2017 Bloomers Tour of Back Mountain Gardens

June 20, 2017

I’m excited to be a sponsor and a presenter at this wonderful event, The 2017 Tour of Back Mountain Gardens! Stop by and see me in Garden #3 at Harveys Lake. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Anthracite Scenic Trails Association, which includes the Back Mountain Trail. You’ll get an inside peek at unique local gardens, DIY displays and design exhibits. I’ll have my Essential Art of Aromatherapy Book and a selection of twig leaf flower goodies for purchase. Rain or shine, this Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm. I look forward to seeing you!

twig leaf flower is an organic vegan aromatherapy company founded in Dallas, PA. I’m passionate about aromatherapy and herbalism and can’t wait for you to see the amazing difference truly natural products will make in your life. I offer a variety of holistic items including lotions, bath soaks, lip balms and diffusion blends, along with collections devoted to children and pets. I’m always adding new blends and I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me personally rebecca@twigleafflower.com

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Lavender Love- How to Dry Lavender

June 12, 2017June 12, 2017

Drying-English-Lavender-square3-Medium This is one of my favorite times of year! Everything is a beautiful green and new flowers and herbs are popping up each day. As many of you know, lavender is my absolute favorite! My plants are blooming and it’s time to start drying them to use throughout the year. Don’t be intimidated by drying herbs, it’s much easier than you think, and it will add a touch of sunshine even during the dark days of winter. I’m going to walk you through this simple and rewarding process.

Gathering Lavender:

The first step is to gather together a long stemmed type of lavender. If your particular lavender is leafy, you can just remove the excess leaves from the base of each stem. It is best to pick your lavender before it is in full bloom. This ensures that the dried buds will retain their fragrance for longer time, and it also means that they won’t fall apart as they dry.

As with most herbs, the best time to harvest is in the morning after the dew has disappeared.

Drying Lavender Buds:

If you want to only dry lavender buds or petals, remove the fresh lavender from the stalks, keeping the purple lavender heads.

Line a box with newspaper and place your lavender heads in a single layer in the bottom of the box. Store this box in a warm, dry place. Each day, gently shake your buds to aerate. Once dried, you can separate the lavender heads off the bud grouping.

How To Dry Lavender Bunches:

To dry lavender bunches, simply cut long stems of lavender. Gather a small bunch and secure the stems together with a rubber band. The lavender will shrink as it’s drying, so you may need to tighten the rubber band. Hang your lavender bunch upside down in a well ventilated, dry part of your home. Put a paper towel lined tray under your bunch to catch any petals that release during the drying process.

I have found that my lavender takes about 3 weeks to dry in my basement. Your lavender drying time will depend upon the temperature and level of humidity, so check on your bundles every few days. Some friends are able to have fully dried lavender in a week and others take 4 weeks.

Properly dried lavender should feel crunchy and a little brittle to the touch. Make sure they’re completely dry before using or you could have an issue with mold or other not fun things.

Uses for Dried Lavender:

Dried lavender stems that are wrapped with a pretty ribbon look beautiful in a vase. Take a few stalks and hang on a door knob or place on a shelf in your bathroom. Your only limit is your imagination.

Create simple lavender sachets from your grandma’s handkerchiefs by placing the buds in the center and tying with a ribbon. Make an eye pillow to help with relaxation at the end of your yoga practice or meditation. A handful of lavender buds in a nice bowl brings a bit of relaxation to any room. If you pick up a few buds and lightly squeeze them in your palm, you’ll release the beautiful scent even more.

How to Store Your Dried Lavender:

Your dried lavender will do best if you keep it out of the sun, heat and humidity. I keep mine in a sealed mason jar and refresh my sachets and bunches throughout the year.

I hope that you’ve been inspired to bring the beauty of nature indoors with a bit of dried lavender. I’d love to hear your suggestions and see photos of you using it in your home! Please email me at rebecca@twigleafflower.com and visit twig leaf flower.

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Using Essential Oils at Home

May 28, 2017June 20, 2017

essential oil bottles

Did you know you can use your Essential Oil Diffusion Blends for more than diffusing? Here are a few additional ways I suggest incorporating them in your life.

Bath: Dilute 8 drops of your essential oils into a half ounce of carrier oil and stir into a warm bath. The carrier oil will help to disperse the essential oils more evenly in the water.

Massage: Mix 3 to 6 drops of your essential oils in 1/2 ounce of a carrier oil like jojoba oil, for adults. For kids under 10 years old, pregnant and nursing mamas or the elderly, just blend 2 to 3 drops in 1/2 ounce of a carrier oil. Before using, make sure the oils are safe to use topically.

Foot Bath: Mix 4 to 5 drops of essential oils with a teaspoon of a carrier oil. Add into the warm foot bath and soak for 20 minutes.

Car: If you don’t have a car diffuser, just add a few drops to a cotton ball to take your favorite blend with you.

Looking for a new blend? Check out my selection of organic aromatherapy blends here.

If you’d like to try your hand at blending your own, check out my new book for ideas and recipes here.

The Essential Art of Aromatherapy Just Launched

November 4, 2016June 20, 2017

Are you interested in Aromatherapy but overwhelmed with all the information available? The Essential Art of Aromatherapy is a guide to help you to learn the basics of aromatherapy, without all the fuss. It explains the concepts of essential oils, carrier oils, aromatherapy vehicles of diffusion and application and much more in simple, fun, easy to understand terms. You’ll learn how to safely create your own aromatherapy blends to incorporate into your daily life. Plus, there are a bunch of diffusion and body care recipes to get you started.

http://www.twigleafflower.com/apps/webstore/products/show/7220228

Also available at Ye Olde Clock and Gift Shoppe in Dallas, PA.

