Be scared, be very scared! Oh my dear God! I'm a Clinical Aromatherapist, I have been for most of my adult life (35 years)....... this is terrifying! Yes, I get OI could detect infections and diseases. Heck, I used to smell my kids ears when they were small to see if they had an infection! But this is nefarious. Scent/odour/perfume is a huge manipulator of our responses to every day life. But it can also dig deeper into our psyche and trigger past traumas. Chemical components in odours can also trigger adverse reactions if there are underlying health conditions. Think epilepsy, high or low blood pressure, miscarriage etc. This whole OI takes me straight to the last chapter of Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume, The Story of a Murderer, which was later turned into a film in 2006. In the book, the main character and serial killer is finally caught and brought to public trial. In the last chapter he is of course found guilty and is about to face his own death. But he releases a tiny vial of scent which sends the whole community into an erotic rapture. He escapes as they are all distracted, shall we say. I remember going to the cinema with my friend and saying, "I wonder how they will depict the final scene." The book and film left an indelible mark on me as an aromatherapist as I already knew and respected the power of odour on our reactions and how it can manipulate us both for good.... and bad. heck, I even suggest to my students to read the book! OI brings Suskind's novel to life. OI will be manipulated into a bio-weapon mark my words! With the recent heatwaves here, I have been jokingly saying "well, if we have this drought, why don't they cloud seed for some rain, now they have admitted to doing it? Why don't they do it to put out all these fires all over the place?" However, as they have admitted to doing this, I'm wondering what they have moved on to? They have still been chemtrailing..... but no rain! So what have they been diffusing all over us? "How we invented scent teleportation" That's the front page title from a company called OSMO in 2024.

…… 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!!!

Last night I went to a Sir Tom Jones gig in Gloucester. Besides singing many of his famous songs, he also sang this one which always makes me well up. Had to wipe away a couple of tears. What song gets you all emotional?

1. If you can, get yourself out into some woods. The temp will be lower anywhere between 5-7 degrees C. 2. If you can’t get into some woods, get a bowl of cold water and add a single drop of either Eucalyptus, Peppermint or Spearmint to it. Eucalyptus in particular will draw the heat in your body downwards. Contraindications: Eucalyptus: Pregnancy during first trimester., cancer, high blood pressure, epilepsy, taking homeopathic remedies. Not to be used on children under the age of 6 years. Peppermint: Pregnancy, epilepsy, possible skin irritant, heart disease, taking homeopathy remedies, fever, Petit Mal, Neurasthenia. Avoid Peppermint in cardiac fibrillation and fever. Being hot is not the same as running a fever. Spearmint: Might neutralise homeopathic remedies if used within 20 minutes of taking a homeopathic remedy. Other than this caution, Spearmint is pretty much a safe oil. 3. I never wear sunglasses. Why? Because your eyes play a part in sending signals to your brain to produce melanin, including your hair, eyelashes and the fine hair on your body. If you cover your eyes, your brain doesn’t respond and reduces the melanin you need to stop you burning. Second, it will make your brain (pineal gland) produce melatonin, the sleepy hormone, as it thinks it’s nighttime. So it’s not just the heat that can make you tired, you are also whacking out your endocrine system and it thinks it’s time for bed! 4. Oh, and cucumber hydrosol! Spray it on your face, back of your neck and into your armpits and behind your knees. Wonderfully refreshing and cooling! 5. One last thing more for the ladies. Put on a lose dress and get your knickers off! Go commando! You’ll be surprised how much cooler you are. 😂

Our tribe is not just about Aromatherapy/EO's, it's about other therapies as well. So, I'm curious, what other therapies do you practice, and do you incorporate EO's into them? To kick you off, I practice various massage techniques, Kinesiology (TFH), Reflexology, Metamorphosis Therapy©, Radiesthesia (dowsing), Reiki Master, Kuan Yin doh©, and various other little "off-shoots", from them, like Chakra clearing, past life work etc. Essential Oils are incorporated into pretty much all of them. Don't be shy, tell us what modalities you practice and whether you incorporate EO's into them or not. Aaaand......Go!