The answer to this tree hug quiz is Tea Tree.

I use tea tree oil a lot. The other day I was thinking, so… “Is there really a tea tree?” I looked it up, thinking I’d find a shrub or small plant, but there is a tea tree. It’s native to Australia and while the tree resembles a shrub, it’s a tree.

Tea tree essential oil is a great all-purpose oil. You can use it for tons of stuff and it’s *safe for the whole family. Tea tree has properties that allow it to work as an antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral application. It can be used to treat acne, sunburns, athlete’s foot, toothache, colds, and more.

Here’s one basic use:

If you have the flu or a bad cold a mixture of 5-6 drops tea tree essential oil, 3 drops lavender, and 2 drops thyme in a nice warm bath can help. Alternatively you can add the mixture to a very wet loofa or washcloth and use in the shower. This mix helps to sooth achy muscles, clear sinuses, and relax your body. I like to use organic essential oils but you can use basic oils – they do go through more processing though.

To learn more about tea tree and it’s uses, take a look at the following resources:

The many uses of tea tree. This site has some nice recipes too.

About the tree.

Purchase organic tea tree oil at Florame.

*Please note that I’m not a licensed aromatherapist. If you decide to use essential oils, make sure you know a little something about essential oils, and how to use them safely. Always do a little dab test before applying oil to large parts of your body. If you don’t know what a dab test is, don’t use essential oils until you get yourself a good essential oil use book or talk to a professional holistic health care professional. I suggest this book as a good way to start learning about essential oils.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• A home that’s cleaned on a regular basis won’t smell icky. Prevention is worth the most in this situation.

• Air out your home. There’s a balance of how often to air out your home with energy costs. Obviously you won’t want to leave your window open all day in the dead of winter or blaze of summer. But at least once a day open your windows for a bit.

• Look for natural incense — i.e. derived from natural resins, gums, essential oils, flowers, woods, powders and other botanicals. Try Mountain Rose Herbs or my favorite, New Mexico Cedar-Pinon Incense; it reminds me of Santa Fe or Red Lodge Montana.

• Get an inexpensive and reusable oil burner and boil organic essential oils around the house. Alternatively you can boil some water and add bulk cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peels. This is a good holiday scent but I burn it year round.

• Make homemade potpourri.

• Place cedar blocks or dried lavender in your closets and drawers.

There are more ways to naturally freshen your house that don’t rely on chemicals — but this should get you going.

What can you think of?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family