ESSENTIAL OILS!

Nice one...! I love scented everything and I'm glad you found something that works well for you! Sorry about hearing that you've been so stressed lately, but I get what you are saying about being glum after so long of being happy, I'm like that too... Probably too peppy for my own good! I exhaust myself haha!

Well, my sister just got put in jail. She has a problem with abusing prescription drugs. My dad is suffering from crushing depression and some severe and un-diagnosable medical condition. I may or may not be able to have children. Some of my doctor's say that I am in stage 0 breast cancer while others say that I just have a higher risk of getting breast cancer later on.  And my MA program is a little overwhelming these days. My life is good I just really do tend to get stressed these days. So I appreciate any cocktail of essential oils or advice to get through! And of course I find that MM is a decent form of stress relief. Good luck to all who struggle with tough times.

Sweetassgal, I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a rough time.  When it rains, it certainly pours... I'm happy to hear that you've found relief in essential oils.  I too am a fan of chammomile tea, it's my go to when I am coming down with a cold or flu, or just feeling under the weather.  It had medicinal properties, and helps you recover sooner.  I loved working at The Body Shop, that was where I really got into essential oils, becuase they had every type of essiential oil needed to help combat any type of problem.  I loved bergomot as a quick pick-me-up.  Ylang ylang and rose were great when I wasn't feeling sensual, and lavender would always help me relax before bed.  You're absolutly right about not applying the oils, in their pure form, directly to the skin.  When we would make custome message oils, body lotions, ect. the customers always wanted us to add way too much oil to the mixture.  We had to explain that we were adding essential oils, and that if after a few days of letting mixture cure, they could bring it back and we would add more to it then, as we didn't want them having a reaction from the oils.  Anyhow, I really do hope that things turn around quickly for you, the great thing about life is that most of our problems are temporary.  You're a strong woman and before you know it, you'll be back to your perky self.  I'm seening some good chi your way...

Essential oils can also be really useful for cleaning, as some of them have disinfectant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. This Green Cleaning Guide has a handy table about how to use EOs to effectively clean your house in a way that will smell good and not have any nasty chemicals: http://www.wmeac.org/media/files/global/GREENCLEANGUIDE.pdf

Great review, SAG.  Sorry you have had such a rough time. And to you Kellie!Agnes - yes, dried in a bath pouch work great. I do this all the time.  My personal favorite is dried chamomille and lavender. Heavenly.  And so relaxing.   I love everything about herbs, and essential oils.  But my favorite are the ones I grow in my own garden.  

great article, and i hope that you can recover from all the stressful situations quickly and painlessly :) I am a chronic stress case, so i had to rely on herbal or aromatherapy relief. I can recommend chamomile flower tea (there is no tea, just the flowers), just a teaspoon of it over boiling water and aroma is amazing. The taste is quite smooth and slightly sweet. I drank mine before going to bed - hot, and cold in the morning. it was great. i got mine as a sample from special teas- they have a website with great teas.I also use lavender oil from Bath and Body Works and i love it, it  helps me to fall asleep really quick. I also bought a bunch of other oils to suit my mood and seasons. For hot summer day i like Strawberry Patch oil :)When you skin stresses too, you can spray yourself with cold water or some aromatherapy product. I like my Kerstin Florian Neroli water spray very much for hot days when makeup melts off :)I hope these tips will help somebody!

Sorry to be picky; but, how about doing a spell check before you post something...or at least look it up in a dictionary. Its not "chammomile". It's correct spelling is "chamomile", and some people use "chamomille" but not "chammomile".  Ugh, now I'm stressed out.

Calmia make a yoga mat infused with lavender oil-yummy!.

Hello Ladies (and Gents? :) ) let me tell you, I LOVE essential oils. Essential bc they are, essential to mind, body, and definitely SPIRIT AND SOUL. Lavender is known for it's properties and for stress relief, it is second to NONE.I am dedicating this recipe to Kellie and SAG: Diana's tea: bring a cup of plain milk, or reg or vanilla soy milk to a boil then remove from heat, add honey and a pinch of lavender flowers, (they have edible flowers at most health food stores and wholefoods) you can use a tea diffuser or put the lavender flowers directly in the warm honey and milk, steep 5 min. strain if needed and drink. Other flowers you can add w/ the lavender is chamomile and jasmine, Lavendar tea aka Diana's Tea gives you fairy kisses and soft angel dreams. It is my belief that when 1 door closes another door opens, sometimes, it seems like it takes forever, but, eventually it will open. Kick Back, sip tea, and Glam On!!

vicci13 -that sounds fabulous,very goddess.Lulu the mat is super pretty too.

Essential oils really are AWESOME. Did you know that some schools (including my daughter's) use certain scents during tests to stimulate the brain? For example, they are big on using minty smells during math tests. Pretty neat huh?Even better than the oils are the real thing, which is why I have tons of lavander growing in my gardens. It grows in abundance and I enjoy tossing a bundle on the dash of my car (the sun heats it up and the car smells WONDERFUL) or stashing a sachet in my clothing drawers, etc. Great post!

