Moms Indulgence

When purchasing scented items online, such as candles, incense, or bath and body products, it is hard to know what to expect from the fragrance you choose. Especially when computer screens are unfortunately not scratch and sniff (wonderful idea though, isn’t it?). This is especially true when it comes to the fragrance of vanilla.

The first reason there is such a varied amount of vanilla scents available (and this is true of lavender as well), is because each fragrance oil manufacturing company is different, and has a different way of making each fragrance. While you might order Vanilla fragrance oil from one company, you could order plain Vanilla from another company and get a completely different smell. This is simply due to the difference in manufacturers.

Another thing that makes a huge difference is what you expect the vanilla to smell like. Vanilla on it’s own is not a very descriptive term. When I say vanilla, do you think of the scent of vanilla extract? Or vanilla ice cream? Or possibly even real vanilla beans?

Vanilla can be very sugary smelling, or have a faint alcoholic-type scent that is more reminiscent of vanilla extract. It is also used as a base for a ton of other completely different scents, such as Lavender Vanilla, Jasmine Vanilla, Sandalwood Vanilla, Vanilla Musk, French Vanilla, and many others. If the company does not have a fragrance descriptions page that gives a clear idea of what their vanilla smells like, I would recommend writing to the company and asking what their vanilla does smell like before purchasing.

So why so many variations on such a simple fragrance? Psychologists and medical researchers were aware of our positive reactions to the scent of vanilla long before perfume makers recognized it’s potential. In experiments where an odor universally regarded as pleasant is required, vanilla has been a standard choice for decades.

Medical experiments have shown that vanilla fragrance reduces stress and anxiety. Cancer patients undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging - a diagnostic procedure known to be stressful - reported a massive 63% less anxiety when heliotropin (a vanilla fragrance) was administered during the procedure.

Vanilla fragrance also makes you calmer. A study at Tubingen University in Germany showed that vanilla fragrance reduced the startle-reflex in both humans and animals. The animal results indicate that the calming effects of vanilla may be due to some more essential property of the fragrance than the positive childhood associations usually invoked to explain its universal popularity with humans.

So not only are there dozens of types of vanilla fragrance, it is also one of the most calming fragrances as well as being a highly popular fragrance among many people. So when looking for that right vanilla fragrance, keep these tips in mind, and make sure that you are looking for what vanilla makes you happy.

Stephanie Davies is a 27 year old Missourian with a loving husband and an 8 year old son. She currently owns her own business, Mystickal Incense & More, and sells handmade candles, incense, bath & body products and more at http://www.mystickalincense.com

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Aromatherapy has been used throughout the ages to offer relief from many complaints, both emotional and physical. As of yet, science has neither confirmed nor denied the benefits of aromatherapy as a being a curative alternative health practice. However many people still rely on age-old traditions and wisdom to assist in the healthiness of their lifestyle.

Aromatherapy, by definition, is the use of selected fragrant substances in lotions and inhalants in an effort to affect mood and promote health (The American Heritage Dictionary). By doing a search on the internet, or by visiting your local library, one can find a wealth of information on aromatherapy, both practical and estoric (spiritual) uses. Not only are there unlimited amounts of fragrances to help your health, but an unlimited amount of applications of the fragrances.

Several of the more common applications you probably know about are candles, incense, bath products, lamp rings, massage oils, and diffusers.

Candles can be purchased in an almost limitless variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and most importantly, fragrances. Even people who aren’t fond of candles for fire safety reasons can find tart melts, electric votive warmers, so-called “flameless candles”, and many other alternatives. A hint for purchasing candles for aromatherapy reasons is to purchase soy candles. Not because any other kind is especially unhealthy or unsafe, but because soy is cleaner burning with a higher scent throw and less soot, bringing you that much more scent than regular candles.

Incense can be found in many forms as well, including your regular stick incense, cones, charcoal, powder, resins, and others. If you are turned-off by incense because of the “woodsy” smell that makes you think of burning leaves, try charcoal incense instead, which has a very clean burning, non-woodsy scent, giving you more fragrance and less of that smokiness.

Bath Products, and Pulse Point Rubs can bring aromatherapy up close and personal. By bathing in or with aromatic oils, you carry the fragrance with you whereever you go. However, you should make sure that the fragrance you are getting has the right benefits you would like instead of just smelling nice. Some more common name brand bath products may smell pretty but have little to no theraputic effects.

Essential oils are the best way to get the benefits of aromatherapy, however the fragrance itself, even if manmade can still be beneficial to you. If I listed all the benefits of each fragrance out there, this article would probably take up about 5000000 paragraphs. However, I highly recommend doing research into the different fragrances and their benefits before jumping on the aromatherapy train. Some fragrances are not skin safe (especially in essential oil form), and others can cause allergic reactions. Remember safety first when experimenting with aromatherapy and your body!

As a few suggestions, generally lavender is used for relaxation, peppermint for energy, ylang-ylang for passion or love, chamomile for calm, frankencense & myrrh or nag champa for meditation, and sage for cleansing. There are plenty more out there though…something for everything one might say!

Aromatherapy can benefit everyone, and is available in so many different forms that it is easily accessible and easy to use no matter who you are. Scent affects our lives in so many ways, and this is just one more way it can benefit you.

Stephanie Davies is a 27 year old Missourian with a loving husband and an 8 year old son. She currently owns her own business which sells handmade candles, incense, bath & body products and other handcrafted products at http://www.mystickalincense.com.

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Candle tarts or “melts” are all the rage these days! Usually they are single packaged solid fragranced chunks of wax that you melt in a tealight potpourri burner or in an electric tart burner. Because there is no flame and the wax melts all at one time, you get more scent which lasts up to ten times longer than a regular candle of the same size.

