Aromatherapy • Jul 16, 2026
Heatwave Relief: Cooling Aromatics for Summer
How Essentials Oils Help Cool the Body When the summer heat hits full force, finding relief becomes part of our daily routine. Using natural aromatics is an enjoyable way to create a refreshing experience that can help us cope with the extremes of heat. There are many essential oils, such as peppermint, which can create […]
Beauty • May 1, 2026
Psycho-dermatology: Exploring the Stress/Skin Relationship
How Stress Effects our Skin Modern day life comes with an abundance of stress factors contributing to heightened anxiety, nervous exhaustion and eventually burnout. Last month I examined many of the underlying causes for stress and gave some suggestions on how to deal with chronic stress in our daily lives using aromatherapy. But stress not […]
Aromatherapy • Jan 6, 2026
Sauna Rituals with Essential Oils
The Health Benefits of the Sauna The sauna culture has spread rapidly here across the UK and other Western countries in recent years, especially within urban environments. Having grown up within the sauna tradition due to my Finnish heritage, I’ve experienced first-hand the many benefits and health enhancing qualities of this age-old custom. On the […]
Aromatherapy • Oct 10, 2025
Rosehip Seed Oil: A Regenerative Gift from Nature
Botanical, medicinal & therapeutic background Rosehips or rose haws, are the fruit produced by all types of rose of the Rosaceae family, this includes the common English dog rose, (Rosa Canina) which can be found growing in the wild amongst hedgerows and waysides in the countryside as well as in cities. The beautiful, rich-red rose […]
Aromatherapy • Jul 1, 2025
Summer Aromatherapy Care: Hands, Feet & Nails
Summer Preparation for Hands, Feet & Nails With the holidays upon us, this is a great time of year to give your hands, feet and nails some extra care to ensure they are looking their best in preparation for the summer. Our hands tend to become dry over the winter, so it’s important to pay […]
Aromatherapy • May 1, 2025
An Aromatherapy Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth
Enjoying a healthy pregnancy and a natural childbirth is an ideal to which many women and their partners aspire. The period of pregnancy and the occasion of welcoming a new-born baby into the world is a magical moment, but is also a time of sudden change. Anxiety and apprehensions about the future are all too […]
Aromatherapy • Jan 3, 2025
New Year Reset: 10 Self-Care Rituals for Every Day
Using essential oils as a natural part of our daily routine is something simple to incorporate into an uplifting, self-care strategy for the New Year. If we don’t take care of ourselves, then we’re never at our best for others: self-care is therefore essential and the start of the New Year is a great time […]
Aromatherapy • Oct 3, 2024
A Guide to Vitamins & Nutrients in Natural Skincare: Their benefits & where to source them
How to nourish your skin naturally in the colder months Autumn and winter are the ideal seasons to feed your skin and to treat yourself (and others) to skin conditioning treatments. Many oils such as argan oil, jojoba oil or rosehip seed oil, will not only help to moisturise your skin and your scalp naturally, […]
Aromatherapy • Aug 5, 2024
Summer Self-Care: Radiant Skin in Three Easy Steps!
