This topic is very much in the forefront right now – AT LAST! So as my own personal journey with menopause has unfolded and I have found more insight, learnings and tools to share with you. I am updating hugely a previous blog on peri-menopause and menopause from an aromatherapy and meditation toolkit point of view.
I have included more aromatherapy and general information, that I have personally found to be useful and some more blends that you may enjoy to help with this time in your life.
Now at age 59 and I have been incredibly lucky in this menopause journey, while listening to clients and friends experiences. However I must give myself credit for being fully aware and taken a great deal of preparation and care with self. Everyone is different and unique with this, as in anything. That is how I treat my clients, and myself.
My Choices
I went pescetarian in my 40’s actually because of my beliefs around animals, but also very much in preparation for menopause. My initial plans were to only eat organic meat. However, I found that I just didn’t want any meat of any kind, and did not miss it. I am now fully vegetarian since autumn 2023. My body & mind is still happy with this choice.
A healthy balanced diet is extremely important to me and I do enjoy drinking Deeside Water (so not just for using in my Aloe Vera gel, Muscle Rub and Midge & Mozzie Balm, ha ha). I seem to now need salads and green vegetables each day to keep my energies up and I eat a regular amount of seeds too, which I enjoy.
I keep my sugar intake modest. Largely avoiding cakes, biscuits sweets, but plain crisps are my downfall, but do not seem to affect my hormone balance.
A glass of wine or two at the weekend used to be very fine, but I now find that alcohol and sugar can sometimes just cause hot flushes, so I’m finding even the organic wine does not agree with me. So I replaced that with a whisky topped up with water when I feel I wish to celebrate along with friends or my partner and that in moderation appears to be ok for me.
I take the Protecta blend of vitamins, which includes the B vitamins from G & G Vitamins who are a great company. I also find that highly processed foods with additives create problems for me, but I have never really had them in my diet regularly, but I am now aware they are not supportive at all.
Exercise
I have also returned in the last 14 months to regular swimming (twice a week). I need fresh air, so I do a fabulous weekly, outside (yes outside!) boot camp with Rhona of Deeside Fitness and all the ladies – in the summer Rhona is looking at going back outside with her weekly Boxercise class, which I also love. t least a walk for exercise regularly before work (even in the bad weather).
I also enjoy a walk out in the lovely countryside where I live (even in the bad weather) and play the occasional game of badminton, and yoga class too. For me personally exercise has always been a really important part of my life and I think it is incredibly helpful in this transition stage of my life.
It is not my suggestion that everyone does this amount of exercise, less or more is fine of course, but I think it is hugely empowering to have it as part of your menopause support strategy.
I love, of course, also use essential oils and my blends a lot, as a fantastic support for me, alongside short daily meditation (morning and night).
Now that is just MY chosen journey so far. Yours could be totally different and that is all absolutely fine and how it should be! I haven’t mentioned HRT, simply because I haven’t used it myself. So I cannot talk from personal experience, but I definitely work with many clients who are, or have. I have supported clients who experienced many different kinds of things in menopause and peri-menopause. Many various blends and treatments have been used to support my clients, working with each person individually.
Stress & Insomnia
These can be big issues in peri-menopause and menopause. I have experienced both and they cause a spiral downwards when they catch hold. After big personal losses over the last four years, the ongoing business stresses of this present climate, plus setting up another business in partnership with my daughter recently, both stress and insomnia have been present and affected my wellbeing and menopause symptoms hugely. However again I am lucky to have all the tools at my disposal to support myself (that includes great family and close friend support).
We can return to balance only when we are aware that it has been lost. So stopping and taking stock of what is going on in your life that is helping and what is not – is always a great exercise. I can definitely recommend journalling along with meditation to support with this too.
Aromatherapy Blends recipes
Here are a number of blends that you can try to help you with hormonal and mood balance plus alleviating anxiety, insomnia or stress in menopause or peri-menopause .
