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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Unmasking the Scent: What It Means If You Don't Like an Essential Oil

Aromatherapy, the practice of using essential oils to enhance well-being, is celebrated for its ability to stimulate our senses and evoke emotions through scent. However, not all essential oils are created equal, and personal preferences can vary widely. If you find yourself disliking the scent of a particular essential oil, you might wonder what this means. Does it have any significance? Let’s explore the reasons behind our reactions to scents and what it might imply if you don't resonate with a particular essential oil.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Breathe Easier This Fall: Aromatherapy For Seasonal Allergies

As the leaves begin to fall and the air turns crisp, many of us eagerly embrace the beauty of autumn. However, for some, the arrival of fall also means the return of seasonal allergies, with sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes making their unwelcome appearance. If you're seeking natural relief from fall allergies, consider turning to the power of aromatherapy. In this article, we'll explore how aromatherapy can help you combat allergies and enjoy this vibrant season to the fullest.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

30 Essential Oil Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Embarking on the journey of aromatherapy as a newcomer feels like stepping into a world rich with captivating scents and promising benefits. I remember beginning my journey over 10 years ago and was filled with a sense of curiosity and wonder as I learned about essential oils, diffusers, rollers, inhalers and more. If you are new to essential oils, here are my top 30 tips and tricks for beginners.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

The Power of Scent in Evoking Memories

The olfactory system, responsible for our sense of smell, has a direct link to the brain's limbic system. The limbic system is the seat of our emotions and plays a crucial role in memory formation and retrieval. This direct connection between scent and the limbic system explains why a single whiff of a familiar scent can instantaneously trigger a flood of memories.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

What To Put in Your Aromatherapy First Aid Kit

When it comes to first aid, aromatherapy can be a valuable tool to address minor ailments and promote overall well-being. Essential oils, derived from various plants and flowers, are the key players in aromatherapy first aid. Their potent and aromatic properties can be harnessed to soothe common conditions such as headaches, insect bites, and muscle aches.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

How to Use Aromatherapy to Combat Negative Thought Patterns

Are you feeling negative lately?

By inhaling essential oils, individuals can experience a shift in mood and mental state, helping to alleviate negative thought patterns such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Aromatherapy offers a natural and gentle method to restore emotional balance, promoting relaxation and a sense of calm. Incorporating this practice into daily routines can provide individuals with a valuable tool to navigate and overcome negative thought patterns, promoting greater mental clarity and well-being.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Do Essential Oils Affect Your Dreams?

Have you ever experienced vivid dreams while using essential oils at bedtime? Perhaps you have noticed a trend linking a specific essential oil with strange dreams. If so, you are not alone. Although essential oils being linked to dreams is not yet widely researched, many people agree that essential oils used at bedtime have an effect on the way you sleep and your dreams. Essential oils have long been associated with promoting relaxation and enhancing sleep. When it comes to dreaming, certain essential oils can also play a role in creating a more vivid and peaceful dream state.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

No More Itch Stick for Bug Bite Relief

Essential oils have long been used as a natural remedy for bug bite relief. Their potent properties can help alleviate the itching, swelling, and discomfort caused by insect bites. Tea tree oil, with its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic qualities, is often a top choice for bug bite relief. Lavender oil, known for its soothing effects, can also provide relief by reducing inflammation and calming the skin. Peppermint oil, with its cooling sensation, can bring instant relief to itchy bug bites. Helichrysum is known for its skin healing properties. When applied topically, these essential oils can offer a safer and gentler alternative to conventional bug bite treatments.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

20 Ways to Use Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint essential oil is one of the most popular essential oils on the market used commercially and medicinally. It is an incredibly versatile oil and can be used aromatically, topically and through ingestion to benefit the mind and body. It can be helpful to soothe muscle aches, head tension, nausea and upset stomach, low energy, seasonal allergies and many more!

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Not a Bath Person? Essential Oils Can Transform Your Daily Shower into Tranquility

Move over baths, showers are the up-and-coming key to promoting tranquility and relaxation! Research has shown that people are enjoying showers over baths more than ever. This could be attributed to busy lifestyles. In addition, many condominiums and housing complexes do not have bathtubs. If you aren’t a bath person and want to step up your bathing game, a great way to do this is by incorporating aromatherapy into your showering routine.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

10 Facts About Our Sense of Smell

Our sense of smell is more than just a way to know that dinner is ready. It plays a huge role as an early warning system, and for emotional well-being and triggering memories. Ironically, it is the least studied and understood sense that we have. What little we do know, is truly remarkable!

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Why Smelling an Essential Oil Can Make You Cry

Have you ever smelled an essential oil and had an emotional response that caught you off guard? Maybe you smelled a new blend and you immediately started crying. This reaction is more common than you would think and there are several reasons for this.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Can Aromatherapy Replace an Afternoon Cup of Coffee?

Do you struggle with the afternoon slump? Before you reach for that afternoon cup of coffee, try breathing in some stimulating essential oils instead! Essential oils contain chemical constituents that are stimulating for the brain. This can help enhance memory and allow us to focus and concentrate better.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

8 Best Essential Oils for a Good Night’s Sleep

Certain essential oils help us unwind and relax before bed. We also start to associate those pleasant aromas with rest. This allows our body and mind to know what to expect next which makes the transition to sleep easier. We are then able to fall asleep, stay asleep and improve the quality of our sleep.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Why Aromatherapy and Music Work So Well Together to Improve Mood

Aromatherapy and music therapy are the perfect example of two peas in a pod, complementing each other, to soothe the mind, body, and spirit. While they can both be beneficial alone, multiple studies have shown significant findings of combining therapies to improve mood, reduce stress, anxiety and pain.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

My Favorite DIY Essential Oil Recipes When Feeling Under the Weather!

The season of germs and sickness is here! It seems like everyone I know has battled a nasty virus (or two) this year. While we wait for those long summer days that hold more healthy days, I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to utilize essential oils when I am not feeling my best.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Debunking 10 Common Essential Oil Myths

As a Certified Aromatherapist and Registered Nurse, I have always enjoyed reading research studies and understanding the science behind a topic. The essential oil world contains a wealth of information on how to use aromatherapy to promote holistic health, however, there is a great deal of misinformation that circulates the internet. I wanted to take a few minutes and clear the air on 10 common essential oil myths that have gained hype throughout the years.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

8 Incredible Benefits of Rose Essential Oil

The aroma of a rose, the alluring fragrance entertained by lovers and poets for centuries. The scent a rose can ignite memories of childhood gardens, love and intimacy. When asked what scent resembles love, most are quick to list the smell of roses. Roses are more than just a sweet, rich, sensual scent. Those deeply aromatic petals host many health benefits for the body.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

The Scent of Attraction: How Pheromones Play a Role in Choosing a Mate

The season of love is here, and it always makes me reflect more on scent and its influence on attraction and intimacy. This time of year is HUGE for the perfume, candle, and bubble bath business. A smell is more than just a scent, it has the power to allure and charm, even influence a change in behavior.

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Holly Brandenberger Holly Brandenberger

Set the Mood for Love: Using Essential Oils for Intimacy

Intimacy. I love this topic because it is something so many women struggle with and don’t often talk about. Aromatherapy can be extremely helpful to promote feelings of love, bonding and connection with our significant other. More specifically, essential oils can be supportive for multiple variables that can play a role in decreasing libido.

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