When I think about France, one of the first things that comes to mind is all the wonderful scents. My memories are largely based in the scents of fresh vegetables in the marketplaces, the refreshing coastlines, and vibrant flowers, especially the lavender so known in the South. I've always loved the scent of lavender, which calms and soothes my often stressed mind. I wanted to find a way to have the scent follow me wherever I went. When I told my friend about my love of lavender, she suggested I try using lavender essential oil. I had heard about essential oils before, but knew that a lot out there were filled with chemicals and sold very cheaply, whereas the "pure" stuff was ridiculously expensive. But my friend told me about a company called GuruNanda, which sources pure essential oils from farms all over the world, and sends them straight to you for just $7.99 per oil. Plus, all oils are tested with sensitive GC/MS tests to ensure purity, identity, quality. I wanted to find out more.

On their website, I learned that GuruNanda was started by Puneet Nanda, an entrepreneur and yogi who harnessed the power of an ancient Indian medicinal technique called Ayurveda, which includes the use of essential oils. From what I understood, essential oils are how plants protect themselves and the use of essential oils pulls out toxins and impurities from the body. Each essential oil has a different purpose, from Peppermint, which is meant to revitalize, to Eucalyptus, which is meant to soothe congestion. The website does a really great job of explaining the basics of aromatherapy and Ayurvedic philosophy, which I found fascinating, even beyond my search for the perfect lavender essential oil.

Since I was most familiar with lavender, I decided to start with that essential oil and a diffuser. I was surprised that the vial of lavender was really only $7.99; I expected something much more expensive for the real deal. I read more about lavender, and its qualities of relaxation and muscle tension relief, something that I definitely experienced through what I smelled in France. But then, I found out that GuruNanda sources their lavender from the Kazanlak Valley in Bulgaria, which produces the best ratio of Linalool and Linalyl Acetate in the world. That means, top quality lavender that's even better than what you can find in France!

When my oil and diffuser arrived, I was all ready for relaxation. I dropped a few drops into the diffuser with water, and turned it on. It was a really cool-looking little dome that when I hit the button, turned blue for a continuous stream of lavender. Then when I hit the button again, it turned red for an intermittent stream. I instantly started to feel relaxed as the room filled with the lovely scent of lavender. Whether in my bedroom before bed, or in the kitchen accompanied by a cup of tea, my lavender essential oil is now essential to me.

Traveling is wonderful, but not everyone gets to do it all the time. That's why it's essential to have portals into your memory, and for me, that's the scent of lavender. Nanda traveled all over the world to bring the finest essential oils to people like me, looking for that bit of escape from a stressful week. Whether diffused into a room or sprinkled into a bath, essential oils are a way to travel great distances without leaving your home.

Update: The folks at Gurunanda are extending a special offer to our readers! Follow this link to get your diffuser and essential oils for up to 50% off!