I’ve suffered from depression and panic disorder for many years and I spent most of my early twenties stuck on a nasty anti-depressant which didn’t really help. After switching to natural skincare products last year, I decided to learn more about essential oils and how they could help my mental state.

I’ve come across many websites discussing the benefits of aromatherapy and discovered that there is an ongoing debate over how helpful it really is. Now I can’t speak for physical ailments, but I do believe that they can have a strong effect on us mentally. How a product smells is very important to me and if I don’t like a certain aroma, no matter how good something might be for me I won’t use it. Conversely, I’ll often buy a product that smells great even if it doesn’t suit me at all. The multi-billion pound perfume industry relies on this, enticing us with fragrances that we probably don’t need but cant resist when they’re wafted in front of our noses. Imagine how dull the world would be if we couldn’t smell!

I’ve always enjoyed using incense sticks and scented candles and will always add something smelly to my bath. Up until recently, it’s been pre-mixed oils in carriers, but now I’m trying essential oils directly. I love how I can mix and match my favourite ones and vary them depending on my mood. I also bought myself an oil burner a couple of weeks ago and am experimenting with that too. This afternoon I was feeling particularly teary and snappy, so I added a couple of drops of bergamot and neroli to the burner, then sat back and relaxed for half an hour. I’m now feeling a lot better, no longer panicky or agitated.

This, to me, is a far better solution to my anxiety issues. Rather than affect my brain chemistry with potentially dangerous medications, I can do it safely the way Mother Nature intended. Sometimes the simplest of solutions really is the best.

Tags: anxiety, aromatherapy, depression, essential oils

I’m so happy, my package from Anita Grant arrived this morning! I was a little worried as the status of my order still says Confirmed instead of Shipped, so it was a lovely surprise to hear the postman knocking on my door.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a full-size bottle of the Camellia Copaiba Bath & Body Oil which is one of the large pump bottles you can see in the picture. The other is a Wheat Germ & Carrot Cleansing Oil which I’m intending to use for my oil cleansing regimen. The two smaller bottles are samples of the Camellia with Ylang-Ylang and Lavender (for my stretchmarks) and Watermelon Oil which I may also use as part of the oil cleansing process.

The block of what looks like marble is actually a shampoo bar - Kelp and Ylang-Ylang Babassu to be precise. Can you see a bit of a ylang-ylang theme here? It wasn’t intentional, but it is a favourite oil of mine. Finally, I have a Lemon Lippy Pucker, and delicious it is too.

I’ll no doubt be telling you all how I get on with them at some point in the future, so if you’re interested in these products then please check back over the next few weeks. Alternatively, if you have any direct questions, I’ll be happy to answer, just pop them in the comments area.

Tags: anita grant, lip balm, lip butter, moisturiser, oil, shampoo

Sunday was Mother’s Day here in the UK and I had planned to visit my mum and my nan. The day before, I had an acne breakout, so that evening I used my First Aid Lotion from Essential Care instead of my usual Camellia & Copaiba oil. This does a good job of drying out the spots thanks to the tea tree and although it doesn’t make them disappear overnight, they do look less red and glaring.

On the day itself, I discovered why I’d had the breakout (and why I’d been cranky for a few days) - my period started. It couldn’t have waited one more day, oh no, it had to come about three days early this month. I tend to get nasty stomach cramps, plus the usual discomfort for the first few days, so it wasn’t much fun driving around and putting on a happy face for my relatives.

On the plus side, my mum liked the two moisturisers I gave her and the big box of Milk Tray.

Tags: acne

I got myself a Twitter account yesterday. Still not entirely sure what it’s all about, but I figured I might discover some natural skincare information through other Twitters. I’ve already found Anita Grant’s Twitter page (and wish her all the best for the impending birth!) and am following another focussing on green/eco-friendly blogs.

I’d love to know if any Online Goddess readers have a Twitter account too, especially if you like to Twitter about skincare - feel free to pop your link in the comments so I can follow you. My own page can be found at http://twitter.com/OnlineGoddess.

Tags: internet

A few days ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find a comment from Helen James, the Founder of Innocent Oils, on my post regarding shopping for skincare products.

Innocent Oils is a natural skincare company based in the UK, specialising in hemp seed oil products, which has gone from strength to strength since its inception 2 and a half years ago.

I thought it would be fascinating to learn about the inner workings of such a company and so Helen very kindly agreed to answer a few questions for the readers of Online Goddess:
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: hemp seed oil, innocent oils, interview