Infused Water: A Healthy and Refreshing Summer Drink

I love to cook and incorporate what we grow in the garden into our meals.  Lately I have been inspired to make Infused Water meaning water that has been infused with fruit, flowers, or herbs for a flavor and health boost.  The kids really enjoy helping to make these waters and have even been inspired to create a few recipes of their own.  
While infused water is new to us it is not a new concept.  In fact infused water has been around for many centuries as is evident

from the painting "Water Seller of Seville" by Diego Velasquez (1599-1660).  The painting portrays a young boy purchasing water from a water seller who has flavored the water with a fig.  It was common practice to flavor water with figs as it was meant to represent purity and freshen the taste of the water.

Now, centuries later Aromatic waters are making a resurgence.  They are easy to make and rewarding to our health.  Have fun experimenting with different fruits.  The following is the recipe we have been enjoying. 

Infused Water with Strawberries and Lemon Thyme

 

1000ml/1 litre Mason Jar

4-6 organic sliced strawberries

2 sprigs of organic Lemon Thyme

1/2 organic lemon sliced thinly

Pure water

Add the above ingredients into a 1 liter mason jar.  Fill the mason jar with water and seal with a lid.  Let the jar sit overnight or for 4 hours to let the flavors infuse.

You can drink the water right from the jar with the infused fruit still in the jar or strain the water into a glass then add a fresh slice of lemon.

Enjoy your Infused Water!

Seasonal Allergies Got You Down? Evoke Aromatherapy Has Natural Effective Solutions

Whether you call it allergies, hay fever or allergic rhinitis the experience of living with these conditions eventually affects our overall feelings of daily wellness and joy.

Typical symptoms for these conditions are: itchy, puffy or red eyes.  Nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose or postnasal drip.  Wheezing while breathing, pain in the ears, throat irritation, headaches and fatigue.  The range of symptoms is broad with each symptom translating into discomfort for the allergy sufferer.

Essential oils such as Lavender, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Roman Chamomile, Peppermint, Juniper, Frankincense, Basil or Tea Tree can each greatly help to soothe, calm or boost the immune system during this time with allergies.

Did you know that 40-60% of American people are affected by Allergic Rhinitis yearly?  Also the number of children showing signs of allergies is dramatically increasing.

Allergies are most commonly a reaction to pollen, dust, mold and animal dander.  It’s not known why more people are being affected by these commonly occurring allergens.  One theory points to the body being overworked and run down with stress which causes an increase of inflammation within the body and results in a lower immune system.  So when the body experiences an allergen it will now react to this allergen with symptoms like sneezing, runny nose and fatigue.

To alleviate our strong reaction to allergens we can use essential oils that are specific to reducing inflammation, essential oils that detoxify the body and essential oils that boost the immune system.

With the help of these allergy soothing essential oils we can reduce our allergic reactions to these common molds, pollens and dander and increase our overall wellness and joy.

5 Essential Oils that Naturally Help Reduce Allergies and Boost Our Everyday Wellness And Joy

1.   Lavender- helps to reduce inflammation.  Lavender can bring calm to the mind, which helps the whole body to relax and unwind.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

2.   Roman Chamomile- a very effective anti-inflammatory essential oil, Roman Chamomile calms the body’s response to irritating allergens.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

3.   Juniper- an excellent essential oil to encourage gentle detoxification and elimination.  Especially suited to encourage elimination of waste by increasing urination.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

4.   Lemon- a refreshing and cleansing essential oil, Lemon helps to encourage the body to break down fat and release toxic build up while supporting drainage of the lymphatic system.  Lemon also boosts the immune system and inhibits bacteria growth.  These properties make Lemon a good choice for use as a household disinfectant.
   

 Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

5.   Frankincense- a wonderfully mild sweet smelling resinous essential oil that has an affinity with the respiratory system.  Frankincense helps us to be calm which allows for deeper breathing and greater relaxation.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

Evoke Aromatherapy uses these above mentioned essential oils in effective, easy to use and great smelling products that aim to improve our lifestyle Wellness and Joy.

