance free shampoo and conditioner and use daily.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Boost your memory for your exams…

sharonlovett — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:37:53 +0000

Are you busy studying for exams? If you are, we’ve put together a few top tips to boost your memory and get those brain cells in top working order.

Find time to exercise

Exercising increases the amount of blood flow to the brain, and this blood is rich in oxygen. This increased oxygen and blood flow allows the brain to function correctly, and this will have a positive effect on the memory.

Get a good night’s sleep

Sleep is necessary for memory consolidation. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea will leave you tired and unable to concentrate during the day. Calming essential oils such as Lavender and Chamomile can be used to aid a more restful night’s sleep. For a ready made solution try our Sleep Rescue Balm which can be applied to the pulse point as required.

Manage your stress levels

Chronic over-secretion of the stress hormone, Cortisol, can adversely affect brain function, especially memory. It can also make it harder for you to focus and think clearly. To help try a stress relieving blend of essential oils to promote calm and relaxation. The following blend can be used in an aromatherapy burner or diffuser.

2 drops of Valerian
2 drops of Geranium
1 drop of Orange Sweet

Diet

Studies have shown that certain nutrients nurture and stimulate brain function. Here are a few of the key ones that you should try to include more of in your diet:-

Vitamin A helps to combat toxins that damage brain cells
Vitamin B1 is needed to produce the brain chemical acetylcholine, crucial for concentration levels and memory
Vitamin B3 is essential for brain health
Vitamin C neutralizes harmful free radicals that may damage brain cells
Vitamin E boosts brain function.
Omega 3 fatty acids are concentrated in the brain and are associated with cognitive function.

Memory Enhancing Aromatherapy Blend

Rosemary is the one of the best oils for stimulating and clearing the mind and scientifically proves correct the old saying ‘Rosemary for rememberance’. It is reviving, refreshing and helps to strengthen the mind and encourages creativity.

Try it in a blend with Juniper, which helps to clear the mind and strengthen the nerves, and Geranium for its relaxing and calming properties. Put 2 drops of each oil on a tissue and inhale during revision sessions and again in examinations.

Good luck!!

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.

Need a boost between massage treatments?

sharonlovett — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:07:11 +0000

If you have regular massage treatments then you can help maintain the work that your therapist has done by practising self-massage at home in between treatments.

Although it’s not as relaxing as receiving a massage from a professional therapist it is a great way to relieve muscle tension and stress and to promote a feeling of calm and wellbeing. Obviously you can’t massage your own back but you can focus on lots of other important areas of your body. To maximise the therapeutic benefit, experiment with different essential oils blended into a carrier oil, as recommended by your therapist or try one of our pre-blended aromatherapy massage oils.

One of the most beneficial areas to focus on is the feet, as foot massage is extremely relaxing and can benefit the entire body.

Spread your oil onto the palms of your hands then use effleurage movements all over the first foot, gradually increasing the pressure as you go along – use your whole hand and keep it relatively flat and relaxed with the fingers loosely together, then stroke it rhythmically up and down the foot.

Next use petrissage movements – this is a repeated, gentle, kneading motion that works the muscles – use your hands and fingertips to lift, stretch, squeeze and then relax.

Finally use friction movements – firm, rubbing circular movements with the fingertips, thumbs or knuckles. Start gently and then increase the pressure as you go along. Repeat everything on the other foot.

Please visit our website for more details on using essential oils safely and effectively.