I am using low levels of essential oils, it is definitely a case of ‘less is more’ . The blends that you will reach for will change – maybe even on a daily or weekly basis and that is just perfect. Some blends that I reach for are not a traditional blend for menopause, but right now it could be calling my name! With aromatherapy use your intuition, and go with what your body needs, it will talk if you let it, I believe. You must really be drawn to the blend for the best results.
The oils I would choose for use in menopause or peri-menopause generally are:
b) frankincense 2 drops, 2 drops geranium, 1 drop cypress You can use this blend in a diffuser or burner with water, or blend with a vegetable oil (around 15ml – approx. a dessert spoon) for use on the body.
Other blends that I would recommend or have used, the top two maybe more specific for hot flushes, but they also more widely helpful too.
All these can be used in a burner or diffuser with water, or blended with the vegetable oil (around 15ml) for use on the body. What I often recommend to clients and use myself a lot too is to put the oils blended in vegetable oil on your pulse points and on the upper chest area (where easily inhaled). Do this practice both during the day, if possible, and at night time before sleep.
For ease of use the ready made Roller Ball Pulse Points and the After Shower Bath & Body Oils are also great for this. The I Am So Calm Collection is ideal for peri-menopause and menopause, you can choose from
Joy – great for reducing anxiety, lifting mood (while still relaxing) and balancing hormones.
Love – for full relaxation, emotional balance and enhanced femininity.
Meditation – for stilling your overactive mind, enhancing mind, body and soul connection and slower breathing.
My go to recently has been using one of the the After Shower, Bath & Body Blends after my bath or shower. I give to myself a relaxing and caring little ritual of self nurture. Choosing which one I need by using my intuition each day and then massage one of the the blends on my body ,and go to bed relaxed and nourished with well moisturised skin. I can definitely recommend shutting off your phone entirely prior to going to bed. Allow your mind to slow down and you can enjoy a short meditation before bed to enhance your relaxation and as part of your sleep ritual.
Alternatively you can use the blends above (without further blending in vegetable oil) – on a tissue by your pillow overnight.
You can also add these blends above once blended in vegetable/carrier oil in your bath too (just be careful with slips getting in and out of the bath and wipe down your bath afterwards). I most definitely have, as I bath almost every evening before bed. Or you can simply use them as an after shower body moisturiser and gain the benefit of the blends with a calm and more balanced mind – and nourished skin too!
Be Kind to Yourself Always
I hope that you find this blog helpful for you, just go with what is in tune with you right now, and be aware that this could well change either in time, or regularly. Use your inner guidance and if you use the blends enjoy them
Be kind to yourself always, and take regular time out for you – even 10-15mins twice a day. I cannot recommend enough the synergy of these amazing oils. Use alongside meditation, mindfulness and/or silent relaxation during menopause and peri-menopause
If you have a complex medical history/medications always check with your GP before using essential oils, or ask a qualified aromatherapist
I have so many customers report that they have issues getting to sleep or once they are asleep they awaken in the night and cannot get back to sleep.
This is something I personally had not encountered until I reached menopause. I can now also totally relate to everyone who experiences trouble sleeping. However there are many aromatherapy approaches and blends that can help ease it though, also combining it with meditation, mindfulness is a powerful combination to tackle the problem.
I offer online many ready made products that have helped so many clients, including my Pulse Point Roller Balls. The Restful Evening pulse point is helpful to soothe you before bed. The Nervous Exhaustion which is de-stressing, and so can ease you into a better place to allow sleep. They are so easy to use and very portable for travel and in your bag at work too.
My I Am Calm range After Shower Bath & Body Oils and Pulse Points – Love, Joy and Meditation are also incredibly helpful for you depending on the root cause of the sleeplessness, disturbed sleep.
Love blend comforts you in times of grief, unsettled emotions, and with troubles in relationships.
Joy blend is as it suggests a huge uplift and balancer of moods and emotions. I am using it to help me with the hormonal imbalances that I am experiencing right now. I use it after my bath every evening, which is also keeping my skin wonderfully soft and supple.
