Essential Living

I bought the ebook for my collection of aromatherapy authors. Andrea Butje does an awesome job of creating an easy to read and easy to understand book on how to use essential oils in your home, office, traveling, and outside use. I find it an amazingly great resource and one that I use often. The author provides purchasing tips, blending techniques, and dilution standards. I love the abundance of recipes and the advise that one should start to blend beyond these recipes because it is all about the knowledge learned, application, and safety in the use of each essential oil. Branching out to discover and connect with new oils is what I have been doing. Love the book and it should be on everyone's bookshelf. Thanks to Andrea I am enjoying converting my home and daily living around the substitution of commercial cleaners to those nature developed for us.

This book is a must have if you are learning about safely using and mixing essential oils. I have been dabbling in oils for a year or so. I like the fact of using natural products. The author is a very intelligent lady who also teaches oil classes online. I have taken some of these classes. She is very explicit in her instructions and this book is designed to make learning extremely easy, even for a beginner. There are clear, easy to understand instructions and lots of nice pictures. This book is a very useful reference for anyone learning to use essential oils. It is my most used book.

I don't want to be pressed with marketing for specific brands and their blends but instead want to know how individual oils work singly or in blends. This book does just that. Not only does the book cover necessary tools but basic oils to start with and a suggested list of what to acquire over time. There are several recipes in the book and they are designated as to the appropriate level of expertise needed to blend them. It's a quick read but still an excellent resource that I keep coming back to review.

There is good information here - but with all the great reviews I was expecting more. It is a beginners book; has some good ideas. It is not helpful if you have any sensitivities. There are certain products in the essential oil realm that I can not use. The recipes do not give alternatives - which will leave me guessing and practicing. There is a good explanation of blending with heat - but you could learn it online too. The book mentions Hydrosols but never explains what they are or how to make them on your own. I had to research it to understand some of the recipes.

I found this book to have some excellent recipes within. However, if you are looking for a major primer on oils or extensive information, this is NOT the book for you. This book is designed to be for someone newer to essential oils who does not want to create their own recipes or someone who has "been around the block" but wants something simple to help them learn more and try different things with a reduced risk of error. Other reviewers have complained about the choices of oils and the expense. I found her list to be fairly accurate but VERY different from her starter kit for the free online course she offers through Aromahead Institute. My recommendations to other readers: (and potential readers!) 1: Read the ENTIRE BOOK and decide which formulas you wish to try. THEN purchase your oils accordingly. This will save the expense of oils you do not like, do not want to use, or do not plan on using. Start small and pick 2-3 recipes instead of the whole kit n' caboodle. 2: She recommends MANY times in the book to research your oils. This book is not intended to be for that research. Know that ahead of time and be ready to invest in a good book on essential oils and other herbal remedies. Until you are able to make that investment, there are many locations online, including Aromahead Institute and reputable online companies that sell essential oils, absolutes, and hydrasols which can help you. 3: This is NOT meant to be the end of your journey in essential oils. Be ready to keep studying and learning. This is the start of the path, not the final destination. 4: Last but not least, please learn proper safety protocols and USE them. For your safety and the safety of those you love.

I just got this book and read mostly through it in one evening. It's not a thick book obviously, but it is packed with great recipes using essential oils for the home and your health. The author lists a "starter kit" list of essential oils if you're unsure of what you need and all the recipes have a descriptor of what they can be used for or any cautions of use. She also includes a list of where to buy essential oils and bottling products (this may seem silly because you can search online but amazingly the 3 websites she listed for oils don't automatically come up on the Google searches I've done and I think the quality of these products are probably better than some of the other sites that Google DID provide on the first search page). There aren't a lot of details in this book about how essential oils are extracted or too much about safety other than a few general mentions here and there but it is exactly as described on the book description - a recipe book! I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a way to eliminate some chemical cleaners in your home, discover new lotion and beauty recipes, or for some simple diffusion recipes to help with cold and flu season or everyday living.

This book has some very good information in it, and the recipes are, for the most part, very easy to follow. I've been using EO's for years, and I make my own vegan homemade soaps and other products as a hobby and for sale to some of my friends. This is just one more book that I will add to my collection of books that I have on the various hobbies that I like to do. If you want more information about the author, look up http://www.aromahead.com or Aromahead Institute.

I thought I had paid for a whole book but got the index and can’t get the whole thing now, for what ever reasons the book issue is.

I really like how detailed the topic and usage of essential oils are. It is easy to read and recipes ready to use. There are same oils and ingredients that may not be in most house holds but after a small shopping order one would be set for a long time.

As a student in aromatherapy, its is fundamental to know about a healthy live stile using essential oils: for home, cleaning, health, and body issues. It is very good and simple to understand. Wrotten with loving care and experience from a teacher to her students! Thank you very much, Andrea!

This is a lovely introduction to aromatherapy. So many wonderful recipes to get a novice started. The only thing I found missing was how to substitute for the oils one doesn't have or are not available in ones home country. For example ravintsara is not available in my country - India. What's the alternative to this oil in a recipe? Other than this issue...the book is a breeze to read through and a very handy recipe manual.

Wife loves it...the more she reads and learns from it, the more chance I have of getting my back and/or feet rubbed with lovely smelling and relieving oils.