January is peak cold and flu season, so this month's blend is designed to keep you (and your hair!) surrounded in a purifying aura of antimicrobial oils and essential oils.
You can see all of the past featured oil blends of the month in our blog:
http://nightbloominggarden.blogspot.com/search/label/Oil%20Blend%20of%20the%20Month
****************
The basis for the recipe commonly called Four Thieves is believed to have originated from thieves during the 15th century. According to popular theory, the concoction was created by a group of four thieves and grave robbers to protect themselves from contracting the plague while robbing the bodies of the gravely ill and deceased. When apprehended, the thieves admitted to using the formula and disclosed the recipe in order to receive a less severe punishment for their crimes.
What they did not disclose, though, was either the full recipe or where they learned it. This version, called Woodland Thieves, pays homage to the Queen of the Forest Bandits who taught the robbers both their trade and the blend. It adds bay, frankincense, and ravensara to the traditional blend of oils, adding a deeper, more natural scent and contributing additional antibacterial properties.
Woodland Thieves Custom Oil Blend: A middle-weight oil, perfect for scalp or length. It is a warming blend, perfect for headaches and muscle aches. It's also a purifying blend, so treating the length of your hair will surround you with a beautiful scent while purifying the air around you. Fantastic when everyone around you is sick, but you're not (yet.)
Base Oil: Fractionated Coconut Oil
Secondary Oils: Borage Oil, Rosehip Oil, Kukui Oil
Essential Oils: Clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, bay, frankincense, ravensara
Aroma: Warm, spiced herbs.
Application: Tub 1-2 drops of oil in the hands and massage into damp hair or into the scalp.
Detailed Ingredients:
• Coconut oil fractionated- Coconut oil is excellent as a skin moisturizer and softener. A study shows that extra virgin coconut oil is effective and safe when used as a moisturizer, with absence of adverse reactions. A study found that coconut oil helped prevent protein loss from the wet combing of hair when used for fourteen hours as a conditioner before washing the hair.
• Borage Oil- Borage is also sometimes known as starflower, and grows wildly in many parts of the world. The use of borage in various medications dates back at least to Roman times, during which several writers described the mysterious healing properties of borage leaves (steeped in wine, which may also have contributed to said ‘healing properties’.) Borage oil is extracted from the seeds of the borage plant, and its essential ingredient has been found to be gamma linolenic acid, commonly known as GLA, which is an essential fatty acids. One experiment found that skin creams which contained borage oil were markedly more effective in replenishing dry, damaged skin than those creams which contained no borage. These results have been taken as evidence that borage oil proves a replenishing effect on the skin and hair, and is able to restore moisture and elasticity where it had previously been lost.
• Rose hip Oil- is extracted from the seeds contained in the intensely red berry-like fruits -or hips- of a wild rose-bush that grows in the cool, lush mountain rainy valleys of the southern Andes, in Chile. It is a superb hydrator with a high absorbing level, penetrating dry skin and hair almost instantly to restore a much needed moisture balance frequently lost by climatic and environmental conditions such as dryness and air toxicity.
• Kukui Oil- The people of Hawaii would anoint their infants with Kukui Nut Oil, protecting them from the ravages of the salt, the sun, the wind, and other elements. Not coincidentally the word "Kukui" means "Enlightenment" in Hawaiian. This oil is quick-absorbing, luxuriant and versatile for both skin and hair.
• Frankincense Essential Oil- Frankincense Oil is extracted from gum or resin of Frankincense or Olibanum tree. Apart from being used as a cosmetic and as a fragrance, it has numerous other benefits including being an antiseptic and disinfectant. It is also a cicatrisant, helping reduce scars and easing tight skin.
• Bay Essential Oil– Bay is a scalp stimulant and antiseptic astringent and was very popular with the Romans, who thought Bay was a symbol of wisdom, peace and protection. The Latin Laudis means “to praise,” which is why the victors at the Olympic games were presented with a Laurel (Bay) Wreath. The priestesses at Delphi sat over the burning fumes to increase their prophetic visions.
• Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil- An anti-inflamatory that aids in the circulation of blood. Helps remove impurities from the hair and scalp and promotes growth. Good for treating scalp infections because of its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties.
• Clove Essential Oil- This warm and spicy oil aids in circulation and is recommended for skin care, especially to acne patients.
• Eucalyptus Essential Oil- One of the oldest native medicines used in Australia. It is known now for its use in inhalants and vapor rubs, but is also soothing to an irritated scalp.
• Lemon Essential Oil- This refreshing oil is an antifungal and antibacterial. It also promotes circulation of the scalp.
• Ravensara Essential Oil- A slightly spicy, camphory, woody herbaceous essential oil with an awakening aroma. Ravensara is fantastic for healing bacterial scalp infections and helps clear skin blemishes.
• Rosemary Essential Oil– An antimicrobial/antiseptic scalp stimulant and soother; to the ancient Greeks and Romans the plant was sacred, symbolic of loyalty, death, and remembrance, as well as scholarly learning. At weddings and important occasions, wherever solemn vows were made, garlands and headdresses of rosemary were worn, as an emblem of trust and constancy.