Tame the Pain- a product for arthritis, painful joints, past ligament tears or strains and allergy relief.  Helps ease inflammation, which helps to ease pain and discomfort.
Contains Lavender, Frankincense, Juniper and Lemon
Use topically on the skin
http://evokearomatherapy.com/adult/tame-the-pain/

Spring Fling Body Oil Blend- a refreshing body oil to help you get moving while feeling nourished and loved.  Contains Juniper, Cypress, Lemon and Pink grapefruit.  This oil blend helps "clear out" winter stagnation.  It can also help soothe allergies.
http://evokearomatherapy.com/adult/spring-fling-body-oil/

Allergy Inhalation Stick- an easy to use stick of cotton encased in a plastic tube for ease of use, easy to carry in a pocket or purse for on the go inhalation.  The essential oils in this stick help to soothe the respiratory tract so that breathing is calmed, and sinuses open up.  A gentle yet effective way to combat allergies that affect the sinuses and Respiratory System.

Contains Roman Chamomile, Mandarin, Rosalina, Lemon 
http://evokearomatherapy.com/adult/allergy-inhalation-stick/

These products and more can be found at www.evokearomatherapy.com

Shipping is FREE for orders over $100 or if you are local to the Sooke B.C. area, shipping is FREE! 

Don’t see a product for you?  Contact me at info@evokearomatherapy.com to talk about getting a custom Aromatherapy product made just for you!

May Wellness and Joy be yours this Allergy Season!

With Love, Wendy <3

Please be advised that the information I share with you is based on my experiences and client experiences.  This information is being shared for educational purposes only.  Information is not intended to replace medical advice or care.

Contact your doctor if you have medical concerns.

A Case Study of Athlete's Foot: How Evoke Aromatherapy's Nail Support Eliminated Athlete's Foot

Nail Support is an all natural essential oil product that helps the body fight the fungus that cause nail fungus and athlete’s foot.

Nail Support is Evoke Aromatherapy’s top selling essential oil blend for foot and nail wellness.

The following is a case study of a 40 year old male with athlete’s foot between two of his toes.

Background:  the client is an active and healthy male, 40 years old.  He participates in water

sports, goes barefoot at a gym and wears closed toe work shoes through the day at work.

His athlete’s foot is isolated between the two small toes of his right foot.

The client detected the irritation when his toes were itchy and he noticed peeling skin between his toes.  Within 2 days of noticing the athlete’s foot the client began applying Evoke Aromatherapy’s Nail Support Essential Oil Blend.

1^st set of 3 pictures show the initial application of Nail Support.  Notice the cracked and red area between the toes.

The 2nd set of 2 pictures show the improvement in his toes after only 1 week of applying Nail Support. 

This 3^rd picture shows the toes after 2 weeks of applying Nail Support.  The signs of athlete's foot have dramatically improved.  The client reports that he is less itchy and the redness between his toes is fading.

This 4^th picture illustrates how his Athlete’s foot is mostly gone after 3 weeks of using Nail Support.

His 5^th and final picture shows healthy toes at 4 weeks of application of Nail Support.  There is no more athlete’s foot, thanks to Evoke Aromatherapy’s Nail Support. 

Method:  The client applied Nail Support to the area between his toes once every day for 4 weeks.  After this time his athlete’s foot was gone so the application was stopped.  He still has 5 ml left from a 15 ml bottle of Nail Support.  The cost for 15 mL Nail Support is $25.95 CDN, therefore the cost of the clients Nail Support applications to naturally treat his athlete's foot was approximately $17.30 CDN.  As well he still has 5ml of the product left.  This is a very affordable treatment for athlete's foot.  

Click here now to order Nail Support.

www.evokearomatherapy.com

Please be advised that the information I share with you is based on my experiences and client experiences.  This information is being shared for educational purposes only.  Information is not intended to replace medical advice or care.

Contact your doctor if you have medical concerns.

Nail Support is for adults 19 years and older who are in good health.

It is for topical use only, on skin that is not damaged or wounded.

 

Win the battle over Nail Fungus with Evoke Aromatherapy's Nail Support

Anyone who has nail fungus knows all to well the feelings of frustration and disappointment that fighting nail fungus can cause.   
Nail fungus is stubborn to treat and can make us embarrassed about our nails which makes us want to hide our feet in socks and shoes.

I too had Nail Fungus, which fueled my quest to find a natural solution to this common problem.  I often wore layers of nail polish to hide the yellowed, wavy nail. 

Hiding this problem upset me because it wasn't letting me live to my fullest and realize my wellness goals.  I wanted to wear open toed sandals and walk bare foot in the sand without feeling embarrassed about my nails.  In 2009 I developed Nail Support which naturally addresses nail fungus and athletes' foot using 100% pure vegetable and essential oils. 
After using Nail Support on the infected nail my nail fungus cleared up and I have not had problems with that nail since.  

