News — Aromatherapy

The winter solstice is fast approaching, many of us have had our first snowfall and with all the cheerful twinkle lights it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We have lots of sustainable gifts and stocking stuffers for family and friends.  Our holiday gift guide has suggestions for all the unique personalities in your life.

The Mermaid-  Always be yourself unless you can be a mermaid
Keep your locks looking their best with our Seaweed Shampoo Bar, Herbal Hair Vinegar and a nourishing hair oil.

The Sailor- I need Vitamin Sea
a Cruising Bar with a rust proof tin will let your sailor travel the seas plastic free.

The Bearded Guy-a beard is a gift you give your face
Give some beard love this holiday season with our Beard and Scalp Oil.

The Comedian- laugh and the world laughs with you
Give the power of seaweed with a bar of Weed n' Shrooms soap or Seaweed it’s Legal Canva Bag

The Bathing Beauty- happiness is taking a long bath 
Make every bath extra special with our Hot Island Bath Tea or Bath Effervescents. 

The Stressed Mom- stressed is dessert spelt backwards
When mom has had too much it's our botanical perfumes to the rescue.

The Tattoo Artist- it's always a good day for a tattoo
Keep skin art looking good with our all natural, chemical free soothing Tattoo Butter.

The Vegan- be kind to every kind
Pure and natural vegan butter.

The Gardner- to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow
Give the gift of flowers and soft skin with our gentle Gardeners Scrub.

Sleeping Beauty-  prioritizing good sleep is good self love
Bring on the Zzzz's with our balm or roll on. 

And finally the stockings were hung by the fire with care
Place our shower shots on the floor of your shower and let the fun begin.  Aromatherapy for every mood.  

We are skincare chefs at Dulse & Rugosa.  We enjoy food- eating and cooking so making handcrafted skincare is a natural transition.  For nourishing and hydrating your skin we make both butters and oils.  What's the difference?

Butters are whipped and similar to a lovely butter creme frosting on top of a luscious  cake.

Body oils are blended and compare to a well crafted salad dressing.  Especially if your summers are hot and muggy or while traveling botanical oils are perfect. Why?  They don't melt.  You can leave them in the car, pop them in a suitcase and keep you summer skin hydrated, moisturized while looking and feeling great.

Body oils are super easy to use.  As with most natural skincare products they work best on slightly damp skin.  Apply after your shower or bath and give about 5 minutes for the oil to be absorbed.  Our Hydrating Body Oil is a careful blend of oils designed to be quickly absorbed into your skin with the added benefits of botanicals indigenous to the coast of Maine.

Our newest product our Face Serum is a fresh bouquet of flowers for your face. Designed for faces that need extra love by way of moisture it's very beneficial when used before bed.  If water is one of the first ingredients listed on your current face creme you'll be pleasantly surprised by how little of our Face Serum you need to feel wonderful.  

Adding botanical oils to your skincare routine won't just benefit your skin but also your overall well being.  Our Hydrating Body Oil is a walk in Acadia National Park, with hand picked botanicals added to each bottle.   Rose petals, chamomile and Irish Moss are simply lovely.  Take a few extra moments to gently massage oils into your skin and enjoy a few moments of aromatherapy bliss.  Sometimes in our busy, stressful lives we forget how beneficial it can be to our overall mental well being to do a small but significant act for ourselves.  Make body oils a part of your summer skin care routine and enjoy some happy.

We’re having a BOGO Sale on our Solid Perfumes.  Our sale ends Aug 1st and quantities are limited.

Shop here for solid perfumes.

Designed to be aromatherapy for you not the room, solid perfumes are an effective way to “escape” if only temporarily.  I find they are an easy tool in my daily stress management kit.  Perfect for pulse points, I also use directly under my nose when I want help in taking a deep, calming yoga breath.  I keep one in the car, one on my purse and one by my bed.  A friend rubs a dab in her hair when she needs a lift.  And with two for the price of one- you can too!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS- for each tin of solid perfume you order we will ship two of exactly the same scent.  If you want to mix it up, send a message via the contact us page or email us at dulseandrugosa@gmail.com.

Don’t you love when a colleague brings in donuts, cake or muffins?  Except for the calories and the willpower needed to resist a second helping.  Why not take in an assortment of solid perfume instead?  Put them in an attractive platter right next to the coffee and spread some joy.

Solid perfumes also make great stocking stuffers.  I love to stockpile goodies all year.  It’s important to have a special storage area because you want to find them again.  It’s such a joy to unpack my goodie box and see all my special treats.  It also helps cut down on the stress of last minute gift giving. Our Lilac solid perfume in particular is a lovely treat for a New Englander who has moved South.  They have the sun and short winters but they miss, miss, miss the fresh, sweet scent of spring in New England.

Solid perfumes also make wonderful thank you gifts.  Brighten someone’s day by leaving a tin as a thank you token.  The tins are wonderful for teachers, health care professionals or just leave on a desk or in a mailbox.  Especially thoughtful if someone is going through a stressful event.

 Adjusting to the "fall back" time change is rough for me.  Around 4:15 I go into Henny Penny mode and think the sky is falling.  It just gets dark way to early.  Unfortunately stress is a fact of life and at times everyday stress can be difficult to manage.  How often do you hear someone moan, “I’m so stressed out?”.  “I don’t have enough time.”  “My house is a mess” and so on and so on.

Finding some routines, a ritual can help us deal with everyday stress and helps to lay a foundation for when times get really rough.  One step to help fight the war on stress is to be sure you exercise.  Not only does exercise keep your body healthy but it is good for your brain.  Sleep is another important factor.  Recently two loved ones struggled with lack of sleep.  They lost weight, were anxious, had trouble focusing and got irritated quickly.  Finally, don’t forget to stay hydrated.  I notice when my routine changes the first thing to go is making sure I drink my water and herb teas.

One part of stress management is breathing.  Being able to take deep breaths, what I call “Yoga Breaths” can help calm the “flight or fight” syndrome.  One way to encourage the habit of breathing is Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is using the scents of plants, fresh, dried or in essential oils to help change your mood.  Certain plants and scents are associated with desirable qualities.  Lavender and Chamomile are relaxing.  Mints can energize.  Eucalyptus can be clearing and so on.

I tell our customers that one important factor is to choose a scent that smells good to them.  Quite a few years ago, Carly had a severe case of stress.  She was living overseas, lonely, scared and certain smells from her science classroom made her nausea.  When she moved back home, some smells were still a trigger.   She fought back by finding smells that relaxed and calmed her.  She carried around vials of essential oils for years and would  use them liberally whenever she felt a panic attack coming.  At Dulse & Rugosa, the almost magical relief from scents is one of the reason we love to make and sell our unique products.

Therapeutic and beautiful, Botanical Essence Oils will lift your spirits gently and naturally.  If you are looking for a natural way to help maintain a healthy mind and body discover our Botanical Essence Oils.  Simple, easy to use and beautiful our hand blended botanical essence oils are packed full of flower power! Our three carefully crafted blends will help you manage everyday stress and help you adjust to the time change.

We often get asked, “How long will this last?”  The idea behind Aromatherapy is not to find something that last a long time.  Rather it is to develop a ritual, a habit to help you be your best self.  Find a scent you love and give yourself some sweet flower therapy.