Joy in January - A Natural Perfumers Guild project and Three-day Giveaway Day 2!

Today is day 2 of a 3 day project. I've been writing some tiny fun posts for the Natural Perfumers Guild event "Joy in January" Each post will be devoted to some information about SAD* (seasonal affective disorder) and some Natural Fragrance tips that may be helpful to people who suffer from it. See Day 1 here .... and don't forget to comment on any or all of my blog posts for a chance to win prizes from me.

There are many other bloggers involved in this project, and each one of them is offering posts with information about SAD, ideas to combat it, including ideas involving Natural Fragrances. I encourage you to read as many of these blogs as you can, and enter the draws for their wonderful products.

Try New LePep!

After yesterdays late night post, I ran into a morning that was coincidentally upsetting. I'll tell you the story. As my lovely and talented NPG pal Anya and a few other members know... I forgot about this blog event totally and completely. So, I stayed up quite late last night to make the first deadline. As I was plotting the ideas for my 3 blogs the weather turned from a warm rainy day (which as you read in yesterdays post is ugly to me) to a nasty, heavy downpour. A rivulets running down the gutters, raindrops hitting the windows like pebbles nasty, heavy downpour kinda downpour. I sat here typing and listening to it. aqAA

I woke up this morning quite early to head off to a course I am taking. There was almost no light coming through the windows while I made coffee at 6:45am, I was already running late. As I raced around the house collecting my things, packing my sons lunch, I realized there was no internet service in the house, which meant I had forgotten to pay the bill.... Darn it!

I ran upstairs to grab something, to wake Luke up and was promptly met with a crabby teenager who woke up on the wrong side of the bed then I ran downstairs to find that one of my cats had knocked over my travel mug of coffee. Miraculously I made it out of the house with seconds to spare with a 1/3 cup of cool coffee. The dark morning was revealed as I stepped off the porch. The rain. hadn't. stopped.

I flew down the road to the highway and traffic was at a dead halt.

SAD? I dunno..... the lack of sleep, the lack of caffeine, the venomous offspring, the clock ticking away? It was about as opposite to the heavenly morning I described yesterday as one can get.... I was angry!

And then, I hit the fog!

I called the director of my program (on my handsfree phone of course) to let him know I was jammed info fog and traffic and I trucked along for my hours drive.... ANGRY!

Along the way I was trying to clear my head to stay safe on the road, to come up with ideas for this blog, to make mental lists of things to tell my staff for the day while I was away from my store. One of my thoughts for scents for this blog series was on the tip of my tongue, but my head was foggy like the air.

I read once that in Japanese office buildings they use the scent of Peppermint to wake people up... Wait! That was it! Japanese Peppermint! That was the scent for this SAD blog!

We use this oil all the time in the store. I use it in Foot Scrub, Sore Muscle Soaks and Face Spray! The Peppermint Facial Mist has become an accidental best seller lately. People pop in and say they just grabbed one to see what it might be like and that they love it for how it makes them feel. They sprayed it on their face to calm a hot flash, or to freshen up on a hot day and it made them feel good, positive.. even.... happier!

So, I double checked the properties of the essential oil of Peppermint (I am not a trained aromatherapist, so I always double check the properties of essential oils before I suggest them)

Check this out! "Peppermint oil is excellent for mental fatigue and depression, refreshing the spirit and stimulating mental agility and improving concentration. It helps for apathy, shock, headache, migraine, nervous stress. Now that's some of what we need to help SAD sufferers no?

And just 'cause I am talking about it, you may as well know the other stuff it is good for: vertigo and faintness and in general respiratory disorders, as well as dry coughs, sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and cholera, for the digestive system, peppermint oil is effective for a range of ailments, as it stimulates the gall bladder and the secretion of bile. It is used for colic, cramps, dyspepsia, spastic colon, flatulence and nausea and can relieve pain in cases of toothache, aching feet, rheumatism, neuralgia, muscular pains and painful periods.

* caution *

Peppermint oil is non-toxic and non-irritant in low dilutions, but sensitization may be a problem due to the menthol content.
It can cause irritation to the skin and mucus membranes and should be kept well away from the eyes. It should be avoided during pregnancy and should not be used on children under seven.

In the store we use Japanese Peppermint. It has a very high menthol content so it's gives off a lovely warmth and breezy green coolness all at once. The history of Mint is truly cool too! Peppermint and its name has its roots in Greek mythology. Pluto - god of the dead - fell in love with Minthe, a beautiful nymph. Pluto's goddess wife Persephone became jealous and turned Minthe into a plant. Pluto could not bring her back to life but ensured that she would have a wonderful and fragrant aroma.

So, SAD sufferers? Try some mintiness. Brush your teeth an extra time on a bad day, drink a bottle of mint water (one of my fave ways to brighten up on a long afternoon), grab some pure peppermint oil and put a drop on your chest... or perhaps if you comment on this blog you could win the package I am giving away for todays draw: A gift package with a Peppermint Bath Bomb, Peppermint Facial Mist and a Peppermint Foot scrub.

It is my hope that the peppermint will help bring you back to life a little.... if not? then you shall have a wonderful and fragrant aroma! ;)

Comment on this post to be entered in the draw for this prize.

Prizes for my draw will be mailed to winners in the USA, Canada and the EU only. You will find bloggers in Australia, Canada, South Africa and Vietnam, so please check their mailing policies.

1. You, the poster can post as anonymous, but that will make you ineligible for the drawing.

2. I'd love it if you sign up for my newsletter, or "like" my page on Facebook, but that isn't a requirement of this blog. Please just leave a comment that shares your difficulty with SAD. We need to get the word out there so others reading this may recognize the disorder has aromatherapy and natural perfumery as an alternative healing modality.

3 I do want you to leave your first name or a nickname, ISP (eg., gmail) and location. That way, when I announce the win, and you reply, I'll be sure I have the right person.


*SAD is a recognized disorder characterized by depression, among other symptoms.* Light therapy is the most common treatment, and the Guild feels the need to share the knowledge that fragrance can also be uplifting and pull people out of depression. The NPG wants to include fragrance therapy and our members will host a three-day blog event to reach out to those who suffer from SAD. Please visit the blogs listed below of the other Guild members, add your comments to enter the draws for their prizes. be sure to check that they are ok to ship to your country. Winners of the three-days of drawings will be announced here on Thursday, the 19th.

Ambrosia Jones http://perfumebynature.blogspot.com
Charna Ethier http://www.providenceperfume.com/blogs/news
Christi Meshell http://www.matriarch.biz/blog.html
Clemence Barbier http://www.dameclemence.blogspot.com
Elise Pearlstine http://bellyflowers.blogspot.com
Emily Pienaar http://www.roseenbos.com/category/blog
JoAnne Bassett http://www.joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes
Joyce Noerr http://sororiaorganics.blogspot.com/
Karen Williams http://www.aromaticsinternational.com/blog/
Liz Cook http://oneseedperfumes.wordpress.com
Noelle Smith http://ellenoire.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Vinson http://www.stephanieknaturals.com/blog/
Susan Stype http://www.aromatherapycontessa.com

P.S. The title? LePep? It was the name of a fake product I created and wrote a song about for a marketing class in high school. It was? Toothpaste?

P.P.S. I did eventually get to school safely this morning.... in a far better mood than you would expect. The thoughts of the peppermint, and this song on the radio helped bring me back. If the peppermint didn't work, then perhaps this will...

It made me feel a lot better, although.... if this song came on I would have made me laugh





;) G'night Folks! Another blog and draw for you on the morrow!