Deep Forest Diffuser Blend

Imagine: towering above you is a dense canopy of old-growth conifers, below you is their life-giving, moss-covered soil. You close your eyes, and your lids are tinted rose-coloured by the gentle winter sun peeking between swaying branches, warming your up-turned face. Simultaneously, you hear both echoing silence and vibrant life all around you: pinecones drop, wind rushes, birds whistle, fallen branches are rustled by the footsteps of wildlife, and a nearby stream splashes through the pathway it’s carved for itself, teeming with jumping salmon.

A strong, damp breeze plays with your hair and encourages a deep breath. It fills your nose and then your lungs with the fresh, invigorating aroma of the hundreds of thousands of Douglas Firs and Western Hemlocks surrounding you.

You’re deep in the Great Bear Rainforest: the largest protected coastal temperate rainforest in the world, located on the pacific west coast of beautiful British Columbia, where dozens of Indigenous communities have been stewards of this land since time immemorial.

In partnership with Great Bear Rainforest Essential Oils, we’re excited to introduce you to Deep Forest a limited-edition diffuser blend containing sustainably-sourced Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock essential oils from this region. Great Bear Rainforest Essential Oils is a locally owned, indigenous company comprised of two First Nations: Metlakatla and Nuxalk (Bella Coola).

Local members of their community are hired and trained to selectively harvest and distill conifers within the Great Bear Rainforest. This craft is a labour of love, with the intention of conserving community, culture, environment, and local economy. As stewards of the rainforest and oceans to which they are vitally connected, Great Bear Rainforest Essential Oils considers their responsibilities to “extend to the well-being of [their] people; this initiative enables [them] to strike a crucial balance between economic prosperity and environmental protection, while ensuring [their] diverse people, culture and languages continue to thrive.”¹

In addition to being home to the Metlakatla and Nuxalk Peoples, the Great Bear Rainforest is inhabited by 24 other First Nations,² as well as 670 documented species,including the Spirit Bear.³

The dwindling species of the Spirit Bear is native to The Great Bear Rainforest— the only place on earth they can be found.⁴ As such, they were effective mascots in the creation of the 2006 Great Bear Rainforest Agreements.⁵ These agreements protect a large portion of the Rainforest, its inhabitants, and their way of life from industrial exploitation. However, your support of this project further ensures sustainable employment opportunities, and promotes the continued cultural health and prosperity of these important, unique communities.⁶

Of the 670 species within the Great Bear Rainforest, we chose to focus on Western Hemlock and Douglas Fir not only to create a festive feeling, but to celebrate their prominence within the traditional remedies of Pacific Coastal First Nations. Western Hemlock has long been used for making poultices to heal the skin and alleviate the effects of rheumatism, and Douglas Fir is used for its believed anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties, as well as for easing anxiety and stress.

Also within Deep Forest you’ll find warming clove, festive orange, and sustainable sandalwood essential oils. Our ethically sourced Australian sandalwood comes from partners who actively steward their environment by planting more trees than they harvest, using water efficient irrigation techniques and clean energy for distillation.

This eco-elegant blend is all wrapped up in a giftable, reusable, and recyclable tin. Use it to store your oil blends (up to 3!) or snacks on your next deep forest adventure!

This holiday, we invite you to bring the imagination of the Great Bear Rainforest into your home and celebrations. In addition to adding 10-15 drops of this woodsy and warm blend to your favourite ultrasonic diffuser, give these alternative uses a try:

• Add to your laundry! With just 5-7 drops of Deep Forest on our Laundry Love Dyer Balls, you can turn your favourite winter sweater or bed linens into a forest escape.
• Create a centerpiece! Draw on inspiration from the sustainable harvesting practices of Great Bear Rainforest Essential Oils by collecting fallen conifer branches and pine cones from your nearest deep forest. Porous pine cones make an awesome passive diffuser!
• Freshen Faux! Bring a faux tree to life with DIY pine cone diffusers.
• Wear it! Keep the rainforest close to your heart in one of our sterling silver Aromatherapy Necklaces.

Once more, imagine: a member of your future generations stands where you once stood, under a canopy of conifers, feet planted in the same soil. Their lungs take in the same air and aroma, their hair is tousled by the same wind. The result of passionate stewardship is that they and their future generations can share in not only your imagination but your experiences of the world - this world.

We raise our hands to the communities behind Great Bear Rainforest Essential oils for the opportunity to connect you with the spirit of their home; and we raise our hands to the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples whose unceded territories Saje graciously calls our home.

Reference List

1. Retrieved from https://www.greatbearessentialoils.ca/pages/our-story
2. Retrieved from https://greatbearrainforest.gov.bc.ca/tile/communities-of-the-great-bear-rainforest/
3. Retrieved from https://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/
4. Retrieved from https://greatbearrainforest.gov.bc.ca/tile/mammals/
5. Retrieved from https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/Kermode-bear
6. Retrieved from https://www.greatbearessentialoils.ca/