Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Anne

This perfume blend is named after writer Anne Lamott. She writes with bald honesty about life’s struggles, has a deep faith in God, and describes the Northern coast of California in her books so beautifully that you can tell she has a great respect for Mother Nature. She believes “joy is the best makeup” – and I couldn’t agree more.

Lamott describes her struggles with self-esteem in many of her books. In one, she talks about her unruly, super curly hair, and how she finally made peace with it when she decided to turn the curls into dreadlocks. My personal favorite story about beauty is one that involves her late best friend, Pammy, described here:

…I got obsessed with something my best friend had said right before she died, when she was in a wheelchair, wearing a wig to cover her baldness, weighing almost no pounds, but very serene, very alive. We were at Macy’s. I was modeling a short dress for her that I thought my boyfriend would like. But then I asked whether it made me look big in the hips, and Pammy said, as clear and kind as a woman can be, “Annie? You really don’t have that kind of time.” I just got it. I got it deep in my being. And all of a sudden, two years ago, it began ringing through the chambers of my head again: You don’t have that kind of time.

Nothing puts beauty into perspective like that. And that’s why I love Anne Lamott so much.

The Anne blend is crisp, earthy, and pure sunshine. Both lemon and grapefruit oils are used to uplift the spirits in aromatherapy. Grapefruit also improves concentration and self-confidence. Ginger, a warming spice, fires up your inner heat, and gets you motivated!

Please remember that essential oils are potent plant substances. Please click here to read important information.

*Pictures above: Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Anne by Five Seed, Anne Lamott (AP Photos), Bird by Bird (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)

Shampooing with Rosemary Gladstar

Rosemary Gladstar, from her book Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health

One of the biggest influences on my decision to cut back on shampooing was herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar. In her amazing book Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, she describes a summer she spent backpacking in the Pacific Northwest. The rivers were clear and beautiful, the water coming straight from the glaciers above, and Gladstar was worried that using shampoo in this pristine water would contaminate it. Therefore, she decided that swimming would be the only washing her hair would get for the entire time span of her trip (which she describes as “several months”). Here are her observations about her hair:

[After about a week]…my hair would begin to feel oily and dirty, always a signal in the past that it was time to wash again. But I waited, and I noticed that my hair would reabsorb its own oils. Instead of getting dirtier and greasier, it would “self-clean.” The less I washed it, the less dirty and oily it became.

If any of you have oily hair like mine, then I’m sure you can imagine my reaction to reading this. “Can it be true?!” Instinctively, I knew there was some truth to this, as I have always believed that our bodies can operate best when we get out of the way. However, it took me a few years to take the leap of faith.

As for Gladstar, you can tell she knows what she’s talking about – she has quite a head of hair. She says, “the biggest mistake that people make with their locks is overwashing them… Even the best shampoo, if used too often, will tend to dry your hair and wash away important natural oils, no matter how much conditioner you apply afterward.”

I highly recommend getting your hands on Gladstar’s book, as it is full of invaluable information, from beauty to all aspects of health. Among other things, Gladstar recommends washing the hair no more than twice a week (I’m not there yet – three times a week is as low as I can go at this point), brushing it and massaging the scalp every day in order to evenly distribute the hair’s natural oils, using only super gentle, natural shampoos, and a vinegar rinse to condition the hair and restore its natural pH.

The book includes recipes for shampoos and vinegar rinses, as well as a list of essential oils and what they can do for your hair depending on its type and color.

I will be posting on homemade shampoo and vinegar rinses next week, so stay tuned!

 

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Amelie

(Formerly known as Sankalpa Scents: Amelie.)

Imagination. Creativity.

This Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume is named after the fictional heroine of the French blockbuster Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain. This has always been a favorite movie of mine, as the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, infuses beautiful scenes of nature into a film that takes place in one of the biggest cities in the world.

The heroine, Amelie, is a young woman with an incredibly vivid imagination. On the surface, she is simply a shy waitress in Montmartre, but behind the scenes, she helps her friends find love, aids strangers in unusual ways, and even extracts revenge on behalf of the simple-minded delivery boy who is tormented by his cruel boss. She never fails to take indulge in the smallest of life’s pleasures, like dipping her hand into a sack of grain, cracking the top of crème brûlée with a spoon, and skipping stones along St. Martin’s Canal. She is vibrant, creative, and lets herself fully connect to the present moment.

Our Amelie blend contains the organic essential oils of tangerine and lavender. Like the character Amelie, this blend is simple, happy, and down-to-earth. It is perfect for encouraging a calm state of mind, as well as a state of heightened creativity. Both tangerine and lavender are calming oils, and tangerine has the additional benefit of uplifting the senses and creating a feeling of inner buoyancy.

Please remember that essential oils are potent plant substances. Please click here to read important information.

