I enjoy pretty scents, don't you? I love working with fragrance so much that I make my own scented lotions, facial scrubs, massage oils, room sprays and more, using essential oils and the proper unscented carrier. My tastes have always run to the sweet floral aromas of jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, lavender, neroli and combining them with the citrus tones of orange, bergamot, lemongrass, lemon, lime and grapefruit. Add a touch of sandalwood and you've got a blend of fragrance that will melt any stress and take you to a tropical island all in one whiff.

Essential oils aren't just pretty smells. These concentrated oils are magic in a little bottle. It has been scientifically proven that oils will either be stimulating or relaxing and they will have that effect on your body. Have you ever taken a good whiff of pure peppermint oil? There is nothing relaxing about it. Your senses are immediately awakened and your eyes open wider. It's refreshing and bright. That is how all of the scents work their magic; one way or the other. Since there are so many therapeutic benefits to using these oils, I love experimenting with them for dry skin. I am definitely getting older and my skin is getting dryer so something needs to be done, and quickly. I am a blue eyed blond so my skin is also sun damaged and needs to be cared for. I combine 2-3 drops of rose, geranium, palmarosa and lavender essential oils with plain an unscented carrier oil such as sweet almond, apricot kernel, avocado, coconut, grapeseed, or rose hip seed oils. I use this mixture lightly as a moisturizer at night. When I want to exfoliate my skin, I make a mask of honey, clay, cornstarch, and 1 egg yolk combined with a few drops of rose, lavender and sandalwood. I put it on my skin for 15 minutes and rinse off with cool water. Rose has been known to help aid in healing damaged skin from radiation and lavender has been used to helping skin recover from burns. These are only a few of the therapeutic uses for essential oils.

Your face doesn't have to be the only thing that benefits from these delightful oils. Consider massage lotions or oils for use after exercising, sports or de-stressing. You can even give your pets or your baby a massage using oils specifically for them. Make sure you find out more information before using essential oils on children or while pregnant.

Since summer is fun in the sun time, don't make the skin suffer by overdoing it in the sun. Sunburn is painful and over time it can really damage your skin. If you have suffered a small sunburn on your body, you might consider using lavender or tea tree oils neat from the bottle on the burn. If your body is pretty much crispy fried, you might consider using an unscented lotion with a few drops of lavender, chamomile or tea tree and gently dab it on the burned area. Later, use calendula oil with a few drops of rose or chamomile, neroli or lavender to help the burn to heal.

If making your own concoctions sounds too difficult, just take a few drops of your favorite scent and put it in your bath water. Make sure it is one of the relaxing oils if you are taking a bath before you go to bed. For relaxation use: lavender, clary sage, marjoram sweet, rose otto, neroli, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, vanilla, ylang ylang, vetiver, jasmine, bergamot or any of the camomiles. If you want to wake up before you go to work, use one of the stimulating scents: basil, cypress, juniper berry, lemon, lemongrass, myrrh, orange, peppermint, rosemary, tea tree, geranium, ginger, fennel, grapefruit, lime, thyme. If you want to fall asleep to your favorite scent, put a few drops on a cloth and place it by your pillow. Don't put it on the pillowcase itself because it might stain. Lavender is especially good for sleeping. If you choose to try scents for relaxing or for stimulation, make sure you buy the real deal. Read labels carefully because many companies have tried to get on the alternative, natural bandwagon and list their products as "all Natural" when they really aren't. Make sure the essential oils you are buying are 100% pure extract of the plant. Synthetic products have little to no effect on your senses and you won't achieve the desired results.

Aging is inevitable, but a healthy lifestyle combined with some fragrances can help you slow the signs of time from your skin.

Beverly Marshall is a successful freelance writer, certified Aromatherapist and Feng Shui consultant. Her many articles offer guidance, suggestions and common sense ideas to change your life. If you are interested in products and information regarding alternative medicine, vitamins, osteoporosis, menopause, essential oils, insomnia, anti aging, dry skin and more; her many articles can be found at http://www.alternative-medicine-4u.com.