Well – there’s new scientific proof of what has been believed for centuries – certain scents really do reduce stress. Nice, eh? Here is an excerpt from the UPI press release from July:

“Japanese researchers have confirmed what many aroma therapists have long advocated — the scent of plants like lemon, mango, lavender reduce stress.

The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels.

Akio Nakamura of the Technical Research Center at the T. Hasegawa Co. in Kawasaki, Japan, and colleagues note that people have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight inflammation and depression and induce sleep.

Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today, Nakamura said.”

According to the article, lab rats were exposed to stressful situations – and some rats inhaled Linalool (a natural scent believed to have a calming influence) while the other rats didn’t breathe the Linalool. Those that inhaled the Linalool “returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes — key parts of the immune system — to near-normal levels.” Pretty cool!

We at Garden Girl have believed this since the beginning – that’s why we so carefully chose our blends of either energizing or calming essential oils for our shower gels and body lotions. Check them out if you haven’t tried them. There’s one for every mood!

To be honest, if Garden Girl used synthetic fragrances for all of our products, it would be far easier. Working with essential oils can be tricky – they can be inconsistent, and it is challenging to get the exact same scent each time. This is why our Alive lotion, just as an example, can smell more like peppermint one time and a little more like basil another. Even though we use a specific proportion each time, the individual oils can be stronger batch to batch. So it isn’t easy – but we make the extra effort for good reason. Fragrances are typically jam packed with all kinds of ingredients – mostly chemicals and petroleum products.

Did you know that the word “fragrance” is all that needs to be listed on a label even though it can contain hundreds of ingredients on its own? One of the most concerning issue with fragrances is phthalates. You have probably heard me rant about phthalates before – they are of deep concern because they are considered to be key factor in birth defects in the reproductive system of male babies, plus there is a possible link to breast cancer, along with numerous other potential issues.

Fragrances are also considered to be one of the top five known allergens (again, likely due to the fact that there are so many components) and also a potential neurotoxin. According to EWG, “as far back as 1986, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences identified fragrance ingredients as one of six categories of neurotoxins (chemicals that are toxic to the brain) that should be thoroughly investigated for impacts on human health. However, this research has not been demanded or funded. The FDA has taken no action on a petition submitted to the agency in 1999 requesting fragrance components to be listed on labels.”

Doesn’t sound so great, does it? That’s why we have decided that the quirkiness of essential oils are a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our products.

A long, dragged out weekend ending in the boys being just plain filthy and icky has inspired this Monday’s special offer.

Our One Day Sale this week features a sort of BOGO offer:

Buy any body lotion (or even Little Lamb baby lotion) and get the matching body wash FREE!

Yep – that’s right. Just plain free. The only “hitch” is that you have to spend $35 or more on your order.

So now you can cover yourself in a rich lather that is SLS/Sulfate-free, paraben-free and phthalate-free. Our shower gels have YUMMY fragrances that can wake you up or calm your senses. There’s Chill Out [mandarin grapefruit], Mellow [lavender, rose geranium], Jump Start [lemon, lime, jasmine] or Alive [peppermint, basil, rosemary]. They make a great bubble bath too!

Then you can deeply moisturize with our fabulous body lotions in the matching scent. Our lotions leave your skin hydrated and glowing with the combination of aloe, jojoba, shea butter, and hydrolyzed silk. Plus it is packed with antioxidants from green tea to fight free radical damage to skin cells.

This week there is no coupon code needed – just simply write

FREE BODY WASH PLEASE

in the comments section when you check out. And you’ll be on your way to a happy shower in no time!

And as always – please feel free to leave feedback either here or on our Facebook site:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Needham-MA/Garden-Girl-Skin-Care/26714478326?ref=share

Have a great week!