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Posts: 3,540Some of you may remember, that I chose looking into aromatherapy as one of my New Year's resolutions 
Hey, I figured I might as well enjoy it! 
Normally I use a miniature crock pot made by Rival, fill it with water and then put drops of different essential oils into it. The warming crockpot, then fills my bear room in minutes. I can find the little essential oils in health food stores, and sometimes if I'm lucky, also in the bulk food stores, but there's some online as well. The brand I use the most is NOW. So far (knock on wood) they've been very consistent in their aromas, and length of smell. The prices will vary depending upon how hard it is to collect or harvest that particular type of smell.
The best advice I can give anyone is smell, smell, smell those bottles before you buy! Each one has a tester out in front of the ones for sale. Open and hold it a little ways under your nose, and see what your body tells you. Some days I cannot stand some scents! Even ones I thought would be pleasant!!!
From what little I've dabbled in so far, I've found lemon oil and just a little bit of peppermint oil is a FAB combo if I'm working hard in my bear room and wanting to concentrate on the task at hand. Around Christmas time I wanted to change the smells a bit, so I scrubbed out my crockpot, refilled and tried orange oil and anise (smells like licorice). WARNING with anise ~ a little goes a L O N G, L O N G ways! I swear for a week after I'd shut it down my bear room smelled like a candy store 
Which in its own right is not so bad, but not that great as I'm trying to lose weight at the same time LOL 
Whoops!
Here's a couple of quick lists that I found.....my page is old and tatty, so there's a good chance I've found it on the cybernet. Some of the smells maybe helpful so I'll post them for my teddy talk friends :hug:
Anxiety
chamomile (please, if you have a ragwort allergy, stay away from this one!)
melissa
meroli
petigrain
opoponax
asafafenida
valerian
.....I don't know about the aromas of any of these, you may have to do some digging...I found lemon and peppermint to be great spirit lifters for me
Anger
bergamot
chamomile
juniper
lemon
marjoram
rosemary
ylang ylang
jasmine
peppermint
orange
tangerine
I actually found a tiny little bottle to have in the car under my seat for driving around ~ does wonders for calming a situation, especially if you're stressed over the other drivers or heavy traffic! For my little bottle I did tangerine and lemon grass (smells just like lemons)
Depression
angelica
cardamom
lemon
fennel
Sadness
Jasmine
marjoram
Orange
Rose
Roesewood
You'll notice this is a tiny, tiny list. One of my all time favs isn't on here ~ lavendar. Lavendar is so cool, as it can be a calming agent (especially useful at bedtime for children) and at the same time, a very centering, but very awakening smell.
Again, I'm not certified, or anything, the best advice I can say is smell those bottles, and do go back if you're in a funky mood and try the ones you HATE again! I could NOT stand Patchouli...it didn't work with my body chemistry, and I just couldn't stand the smell. About three weeks back I tried a body spray that was Patchouli and Sweet Orange ~ and I've been wearing it ever since! Who would have thought???
Only other words of wisdom, if you're allergic to some types of flowers or woods, keep your nose away from the bottle! A decent health food store owner should be able to help you, but don't expect any help from a minimum wager who could care less if you buy something so long as they can chat on their cell phone. Kinda like the chamomile/ragwort warning....just keep it in the back of your mind that these are concentrated smells, and sometimes as they come out of the bottle, they may not smell the same after being aired for a little. Also, many of the essential oils can burn skin ~ many are never intended to be worn directly on the skin (cinnamon springs to mind!) So if you're looking for a smell to have on you, look at the body sprays, or a carrier oil. And have fun!!! 
Posts: 1,836Hi Debbie!
I've used scents like this forever! But I'm a total plain jane...I like citrus scents in the spring and summer and straight peppermint in the winter. PLUS peppermint is fantastic for me when I get a sinus headache coming on. I personally can't take any of the musky scents or anything floral...I'm more of a single note scent person and more food driven (figures :crackup: ). You can even take a drop of oil to the bottom of the tub...near the drain, and when the steam/hot water hits it..it will fill the shower with scent. Again, good for opening up the sinuses. 
:hug:
~Chrissi
Anything Aveda or L'Occitane is a favorite of mine for the very reason that their products are so therapeutically fragrant! I knew nothing about aromatherapy on this level, though, until your post Debbie. Thank you for taking the time to share!
Posts: 3,540I think next to touch, smell is one of our least used senses
My husband bought me some aromatherapy lotion and I am totally addicted to it. I want the body wash, shampoo, conditioner, everything. It's Eucalyptus Spearmint from Bath and Body Works. I love the smell so much sometimes I just open the container to sniff it.
Posts: 3,540
I know the feeling!!! I started out with my little crockpot in my teddy bear room, and then moved to body sprays. Recently in the health food store we found this organic raspberry shampoo and conditioner ~OMG!!!! I will probably never look back at a normal bottle of shampoo again! 
Not only does the raspberry smell fill the whole house, but I had to warn hubby since I've got longer hair and I went to use the normal amount of shampoo....welll, the higher quality stuff simply goes SO much further! I spent ages getting that shampoo rinsed out of my hair and the conditioner went straight into the hairshaft like no other conditioner I'v ever seen.
Hubby's got his eye set on the same brand, but in apple smell ~ I'm concerned because I have a certain pony in the field who adores apples!!!! EEEEK!
I've used that eucalyptus shampoo (oooh, be very careful not to get that in your eyes!), but my word, everything just 'tingles' for ages afterwards
MerBear OriginalsI love my aromatherapy oils. I also spray lavender on my pillow and sheets at night and have a lovely lavender body cream that I rub on before bed.
Generally before I start sewing I lite a few candles and my aromatherapy jar just to get in the mood.
Marion