Importance of Purity in Essential Oils

May 23, 2016June 12, 2017

One of the biggest issues we face as adulteration Aromatherapists and consumers is obtaining pure, organic essential oils. True essential oils are distilled from plants, which is laborious and often an expensive process. With the popularity of aromatherapy, there are many companies that are bottling essential oils, but are adding synthetics and fillers to the oils to dilute them. Unfortunately, these adulterated oils will not be beneficial for aromatherapeutic use, as the body recognizes the chemical components as toxic and disposes of them. As a long time aromatherapist and herbalist, quality organic oils are paramount to me. I harness the power of the oils for the healing effect they have on the mind, body and spirit, not just for the fragrance they emit. You can rest assured that twig leaf flower’s products are all made with the finest organic essential oils, offering maximum holistic benefits. Please visit twig leaf flower for more information.

5 Tips for Holistic Allergy Relief

May 17, 2016June 20, 2017

Pollen-Allergy-Relief When the sneezes and itchy eyes are making you crazy, there are a few holistic things you can do without having to turn to medication. I’ve incorporated all of the suggestions below into my own life with huge success! I hope they help you too.
1. One of the best things you can do to ease allergy symptoms is to stay hydrated. The recommendation is to drink one half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water a day. (ex. If you’re 200 lbs, you should drink 100 fluid ounces of water a day)
2. Use a neti pot to flush out the sinuses of irritations and allergens. I can’t recommend this enough! A neti pot will last years and you can easily make your saline solution by dissolving 1 teaspoon of himalayan or sea salt in a quart of boiled water. Let the mixture cool completely before putting it in your neti pot. Then you tilt your head to the side and pour the water though one side of your nose and let it drain out the other. Repeat the process on the other side. You may need a few trys to get the hang of it, but it’s definitely worth it! Always make sure to add the salt to the water or it you’ll experience a burning sensation. Neti pots have been used for centuries, but if you’d like less fuss there are a bunch of saline rinses on the market now. Just make sure there aren’t any nasty chemicals added to the rinse.
3. Enjoy some local honey every day! The idea is that consuming local honey with help your body adapt to the allergens in your environment. Make sure the hives stay in your area all year long to experience the maximum benefits. Just a teaspoon a day of unprocessed honey will do the trick. If you are experiencing lots of allergy symptoms, do it a few times a day. It’s great to do year round, but definitely start a minimum of 6 weeks before allergy season kicks in.
4. There are essential oils that really help to ease symptoms. Lavender Essential Oil works wonders with both respiratory and skin allergies as it’s a natural antihistamine. Peppermint Essential Oil is cooling, anti inflammatory and analgesic, which soothes and calms. Lemon Essential Oil is amazing by itself as it increases blood circulation which helps to clear respiratory tract and prevents congestion. It really shines in combination with Lavender and Peppermint Oils to hit all the major allergen issues full force. Keep a blend of the oils with you to inhale when you’re feeling poorly or try any of the items from my custom blended Allergy Relief Collection.
5. Sometimes the bottom line to help with allergies is to change your diet. Dairy is a huge culprit for a lot of people suffering from terrible allergies. So is wheat. If all else fails, try and elimination diet to see if your issues might be food related. The most common food allergies are:

Milk and dairy products.
Eggs
Soy
Shellfish (shrimp, lobster & crab)
Peanuts and other legumes

There are lots of books related to this topic plus tons of information online. My recommendation would be to start with eliminating dairy products. Substitute regular cow’s milk with almond milk, butter with Earth Balance or another soy and dairy free item and regular cheese with the many amazing vegan versions available now and you will probably see a huge improvement. It’s not easy at first, but from my own experience I felt so much better when I broke up with dairy.

I hope one or more of these tips help you on your journey to be allergy symptom free! Please send me an email if you’d like more information or to let me know how it worked for you.

Love and Sunshine~

Rebecca

rebecca@twigleafflower.com

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How does your garden grow?

May 17, 2016June 12, 2017

april-showers-bring-may-flowers-cc8-canvas

Inspired Living Series

January 29, 2016January 29, 2016

I’m thrilled to have done a guest post for my dear friend Heather. She is a wonderfully inspiring soul. Make sure to check out her blog and my guest spot below.

To Live Inspired Guest Blog Post

Your Aromatherapy Toolkit

January 29, 2016January 29, 2016

Here are a few suggestions for building your essential oil collection. You don’t have to purchase everything at once, start with a few basic oils and add when you can.

what is aromatherapy?

January 29, 2016June 20, 2017

a·ro·ma·ther·a·py əˌrōməˈTHerəpē/

Merriam-Webster’s Medical Definition of aromatherapy.
plural aro·ma·ther·a·pies. : massage of the body and especially of the face with a preparation of fragrant essential oils extracted from herbs, flowers, and fruits; broadly : the use of aroma to enhance a feeling of well-being.

The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy defines Aromatherapy as follows. Aromatherapy, also referred to as Essential Oil therapy, can be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit. It seeks to unify physiological, psychological and spiritual processes to enhance an individual’s innate healing process.

All twig leaf flower products utilize the healing benefits of aromatherapy. For more details
http://www.twigleafflower.com/apps/webstore/