Coming up with interesting, personal and unique Christmas gifts every year can be a bit trying. Avoid the last minute dash to the department store and instead opt for one of these ideas for something different.

To diffuse or to burn. The buzz out there is that diffusing is the new burning and people are just going bonkers for these ultrasonic beauties.

There are so many ways to use essential oils from direct to chakra application, burning them, wearing them, reed diffusing them, room spraying them, atomizing them, you name it, we've done it. But the method we've stuck to is diffusing. 

What is diffusing?
Diffusing is the best way (we think) to get all the benefits of the essential oil. Diffusers use ultra-sonic technology to atomize the essential oil in water and pushes the cold steam into the room. Diffusing allows us to inhale the aromas, activating the limbic system (biology lesson alert) which is the emotional centre of the brain. Remember those times when you smell something and an emotion is triggered, freshly cut grass, baking bread, rain, essential oil inhalation is a bit like that. Emotional triggers are learned and essential oils work a bit the same way.

Diffuse Lavender and think calm thoughts, you can learn calm and trigger it by diffusing lavender. 

This is the only reason to diffuse. Here's a small list:

Remove odours, promote sleep, purify the air, create comfort, reduce cravings, support the immune system, boost memory recall, set a mood, de-stress, heal depression. It's just a small list.

Why no burn?
Heating oils can create volatility. This can dramatically change the aroma but also can burn off some of the important natural compositional constituents that carry the benefits that we use oils for. For example (Science time):

One of the constituents of Eucalyptus oil is Cineole. Cineole is known for it's anti-spasmodic benefits. It also burns off quickly and at lower temperatures than some of the other constituents in the oil. By applying direct heat to the oil the heavier volatile's are turned into resin which is left in the dish and don't make it into the air.
It was thought that this could be fixed by adding water, but the end result hardly changed.

A diffuser atomizes the enter oil.

Okay, we've sold you now how do you care for your diffuser? Simples. Use a rubbing alcohol to or a white vinegar to wipe out the inside of the diffuser which will neutralise any residual odours. That's it.

Is it safe?
It sure is. Provided you're putting good quality pure oils into your diffuser no nasty chemicals will be diffused.

What about for pets?
There are studies and reports out there that say some oils are not good for cats and dogs. Just be mindful that animals have a much better sense of smell and less is more. If your pet starts to react to the oils you are diffusing it's best to remove them form the room. Most oils are fine but best to do some research before you diffuse at home.

Cats are particularly sensitive to polyphenolic compounds which can be found in: cinnamon, tea tree, thyme, birch, wintergreen, clove, and oregano.

There have been reports of dogs being irritated by anise, clove, garlic, horseradish, juniper, thyme, wintergreen, and yarrow. 

Use common sense and dilute the oil before diffusing and monitor your pet's reactions.

We've tried and tested many diffusers and have settled on one that ticks all our boxes:

1) Auto shut off. When the water level reaches below a certain point the diffuser will automatically turn off.

2) Run time. On full speed you can get 6 hours straight run time out of our diffusers. At low speed we have reports of up to 22 hours.

3) No neon. Need we say more.

4) Quietness. You can hardly hear it. No whirring or hissing.

5) Decor appeal. Looks pretty smart on the shelf, by the sink or under a plant.

6) Affordability. No need to pay through the nose for what we believe should be in every home.

Our diffusers are $59.95 and come in two beautiful wood grain finishes. Spend over $250 with us you get one free. Now that's a pretty nifty Christmas gift.

Bec
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We love oils. That’s a bit obvious.

A lot of what we’ve been showing you lately has been a little more swayed towards the types of products that can be created when using oils as base ingredients (queue moisturisers, cleansers, scrubs, serums, soaps, beauty products in general). This week we want to touch on how essential oils can become a necessary companion to each season and the trials and tribulations we face over the course of a year.

Right now, as we come into the warmer months, with the festive season firing up, the work year beginning to take its toll on our minds and bodies, it’s important to keep ourselves refreshed and focused. If you’ve ever worked in a large office, you will know all too well that by October the silly season has well and truly taken a hold over many of your colleagues. Lunches become longer, productivity drops, and morning hangover cures frequent more than just Fridays. Well that was my experience anyway in my early twenties working for a mass media company in Sydney.
What I found was that it was becoming harder and harder to produce consistently good work at the end of the year. The year had flown and the company I had worked for had gone through some major changes. I was exhausted. But I wasn’t prepared to stop. I knew I had to put on a brave face, attend after work events and then pull my sorry backside into my swivel chair early the next morning to do it all again.

I had an aromatherapist prescribe me a bottle of Ylang Ylang Complete oil to boost my immunity levels (which were flailing at best) and to work as an anti-depressant to drive away the feelings of anxiety and stress I had built up as a direct result of my lower productivity levels. It recharged me, energised me and kept me going until Christmas Eve when I packed up my desk for a two-week work year detox.

Picture this: It’s now January, you’ve made it through the Christmas mayhem, you’ve eaten far too much, sunned yourself a little bit more than you’d like and maybe a wine too many on New Year’s Eve. It time to centre yourself, look ahead and start making those small changes that will help to forge new pathways.
To make smart decisions about the year ahead you need a pure mind and body. Orange Oil has been used as a diuretic to help your body get rid of any excess toxins and gas. Did you know Orange Oil also has been said to promote urination which is of course is an important bodily function in detoxification. Like a car needs a service every now and again to ensure it’s in tip top working condition, so does a body. Orange Oil can tone up every system in the body. To achieve this, we recommend diffusing Orange Oil in our Orb Diffusers, adding a drop or two to laundry for a wearable tonic.

