Aromatherapy and essential oils stay

Hugues, mountain guide in love with nature

Hugues, mountain guide, offers nature activities for all audiences: children, teens, adults, family, school.

From the storytelling walk, to survival techniques through the manufacture of natural cosmetics, discover or rediscover the Drôme and its eco-system.

Your aromatherapy and essential oils stay

In the Drome, your stay around aromatherapy can begin with the discovery of plants in their natural environment, discover their transformation into hydrosol or essential oil but we will focus here on the making of a balm from essential oils.

The manufacture of your essential oils balm

The manufacturing of your personalized balm takes place over half a day. On your arrival, Hugues will welcome you with a tea of ​​dried wild plants harvested by his care, enough to start your essential oils stay under the best auspices.

The workshops take place in two stages: firstly a presentation of aromatherapy (aromatic plants, principles for obtaining essential oils: distillation, alambique, property of plants, a little chemistry); then you will move on to practice. Each participant chooses the balm he wishes to achieve among those proposed by Hugue (aftershave, calming relaxation for massages, exfoliating balm, anti chapping, hikers anti inflammatory, or anti-stress balm).

Hugue will take the time to detail the operating protocol. What is the recipe? What utensils to use? What are the ingredients ?

The products that are the basis of the balms are all "organic", they come straight from the Lozère.

It will then be your turn to get your hands dirty: weigh the beeswax, melt the ingredients in a bain-marie ... until you get your warm balm, which you will have to pour into a small pot before it freeze.

Do not hesitate to contact Hugues if you wish to make a complete stay around essential oils and nature: he can offer you other activities around this theme.

The benefits and dangers of essential oils

Essential oils are obtained after distillation of all or part of an aromatic plant (from the flower, to the fruit, through the root). They therefore contain the active agents of the plant, and this in a very concentrated way. These have the advantage of being natural and offer many beneficial properties for the body and mind.

Be careful, it is not because they are natural that we can use them in any way and without moderation. They are very powerful, and may be contraindicated for some people.

With these oils, you can make all kinds of very effective "homemade" products , but for this it is better to learn to use them with an experienced person in the field.

That's why we recommend a stay to discover the essential oils!

Balms with essential oils

Why balms?

Essential oils are most often used cutaneously. For that, it is sometimes better to avoid using them pure. This will help you avoid irritation. The balms are a practical and safe form to start aromatherapy (provided you follow the advice of manufacture and use obviously). In addition, their smell will remind you of the holidays with each use!

Available essential oils

In his laboratory caravan, Hugues will offer you several essential oils to make your personalized balm.

Lavender essential oil is the one found in almost all recipes. This is not a coincidence, this is due to its many properties: at once healing, antiseptic, painkiller and relaxing, it is a staple in aromatherapy. And we're lucky, we find plenty at home in Drôme!

The ylang ylang and green mandarin essential oils of will be proposed for their calming and relaxing properties. While mandarin essential oil of is also known for its digestive properties, Ylang ylang is rather for its aphrodisiac properties ...

You may use the wintergreen essential oil (odorous or lying, it is very close): you can not go wrong: its smell is extremely powerful. The latter is the ideal essential oil for sportsmen. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic, it is a valuable ally in case of aches, or any kind of muscle or tendon injuries.

A book would not be enough to quote all these oils and their benefits, you can ask all your questions to Hugues during your essential oils stay !

Otherwise, we recommend the Aromatherapy Bible by Gill Farrer-Halls.

The different balms

The exfoliating balm: this balm will purify your skin while nourishing it.

The massage balm : calming and relaxing, it will allow you to relieve the tensions of your body.

The anti-inflammatory balm: ideal for sportsmen and hikers, it will help evacuate your muscular pains and aches.

The anti-stress balm: in cutaneous and circular application on the temples, or on the hands to put "in bowl" before taking deep inspirations, this balm will help to calm yourself down.

The anti-chapping balm: Nourishing and healing, it will protect your skin from dehydration and repair already chapped areas.

Aftershave balm: soothing and healing, this balm will relieve your skin and avoid irritation due to shaving.

How to keep your balm?

As it is natural, the balm made during your essential oils stay contains no preservatives, unlike mainstream products available in shops. The ideal will be to keep your balm in a temperate place, avoiding high heat, light, but also cold. As for all your balms, creams, and lotions, it is best to serve you in the pot with clean hands, previously washed with soap. This will prevent the deposit of microbes or other bacteria in your preparation.

Want to create your own balms with essential oils?

Here is a small video to give you a fortaste :

Do you already imagine yourself in the Drôme sun, in the middle of nature and plants? So do not hesitate and discover Hugues workshops to organize your nature and essential oils stay with family or friends!

Posted on June 21, 2019.

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