*Picture above from Miramax Films

My Shampoo Story

This picture was taken six months after I gave up shampoo. Not bad, huh?

What if I told you I haven’t used store-bought shampoo in my hair since August 2008? Or that I haven’t shampooed my hair every day since then, either? If you assume my hair looks like greasy rodent fur, here’s a picture to prove it looks just as good as the average shampoo user.

Despite the fact that my mother never shampooed every day, I grew up feeling that it would be absolutely disgusting not to shampoo at least once a day. (I’ve been guilty of shampooing twice a day on more than one occasion, as well.) All the commercials and ads in magazines seemed to imply that beautiful, healthy women always shampoo at least once a day.

When I was about 28, and getting my hair cut at a fancy salon, I overheard two of the young, fashionable stylists talking behind me. One said to the other, “Can you wash my hair this afternoon, after my last client leaves? I haven’t washed it in two days and it’s starting to get a little grimy.”

I looked up at my stylist in shock and said, “Why did she go so long between shampoos?” My stylist replied, “No one should wash their hair every day. It is so bad for your hair.”

I decided her advice would only work on young, gorgeous women who didn’t have oily hair like mine, and went on with my daily routine.

In the spring of 2008, however, I started reading more about the dangers of chemicals in bath and body products. These are not only harmful to the user, but to the marine life that ends up swimming in the chemicals that leach into the water systems. According to EcoFriendOnline, our water systems are being polluted with a number of chemicals, including “parabens and other suspected endocrine disruptors often found in laundry soap and shampoo — chemicals that seem to be turning male frogs and fish into females.”

I was also hearing more and more that it simply isn’t good for your hair to wash it every day. I even heard that over-washing leads to oily hair.

[The] trend toward everyday cleansing might have triggered a vicious cycle, some experts say — shampoo cleanses by stripping the hair of its natural, necessary oils, causing the scalp to produce more oil in response, making it impossible for some to skip shampoo for even one day without sprouting a gigantic greaseball. – Melissa Dahl, MSNBC

Not to sound like Carrie Bradshaw here, but “I couldn’t help but wonder” if dialing back on the shampoo would help counter the oily hair problem.

I started to cut back to showering/shampooing every other day, rather than every day (even in the summer). I researched different eco-friendly shampoos, and ended up making my own, as well as experimenting with no-poo. I don’t dye my hair, I don’t use any styling products on it, and I try not to use a hair dryer whenever possible.

Yes, I have my bad hair days (maybe more than most, without having hairspray and a straightening iron), but I am generally very happy with my hair. My current stylist always comments on how healthy it is.

If you have been considering giving your hair the chance to re-balance itself, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing more information as the week goes on – a shampoo recipe, the no-poo movement, and more.

Imagine not fighting your hair anymore and still looking good…it is possible.

True Beauty: Seeing Oneself Through Another’s Eyes

Amanda and her beautiful baby

Here is another beautiful entry from our Valentine’s Day giveaway, by Amanda. You can check out her beautiful blog, Peace.Love.Babies. here, where she speaks very candidly about the challenges and rewards of motherhood.

Her entry describes a moment in which she sees herself through her husband’s eyes. She realized that her love for her family contributes to her beauty, and that beauty is recognized by all of them.

I often struggle with what it means to feel/be beautiful. Most of the time my mind tells me that it means make up, hair done, clothes well put together. But recently my husband helped to remind me that it’s not about that at all.

I gave birth to our second daughter 3 months ago today. During those first few weeks at home with her I of course didn’t have time nor energy to put a dab of make up on, or sometimes to even brush my hair. One night, I was nursing our Scarlett in bed. My husband leaned over and kissed my head. He whispered in my ear, “You are so beautiful”. That resonated with me. In a time where I felt physically unattractive he reminded me that being a mother and nurturing our daughter was beautiful. Do I wear make up now? Sometimes. Do I do my hair? Usually. But I know that just being who I am and taking care of those that I love is what makes me beautiful.

Thank you for sharing this beautiful story, Amanda!

Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful

Image from: http://aidal.net/?p=68

How often do you shampoo your hair? Every day? Twice a day?

In the early part of the 20th century, it was a cultural norm for women to wash their hair only once a MONTH. According to NPR, the New York Times published an article in 1908 informing women that it was okay to wash their hair twice a month. By the 1970′s, women were encouraged to wash their hair EVERY DAY. Who encouraged this beauty routine? The shampoo industry, of course.

Besides the fact that traditional shampoos contain questionable chemicals like sodium laureth sulfate, parabens, and fragrance, it is simply not healthy to wash your hair every single day. According to Michelle Hanjani, a Columbia University dermatologist, “If you wash your hair every day, you’re removing the sebum. Then the oil glands compensate by producing more oil.” Hanjani recommends that we wash no more than three times a week.

