How are Essential Oils Used?

For over 5000 years, the use of plant aromatics accompanied civilization wherever it spread. Now its called Aromatherapy and its used in our present day health and beauty therapies.

Massage uses touch as a way to deliver aromatherapy. Essential oils are diluted in lotions or carrier oils such as grapeseed oil, and nourish the skin and enhance the goals of massage. The aromas of the essential oils help balance your state of mind through the brain's limbic system.

In Skin Care, the natural substance in many essential oils and hydrosols aid in gentle cleansing and are known for their antiseptic and antioxidant effects. They can help tone, sooth or stimulate tissues, even influencing the generation of new cells.

In Bath and Spa, the age-old practice of using aromatics in the baths and steams is still very popular in todays spas. Blends of fragrant essential oils can be customized to meet your individual needs and used in tubs, body wraps, facials and scrubs. These nourishing blends help reduce the effects of stress, soothing the senses and restoring the body.

What are your favorite essential oils and how do they make you feel?

Remedies for Dry Cracked Feet

Dry cracked feet can make you feel uncomfortable and unattractive. And it’s not only a problem during the long winter months, dry feet can creep up on you at any time of the year.

While there are many cures for dry feet at your local drug store, not all of them are natural. That’s why we’ve put together some of the best natural dry cracked feet remedies for you. Get ready to reveal new soft, beautiful, touchable feet!

Vinegar Soak. Mix about a cup of white vinegar and a small amount of EclipseSpa's organic shower gel in a tub of warm water. Mix and let soak for about ten minutes.

Baking Soda Soak. Add some baking soda to a foot bath and let soak for about half an hour to help soften dry, hard feet. This also works great for the rest of your skin and you can even add some to your bath salts. OR drop in one of our bath bombs to your foot bath and get the same moisturizing effect

Milk. Add a cup of milk to a warm foot bath. Dairy is a great natural moisturizer and will help soften up hard dry skin on your feet.

Grapeseed Oil. Grapeseed oil has been used as moisturizers for dry skin long before traditional moisturizers were manufactured. After you’ve tried one of these other treatments, pat your feet dry and rub in a generous amount of oil, then put on thick socks to help keep the moisture in.

Sugar Scrub. The combination of shea butter, therapeutic oils and exfoliating sugar will leave your feet silky soft. Used over time, your feet will ready for showtime in your strappy summer sandals.

While soaks and lotions may help, they don’t get at the root cause of your problems. While dry weather may aggravate your condition, if you find you’re having to repeatedly treat your aching feet, your problem might be more than just the weather or genetics. Here are a few other causes you might look into.

Upgrade your shoes. Poor fitting shoes can cut off circulation to your heels and toes. If the skin doesn’t get blood, it doesn’t get enough water, nutrients, or water. Get your feet measured to make sure you’re wearing the right size.

If you’re using an inexpensive brand, you may want to invest in some quality footwear. They can help your feet, legs, back, and usually last a lot longer too.

Poor hygiene can also be a cause of dry cracked feet. It can be easy to neglect your feet when you’re scrubbing, but taking the extra time to scrub can be well worth it. Be sure to moisturize after since soaps can be drying.

While it may not seem like a huge issue, dry cracked feet could actually be a sign of a poor diet. Make sure you’re getting enough water and eating a well balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Uplifting Lemongrass

Lemongrass, one of my favorites, originates from India and is widely used as an herb in Asian and Caribbean cooking. Lemongrass brings its tempting aroma and skin- caring properties to the spa and spa products.

Lemongrass is also used as a medicinal herb. Rich in citral, the active ingredient in lemon peel, lemongrass is said to aid in digestion, as well as relieve spasms, muscle cramps, rheumatism and headaches.

Candles, soaps and fragrances capitalize on its fresh scent. And as a natural ingredient that normalizes overactive oil glands and features a heavenly aroma, lemongrass is used as a component in spa services and products.