Meditation. blend can be used along with your meditation practice to allow a easier path for the thoughts of the day to clear through and each a quieter place in your mind, which of course will assist your route to sleep. Or just utilise on its own to calm and deepen your breath.
All these blends can be used in After Shower, Bath & Body Oil format too, that can be used in the bath or after shower or as a massage oil. These products are ready blended for you just to use. I have no preservatives in these products, they are pure aromatherapy blends, always my first choice. See our Aromatherapy Bath & Body Oil range and our I Am Calm Range.
The artwork for my I Am Calm range was designed and drawn by artist, wild therapy therapist, and fellow meditation teacher Andrea Hobbs which I spotlight on her many skills in another blog
Adding in little moments of calm each day with aromatherapy do not need to be long periods of time. Literally just a few minutes a day, perhaps as you awaken or at lunchtime, or after work or before bed. Wherever you can find a moment to allow your mind and body to rest, will be invaluable to your wellbeing. I can definitely testify to the power of these two tools of calm being used together to enhance the effect of each.
You do not need a special position to sit in or special clothes to wear or to be entirely zen. There will likely be lots of thoughts happen while you take that moment, and that is perfect! Your mind needs an opportunity to process all the stuff going on in there as you rush around each day. Just take time to allow the thoughts to come and go. Exercising your focus muscle – to return time and again to a restful place, when the mind pulls you in the other direction. I will go into more about this simple form of meditation in a future blog.
So looking at how you can blend your own bath and body oils, or use your blends on your pulse points to help with issues with sleeping. I will share some of my favourite blends that I have used with clients for help with sleep.
The first oil that everyone thinks of with sleep is lavender. I have had over the years had quite a number of people saying ‘I don’t like lavender’. But the scent they are recalling actually isn’t the same as the true lavender, lavandula angustifolia from France, that is my first choice. This is due to the powerful, soft note that I feel that this lavender provides and is perfect for therapy.
Our own lavender in the UK is fabulous, but has (for me) a sharper note. There are a number of varieties of lavender out there, some are more suitable to other treatments, such as lavandula spica, which is excellent as an analgesic and expectorant properties. Another common one that you may see is Lavandin a blend between true lavender and lavandula spica.
If you don’t like the scent of lavender, my personal choice would be sweet orange oil. I use it a lot and in products. It has been a favourite since I first used it in training. Very gentle and excellent for the very young and the much older generation too.
Roman chamomile is another definite for aiding sleep, but I would always blend it (as I have in the products mentioned above), it makes a very comfortable companion with lavender. If you don’t like too much sweetness in a blend, this is perfect.
Sandalwood is excellent for relaxation of the nerves. I use it in my Meditation blend, as it is ideal for this and it adds a soothing effect to any blend it is part of. I use an australian sandalwood, santalum spicatum for ethical reasons.
Two other favourites of mine for trouble sleeping are frankincense and neroli. An incredible combination together, bringing in the physical effects of relaxation, clearing the mind and nurture and self care, with a gentle uplift. Neroli is very much known as an aromatherapy treatment for insomnia, but frankincense is not so often put in that category. I have found it incredibly helpful. In most cases the client was coming with an extremely busy mind, full of constant thoughts dealing with a problem/stressful situation. Either right now or from something that happened in their past. So frankincense is fabulous to slow down the breath, calm the thoughts, and free the mind to allow healing/rest to begin.
I will also mention rose geranium here, that I use in my products for sleep. It is a fabulous balancer of mood, hormones (and skin). I find a small amount in a blend is extremely helpful to encourage balance in the body and mind.
A few suggested blends are lavender (3 drops), roman chamomile (1 drop), sandalwood (2 drops)
Another is Neroli (2 drops), frankincense (2 drops), sweet orange (2 drops).
