NAHA E-News Going Green Article September

Essential News-Going Green
E-tips for Aromatherapy Awareness
Contributed by Kayla Fioravanti RA
Back to School with Aromatherapy

Every school year I add another essential oil to my arsenal of therapies I use to deal with the "sickies and ickies" that the kids pick up at school. My kids are totally healthy all summer long but once they hit the classroom it seems the germs accumulate overnight. With aromatherapy we encounter less and less sick days as the years go on. There are several lines of defense that a mother can take. It takes a combination of being proactive and reactive to get through a school year successfully.

Back to school haircuts is the first indicator that it is time to add Tea Tree essential oil to the kids shampoo for lice prevention; because prevention is the best medicine for lice. My family has witnessed a lot of head lice out breaks but we have avoided being involved by adding just 1-2 drops of Tea Tree essential oil per ounce of shampoo and conditioner. In addition whenever there is an outbreak at school I always make sure to apply Tea Tree through their hair. I simply get a few drops of Tea Tree essential oil onto my finger tips and run my hands through their hair from root to tip.

I have talked many mothers through a safe and effective lice treatment when their children have gotten head lice. A quick and simple solution is to mix one cup of mayonnaise with one teaspoon of Tea Tree essential oil. Apply the mayonnaise to the hair from the roots to the tips and cover with a plastic cap or plastic wrap. Leave it on for twenty to sixty minutes and rinse. Carefully comb through the hair thoroughly while the hair is wet one section at a time. Wipe off any lice or nits as you go. Pay special attention to scalp, behind the ears and nape of the neck. Move systematically over your child's entire scalp area.

Don't forget to treat bedding, clothing and any other areas that lice may be hiding with Tea Tree essential oil as well. Simply add Tea Tree essential oil to your laundry soap to wash everything and make a Tea Tree linen spray to address any areas that can't be thrown in the laundry. And if you don't like the smell of Tea Tree then try adding some Lavender to it as well.

There is more to back to school planning than head lice. Schools are a breeding ground for a whole assortment of "sickies and ickies". In our family we have chosen not to send the kids to school with hand sanitizer but instead add Tea Tree, Lavender and Lemon to a simple aloe jelly for a waterless hand wash. We also instruct them to wash their hands with soap and water every chance they get at school. In addition we advice them to use the paper towel that they use to dry their hands grip the handle of the door leading out of the bathroom. After all freshly cleaned hands can become quickly covered in new germs on the way out of the bathroom. Door handles and other commonly touched areas are covered in germs.

Avoiding illness is critical for our children because they suffer from asthma. Any respiratory ailment sends their asthma into overdrive. Treating the air in our car and home for their asthma relief has become common place in our household. I developed the essential oil blend Breathe Green using Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Laurel leaf, Peppermint, Ginger, Eucalyptus, Ravensara and Lemon to respond to their immune and respiratory needs. A few days after I first blended Breathe Green I dispersed it into the car and successfully averted an Emergency Room trip. That was my first indicator that I was onto something with the Breathe Green blend. Last school year we used it in combination with asthma medications to successfully avoid respiratory infections, urgent care and emergency trips which had been the norm in the past.

On the first day of school I always carry a bottle of lavender with me to school. Everyone knows me as the aromatherapy lady so no one questions my lavender scented hand coming to touch the head of their teary anxiety ridden child. A simple method of helping moms and kids who are struggling with separation anxiety is to hand them a tissue with subtle scents of Lavender transferred from your fingers. It works every time not only does the Lavender calm the child but the interruption of the crisis helps to dissipate anxiety.

I have been known to bring a bottle of lotion to my child's classroom with our Taming the Wild Child blend (Roman and German Chamomile, Lavender, Tangerine, and Mandarin) as an aromatherapy solution to disruptive students. The lotion becomes a big treat for the kids and an even bigger relief to the teacher. There are many simple aromatherapy solutions that you can share with your child's classroom in order to improve the quality of learning for the entire class. I have varied my class lotion or room spray depending on the unique needs that every classroom has from year to year and it has made all the difference.

Essential Oils included in this month's e-news: Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus Radiata), German Chamomile (Matricaria recuitita), Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), Tangerine (Citrus reticulata blanco var.), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Lemon (Citrus limon), Ravensara (Ravensara aromatica), Laurel Leaf (Laurus nobilis).

Kayla Fioravanti is Vice President, Chief Formulator, ARC Registered Aromatherapist and Co-Founder of Essential Wholesale and Essential Labs. She and her husband, Dennis have three children.

Contact Kayla at www.essentialwholesale.com or visit Essential U Blog at: http://essentialu.typepad.com/about.html