In the kitchen, although normally used in small amounts, the entire stalk of the grass can be sliced very fine and added to soups. Its bulb can be bruised and minced in a variety of recipes. I love going to Thai restaurants and having soup with lemongrass in it.

A treat for both the palette and skin, lemongrass offers an escape from the everyday. Its clean, crisp flavor and scent complement culinary delights, comforting beverages and soothing spa products. Give yourself a lift with a spa product that contains the heavenly scent of lemongrass.

EclipseSpa Launches Affiliate Program

We are excited to announce the launch of EclipseSpa's affiliate program!

An affiliate program pays you commission when you market our products.

When your friends, customers, acquaintances, etc. makes a purchase using your affiliate link you are paid a 40% commission on the completed sale.

Your affiliate link is www.eclipsespa.com/YourName. Some of the ways you can use your affiliate link are:

A. Comment on blogs and leave your name and affiliate URL

B. You are able to build a category text link such as "mens grooming products" and market the link in your emails, on blogs, newsletters and your own website.
C. You can place a banner which we have created for our affiliates in your emails, newsletters, blog or website.

We have more information on our website on the affiliate Frequently Asked Questions page in addition to a sign-up page.

It doesn't cost anything to become an affiliate. We reward you for marketing/selling our organic bath and body products.

Be part of an exciting trend of Spa at Home Tonight products.

Thank you,

Anne Keefe

Charitible Giving Campaign

For those that know me, they'll tell you how much I love animals. There are some days I would prefer to talk to the animals than to people, but then that would be just plain rude.

I decided for January we would donate $1 for every shower gel sold this month to ARF. ARF is where we adopted our dog Macauly who has transformed our lives.

ARF is a Animal Rescue Foundation in the Bay Area (California)that saves dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters and brings people and animals together to enrich each others lives. ARF strives to create a world where every loving dog and cat has a home, where every lonely person has a companion animal, and where children learn to care.

I am passionate about saving animals and have plans to foster some kittens this year. Animal Fosters are desperately needed at ARF. I think we are seeing animals in need of rescue due to economic difficulties in some households.

Please help us to help the animals by making a shower gel purchase this month.

Our shower gels are organic, and enriched with plant based ingredients known to soften your skin, leaving it more youthful looking rather than stripping and drying out your skin like other soaps and bath gels do.

What is Gotu Kola and Why Is It In My Shower Gel?

I get asked this question alot because Gotu Kola is not a ingredient you see often. Gotu Kola has been used as a medicinal herb in China, India and Indonesia. It is a perennial plant native to Japan, China, and India.


In ancient China, Gotu Kola was the principle ingredient in a famous elixir called Fo Ti Tieng, a brew that had an astounding reputation as “Fountain of Youth”. Gotu Kola works specifically to stimulate the production of collagen in the skin, as well as the manufacture of new skin cells. This translates into beautiful, renewed, supple skin.


Gotu Kola greatly enhances the integrity and vascularization of connective tisue and skin, hastens wound healing, improves elasticity and rejuvenates blood vessels for improved circulation to the skin. It is also the first ingredient in our organic shower gels. Need I say more?

Create an Oasis at Home to Combat Stress in Fifteen Minutes or Less

Stress is no stranger to the average mom. Day in and day out it tries to enter our lives through busy schedules, a messy home, and screaming children. Here are a few ways that moms can reduce their stress levels fast.

Remember that commercial for Calgon bath soap? Calgon would seem to whisk women everywhere off to exotic locales. Too bad that that can’t actually happen—or can it? Light some scented candles and climb into a nice hot tub filled with lavender bubble bath, and try this quick visualization technique while you enjoy a spa experience at home.

Imagine the place you would most want to be if you could. See the sights. Smell the air. Feel the breeze. Let the scene take you away along with the stress. It’s simple but effective. You can do it anywhere and at anytime.

Do you own an IPOD or MP3 player? If not, get one. You can load music, videos, and pictures on them. My IPOD has a great selection of relaxation music that I listen to in the tub or while flying on an airplane. I also created a CD full of relaxation music for EclipseSpa that has received wonderful reviews.