Sweetassgal and the rest of you lovely women, I am so sorry to hear that you are going through such a stressful time.  It's always all at once too!I was in bed for the last 24 hours with the most excruciating Migraine.  I get them every month, like clockwork, I feel your pain, literally. The only thing that really helps (I've tried every medication known) is a medication called Frova and the repeated use of ice packs.  Frova is similar to Immitrex but much more effective and longer lasting, maybe it can help you too.Sweetassgal, I think it's brilliant that you are fostering animals.  I once heard about a study that linked an increase in our endorphin levels to time spent petting dogs.  Prior to and immediately after a 20 minute petting session, both the animal and the person had their blood drawn to check their endorphin levels.  The findings were consistently the same and quite astonishing.  Time after time, after each session both showed significant endorphin increases. How great is that? Who couldn't use more of those wonderful, feel-good chemicals coursing through our veins, right? I've always had animals around me.  As a child, sometimes they were the only comfort available. After hearing of this study, it cemented something for me logically that I already knew instinctively.  I regularly experience this with our German Shepherd, she will calm down long enough to get in bed, and lie down next to me when I am really suffering from a bad migraine. It's as if she can sense the pain, perhaps even smell it on some level, it's extremely comforting.   What a beautiful give and take, a lovely example of unconditional love! P.S. Not to be a total jerk, but anyone looking for misspelled words here is kind of missing the point of Meg'smakeup.com. 

As a massage therapist, I am obsessed with essential oils.. I would never perform a massage without adding some to my carrier oil (which is beneficial not only to my clients but to myself as well). My favorite is lavender, very calming and perfect for relieving stress. The only bad thing about adding a few drops of essential oils is that my clients NEVER want to get off the table :) hey can you blame them?? 

WoW sweetassgal, you've had a hell of a time these past days!  Just reading about them mad me feel like...awful!   Stress can be a real PIA!At work we have Good Old Fashioned Bitch Fest's  like some people have BBQ's in the summer!!  A-Men to that!!

I have been a huge fan of aromatherapy for almost 25 years.  I always try aroma or teas before any prescription drug.  Of course, there are still times that a doctor is needed.A great site for information on ayurvedic medicine and products that support this is called Maharishi Ayurveda and the site is MAPI.comI recommend every one try oils, teas or other natural ways to help deal with stress, allergies, skin conditions and so on.  If it doesn't work, then see a doctor.

REDVELVET, Any negative crap you are getting from your neighbor is all on her.  It's nothing more than a reflection of all the "ugly" that resides inside her heart.  Some people need to put others down just to get out of bed in the morning and feel better about themselves.  Mean people are suckish!   Your decision to share was an act of love, an attempt to connect with another human being. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and there's definitely no shame in that either. I hope you don't let one mean person get you down.  We all have something we are dealing with, whether it's depression, ptsd, a difficult marriage, anxiety, difficult in-laws or a miserable job, you name it; you are not alone.  Especially here....

My gosh, no wonder you are stressed out Sweetassgal. Your comment re Tortilla and Zoloft cocktail made me giggle. Kellie76, gosh your sister in jail and your dad having depression? I always think the harder the circumstances the bigger the lesson. I am sending out some Sparkling Shining Stars and they are falling like dust all over the stress.Another idea I have mentioned on this site before is a aromatherapy machine that has a neon blue led light. Love it. I also think if you buy it in your birthday month the store gives you 10% off. Really it's worth it. Theirs also a aromatherapy oil that I love from Aveda. They don't normally sell that exact one unless you ask for it. Its from the Brilliant line #5. I don't know if any of you have smelled it but I find this smell really relaxes me. Also when I used it in my hair I had some compliments about the smell. Alsosly,Think your in need of some shiny sparkle stars too. Sending love your way for your stressful day. Artcandy  I'm off to buy some tea tomorrow, I always forget how much it helps and the idea of putting it on the stove is a great one.

I've never tried essential oils, but I love some of the BBW Aromatherapy stuff, which incorporates them.  The sleep stuff is really nice, especially the pillow mist.

Essential oils are really incredible.I tend to be a bit of a stress head and use Bach's Rescue Remedy (a natural non-addictive) stress reliever which is formulated to help... well.... relieve stress!!Its fantastic.

Whoops-its holisticsilk that make the yoga mat infused with lavender,Im always mixing those two companies up mabye because they have similar yoga geared products.You have to see there stuff -http://www.holisticsilk.com/ As well as the yoga mats,they have silk lavender infused eye masks,anti ageing pillowcases and the most gorgeous of all are there holistic slippers,they kind of look like ballet shoes-dainty and cute but they have hidden magnets in the sole that give you a reflexology massage as you walk around,there made of silk and embroidered(like chinese embroidery)and come in gorgeous colours including hot pink(their having a sale in some sizes at the moment)and you wouldnt be embarrased to be caught wearing them(like bunny slippers or something)oh and they make a mor macho pair for men.You'll be relaxed but theres a lot of stuff on there you'll want to buy so I dont think you credit card will be feeling very relaked by the time your finished.

I don't know much about Chamomille, But I really love my essentials Oils, I use Argan Oil (not sure if you call it the same it from Morocco) on my face every day cause it's an excellent anti-wrinkle !I love the carrot oil too it's great for the skin elasticity and It also naturally reduces the damaging effects of UV radiation !!!!!! it's good for your hair too !and I use every night castor oil on my lashes...it suposed to make them be heaalthier it act like a conditionner !