Imagine how happy you would feel to wear sandals and once again see beautiful smooth nails shining back at you?

With Nail Support this freedom can be yours again.

Read the review below to learn about another successful story of a gentleman who's wife bought him Nail Support to try on his blackened toenails.

Then check out Nail Support in our online store.  Isn't it time that you looked at your nails and smiled again?    



EVOKE AROMATHERAPY'S INTERVIEW WITH A CLIENTS WIFE

1.  How did you first hear about the Nail Support product?

At the Sooke Museum Evening Market

2.  Why did you decide to use Nail Support?

After having tried numerous treatments, both allopathic, homeopathic,and other essential oil treatments-it was worth another try!

3.  How long has your husband had Nail Fungus?

He first noticed the fungus in his early teens, he was very active in sports & swimming,so that was over 60 years he has been living with it! As he is 73 now!

4. How were your husbands nails before using this product?  How did he feel about the health of his nails?

Both his big toes were completely black, other toes were infected too, to a lesser degree, Embarrassed, when swimming & wearing sandals

5. How long has he been using Nail Support?  What results are you noticing?

6 months now & counting! All new growth free of fungus,still growing out of the big toes,other toes perfect, using product daily

6. How does he feel about his nails and overall foot health now? 

Encouraged that in a few more months his toes will be fungus free!

7.  Would you recommend Nail Support to others who want to make their nails more natural and healthy looking?

I have recommended Nail Support already in my practice, yes certainly it is effective, I also use it preventatively.

www.evokearomatherapy.com

Aromatherapy to make your Valentine's Day Memorable

With Valentine's day right around the corner you may be thinking of doing something special for your loved one.  You can make an aromatherapy bath salt blend or an aromatherapy massage oil blend to create a romantic and lasting impression on your lover.

Essential Oils commonly associated with sensuality are: clary sage, jasmine, neroli, rose, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver and yang-ylang.

Throughout the ages scent has been used to woo partners and for personal expression.  Scents that we put on our skin mingle with the natural odor of our body to create a scent that is truly our own.  Our individual scent is so unique that babies have been able to identify their mothers through smell.  Scent is a primal sensation for us and as such evokes some of our more primal responses and emotions.  Using Aromatherapy to tap into your lovers unique scent connection can take your intimate experiences from wow to OH WOW.

To do this determine which smells from the above list you both find attractive and make you feel happy.  Look for those scent combo's in products you buy or you can use the individual essential oils to make a massage oil or bath salt (DIY recipe's to follow).

A few things to consider when using a massage oil for sensual purposes are to avoid getting the product on or near mucous membranes and sensitive body areas.  Have a towel nearby to dry your hands after using the massage oil.

Now that you have an understanding of the safety around using a massage oil and some suggestions for which essential oils to use to create a romantic setting its time to get to work making the product.  Or you can email info@evokearomatherapy.com for a custom created product made specifically for you and your lover based on your chosen scents.


DIY Sensual Massage Oil

30 ml (2 TBSP) Sweet Almond Oil
2 drops Rose Essential Oil
2 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil
1 drop 10% Vanilla Absolute in Jojoba Oil
3 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Mix all the ingredients into a bottle with a flip top lid for easy pouring.

DIY Sensual Bath Salts

1/2 cup Epsom Salts
4 drops Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil
2 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil
1 drop Lemon Essential Oil
1 drop Sandalwood Essential Oil

Add the essential oils to the Epsom Salts.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour the bath.  While sitting in the bath mix in the bath salts containing the essential oils.

Light candles, play soft music, send the kids to grandma's for the night!  Do what you need to create uninterrupted time for you and your lover to connect and lose yourselves in the moment.  Trust that the memory you create will be lasting, carried on the sweet memory of scent.

"The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind I was.  Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.  They're in each other all along."
Rumi

Happy Valentine's Day!

www.evokearomatherapy.com

Understanding Vanilla as an aromatherapy perfume

With the onset of the fall season and return to school I get drawn into my kitchen to bake wholesome school snacks for the kids.  While my selection of baking varies from almond butter chocolate chip cookies (from the Oh She Glows cookbook, its excellent you have to try them!), to zucchini muffins (we grew lots of zucchini this year) and even to a pumpkin/kale smoothie there is one main ingredient that flows through all these things and that is vanilla.  I love this smell and the magic it brings to baking! 