Or lavender (2 drops), sandalwood (2 drops), rose geranium (1 drop), roman chamomile (1 drop)
For trouble sleeping, you can make up these blends (multiply equally for larger quantities). Use as two/three drops on a tissue by your pillow at night, or on a tissue by you as you relax in the evening. To use on the body always blend with a carrier oil. For the above blends use a 5ml spoon of carrier oil, such as sunflower, sweet almond, jojoba. Or for a richer (more moisturising) blend rosehip, evening primrose oil. Remember if you multiply the essential oil blend also multiply the carrier oil equally at the same time.
I hope that this information on essential oils for sleep issues has been helpful for you. If you have a complex medical history/medications always check with your GP before using essential oils, or ask a qualified aromatherapist.
Here at Organica J, all of our products are completely natural and cruelty free. However, we now have an increasing number of vegan products in the range. All with recyclable or biodegradable packaging, Here is our top vegan organic aromatherapy products that are on offer at organicaj.com.
A soothing gel for tired, overworked or stressed muscles. It provides relief from aches and pains. The aloe vera gel takes the essential oils into the body to reach the muscles and gently, but effectively ease stresses and strain. Massage the gel gently but firmly for a few minutes into the affected area twice a day for the most effective results. Do not use on face, wash hands after use. Our Muscle Rub is made using the highly acclaimed Deeside Waterwith its scientifically proven benefits. Used by athletes such as cyclists, footballers. Also walkers, and for general muscular aches and pains.
Our Luxurious soaps include organic vegetable oils and essential oils. High percentage of extra virgin olive oil – moisturising and conditioning on skin combined with coconut, sustainable palm and sunflower along with the finest of organic essentai oils. Long lasting and leaving skin clean and silky smooth. Free from preservatives, colourings and animal by-products. Biodegradable packaging – plastic free
You can choose from: Lavender & lavender flowers; Geranium & Rose Petal; Peppermint & Peppermint Leaf; Frankincense & Orange; Meditation; Love; Joy
Our gorgeous and luxurious bath and body oils are heavenly. We have three for you to choose from: Aching Limbs, Restful Evening and Nervous Exhaustion. As a bath oil, add to bath and ‘swirl’ water to help disperse. The essential oils will penetrate the skin and the carrier oils leave the skin feeling smooth, moisturised and well nourished.
Our new luxury After Shower, Bath and Body Oils are a fabulous to relax, uplift, soothe and calm.
Choose from Love (with sweet orange, ylang ylang, patchouli and jasmine); Meditation (frankincense, lavender, sandalwood and vetiver) or Joy (rose geranium, petitgrain, bergamot and rose otto).
The I Am Calm Collection contains some of the ‘Kings’ and ‘Queens’ of aromatherapy oils. These blends are not only vegan, but are nut free and gluten free too. They are an extremely skin softening and moisturising blend. They are just as your aromatherapist would make.
Enjoy the I am Calm Collection range of Love, Meditation and Joy in a roller ball.
Use on pulse points on the neck or wrist when you need to be calm, use this powerful, but gentle blend of aromatherapy organic oils. You can also use on the front of chest too, so that you can also enjoy inhaling the delicate blend. Easy to transport with you anywhere you go. A vegan, nut free, gluten free blend for the ultimate skin experience
Suitable for all hair types. Gentle, effective cleansing and nourishing without chemicals. Great for those with sensitive skins and scalps.
Very delicately infused with uplifting and calming sweet orange and mandarin organic essential oils.
100% organic ingredients. A vegan organic aromatherapy product with a gluten free recipe for the ultimate hair experience. Preservative, SLS and petrochemical free.
Plastic free biodegradable packaging. Choose from 90g and 45g bars
Restful Evening, which can be very useful to aid relax to sleep, Nervous Exhaustion is a blend that can help ease stress and aid with emotional balance. Use on pulse points on the neck or wrist when you need to access the soothing, calming blend of aromatherapy oils. Some of my clients also like using the roller ball on the upper chest area to aid sleep at bedtime.These blends are 100% organic and preservative free – just as your aromatherapist makes.
