Overview:
Listen to your animated instructor give you an overview of this class.
This lecture and demonstration start in the Ship’s Blending Lab. We have added some extra seating, so make yourself comfortable before class begins. Feel free to bring a beverage.• Head down to Deck 2 using the forward stairwell. Take a left and walk straight until you see the sign for the Blending Lab on the right, adjacent to the Distillation Deck.
When you are comfortable, read through the chapter and watch the videos. After reading and viewing the chapter, go to your downloads.
Try out more bath recipes, such as Deep Sleep and Pure Pleasure, and experiment with making exotic baths and massage oils. When you get back to your living quarters, try them out. Bring them into your life as a regular treat.
Objectives:
Learn to make massage oils and therapeutic baths. Determine the proper mediums and proportions. Watch the video on creating an aromatic bath. Make a bath cream and bath salt mixture. Try a shower blend.
Introduction:
Now for the Techniques and Recipes:
Massage-Dilution Ratio:
Massage is a wonderfully restorative practice, but it reaches new heights when you use a synergistic aromatic mix. It is important to ensure you understand your clients’ sensitivities, so before creating a massage blend, ask them if they have any known sensitivities to essential or carrier oils.
When you develop your client interview questionnaire later in the course, you will develop a tool that measures their goals, health issues, and sensitivities. When working with clients, their needs must be considered to increase the chance of a good outcome. As you progress through the course, you will learn that some essential oils promote relaxation while others stimulate.
Find out what your client hopes to achieve and then search for an essential oil and carrier oil that meet those needs. Consider their sensitivities, skin type, age, and health level. You can then tailor-make therapeutic blends that reduce pain, aid circulation, and calm or energize your client.
If you give each other massages after class, you can do this in Aphrodite’s Beauty Salon.
• From the main stairwell, ascend to Deck 3. Proceed aft, passing the Healing Bay on your right. Aphrodite’s Beauty Salon is the third door on the left before reaching the Galley. Massage tables are located at the back of the salon. Please feel free to bring your homemade massage formula.
MASSAGE OR BODY BLEND FORMULA
**To create the blend, mix 0.2-5% essential oils (your choice, but use an essential oil gentle on the skin); I like geranium or lavender, with 95-99.8% vegetable oil.
Use very dilute amounts of essential oil .02-1% on the face or delicate skin. Use the more subtle amounts for children (over three years of age) and fragile people. Do not use the oil on children under three years old.
**You will want to know how much essential oil you mixed with carrier oil for future use.
A Nap In NeverLand- Massage Blend
(Please make sure your client does not have sensitivities to these oils before applying. Do a patch test and get their history).
2 Tbsp. dandelion carrier oil for upper body tension
5 drops essential oil of lavender to aid relaxation
3 drops of essential oil of bergamot to uplift gently
1 drop of Roman chamomile to promote calm
Mix in a small container. Rub onto shoulders, neck, jaw, arms, feet and hands. Cover the client with a warm blanket, provide an eye cover and a quiet room while they drift into the Land of Nod.
Hydrosols, or Floral Waters
Hydrosols are the waters left behind from the steam distillation process. They are less concentrated than essential oils and are often preferable to essential oils for infants or delicate individuals. Please always test for sensitivity or allergic reaction before you apply.
If your patch tests prove safe, you may use that hydrosol on their skin. Another good way to use hydrosols is in the bath. The body will absorb some of the water, while the scent will drift up to the nose and affect the brain via the olfactory bulb.
Carrier Oils
Straight carrier oils also make moisturizing massage oils. There are many to choose from, all with slightly different qualities. Many people have nut allergies, so please determine the client’s history before deciding. Patch test these also. A significant chapter later in this course defines the qualities of carrier oils. Carrier oils must be stored in a very cool place and are prone to going rancid much quicker than essential oils.
Aromatic Baths: The Healing Waters
A bath is my favourite way to enjoy essential oils. Create an aromatic bath; you need one tablespoon of vegetable oil, full-fat milk, or cream. This is how the original “Bath Milks” or “Bath Creams” got their names. The fat in the cream, milk or oil emulsifies and helps spread the oils throughout the tub.
Mix 1-5 drops of essential oil into the milky emulsifier and drop it into the bath after running the water. Stir vigorously to distribute the oils further. If you use straight essential oils in a bath, you may risk burning yourself as you merge into the tub. The fruit and spice oils are particularly aggressive on delicate tissue, so use less rather than more as you experiment with various concoctions.
Try roman chamomile or lavender to relax or peppermint and rosemary in cooler water to stimulate.* If your tub has spray jets, or if you have a Jacuzzi, inquire with the manufacturer to see if it can handle essential oils. Some tubs and hoses are made for this purpose; others will be degraded or destroyed if essential oils are used.
Creating an Aromatic Bath with Laurie on Vimeo,-Video
Why is it important to dilute essential oils before using them? Click this link to get Robert Tisserand’s answer.
Shower: Liquid Luxury
If you prefer showers to baths, put the oils into an emulsifying compound, such as a neutral liquid soap mix or your existing, non-scented shower gel. Stimulating oils like rosemary and grapefruit help wake up energy and are suitable for cooler morning showers.
Calming oils such as lemongrass, marjoram, and lavender are helpful when you are winding down to sleep. Add about 12 drops of essential oil to 250 ml of shower gel or liquid soap- (I like Dr. Bronner’s) and shake. Using a glass container to prevent the oils from leaching plastic is preferable. However, glass is always precarious in the shower, so choose non-shattering glass or safe plastic.
Please remember to take a look at your Practical Potions. 
Journal (in the downloads at the bottom of this page) for more transformational steps and information about Massages, Baths, and Showers.