Today's highlight is from the Chakra series - the Sacral Chakra. The Sacral chakra is the seat of personal boundaries, trust, intimacy and the sense of attraction between two people. When the sacral chakra is balanced, we are patient and desire and pleasure are balanced. We are able to manifest desires and use our intuition. Our intimacy and our creativity flows. When the sacral chakra is imbalanced, we are withdrawn - we may have fears about our relationships, be manipulative, suspicious and insecure. A blend of natural essential oils and handmade tinctures were used to create this one of a kind perfume. Ginger, jasmine, cardamom, myrrh, and vetivert work in harmony to open and revitalize the chakra. A topaz is added to pull creative energy to the sacral center.

Lemongrass & Lavender Oil

One of my favorite spas is the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg   -such a beautiful and relaxing spot.  One of the things I love about the spa is the scent that fills the air.   The Spa uses the delicate fragrance of lemongrass and lavender to fragrance the rooms– the affect is both refreshing and relaxing. I decided to recreate the scent at home by infusing rice bran oil with Lemongrass and Lavender.  Not only is the scent amazing, but the three ingredients all have skin loving properties that are great base for formulations: Lemongrass is an herb that acts as an astringent.  This helps to tighten pores and provide temporary skin-firming.  Lemongrass has an herbal, slightly lemony scent that has a calming effect on the mind.  Lemongrass is also great for hair – helps control dandruff and oil production.Lavender is both an astringent and anti-inflammatory so it is good for treating acne and other skin irritations like burns, insect bites and eczema.  And of course the wonderful clean scent is relaxing and balancing.  Lavender is also said to increase metal activityFinally, Rice Bran Oil is easily absorbed and great for dry skin and eczema. It tighten the skin and reduces the look of wrinkles.  Rice Bran Oil has been shown to aid in prevention of acne and other skin problems. Rice Bran Oil is rich in vitamins B & E; skin smoothing and moisturizing.
  As well as Three Muses Facial Oil for Acne Control, I will be using the infused oil as a base to a relaxing massage oil and a special edition foaming bath oil.  

Cleansing with Facial Oils

Some people are wary of using an oil cleanser for their face, but in reality oil is a great way to treat your skin.  We have been taught to think oil causes acne or oily skin, but actually a combination of many factors including hormones, bacteria and dirt cause skin to break out.  What’s worse is that many of us use harsh cleansers which actually strip of skin of needed nutrients and can cause our skin to overproduce oil in an attempt to correct the skin’s nature balance.  Three Muses Facial Oil cleans without stripping the skin.  Simply massage a few drops into your skin to dissolve makeup and grime.  Then our unique water soluble formula rinses completely off.  You will feel an immediate difference in that there won’t be that tight and dry feeling.   Three Muses Facial Oil is available in two formulas: Age Control & Acne Control 

Today's Tincture

Tincturing is a wonderful way to capture the natural essence of herbs; and it is so easy to do. To make a tincture, grind up fresh or dried herbs, place in glass container and cover with alcohol (because I use the tincture only in perfumes – I use perfumer’s grade alcohol which is odorless and colorless). The tinctures need to be cured anywhere from 10 days to 2 months – depending on the herb being tinctured and the desired strength of the final scent.

Today I am tincturing juniper berries in honor of the weather turning cooler. There are two fragrances on my mind as I prepare the juniper berries today. One is a Holiday scent with frankincense, juniper, tonka and vanilla as a base – and spicy orange for the heart of the scent. I also want to create an herbal mixture that will play up the crisp, fresh scent of juniper with a blend of rosemary and lavender. Both will be great fragrances for the Fall season.

I am also going to use some of the left over dried herbs to make small sachet. I use small muslin bags with a drawstring and fill with the ground dried herbs. The sachet can be put into drawers and closets and even better, the sachet can be hung from the faucet as the water runs into the tub. This creates a wonderfully scented bath.

Leave me a comment and let me know what scents the cooler weather is bringing to your mind today…