downtown fresno blog

Posted by Kim Schoelen

I am such a high-strung person.  I keep it together in public really well, but anyone with binoculars staring in my window at home knows that I flip out at the dumbest things.  We’re out of cinnamon and I want to make persimmon cookies?  Tantrum time.  It’s 10:39 PM and I just remembered that I have to have something ready for tomorrow morning that I haven’t even started? I’m hyperventilating right now just thinking about it.  As you can imagine, I don’t sleep well either.  I’ll stay wide awake until 2 AM ruminating over whether or not I should just give in and buy a ball winder and an umbrella swift for my knitting– something no one should ever lose sleep over. Basically, I’m a wreck.

Luckily our Market on Kern Vendor of the Week is here to help!  Aroma Salud is the place to turn for natural wellness and aromatherapy products.  You’ll recognize owner Adaniel Lepe-Camacho’s passion and dedication to his product line from the moment you wander up to his stall at the Market.  I came to him complaining about utter exhaustion and stress and within seconds he was pulling out essential oils for me to test, showing me products that might help and explaining as he went along the benefits of every ingredient.  All of his ingredients are food grade, which is important to him because skincare products are “food for the body” so everything that you use should be pure enough to eat.  To prove his point he put a dab of his eye firming cream in his mouth.  I mean, what a novel concept- you wouldn’t put it in your body, why put it ON your body.  And they’re all plant based.  Basically, Adaniel had me at Hello.

He also explained that most of his products are mixed up the night before, the longest they might be on the shelf is 2 weeks, tops.  You want your skincare products to be fresh with an expiration date.  If you buy something from Wal Mart, chances are it’s been on the shelves for a few months, was shipped, it’s sat in a warehouse for some time and who knows how long all of that could take.  His products use jojoba oil so when stored properly, in a cool place or preferably in the fridge, they have a very long shelf life because jojoba doesn’t go rancid. But fear not, if you just put your products on a counter in the bathroom (guilty as charged) they’ll be good for 6 months to a year.

When he handed me the full list of products I was blown away. It’s an 8 page catalog that also reads like an instruction manual and even maybe a little like a love letter.  When someone has full faith and passion in their product it’s easy to pick up on.  As a Certified Natural Health Professional and Herb Specialist, he’s made aromatherapy, relflexology and holistic nutrition his life’s work.

I decided this week to go for some lavender essential oil. If I can calm myself down enough before bed to sleep well, the energy will logically follow on it’s own.  And if it doesn’t immediately help, he threw in some peppermint infused avocado oil that I can use in the bath or shower to wake up, as a gift.  They even set me up with a free bracelet with a few drops of peppermint oil on it to keep me energized and alert through the workday today. Next thing you know I’ll be reacting to things like a normal person and breathing deeply with an air of serenity.

Oh, and I did buy the knitting stuff- I know it was gonna keep you up at night.  Can I suggest some lavender?