Many people are turned off by this idea, as our culture reveres the daily shampoo. For some of us (myself included), washing the hair less often than once a day is a major change. However, washing the hair less often has multiple benefits beyond just beauty. It is better for the environment (since you won’t be using as much water), and your utilities bill will reflect the reduction of water usage. Interested in learning more?

Over the next week or so, I’ll be discussing the no-poo movement, sharing hair care philosophies, and will post a wonderful DIY shampoo recipe. In the meantime, enjoy some of these classic shampoo commercials.

Ecouture: Handmade Vegan Flats

No chemical glues, vegan, hemp thread… How cute are these? Made by The Generation.

Copyright: The Generation

Natural Health: Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Sweet orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis) has multiple healing properties, which is why it is one of our favorite oils to use here at 5 Seed.

Aromatherapists claim sweet orange essential oil can lift the spirits, and generate creative energy.

According to Mountain Rose Herbs, its healing properties include: antibiotic, anticoagulant, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, bactericidal, calmative, diuretic, and  fungicidal. (Click here for the full list.)

Sweet orange essential oil has many health benefits for the skin, as well. It is packed with vitamins A and C, which can help to treat mild acne. Its slightly astringent nature helps the skin exfoliate and keeps the pores tightened.

We use organic sweet orange essential oil in our Orange Cocoa Moisturizing Cream. Check it out here.

The feedback has been very positive: “super creamy,” “lush,” “not at all greasy,” “divine smell!”

Please remember that all information here is for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose any illness, nor do we make any medical claims or guarantees about our products’ ability to treat or cure any disease.

True Beauty: Altruism

Image from: http://www.freewebs.com

I wanted to share another entry from our Valentine’s Day Giveaway. This one is from “Motheralice.” Check out her awesome blog here. It describes true beauty as a natural extension of altruism. Truly connecting to and helping another person really does make one more beautiful – in the most important way.

When I was 18 and totally self focused I found myself in the grocery store behind a couple buying diapers (among other people). When the couple got to the register, the lady rang the diapers through and told them the total (can you see it coming?). She didn’t have any money on her and he couldn’t find his wallet. After they searched thoroughly for it to no avail I gave them a 20 and told them not to worry about it. They were quite grateful and offered to pay me back by mailing it to me, but I told them no. What made me feel beautiful was that that was the first time in my life I truly knew that I could make a positive effect on the world. I knew for that moment that I wasn’t just helping them, but everyone in a cosmic adding to the joy in the world lessening the suffering kind of way. I felt graceful and beautiful and filled with… what? There are no words.

Thanks, Motheralice!

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Jane

Okay, technically, THIS blend was the first to be developed for the Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume line (formerly known as Sankalpa Scents). After all, it is named for Jane Goodall, the recipient of 5% of our profits. Hopefully, having a Jane and a Janie won’t be too confusing!

At the young age of 22, Jane Goodall became the assistant of paleontologist and archaelogist, Louis Leakey in the jungles of Tanzania – a very unusual profession of a young woman living in 1957! She famously observed chimps eating meat, when they had previously been thought to be vegetarians. Further, she discovered that they used “tools” (grass stems, branches, etc.) to extract termites from their homes. This observation turned the anthropological world upside down, as it had always been believed that humans were the only ones who made and used tools. As Leakey said, in response to this discovery: “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.”

During her subsequent education and observations, Goodall refused to refer to chimps by numbers, as most scientists did. She always named them, and maintained that we are closely related by bonds that extend far beyond genetic makeup.

In the years since her fieldwork, Goodall has established the Jane Goodall Institute (to which we donate 5% of our profits), and the youth-oriented Roots & Shoots. Goodall lectures around the country, sharing her stories of the deep connections between humans and the inhabitants of the jungles and forests. I was privileged to attend one of her lectures a few years ago, and was brought to tears by her words and her vibrant energy. She is truly a mother goddess protecting all the creatures (human or not) of this beautiful planet. (Read more about our donations, and JGI here. Or click here if you want to help JGI.)

Jane contains the organic essential oils of patchouli, ylang ylang, and a touch of lemongrass. It is the ultimate down-to-earth blend. The patchouli is a strong, grounding base, while the ylang ylang gives it a feminine note, and the lemongrass a touch of the exotic. This scent will help keep you focused, and allow you to open your eyes to the world around you. It can help you in situations in which you need sharp observational skills, or when you simply need patience, and a bit of a lift. And believe it or not, lemongrass and patchouli oils are often used as natural insect repellents! So if you really are going out into the jungle, this is the perfect blend for you!

Please remember that essential oils are potent plant substances. Please click here to read important information.

(Photo credit: CBS/Landov.)