Tisserand Little Boxes

What seems a very long time ago, I completed a year long course in Holistics, with emphasis on aromatherapy or the use of essential plant oils for well being. I stopped practicing as an aromatherapist when I went back to p.a. work, but I have never ceased using essential oils for my own wellness. The fragrance of essential oils alone is very soothing and whether they are used alone, in a combination or added to a carrier oil such as grapeseed or almond oil, they can provide relief from both physical and mental stress.

Oils can be messy to travel with so these pulse point roller balls are perfect to take with you. There are several Little Boxes to choose from. I chose the Little Box of De-Stress since work and Life in general are getting on my nerves lately. There are three 10 ml roller balls in each box. De-Stress has Mind Clear, Inner Harmony and Total De-Stress. Its convenient to have a pre blended formula to tuck into your pocket or bag and they will also pass airport security.

So what is in the three balls? Let's start with Mind Clear. This is blend of Peppermint, Lavender and Lemon essential oils to allow for mental clarity and to refresh your mind. People tend to think of Lavender as a soporific or sleep inducing oil, but it also works the other way as a gentle stimulant. The citrus family of oils cleanse and uplift while Peppermint adds a bit of zing to the mix.

Inner Harmony is meant to calm imbalance and help you centre, not always easy to do in our 24/7 world. Inner Harmony is a blend of Frankincense and Geranium, both being favourites of mine. Geranium is wonderful all round oil and can be used on the burner or in carrier oil blends for skin care and massage. In this case it is being used to calm frayed nerves. Frankincense is very earthy and promotes balance and a quiet mind. You can actually drop off from relaxation with this blend.

Total De-Stress is designed to work much like Bach's Rescue Remedy does; to help you slow down and breathe when things are really getting out of whack. It has Geranium, Orange and Nutmeg essential oils. Nutmeg surprised me and I had to go look at my well used copy of Valerie Worwood's "The Fragrant Pharmacy" to look at its properties. In this case, it is used as a nervine.

Usage tip: these are fab to use on your nails and cuticles instead of separate cuticle oil. I've been using them for this on my cuticles-from-Hell and have seen a major improvement. Better results than with so-called cuticle oil.

If you are new to essential oils, do patch test before using any of them. Generally speaking, it is not advisable to use them during pregnancy or on babies and very young children.