AromatherapyEssential Oils for the Body and Soul

When you drop by aromatherapy or natural health and beauty stores, you are faced with choosing among the many ingredients you may employ to achieve a holistic treatment. Some of the items you may encounter include essential oils, carrier oils, fragrance oils and infused oils. Already confused? Read on to differentiate one from the other, and get to know each one’s uses.

Essential Oils

You might be surprised, but the so-called essential oils are not oily to the touch at all. Most of them are clear, but some come in amber or yellowish color, such as orange and lemon grass essential oils.

Essential oils are distilled, usually by steam or water, from various parts of the source plant such as leaves, stems, petals, roots and other parts. They are highly concentrated and contain no artificial fragrances. When applied to the skin or inhaled, the composition and scent of these oils can provide many physical and psychological benefits.

They are often sold in small bottles and can greatly vary in price, depending on the rarity of the plant, the amount of oil produced by the plant and other standards. Because they are in pure form, essential oils are often diluted with carrier oils prior to usage.

Carrier Oils

Since essential oils are very much concentrated and may cause severe irritations and other reactions in some people, carrier oils are used to dilute them. Carrier oils are derived from the fatty portions of the plant, such as the seeds, nuts and kernels. Sometimes called vegetable oils, each one of them carries different therapeutic benefits, depending on what is being sought.

Carrier oils got scents of their own, although they may not be as strong as those from essential oils. Some of the natural lotions, body creams, massage oils, bath oils and other skin care products are made from carrier or vegetable oils. The choice of carrier oils where essential oils are added to can make a difference in the properties, effects, color, scent and shelf life of the final product.

Fragrance Oils

While essential oils are natural because they are made of the distilled essences of the plants where they came from, fragrance oils, on the other hand, are artificial scents – they contain artificial substances and are diluted with carrier oils. You might have also encountered items like perfume oils or potpourri oils, but they are basically just the same as fragrance oils, considering how they were made.

Unfortunately, fragrance oils do not carry the same therapeutic benefits offered by essential oils. Many scented cosmetics, candles, skin-care products like lotions and soaps, and others only contain fragrance oils or other synthetically-made fragrances. You have to read the labels carefully if you intend to use only natural ingredients in achieving relaxation and holistic caring.

Infused Oils

Infused oils are simply carrier oils infused with herbs. They are especially intended for certain plants that simply do not have much essential oils in them, or when it is virtually impossible to find essential oils extracted from those plants.

The good thing about using infused oils in aromatherapy than just plain carrier oils is that the combined therapeutic benefits of the carrier oils and the herbs infused into them are achieved. Infused oils are generally oily to the touch, depending on the consistency of the carrier oils used.

Unlike essential oils, infused oils can go rancid over time, just like carrier oils.

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Ancient people greatly depended on their surroundings for everything that they needed. They had to make the most of what they had; that is why they discovered methods of using plants for treating ailments and preserving life. That is how aromatherapy began – one of the oldest methods of holistic healing.

Closely related to what we have today, the practice of using oils from aromatic plants began with the Egyptians. They developed a method of extracting oils from plants through an infusion process. These oils served various purposes to them back then, as an important part of medicinal healing, cosmetics, as well as embalming.

At the same time in some other part of the world, the Chinese were also using different herbs and their scents for many applications. According to a herbal book dating back to around 2700 BC, ancient Chinese were using more than 300 different kinds of plants. Aromatics in China were used for both religious and therapeutic purposes. The Chinese burned woods and incense during religious ceremonies – a ritual still evident today. Also, the use of aromatics was also associated with ancient modes of treatment, such as massage and acupressure.

In India, people were already practicing a traditional system of healing called Ayurveda. Originating there for around 5000 years now, it emphasizes setting up a balance in the body through proper diet, lifestyle, cleansing, and the health of the mind, body and spirit. It employs cleansing, detoxification and the use of herbs such as triphala, ashwaghanda, gotu kola and bosweilla.

The knowledge of the Egyptians reached the Greeks, which they used further to come up with more discoveries. They found out that different scents had different effects on the human body and mind. For instance, essential oils derived from certain flowers were stimulating, while others were relaxing. The Greeks also used base or carrier oils, in the form of olive oil, for herbs and flowers; thus led to their use for several cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

In turn, the Romans learned from the knowledge of the Greeks. They became popular back then for scented baths, followed by massage using scented oils. Because of the popularity of aromatics to them, it paved the way to the setting up of trade routes. These trade routes allowed the Romans to import exotic oils and spices to lands like India and Arabia.

The Middle Ages yielded tons of studies on herbs and their benefits. One such book that was written back then, called Culpeper’s herbal, is still being consulted up to this day.

In the 11th century, a Persian physician named Avicenna invented a distillation equipment and process, which led to the focus of further development of essential oils and their many benefits. This knowledge spread to the other parts of the world through invading forces.

Essential oils were then being produced in Germany, extracted from herbs brought from parts of Africa and the Far East. When the Conquistadors invaded South America, more and more aromatic plants were discovered. The wide variety of plants found in the garden of Montezuma provided the foundation for further remedies and treatments using plant extracts.

