Aromatherapy Silken Body Powder

Body dusting powders add a luxurious finishing touch to a bath. They give your skin a silky feel and absorb excess perspiration.

1 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup white cosmetic clay
1/2 cup dried rose petals
25 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops sandalwood essential oil
10 drops rose essential oil

1. Powder the rose petals in a clean coffee grinder.

2. Mix the arrowroot, clay, and powdered roses together in a nonporous bowl.

3. Add lavender, sandalwood, and rose essential oils and thoroughly mix the oil into the powder with your fingertips.

4. Store in a covered tin or glass jar to prevent the essential oils from dissipating, and allow the powder to mellow for a couple of days before using.

5. Apply with a powder puff or large soft brush, or package in a spice jar with a shaker top.

Aromatherapy Body Oil

Smooth a few drops of this massage oil over your entire body imme­diately after emerging from a shower or bath while your skin is still damp. The oil seals moisture into your skin and creates a protective barrier against dryness.

2 ounces almond oil
2 ounces jojoba oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops grapefruit essential oil
10 drops frankincense essential oil
10 drops sandalwood essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a dark-glass bottle, and shake well. This oil goes a long way, especially if you are applying it to damp skin, so use only a small amount.

Relaxing Aromatherapy Mineral Bath

This bath combines minerals from the earth and sea for a concen­trated mineral soak that will relax you while softening your skin.

2 cups baking soda
1/2 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup sea salt
5 drops lavender essential oil 5 drops marjoram essential oil

1. Fill your bathtub with comfortably warm water. Add the bak­ing soda, Epsom salts, and sea salt to the tub while the water is running to dissolve the mineral salts.

2. Add the essential oils just before entering the tub, stirring the oils into the water with your hand.

3. Relax in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes and follow with a tepid shower.

Aromatherapy Skin-Renewing Body Scrub

This luxurious body scrub removes dull, dry skin and leaves skin silky smooth. It is gentle enough for all skin types, but use a light touch if you have sensitive skin, and do not apply to burned or irri­tated skin. Use a tub mat to avoid slipping in the shower.

1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup corn flour or fine corn meal
1 tablespoon almond oil or avocado oil
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil

1. Grind the rolled oats and almonds in separate batches into a fine meal in a blender or coffee grinder. Place in a small plas­tic bowl.

2. Add corn flour, almond or avocado oil, and lavender and frankincense essential oils. Mix well.

3. Dampen your entire body in a warm shower. Using approxi­mately 1 tablespoon at a time, massage the scrub into your skin, beginning with your calves and working your way up your body, including your neck, but avoiding your face.

4. Rinse well with warm water, and finish with a cool rinse.

Aromatherapy Nail Oil

This nail oil protects your nails from the brittleness and dryness caused by hot water, soaps, and nail-polish remover.

4 tablespoons jojoba oil
10 drops sandalwood essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil

1. Combine jojoba oil with sandalwood and frankincense essen­tial oils in a small dark glass bottle with a dropper. Shake well to thoroughly mix the oils.

2. Massage a few drops into nails and cuticles once a day, or more often if you wish.

Aromatherapy + Herbal Hand & Nail Soak

A warm herbal soak with fragrant essential oils softens your hands and makes it easy to shape up your nails and cuticles.

2 tablespoons calendula flowers
2 tablespoons chamomile flowers
1 teaspoon almond oil
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil

1. Make a strong herbal tea by pouring 4 cups boiling water over calendula and hamomile flowers. Allow to steep until com­fortably warm, and strain into a bowl large enough to hold both of your hands.

2. Add almond oil and lavender and frankincense essential oils.

3. Soak your hands in the warm bath for 10 minutes. Push back your cuticles with an orangewood stick while your hands are damp.

Aromatherapy and Herbal Foot Soak

Treat your feet to a little pampering with this softening and fragrant foot soak.

2 cups baking soda
1 teaspoon almond oil
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops sandalwood essential oil handful dried or fresh rose petals

1. Fill a plastic tub large enough to comfortably hold both of your feet with hot water. Add baking soda and stir to dissolve.

2. Mix lavender and sandalwood essential oils with almond oil and add to the footbath. Float dried rose petals in the bath if you like.

3. Soak your feet for 10 minutes or longer to soften calluses and cuticles.

4. While your feet are still damp, gently remove calluses with a pumice stone or callus file. Push back your cuticles with an orangewood stick.

Aromatherapy Shampoo Recipes for Hair Loss

1/4 cup unscented mild, natural shampoo
1/4 cup strong nettle tea, cooled and strained
20 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops basil essential oil

Combine all ingredients and shake well before using.

Aromatherapy Shampoo Recipes for Problem Scalps

1/4 cup unscented mild, natural shampoo
1/4 cup strong thyme tea, cooled and strained 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
20 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients and shake well before using.

Aromatherapy Shampoo Recipes for Normal Hair

1/4 cup unscented mild natural shampoo
1/4 cup strong lavender tea, cooled and strained
20 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops rosemary or rose essential oil

Combine all ingredients, and shake well before using.

Aromatherapy Shampoo Recipes for Oily Hair

1/4 cup unscented mild, natural shampoo
1/4 cup strong sage tea, cooled and strained
15 drops cedarwood essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients, and shake well before using.

Aromatherapy Shampoo Recipes for Dry Hair

1/4 cup unscented mild, natural shampoo
1/4 cup strong calendula tea, cooled and strained
15 drops sandalwood essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients, and shake well before using.

Aromatherapy Stimulating Scalp Treatment

The essential oils in this formula are traditionally used to stimulate hair growth. Apply this treatment to your scalp at least 1 hour before shampooing.