****************
The basis for the recipe commonly called Four Thieves is believed to have originated from thieves during the 15th century. According to popular theory, the concoction was created by a group of four thieves and grave robbers to protect themselves from contracting the plague while robbing the bodies of the gravely ill and deceased. When apprehended, the thieves admitted to using the formula and disclosed the recipe in order to receive a less severe punishment for their crimes.
What they did not disclose, though, was either the full recipe or where they learned it. This version, called Woodland Thieves, pays homage to the Queen of the Forest Bandits who taught the robbers both their trade and the blend. It adds bay, frankincense, and ravensara to the traditional blend of oils, adding a deeper, more natural scent and contributing additional antibacterial properties.
Woodland Thieves Custom Oil Blend: A middle-weight oil, perfect for scalp or length. It is a warming blend, perfect for headaches and muscle aches. It's also a purifying blend, so treating the length of your hair will surround you with a beautiful scent while purifying the air around you. Fantastic when everyone around you is sick, but you're not (yet.)
Base Oil: Fractionated Coconut Oil
Secondary Oils: Borage Oil, Rosehip Oil, Kukui Oil
Essential Oils: Clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, bay, frankincense, ravensara
Aroma: Warm, spiced herbs.
Application: Tub 1-2 drops of oil in the hands and massage into damp hair or into the scalp.
Detailed Ingredients:
• Coconut oil fractionated- Coconut oil is excellent as a skin moisturizer and softener. A study shows that extra virgin coconut oil is effective and safe when used as a moisturizer, with absence of adverse reactions. A study found that coconut oil helped prevent protein loss from the wet combing of hair when used for fourteen hours as a conditioner before washing the hair.
• Borage Oil- Borage is also sometimes known as starflower, and grows wildly in many parts of the world. The use of borage in various medications dates back at least to Roman times, during which several writers described the mysterious healing properties of borage leaves (steeped in wine, which may also have contributed to said ‘healing properties’.) Borage oil is extracted from the seeds of the borage plant, and its essential ingredient has been found to be gamma linolenic acid, commonly known as GLA, which is an essential fatty acids. One experiment found that skin creams which contained borage oil were markedly more effective in replenishing dry, damaged skin than those creams which contained no borage. These results have been taken as evidence that borage oil proves a replenishing effect on the skin and hair, and is able to restore moisture and elasticity where it had previously been lost.
• Rose hip Oil- is extracted from the seeds contained in the intensely red berry-like fruits -or hips- of a wild rose-bush that grows in the cool, lush mountain rainy valleys of the southern Andes, in Chile. It is a superb hydrator with a high absorbing level, penetrating dry skin and hair almost instantly to restore a much needed moisture balance frequently lost by climatic and environmental conditions such as dryness and air toxicity.
• Kukui Oil- The people of Hawaii would anoint their infants with Kukui Nut Oil, protecting them from the ravages of the salt, the sun, the wind, and other elements. Not coincidentally the word "Kukui" means "Enlightenment" in Hawaiian. This oil is quick-absorbing, luxuriant and versatile for both skin and hair.
• Frankincense Essential Oil- Frankincense Oil is extracted from gum or resin of Frankincense or Olibanum tree. Apart from being used as a cosmetic and as a fragrance, it has numerous other benefits including being an antiseptic and disinfectant. It is also a cicatrisant, helping reduce scars and easing tight skin.
• Bay Essential Oil– Bay is a scalp stimulant and antiseptic astringent and was very popular with the Romans, who thought Bay was a symbol of wisdom, peace and protection. The Latin Laudis means “to praise,” which is why the victors at the Olympic games were presented with a Laurel (Bay) Wreath. The priestesses at Delphi sat over the burning fumes to increase their prophetic visions.
• Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil- An anti-inflamatory that aids in the circulation of blood. Helps remove impurities from the hair and scalp and promotes growth. Good for treating scalp infections because of its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties.
• Clove Essential Oil- This warm and spicy oil aids in circulation and is recommended for skin care, especially to acne patients.
• Eucalyptus Essential Oil- One of the oldest native medicines used in Australia. It is known now for its use in inhalants and vapor rubs, but is also soothing to an irritated scalp.
• Lemon Essential Oil- This refreshing oil is an antifungal and antibacterial. It also promotes circulation of the scalp.
• Ravensara Essential Oil- A slightly spicy, camphory, woody herbaceous essential oil with an awakening aroma. Ravensara is fantastic for healing bacterial scalp infections and helps clear skin blemishes.
• Rosemary Essential Oil– An antimicrobial/antiseptic scalp stimulant and soother; to the ancient Greeks and Romans the plant was sacred, symbolic of loyalty, death, and remembrance, as well as scholarly learning. At weddings and important occasions, wherever solemn vows were made, garlands and headdresses of rosemary were worn, as an emblem of trust and constancy.