Caring for your health is one of the most important ways of looking after yourself – both body and mind – which will reap benefits now and in the future. In the warmer months especially, it is vital to drink enough water, wear sun protection, eat a fresh wholesome diet and perform a daily exercise which […]
Beauty • Jul 2, 2024
Teenage Skincare: Simple Tips For Naturally Beautiful Skin
Our contemporary society and culture and especially social media today has trained us to think that whatever we look like, isn’t good enough. We’re constantly encouraged to try to achieve the perfect image, the perfect look and the perfect skin. But ‘perfect’ only exists in a photoshop world! At present there is a social media […]
Aromatherapy • Aug 2, 2023
Introducing our new range of body oils
The importance of allowing your skin to breathe Looking after your skin using our new range of natural botanical Body Oils is a way of caring for your body in the longer term. Changes in temperature, humidity and UV exposure can all affect our skin on a daily basis, since it constantly responds to environmental […]
Aromatherapy • Jul 6, 2023
My Favourite Oils for an Essential Summer Holiday Kit
Essential oils are ideal for travel Natural botanical oils make the perfect holiday companions as they are extremely versatile, compact, lightweight and easy to use! The fact they are so multifunctional means some oils such as tea tree, chamomile or lavender have been nicknamed a ‘mini first aid kit in a bottle! For example, a […]
Aromatherapy • Jun 6, 2023
Roses & the Aromatic Herbs of Shakespeare
‘I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine…’ – Oberon: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1 Elizabethan Gardens The plays of William Shakespeare reflect his great affinity for flowers and aromatic plants. Elizabethan […]
Beauty • Aug 6, 2022
Daily Skincare Rituals: Moisturising
How moisturising your skin can slow down wrinkles According to the British Journal of Dermatologists, those people who moisturise their skin regularly accumulate wrinkles at a fraction of the rate of those with dry or dehydrated skin. One of the pioneers of aromatherapy, the French cosmetologist Marguerite Maury, recommended using essential oils to promote a […]
Beauty • Jul 2, 2022
Daily Skincare Rituals: Toning
Our top natural skincare toners Toners are light liquids that are applied to the face and neck directly or applied to a recyclable cotton pad (or ideally a reusable washable pad) to gently remove the last traces of a cleanser or any remaining make up before moisturising. Toners should always be applied directly after thoroughly […]
Beauty • Jun 2, 2022
Daily Skincare Rituals: Cleansing
Our top natural skincare routine It is important to cleanse our face daily to maintain a clear complexion. No other part of our body is exposed to as many chemicals and grime – from makeup, city pollution or just from the dust in the air. Gradually, a build-up of dirt and grease seeps into the […]
Aromatherapy • May 17, 2022
Hair Care: An Aromatherapy Approach
Looking after our hair can be a pleasurable and rewarding experience since our hair says a lot about how we feel about ourselves. The condition of our hair is also a good indicator of our overall state of health and well-being.
Aromatherapy • Apr 6, 2022
The Psychology of Scent: The Language of Dreams
According to Luca Turin in his book, ‘The Secret of Scent’, just 3% of the money we pay for a mainstream perfume pays for the fragrance content: the other 97% is the bill for selling us the dream…
Aromatherapy • Nov 30, 2021
Winter Skincare Tips
How winter can affect the skin During autumn and winter, due to the colder temperatures and increased exposure to central heating, our skin can start to look pale, tired and dull. This is especially true when we end up spending a lot of time indoors, as is the case now that many of us are […]
Beauty • Jul 25, 2021
Summer Extremes: Heat Protection Using Aromatics
July has seen unprecedented heat waves and wild fires in the US and Canada while catastrophic floods hit Germany and Belgium in recent weeks. Late July also brought some very hot weather to the UK and early August is predicted to bringing more spells of strong heat. Although the sunshine is most welcome after our […]
Beauty • Jul 30, 2020
Flower Waters & Hydrosols: What is the Difference?
Flower Waters also known as floral waters, are light, aromatic aqua-based fragrances which have been used since antiquity but are now enjoying a massive contemporary revival. Their sheer versatility makes them ideally suited to our modern urban lifestyle where each flower water has a range of specific properties and benefits: for example, a bottle of […]
Aromatherapy • Jun 19, 2020
Aromatherapy for Men: Plus some Blending Ideas
Aromatherapy has much to offer men as well as women. Many men are taking more care of their personal appearance these days and choosing natural products to enhance their health. There are many essential oils and carrier oils that offer health and wellbeing benefits for men of all ages. Applying natural oils, such as jojoba […]
Beauty • Feb 11, 2020
The Benefits of Carrier Oils for your Skin
What are ‘Carrier’ Oils? Botanical or vegetable oils are made up of dense liquid lipids or fats. Whereas essential oils are ‘volatile’ in nature, all vegetable oils are ‘fixed’: this means that if you spill a little sweet almond oil on your sleeve it will stain your garment, whereas an essential oil which is naturally […]
