Review: Aromatherapist in a Box

An ideal companion for beginners and expert aroma blenders alike

I was lucky enough to receive an Aromatherapist in a Box from Jo Kellett, the author and a long standing teacher, colleague and friend of mine.  I’d been wanting to get my hands on it ever since it was published earlier this year, and it did not disappoint!

First of all, the box is beautifully illustrated, with clearly-labelled icons to guide the reader as to which essential oils to choose for different states of being or types of support. There are even cards with blend suggestions for specific situations such as pregnancy, menstruation, sleep, digestion and more.

The handy booklet introduces the concept of aromatherapy, even touching on the politics and persecution of herbal practitioners – something I always love to see being shared, as our history as alternative medicine practitioners has not been without its trials (quite literally).

The booklet also sets the scene for the future of aromatherapy, and is optimistic in positioning aromatherapists as sitting at the heart of a more holistic, integrated approach to healthcare.

The cards
The cards themselves feature modern, colourful and abstract illustrations of the oils they represent, and contain a balanced overview of chemistry, actions, safety, storage and blending tips for each oil. There are 60 cards in total, which is enough to give anyone a really solid grounding in the world of aromatherapy.

Organised by the essential oil’s primary qualities, each card highlights the main therapeutic actions as well as the historical and cultural ways it has been used, which brings the whole plant to life even more!

Opening the box
Visually, the deck is really easy to navigate and the useful tips and extra information enhances learning.

What I loved most of all is that I could get all the cards out and move them about on my desk, shuffling them about until I could find the perfect blend without committing first. I also loved that it had a sort of “oracle card” feel – I explored shuffling and picking a card at random to see what plant the day had in store. I feel this would make a lovely daily ritual for helping to learn each oil’s properties, or for creating intuitive blends for friends and family.

The cards are organised by theme, such as “clearing” or “balancing” – making it very easy to choose the direction of my blend before selecting the oils.

The result?
I made a massage oil blend, after being inspired by these cards, and called it “Soul Soup” after the book “Chicken Soup for the Soul” by Jack Canfield. It was a blend of the “clearing” and “warming” oils: Ginger, Mandarin, and Juniper – to help me fend off a virus that had been plaguing me for several weeks. It felt and smelled glorious: an aromatic form of nourishment that was so needed after weeks of illness. 

Thank you Jo, for this gift to the world!

Get your copy of Aromatherapist in a Box