Candle melts are available in many places, both online and offline, however you can even make them yourself in your own home by recycling old candles. This serves the purpose of using old candle wax instead of throwing it out, while at the same time scenting your home with delightful fragrances. Here are the items you will need to get started:

*Old used candles or candle wax

*Two old stove pans, one larger than the other

*A candy thermometer

*A mold for your melts - this can be a metal mini-muffin pan, thick plastic ice cube try, or any other small metal seamless container that won’t leak.

*A fire extinguisher (NEVER make candles without having a fire extinguisher handy in case of accidents!!)

*A few drops of the essential or fragrance oil of your choice (optional)

Once you have gathered the above items, begin by adding your chunks and pieces of used wax to the smaller pot. Be sure to remove the wick, by cutting the wax away from the wick if necessary, and remove all foreign objects.

Next fill the larger pot about 1/4 full with water, and place it on the stove. Set the smaller pot inside the larger pot to form a double boiler. IMPORTANT: Never, ever, heat wax directly on the stove - always use the double boiler method as wax can reach flash points very rapidly.

Turn your stove onto medium heat, and allow the water to heat up and melt the wax bits inside the smaller pan. This process takes about 15 minutes or so. During the time it is melting, stir the wax frequently and continue to check the temperature of the wax, which should never go higher than 180 degrees.

Once the wax is entirely melted, add a few drops of essential or fragrance oil of your choice to the melted wax and stir it well. Make sure you only use essential oils or fragrance oils (fragrance oils that are made especially for candle making). Potpourri oils, lamp ring oils and other products are not suitable for use in candle products.

As soon as you have mixed in the fragrance or essential oils, immediately pour the melted wax into your molds. You can use just about any type of metal mold as long as it is seamless and doesn’t leak, however mini-muffin pans are ideal! Make sure that the mold is small enough so that the finished product will fit inside of a potpourri warmer.

After pouring your wax, allow the melts to cool completely which takes up to 12 hours. You can speed this process up by placing the melts in the freezer for about 30 minutes after they have hardened a bit at room temperature.

Once they are completely cooled, remove them from the molds by turning the mold upside down and tapping on it. And there you have your finished candle melts which you can use at any time!

Stephanie Davies is a 28 year old work at home mom to a 9 year old boy in Mid-Missouri. Her hosting company, Hosting WAHMs offers premium webhosting from $2 per month and up, with an easy to use sitebuilder! She also loves to knit, build websites, and talk to people.

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Hmm, did Kara mark my bday on her calendar? lol This weeks scent is Birthday Cake and it was my and my son’s bday this last week. How timely. You can bring the scent of a rich, creamy birthday cake to your home every day. Once again, something yummy to smell with no extra calories. Those are my favorite kind of candles. I lean towards the yummy bakery scented candles. I love to bake cakes because they are quick to make and the house smells so good. But heaven knows I don’t need a cake. lol

Have the best of both world’s with this week’s scent.

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It is of vital importance that each of us take some time out of each day for ourselves. With busy schedules, work, kids, and a million things going on in our lives each day, unfortunately this isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it gets so unbelievably hectic that we even completely forget about ourselves, due to being so focused on tasks at hand.

But as impossible as it seems, it is extremely important to specifically set aside a little “me” time each day. The best way to accomplish this is to set aside your “me” time at the same time each day. If you can commit to just 30 minutes a morning or evening, this will help your outlook and mood immensely. However if it really isn’t possible to set aside a specific time, you still need to try and fit it in as you can throughout the day. You will be surprised at how much this affects your life!

“But what do I DO during my “me” time?”, you ask. Simply put, it is YOUR time, so do exactly whatever YOU want to do. Whether its reading a good book, meditating, taking a bath, watching T.V., or simply writing a letter to a friend, what is most important is that it is something that you want to do that pampers you!

When you do get your special time though, make sure it really is special. Go for the whole hog, so to speak. If you are going to take a bath, take one with lots of bubbles, candles, and hot tea. If you are going to read a book, curl up in front of the fireplace, get out a comfy blanket, and dim the lights. Make sure you make the absolute MOST of your special time.

Pay attention to your 5 senses when paying special attention to yourself. Make sure that you pamper your ears (music or relaxation CDs), eyes (either closed with cucumbers or a cool rag or open reading a book or watching something peaceful to you - whether it is the television or birds in your yard), nose (scented candles, incense and other scented items, mouth (make sure you have either your favorite drink or some chocolates or ice cream…whatever is a treat for you!), and finally touch (make sure you are as comfortable and relaxed as you can be!).

If you do this for only 30 minutes a day, or more if you can, you will notice a drastic change in your personality and outlook on life. I guarantee this is the best way to bring more positivity into your life!

Stephanie Davies is a 28 year old work at home mom to a 9 year old boy in Mid-Missouri. Her hosting company, Hosting WAHMs offers premium webhosting from $2 per month and up, with an easy to use sitebuilder! She also loves to knit, build websites, and talk to people.

The Scented Tub - Where Everything Smells Sweet!

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I work at stocking up for those unexpected birthday presents. Especially for my daughter since all of us Mom’s are so busy and sometimes don’t get invites out until the last minute. lol I totally understand we just keep products on hand. This months special is a great one to stock up on for just this cause.

Kiwi Strawberry Bath Pack

1-2oz Whipped Body Creme
1-2oz Bottle Jojoba Bead Body Wash
1-2oz Jar of Spa Bath Salt
+ Body Puff
All with shipping for only $12.50. Shipping is so expensive these days that you know you are getting an incredible deal.

I love this pack, it has most of my favorite products from The Scented Tub all in one yummy scent that makes me think of Summer. With our crazy weather, I’m all about thinking hot weather right now. Stock up on some products for all your birthdays ahead or just for yourself.

The Scented Tub - Where Everything Smells Sweet!

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