Beauty • Jul 8, 2019
A Summer Guide: How to Use our Hand-made Flower Waters
Aqua Oleum supplies a wide range of unique, hand-made floral waters, which are produced in our artisan laboratory in the Cotswolds. These light, aromatic aqua-based fragrances have been used since antiquity but are now enjoying a contemporary revival. Their sheer versatility makes them ideally suited to our modern urban lifestyle where we want our products […]
Beauty • Jun 23, 2018
Summer Sun: Myths & Facts
The summer holidays are coming which provides valuable timeout from our regular routine and the opportunity to relax and replenish our body and mind. Summer time also generally means we need to pay extra attention to our skin to protect ourselves against the harmful effects of exposure to excessive ultra- violet rays. UV light is […]
Aromatherapy • Oct 10, 2017
Jojoba Oil: Your Skin’s Best Friend
Jojoba Oil is extracted from Simmondsia chinensis, a small shrub native to the warm, dry regions of south-western North America, with broad thick waxy leaves, small greenish-yellow flowers and bearing oval brown nuts. It was originally named Buxus sinensis due to a botanical misunderstanding that it came from China. The premium quality oil is cold […]
Beauty • Jun 6, 2017
Rose: The Eternal Fragrance of Love
“No perfume without rose” This old perfumery saying sums up the popularity and enduring appeal of the rose. Often hailed as the ‘Queen of Flowers’, the rose has held a prominent place in the mythology of cultures both in the East and West for thousands of years. It is widely recognized across the world over […]
Beauty • May 14, 2017
The Truth about Organic Beauty
Beware of ‘Greenwashing’ What is there not to like about ‘going organic’ since it presents a ‘win-win’ contract between ourselves and the planet? Today, the trend towards buying organic beauty and well-being products is certainly on the rise, especially amongst younger people, following the already established popularity of organic food, which can now be found […]
Aromatherapy • Apr 19, 2017
Remarkable Properties of Organic Argan Oil
I would like to introduce our new range of six organic carrier oils, including the remarkable argan oil! Argan oil makes a superb, 100% natural moisturizing and nourishing agent for the skin and hair! The exceptional health giving properties of this precious oil, which is extracted from the nut of a small tree native to […]
Beauty • Feb 14, 2017
The Life-Giving Powers of ‘Water and Oil’
Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine recommended that the supreme path to good health & a long life was to have an aromatic bath and a massage using scented oils applied to the skin every day! Here are ten ways to benefit from the life-giving powers of water and oil … or ‘aqua’ and ‘oleum’. […]
Beauty • Feb 8, 2017
How To Make Your Own Facial Serum
Facial Oils & Natural Skincare DIY natural skincare is growing in popularity because of how effective it is at dramatically improving the health of our skin. One product that has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years is the increased use of botanical facial oils – or skin serums – as opposed to […]
Beauty • Jun 29, 2016
My Ideal Aromatherapy Holiday Kit
The summer holidays have almost arrived … a time when we can look forward to unwinding from the stresses of our everyday lives and relax in the company of family or friends. Natural oils are a fantastic & pleasurable way of caring for our skin when exposed to the sun, both as a light protection […]
Beauty • Jun 6, 2016
The Amazing Power of Flower Waters
We have recently increased our range of 100% natural, handmade flower waters due to popular demand. These light, aromatic aqua-based fragrances have been used since antiquity but are now enjoying a massive contemporary revival, especially during the summer months. Their sheer versatility makes them ideally suited to our modern urban lifestyle where we want our […]
Aromatherapy • Nov 4, 2015
Love Your Skin Using Natural Oils
“Our skin absorbs over 70% of whatever we put on it during the day, such as make-up, so it is vital that at night we ensure our pores are allowed to breathe freely. Cleansing the face thoroughly in the evening before retiring is therefore a key factor in keeping our skin looking fresh, youthful and […]
Beauty • Aug 18, 2015
Tips on Summer Skin Care Using Essential Oils
With our skin exposed to the sun & the elements during the summer months, here are some tips on how to care for different types of complexion & help to continue to look our best in the coming months. Remember to keep all essential oil blends well away from the eyes and use essential oils […]
Beauty • Oct 21, 2014
Regenerate over the winter months
As the nights grow longer, use the winter months as a time to regenerate your skin and pamper your body. Make time to have a warm bath before retiring & add a few drops of a relaxing oil to the bath water, such as lavender, chamomile or vetiver, known in India as ‘the oil of […]
Aromatherapy • Jun 30, 2014
Anti-Ageing Advice: How to Use Essential Oils & Floral Waters to Preserve & Protect your Skin
Many essential oils are potent anti-aging & rejuvenating skin care agents because of their inherent properties. Each essential oil has a unique, sophisticated chemical make-up, which actively renews the skin by penetrating all the way down to the dermal layer where new cells are being generated. Unlike most chemical components, essential oil molecules are small […]