Our improved Midges and Mozzie Balm. This product has been upgraded with a, we believe, better formula. Try it out for yourself.
So gentle on skin and incredibly soothing. A must have for barbecues, camping trips, hill walking and for all outdoor events, where you may encounter flying insects. Also great for treating bites if you have been bitten already.
Available in three different sizes 15ml, 30ml and 60ml.
All products that Organica J is currently developing are vegan.
These are our top Vegan Organic Aromatherapy Products, but we also have our Aloe Vera Gel, Comfrey Oil Macerate, Organic Carrier oils and all our organic essential oils are perfect for vegans too.
I hope you enjoy our vegan products with recyclable and biodegradable packaging.
After the heat, or for some of us, its still warm out there. Do you need help with summer insects and insect Bites, if they are a problem for you? Here are some aromatherapy tips and possible solutions for you
Its that time of the year when all insects and bugs are aplenty and we are spending more time out of doors than we probably normally do, so are more at risk from insect bites.
So, firstly some oils you can use to repel insects – citronella, tea tree, peppermint,lemongrass, lavender , lemon scented tea tree, bog myrtle and thyme. Of this list tea tree and lavender is a great treatment for bites too. If you don’t want to blend up your own oils, we have our own Midges & Mozzie Balm ready made that can do the trick. You you can simply pop a jar into your rucksack, or have on the table when you have your BBQ to get the problem sorted. The Balm comes in four different sizes. Midges and Mozzie Balm is great for treating insect bites too.
I have had customers embarking on a test of the balms this week (along with some other products such as garlic tablets and B vitamins) on their holidays. So I will let you know how they get on with everything.
But if you wish to blend your own mix – a suggested blend to repel insects such as midges, flies etc is citronella 8 drops, tea tree 5 drops, lavender 6 drops and peppermint 3 drops, put in around 30ml of water in a spray bottle and shake each time before use (avoid eyes). If it is a few weeks before you use again, make up a new batch. This blend can be used in an oil burner in a room to help deter insects, such as in the kitchen or 2 to 3 drops on a tissue or cotton wool ball.
Alternatively, if abroad and mosquitoes are the problem, I will always have the Midges and Mozzie Balm with me, but also I like to use the above blend with the addition of 4 drops of lemon scented tea tree or lemongrass. I usually make up around 5-10ml of this blend – just simply multiply the blend equally to make a larger quantity. (1ml is approximately 20 drops)
Its easy to transport a 5 or 10ml bottle of the pure blend and a small jar or midges and Mozzie. I take a 30ml spray bottle with me, and once abroad, I dispense around 20-25 drops into the bottle and fill with water – shake before each use (avoid eye) and refresh the blend every few days or when finished.
I can’t go out in the evening abroad without the midges and mozzie balm applied or the above blend. It really helps me avoid unsightly and painful, itchy insect bites. I do also take a vitamin B supplement regularly, which I believe, is also helpful for me.
If you have concerns on medications or medical conditions, always check with the GP or a qualified aromatherapist. For any specific aromatherapy questions contact a fully qualified clinical aromatherapist.
This is a blog I have been meaning to do for some time, but there was the small matter (NOT) of a pandemic to handle as well. Then a couple of months ago I sadly lost my Dad after a short illness. I thought this was definitely the right time for our remaining small family to gather our knowledge and experience together. My daughter Jo, a coach and fitness trainer, has done a fabulous blog on nutritional tips for menopause, and I wanted to add in my aromatherapy (and meditation) experience and knowledge, including my own journey with it so far. I hope that this can inform and support you in, and through menopause and peri-menopause.
Finding myself this past week arriving at 57 years (my mind maybe will catch up at some point, but it hasn’t yet! ha ha) and although I have not been period free for a year yet, so technically not in menopause yet, I have been experiencing some flushes and possible mood variations. However, it is difficult to tell with the pandemic, and two close family losses in the last 18 months.