Although aromatic plants had been used throughout the world for many years already, it was only in the 19th century that scientists in Europe did researches on the beneficial effects of scents on humans. Aromatherapy was coined by French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse, and published a book on the effects of essential oils in 1937.

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Yes, aromatherapy is an all-natural treatment using essential oils extracted from plants. But just because it’s all-natural doesn’t mean it is free of producing potentially hazardous side effects. Although they’re proven to have beneficial effects to both the mind and body, essential oils, just like any medications, should be used with care to avoid the dangers.

Essential oils are readily available in many natural health and beauty products stores. Of course you can always do a little research or consult the vendor which essential oils are the right ones for your needs. But what if you read the wrong article or asked an amateur therapist or practitioner who doesn’t have sufficient experience with handling essential oils?

It’s always recommended to consult your doctor or any professional first before beginning to treat any kind of disorder through this method. This is especially true if you are currently undergoing a course of treatment using medications; the essential oils may interfere with the natural actions of the drugs, thus causing more harm than help. When shopping for oils, always keep in consideration their characteristics and the kind of disorders they can help remedy.

Essential oils are basically employed through external application on the skin or through inhalation. Some therapist or practitioner will also recommend ingesting teas made from the flowers or other parts of herbs known to be beneficial to the mind and body. However, always make sure that you avoid oral consumption of essential oils because they can be hazardous to your internal organs. Not all the oils available out there are the same; some of the oils you can purchase may be alcohol-based. The alcohol used may be toxic or not intended for ingestion. It is best if you purchase the pure form of essential oils, the ones that contain nothing else but the distilled plant extracts.

Some people might experience adverse reactions when rubbing essential oils on their skin. Skin irritations or allergies may arise, especially when the oils are applied around the mouth, eyes, nose, or near any mucous membranes. These areas should be spared form the application of aromatic oils. If possible, use the diluted form of oils instead of their concentrated form; you can purchase carrier oils, in which you add concentrated essential oils drop by drop to reduce their concentration. People suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems should avoid using aromatic oils as they could cause serious problems to the airway.

Essential oils are generally sold in small bottles. When storing them, always make sure to store them in cool and dark places, as sunlight may affect their potency. They should be also kept where children may not be able to reach them. Remember that some of these essential oils smell sweet; your children might be tricked into thinking they are sweet beverages and might drink them. Some oils like camphor and bitter almond are just too dangerous to be stored at home. The bitter almond oil contains formaldehyde, which is very dangerous for the skin and internal organs.

There are oils that are generally safe to be used on children. They include lavender, chamomile, rose, orange, tea tree and some others. However, they should be diluted with carrier oils by using 2 tsp. of carrier oil for every 1 drop of essential oils. There are recommended dosages for each age group of children.

It’s best that you consult with an aromatherapy professional first before using them on your kids.

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Most people have fear of something that they may not even know the origins of such emotion. Are you afraid of the dark and becomes too terrified when placed in a room where there is not even a tinge of light? Such situation and the likes, if not treated early, may lead to serious medical condition also known as phobia. For this situation, aromatherapy can help you deal with whatever is frightening you to help you move on, face and conquer your dilemmas.

Nowadays, the method is not merely something that you apply on yourself or to your loved ones. If you will look around you, you will realize that this has become a big business that people offer to cater to various conditions that this method can help solve. There are small stores that sell essential oils. There are also large commercial establishments that offer various techniques to help their clients feel relaxed through the use of essential oils.

Studies are still ongoing with regards to the effectiveness of the process. But many people will testify of the benefits that they have gained through such. This is also the reason why despite the fact that there are various healing techniques and methods that spring up through time, up to this day, such method remains to be one of the most popular.

Looking into the Core

This is an alternative method that is being applied on situations when traditional medicines and form of treatments can no longer help the patient. This utilizes essential oils that have been extracted from plants and herbs and contain various essences and smell that help the patient survive the situation that they are dealing with.

People are still finding hard evidences to proclaim the method as scientific and so that governing bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration can help in its promotion. But for the meantime, people enjoy the benefits that such process can provide. Some of the known advantages of this technique include the cleansing feeling, it also rejuvenates the person who is undergoing such and alleviate stress caused by overwork and fatigue.

This must be administered with the consent of an adult. Or if you want your children to apply such process on their own, you must teach them the proper way so that they will not suffer anything bad and will enjoy the activity and the advantages that it provides. You must take note that people have different skin types. There are those who will react differently when subjected to oils containing high concentration. This may cause skin irritation that may frighten them to try the scheme after the bad experience.

If you will buy the oils in specialty shops, these are usually ready to use and administered to any skin types. The oils have already been combined with other carrier oils that are harmless, like vegetable oils. This will minimize the adverse effects that other skin types may have with oils that are not subjected to such route.

A medical professional can also recommend to you the right kind of essences that will help you deal with whatever is bugging you. The popular oils and their uses include the rose, valerian, rosemary and lavender that heal anxiety disorders. Scents like the chamomile, lavender and geranium have calming effects. Ylang-ylang, rose and neroli will help uplift moods.

Aromatherapy can help you deal with simple fear and phobias that you may be faced with. The idea here is that you must be open to be helped and you are prepared to undergo the methods that this scheme may require you to be treated with.

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