Holistica Botanicals

Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist January 19, 2017 So what's the deal with the soaks? Where did the soaking trend start? It actually was a hit in the Roman times. So way back when. You heard of the famous Roman baths! They would soak for emotional and health benefits in communal tubs....of men! So not just for the ladies. See this painting below: Men would have meetings, massages and more in these communal baths. So the reason these are still great today is for those emotional and health benefits. Our body absorbs these oils through the salts and give us great benefits. Salt soaks don't have to be used in a full bath either. Make yourself a nice foot bath in a large bowl instead! The feet are very porous and effective in absorbing too!

Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist on Nov 29th 2017 It seems that Lavender Lavandula angustifolia is one of the most well known essential oils. Why not show it some love and tell you all what makes it so amazing!!! The healing powers of Lavender essential oil started in July of 1910 when the Gattefosse family, active in the perfume business in France, had a laboratory explosion. Rene-Maurice sustained burns to his hands and scalp. He treated the burns with Lavender Essential oil and noticed that his skin healed quickly and that the pain was eased from this oil. Lavender was also used to protect against the plague in the Middle Ages as well as scenting laundry. In latin 'Lavo' or 'Lavare' means to wash or bathe, appropriately named after it's use for scenting laundry. Mmmmmmm. In Iranian folk medicine it is used for various inflammatory diseases. Lavender is rich in Monoterpenes and Esters which give it t

March 7, 2017 I feel that as humans we are mostly all trusting. I don't know about you, but I remember when I realized that just because they sell it doesn't mean it's safe. This realization happened to me during my years of being a free spirited traveler. You meet people from all over the world, and they talk! Hmmmm interesting. I met people from Canada that mentioned that many of the products sold in the US are not allowed to be sold in Canada for various reasons, including chemicals. My friends in Norway were baffled in Australia that foods and other products had such a long shelf life. This made me curious. Once you start reading labels you see that there are many ingredients you do not recognize. Try searching what they are! I have found fermaldehyde in shampoo, carcinogens in facial products, and the all famous parabens and other ingredients that mimic estrogen and can cause fertility problems! This is so shocking to me. The cool thing is that I meet more peop

Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist on Nov 29th 2017 Have you ever wondered why most aromatherapy products are in glass bottles? There is a very good reason! No it isn't to increase the cost or make them look fancy...Essential oils are very powerful, and one of the things they do is break down plastic. I take this very seriously! If the product goes on your skin it should be packaged in plastic. Beware of any aromatherapy products in plastic. Especially products that are meant to go on your skin. The other important thing is to make sure the products are in a UV protected bottle such as amber or blue glass. Sunlight will break down essential oils and decrease their effectiveness. Yes glass costs more, but the last thing you want is broken down plastics being absorbed in your skin. Holistica Botanicals is working on a recycling program to decrease waste and save repeat customers some cash! We will be giving a discount on a "refill" of any of our prod

Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist on Nov 29th 2017 Why do you always hear about Aromatherapy and emotions? Simple answer really. It's not that they just smell good, there's science behind this. Have you heard of the limbic system? The limbic system’s main functions include emotions, instinctive behavior and responses, motivation, learning, and memory. Essential oils that contain many aromatic molecules stimulate nerve impulses that directly affect the limbic system and activate smell-related emotions and behaviors. This directly impacts emotions such as pain, pleasure, anger, rage, fear, sorrow, sexual feelings, and affection to name a few. Our ancestors used their sense of smell much more than we do today. The more you utilize it, the more you become aware of its impact! One amazing fact is that aroma is the strongest memory you can create. Do you ever smell something and it brings you back to childhood? Maybe you smell someone's perfume and y