Autumn in Australia is a beautiful time of year and has always been a personal favourite of mine. It’s about early April when you can smell the air start to turn, it smells of change. If you’ve been working hard at your goals, it’s about now that you can start to see some results (depending on the goal). Things are changing, leaves are bursting with colour and it’s a more serious time of year.
To compliment the freshening air outside, Lemon Myrtle is a beautiful, rich, smooth aroma that brings the outside in. Lemon Myrtle is an anti-septic, some believe even better than Tea Tree Oil, so we recommend diffusing this essential oil towards the end of Autumn when your bodies are at risk of typical change of season ailments.
Fun science fact:
In 2004 it was confirmed that the anti-viral properties of Lemon Myrtle were critical in reducing skin lesions in children at a 10% solution. Just something to bring up at the dinner table.
Burke, Briant E., Baillie, Jon-Eric and Olson, Richard D. Essential oil of Australian lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) in the treatment of molluscum contagiosum in children. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Vol. 58, Issue 4, May 2004, pages 245-247.

Finally, we come to Winter. I don’t know about you, but as much as I try to embrace Winter, I find it desolate, harsh and dull. I’ve been very lucky in my life with Winter colds and flus. I seem to be able to avoid them somehow. I put it down to protection of oneself from the elements. I try to avoid going out if it’s miserable or windy, but there’s probably some truth in that Winter is a great time to rug up and binge on Netflix.
If you do find yourself caught out in the cold and you’ve got skin like mine you’ll notice when you look in the mirror that your face is all wind chaffed, red and sore. I know I said I was going to avoid skin care in this post, but Geranium oil is just a wonder with calming redness and soothing skin.
Also an anti-depressant, this feminine floral oil is great for increasing circulation, which if you’ve been as sloth like in winter’s past as I have you’ll understand that there is always a need to increase circulation.
Geranium oil is queen for hormonal and emotional balance and Winter is the best time to work on your inner goddesses ready to take on Spring again. Word of warning! Geranium oil is an emmenagogue which stimulates menstrual flow. Avoid when pregnant.

All four of these oils have been our favourites for getting us through the changing seasons and it’s a perfect selection for newcomers to the essential oil world.

Give the gift of courage, strength, energy and balance this Christmas with our 4 Seasons Gift Pack. Each pack comes with 1x 25ml bottle each of Madagascan Ylang Ylang Complete, Australian Cold Pressed Orange Oil, Australian Lemon Myrtle Oil and Egyptian Geranium Oil for just $51 (Save $10).

Yes, yes, it's only October. But on the other hand, IT'S ALREADY OCTOBER!
I don't know about you but every year I try to get as much as I can sorted before the madness that is December. Post slows down, parties pick up, shops get full, budgets get tighter. After many years of last minute rushes to the department store on Christmas Eve I said enough was enough.

October is a great time to start putting together present buying wishlists because we have that ever so slightly more relaxed mental zone that allows us to dream up unique presents including ones we can make ourselves.

This is why we've decided to give you access now to our Christmas Gift Guide. It's full of new gift packs, DIY options, new blends, new skin care products and our picks for Christmas appropriate single origin essential oils.

One of our new products we're extremely excited about is our Perky Coffee Scrub, expertly created to increase circulation, exfoliate dead skin cells and leave your largest organ feeling refreshed, nourished and healthy. 

Whilst we're on skin care, have you ever bought a moisturiser and thought, this is just not right, it either feels wonderful but smells terrible or smells amazing but is terribly bad for you. We'll we've got a solution. We've created an all natural balancing moisturiser suitable for all skin types. The best news is that it's fragrance free because we want you to be able to customise it the way you like it. For Christmas we're giving you the ability to get our beautiful deep penetration moisturiser and add one 25ml single origin essential oil for only $30. We'll provide you with everything you need including a mixing spatula, a pipette to help you get the right measurement of oil (we recommend 3ml in every 200ml), and a pump bottle for presentation and practicality.

We'll touch on some of our other great deals and packs over the coming weeks but right now, have a browse through our gift ideas list and get your wishlists in order.

Happy shopping!

Bec

PS - don't forget that now when you spend $150 or more you get FREE SHIPPING! Bonus savings for Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a safe festive season. We're going on holidays and will be returning January 4th. Feel free to get ahead and pop your orders in over the break, we'll attend to them as soon as we reopen.
Please note that we will only be checking our emails intermittently.

Read here for full details of our opening hours.

Happy festivus for the rest of us.

Kindest regards,

earthYARD

This year earthYARD will be taking a little though well-deserved break from the warehouse with a Christmas Shut-Down from December 22nd, 2016 to January 4th, 2017.

What a year we've had! Our team has expanded, we've moved warehouses, upgraded some systems, celebrated a birthday and had a lot of fun. We hope you've had as great a year as we have and we look forward to another fantastic year for 2017.

Onto the important stuff: 

- To ensure orders are shipped in time for Christmas please place yours by Friday December 16th, 5pm. Orders placed after this date won't be fulfilled until our return Wednesday January 4th, 2017.

- Enquiries and wholesale orders will be addressed also upon our return. 

We've begun to set some goals for ourselves for 2017 which we hope you'll also benefit from including addressing the ever-ongoing and most frustrating issues we've had with our national postal network and we'll be seeking to improve delivery services early in the new year.

Next year you'll also see some new and exciting things coming into the earthYARD store which will remain TOP SECRET for now so stayed tuned.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe holiday season.

Speak soon

earthYARD
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