…… to @Davina Salter who passed her Essential Oil Practitioner Diploma yesterday afternoon! Her hard work and professional diligence paid off! Already a massage therapist, Reflexologist, Reiki therapist and high end aesthetician, Davina will be adding EO’s to her existing therapies and long term intention is to develop her own skin care range. Her beaming smile says it all! Mahoosive congratulations hun, and welcome to the Maverick Aromatherapist tribe, you are now a fully fledged member!!!

So, diffuser time to send summer flies packing. I laughed when I saw my bottle of citronella in the back of my kitchen draw. @Jane Lawson popped straight in my head... "its in the poisons book!" 😆 But being a rebel i decided a couple of citronella (famous and common fly repellent), couple of lavender.... let's get rid of the fly situation. How wrong was I! 😆😆😆 No change with flies, and in fact, I had one sit on the top of my diffuser - taunting me 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤣 so not only is citronella a poison, its blooming useless! Out came Buddha Wood, Cedar Wood and Spearmint ... its now definitely helping! 👏😆 Hit me with your fly blends that work! 🪰

Making an Aloe Vera Oral Care/Lip Gel using dried Aloe Vera Powder This formulation creates an 85g base oral gel to which up to 15% additives can be added without compromising the natural preservation of Food Grade Certified Organic Aloe Vera Powder with a 200:1 system. This formulation using a concentration. REFER TO - Table 1: Dried Aloe Vera Powder Ingredient photo for ingredients & Measurement Step-by-Step Production Process 1. Sanitise Your Workspace Thoroughly clean your area. Wipe down all glass beakers, stainless steel whisks, and containers with 70% food-grade ethanol. Let them air-dry completely. 2. Liquefy the Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 The CO2 total extract is too thick to measure accurately while cold. Place the sealed bottle of Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 into a bowl of warm water (approx. 40°C) for 5 minutes. Shake it well once it softens into a fluid oil. 3. Dissolve the Powders In your main beaker, weigh out 82.00 g of Distilled Water. Add 0.4 g Sodium Benzoate, 0.2 g Potassium Sorbate, and 0.5 g Aloe Vera Powder. Stir thoroughly until the liquid is perfectly clear and no powder grains remain. 4. Drop the pH to Activate Preservatives Stir 0.35 g of Citric Acid into the water mixture. Use a calibrated digital pH meter or high-precision pH strips to verify that the pH is between 4.5 and 4.8. CRITICAL STEP: If the pH is above 4.8, the organic acid preservatives remain inactive, and your gel will spoil. Add a microscopic pinch of citric acid if needed to drop the pH into the safe zone. 5. Hydrate the Gel Slowly sprinkle the 1.40 g of Xanthan Gum across the surface of the water while whisking rapidly with a mini-mixer or milk frother to prevent fish-eyes (clumps). Keep mixing until smooth, then let it rest for 15 minutes to fully hydrate into a thick gel. 6. Emulsify the Melted CO2 Extract Weigh 0.15 g of your warmed, liquefied Sea Buckthorn Pulp CO2 Extract directly into the thick xanthan gel. Whisk vigorously for 1–2 minutes. The xanthan gum network will permanently trap the tiny lipid droplets, changing the clear gel into a bright, uniform, opaque orange-yellow paste.

If you could only choose 2 and I do mean TWO fixed oils as your go to mediums, what are they and WHY have you chosen them? You CANNOT choose Jojoba (as thats an easy choice), nor can you choose an oil blend such as Trauma (Arnica, Calendula, St.Johns Wort combo) oil.

Registrations are now open if you want to be a qualified Aromatherapist or level up to Clinical Aromatherapist. https://www.thenaturalapproach.biz/diplomas-certificated-courses/ Aromatherapy, Essential Oil Practitioner and Reflexology incorporating 54 EO Diploma's are a 1 year courses. Clinical Aromatherapist, Clinical Essential Oil Practitioner and Clinical Reflexology Diploma's are 2 year courses. Contact me direct for full application details, course syllabii and interest free payment plans. (Pic nicked from IFPA.)