Vanilla has been appearing in more places than my kitchen since at one of the last summer night markets I meet a woman who was asking about vanilla in an aromatherapy perfume.  Her request intrigued me and I took this curiosity into my lab and began playing with vanilla absolute oil in various carriers and with other oils.  Playing with vanilla in this setting was extremely fun and satisfying as I got to know Vanilla as more than a flavoring for baking but also as a scent for perfumes.  Wow!  The possibilities are endless.  At the time of writing this article there is not yet a completed product but I can say that I do anticipate a vanilla inspired aromatherapy perfume to grace the markets and website in the near future.  For now both my home and lab will be wafting wonderful vanilla smells as I enjoy Vanilla in all its heavenly forms!

To better understand Vanilla I gathered some information on growing, harvesting and how Vanilla is named that helped me to further appreciate this well used spice and perfume fragrance.  

Vanilla beans are actually the seeds from the orchid species Vanilla plantifolia.  This orchid is the only species of orchids out of 35,000 orchid species to have edible seedpods.  The Vanilla plantifolia orchid was originally only grown in the tropical rainforest of South Eastern Mexico and Central America.  Now however it is being grown in Indonesia, Tahiti, Reunion Islands and Madagascar.  I have also seen the vanilla orchid growing on a tree at a farm on Kauai, Hawaii.  The Vanilla orchid grows like a vine twining itself up trees reaching lengths of up to 30 feet.  In the regions where Vanilla is a native plant (South Eastern Mexico and Central America) it is pollinated by the Melipone bee that is only found in those regions.  All other Vanilla Orchids are hand pollinated.  The resulting bean pod takes up to 9 months to reach maturity. The Vanilla bean is odorless when harvested.  Then when cured in a 3-6 month long fermentation process the pods turn dark brown to black with reddish drops of crystal Vanillin lining the pod.  The crystal drops of Vanillin give the bean pod the familiar smell of Vanilla.

Vanilla is the most popular food flavor in the world.  It is the second most expensive spice flavoring (with saffron being the first) due to its labor intensive harvesting and curing process.

Vanilla can’t be steam distilled to extract its oil content like most other essential oils because of the delicate structure of the bean pods.  Instead there are 3 other extraction methods that are used:

1.  Vanilla CO2- uses carbon dioxide to pull the vanilla smell from the pod.

2. Vanilla absolute- uses solvents to extract the vanilla.  This method is preferred by perfumers.

3. Vanilla oleoresin- is another type of solvent extraction that uses the macerated beans.

Each of these methods produce slightly different smelling vanilla oil all of which are not considered to be a true essential oil.  When Vanilla in used in an aromatherapy blend it is usually considered a “fragrance” addition.

Vanilla is sold under many different names such as Mexican Vanilla (Mexico), Bourbon Vanilla (Madagascar), Tahitian Vanilla (French Polynesia) or West Indian Vanilla (Caribbean and Central/South America) all of which are named based on the geographical regions they are grown.

I hope that you enjoyed this article about Vanilla.  Please visit our website to view our product line.
We would love to connect on social media!  You can find us on the links below.

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Return your nails to a youthful wellness using Evoke Aromatherapy's Nail Support Essential Oil Blend

Hey don't be shy about it…. lots of people have nail fungus.  Many of them don't do anything about it and many more keep it covered up with nail polish so they don't have to see their yellowing nails.
I get it!  This was my story too for 13 years.  I ignored and hid the nail fungus that was in my big toenail by wearing nail polish for many years before deciding it was time to take action to bring my nails back into a better state of wellness.
That was me a few years ago.  This is not my story now as I developed a product called Nail Support to address nail fungus and athletes foot (another fungus I was plagued with being in the water a lot and wearing shoes).  Now my big toenail is clear, smooth and beautiful and has been that way since using Nail Support.  I rarely wear nail polish, as I like to look at my toenails and be happy for how I turned them around.
You can do this too!  It’s easy.  Let me guide you on your journey to better nail wellness.  Order Evoke Aromatherapy’s Nail Support essential oil blend online now and I will send your product and an email with further suggestions and encouragement on “turning the tide” for your nails and your overall foot wellness.

What are you waiting for?  The path to healthier, nicer looking nails could start NOW.

To order now click this link: www.evokearomatherapy.com/nail-care/

Check out our testimonials for Nail Support here