Without it being a fear – I have been very aware approaching menopause since probably my late 40’s when a therapist told me that I was definitely peri-menopause, I knew changes were afoot. I have been incredibly lucky though – or was it awareness and some preparation and care? Everyone is different and unique with this, as in anything. That is how I treat my clients, and myself.
My Choices
I went pescetarian in my 40’s actually because of my beliefs around animals, but also very much in preparation for menopause. My initial plans were to only eat organic meat. However, I found that I just didn’t want any meat of any kind, and did not miss it. I eat very little fish now too. My body & mind is still happy with this choice.
A healthy balanced diet is extremely important to me and I do enjoy drinking Deeside Water (so not just for using in my Aloe Vera gel, Muscle Rub and Midge & Mozzie Balm, ha ha). I also keep my sugar intake modest. A glass of wine or two at the weekend used to be very fine, but I now find that alcohol and sugar can sometimes just cause hot flushes, so I don’t always now. I take a vitamin B complex vitamin from G & G Vitamins, who are a great company.
Exercise
I need fresh air, and at least a walk for exercise regularly before work (even in the bad weather). I do a fabulous weekly, outside (yes outside!) boot camp. Adding in swimming, yoga and the gym when I can too. For me personally exercise has always been a really important part of my life and I think it is incredibly helpful in this transition stage of my life.
I love, of course, also use essential oils and my blends a lot, as a fantastic support for me, alongside twice daily meditation (morning and night).
Now that is just MY chosen journey so far. Yours could be totally different and that is all absolutely fine and how it should be! I haven’t mentioned HRT, simply because I haven’t used it myself. So I cannot talk from personal experience, but I definitely work with many clients who are, or have. I have supported clients who experienced many different kinds of things in menopause and peri-menopause. Many various blends and treatments have been used to support my clients, working with each person individually.
Aromatherapy Blends to support you with menopause and peri-menopause
The main approach I am sharing in this part of the blog, is offering blends that focus more on hormonal and mood balance and alleviating anxiety or stress in menopause or peri-menopause .
I am using low levels of essential oils, it is definitely a case of ‘less is more’ . The first blend that I reach for is probably not a traditional blend for menopause, but right now its calling my name! With aromatherapy use your intuition, and go with what your body needs, it will talk if you let it, I believe. You must really be drawn to the blend for the best results.
The oils I would choose for use in menopause or peri-menopause generally are:
Clary sage, rose otto, cypress, frankincense, bergamot, jasmine, rose geranium , ylang ylang and neroli,
1 drop rose Otto, 2 drops geranium, 3 drops bergamot
Right now for me its 2 drops neroli , 2 drops frankincense, 2 drops geranium. I instantly feel calmer, more balanced. You can use this blend in a diffuser or burner with water, or blend with a vegetable oil (around 15ml – approx. a dessert spoon) for use on the body.
Other blends that I would recommend or have used, the top two maybe more specific for hot flushes, but they also more widely helpful too.
1 drop Clary sage, 3 drops geranium, 1 drops lime, 1 drop ylang ylang
2 drops jasmine, 1 drop cypress, 2 drops bergamot
How you can use these essential oils
All these can be used in a burner or diffuser with water, or blended with the vegetable oil (around 15ml) for use on the body. What I often recommend to clients and use myself a lot too is to put the oils blended in vegetable oil on your pulse points and on the upper chest area (where easily inhaled). Do this practice both during the day, if possible, and at night time before sleep.
For ease of use the ready made Roller Ball Pulse Points are also great for this. Next week a new range is being launched that I will be recommending for use in menopause and peri-menopause.
Alternatively you can use the blends above (without further blending in vegetable oil) – on a tissue by your pillow overnight.
You can also add these blends above once blended in vegetable/carrier oil in your bath too (just be careful with slips getting in and out of the bath and wipe down your bath afterwards). I most definitely have, as I bath almost every evening before bed. Or you can simply use them as an after shower body moisturiser and gain the benefit of the blends with a calm and more balanced mind – and nourished skin too!