Music that reminds us of happier times is a stress reliever. The memories that are conjured up relax our mind and return us to more peaceful times. Concentrating on these things leaves no room in our mind for stressful thoughts.

Laughter truly is the best medicine. Watch a comedy on television or rent a comedy movie if you have more than 15 minutes to spare. Alternatively, you can read the comics in the newspaper or check out YouTube clips of political comedy and such. A good laugh works your abdominal muscles. You can get in shape and have a good time while doing it.

Maybe your stress is a result of low blood flow to the brain. You just aren’t thinking clearly. The quickest way to return that mental clarity is to stand on your head. I’m not advocating torture here. This can be as simple as laying on the couch with your head hanging off the side or bending over with your hands on the floor.

More blood to the head means more oxygen also. After a minute or two of this you’ll feel silly and more alert. The thoughts of a few minutes ago will fade away. Don’t turn right side up too fast or you’ll be popping a few aspirin for a headache. Oh well.

Have a drink to relieve your stressful situation. I’m not referring to Jack Daniels or a Grey Goose Martini (although they are great, too), but Earl Grey. Tea seems to have a calming effect on the mind. My favorite tea is a lemon zest or a peppermint tea. Taking a few minutes to relax over a good cup of tea can lower your heart rate and your anxiety level.

Any one of these things can be done in fifteen minutes or less. It doesn’t take much—just a willingness to get centered.

When to Seek Help For Stress

For some of us, stress is a condition that we cannot tackle alone. If you are a mom who has tried to manage your stress alone but to no avail, it may be time to seek help from an outside source. Here are a few suggestions to help with that decision.

Stress can affect our physical body. Too much stress can lead to symptoms like hair loss, headaches, weight loss or weight gain, ulcers, and depressive disorders. All of these symptoms can be signs of conditions other than stress, but if you have been in otherwise good health before they showed up, there is a good chance that stress may be the cause.

Examine your daily life. What are the pressures you face each day? Stress on the job can spill over into family life. The threat of downsizing or loss of a job due to poor economic conditions can cause problems at home to get blown out of proportion. Financial losses in the stock market combined with decreasing home values are wreaking havoc with our emotions.

See a medical doctor if your physical body has shown signs of stress overload. Be sure to tell your doctor when the symptoms started and their intensity. The more information you can provide to your doctor, the better chance of an accurate diagnosis. Holding back anything because of embarrassment is not wise.

Get a full physical exam each year. This will give your doctor a baseline to work from when assessing new problems. Whatever his diagnosis, comply as fully as you can. It’s the difference between getting well or getting worse.

Stress builds up when there is no outlet for the pressure. Moms that have no one to confide in about things going on in their lives could use the help of a professional counselor. A counselor will listen as you speak and offer coping suggestions and solutions.

Many employers offer employee assistance programs (EAP) that allow employees to see counselors for little or no cost. The human resources officer would have information about that. These programs are confidential.

There are clinical psychiatrists and psychologists who can help, whether the problem is related to a mental or chemical breakdown in the brain or situations outside your control. Marriage counseling can help you and your spouse if this is the source of your stress. Group counseling can help moms whose stress has led to unhealthy addictions like smoking, drinking, or overeating.

If your weight is causing stress, join a fitness center and sign up with a personal trainer – someone who will hold you accountable. Sometimes just having an appointment to work out will get you to the gym. And, of course, getting regular exercise can be enough to combat your high levels of stress. Either way, it sure can’t hurt!

I have turned to exercise during times of extreme stress. When I went through a divorce in my first marriage, I turned to riding my bike, which then turned into many years of riding with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Cycling, literally saved me from depths of depression. Being physically active got me in better shape, which in turn gave me better self-esteem and confidence in myself again.

Getting help is nothing to be ashamed of, I sought professional help when I needed to, and would do it again in a heartbeat if needed. Moms are always helping others, but sometimes they are the ones in need. Doing nothing is the worst solution to the problem of stress.