2 ounces jojoba oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops cedarwood essential oil

1. Combine jojoba oil with rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood essential oils in a small dark-glass bottle. Shake well.

2. Apply 1/2 teaspoon or more to your scalp, massaging the oil into your scalp with your fingertips.

3. After 1 hour or longer (you can leave this scalp treatment on overnight) shampoo your hair as usual.

Rich Aromatherapy Skin Cream

This wonderfully rich cream is excellent as a moisturizer for dry skin anywhere on your body.

1/4 cup almond oil
2 tablespoons jojoba oil
1 tablespoon vitamin-E oil
2 tablespoons grated beeswax
3 tablespoons rosewater
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops sandalwood essential oil

1. Combine almond oil, jojoba oil, vitamin E, and beeswax in a small, heavy pot, and heat over low heat until beeswax melts.

2. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. The mixture will thicken slightly as it cools. Mix essential oil into the oil mixture after it has cooled.

3. Pour rose water into a blender, turn the blender on medium speed, and add the cooled oil slowly, blending until the mix­ture becomes thick and creamy.

4. Spoon the mixture into a glass jar and store in a cool, dark place.

Aromatherapy Facial Oil

Pure jojoba oil is an excellent facial moisturizer. Because it is simi­lar to the skin's natural oils, it is easily absorbed. Fragrant essential oils add healing and rejuvenating properties.

1 ounce jojoba oil
10 drops of essential oil appropriate for your skin type

[Here are the appropriate essential oils for your skin type:
For dry skin; chamomile, sandalwood, rose. For oily skin; cypress, cedar wood, lavender. For normal skin; lavender, geranium, rose. For mature skin; frankincense, lavender, rosemary, rose. For sensitive skin; chamomile, lavender, rose]

1. Combine essential oil (or a combination of essential oils) appropriate for your skin type with jojoba oil in a dark-glass bottle. A glass pharmacy bottle with a dropper works well for dispensing drops of oil.

2. After cleansing your skin with warm water, gently massage 3 to 4 drops of the moisturizing oil onto your damp skin with your fingertips.

Aloe-Lavender Facial Mist

Aloe Vera, lavender, and frankincense all have cell-renewing prop­erties and make a wonderfully fragrant facial mist.

6 ounces aloe vera juice
20 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops frankincense essential oil

1. Combine aloe vera juice with lavender and frankincense essen­tial oils in a 6-ounce glass spray bottle. Shake vigorously.

2. Shake well before each use and mist skin as desired.

Aromatherapy Facial Mist

Use this fragrant facial mist to refresh and hydrate your skin throughout the day. Keep the total amount of essential oil to 30 drops or less.

1 tablespoon distilled witch hazel
20 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops rose or sandalwood essential oil
filtered water

1. Combine witch hazel and essential oils in a 6-ounce glass spray bottle.

2. Shake vigorously, and fill the bottle with filtered water.

3. Shake well before using.

Aromatherapy Facial Mask

This simple mask combines the purifying benefits of clay with fra­grant essential oils. The addition of almond or jojoba oil keeps the mask from drying your skin.

1/2 teaspoon cosmetic clay
2 teaspoons plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon almond or jojoba oil
2 drops essential oil appropriate for your skin type

[Here are the appropriate essential oils for your skin type:
For dry skin; chamomile, sandalwood, rose. For oily skin; cypress, cedar wood, lavender. For normal skin; lavender, geranium, rose. For mature skin; frankincense, lavender, rosemary, rose. For sensitive skin; chamomile, lavender, rose]

1. Combine cosmetic clay with yogurt, almond or jojoba oil, and essential oil of your choice.

2. Wash your face with warm water. Apply the mask.

3. After 15 minutes, remove the mask with a warm, wet wash­cloth and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

4. Follow with a toner and moisturizer.

Aromatherapy Lavender Facial Compress

This quick and fragrant facial compress is like a mini-sauna. It's sim­ple enough to be used as part of your regular cleansing routine.

basin of warm water.
2 drops lavender essential oil

1. Add lavender essential oil to a basin of very warm water.

2. Soak a washcloth in the scented water, wring out the cloth, and gently compress your face and neck with the cloth. Repeat sev­eral times, wringing out the cloth each time in the warm water.

Aromatherapy Facial Sauna for Sensitive Skin

This is a simplified version of an herbal facial sauna. Essential oils have a wonderful fragrance and are beneficial for your skin.

1-1/2 quarts water
3 drops chamomile or lavender or rose essential oil

1. Pour boiling water into a large, heatproof bowl. Add essential oil.

2. Make a towel tent over your head and the bowl with a large towel to capture the steam. Lift the towel as necessary to reg­ulate the temperature, and take care to not burn yourself with the steam. Stay under the towel for 10 minutes to allow the steam to cleanse your pores.

3. Rinse your face with tepid water, and follow with a gentle facial scrub and a facial mask if desired.

Aromatherapy Facial Sauna for Mature Skin

This is a simplified version of an herbal facial sauna. Essential oils have a wonderful fragrance and are beneficial for your skin.

1-1/2 quarts water
3 drops frankincense or lavender or rosemary or rose essential oil

1. Pour boiling water into a large, heatproof bowl. Add essential oil.

2. Make a towel tent over your head and the bowl with a large towel to capture the steam. Lift the towel as necessary to reg­ulate the temperature, and take care to not burn yourself with the steam. Stay under the towel for 10 minutes to allow the steam to cleanse your pores.

3. Rinse your face with tepid water, and follow with a gentle facial scrub and a facial mask if desired.