| Product: |
Essential Oils in general |
| Date: |
17/08/08 (160 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Natural healing properties
Disadvantages: Allergy or skin reaction possibilities
As you may or may not know I have just moved into a new flat in Warsaw. Not sure how long I will be here for but for now it is home and I am enjoying being here. Yesterday, I was in the process of emptying boxes when I came across all my 'hippy potions,' as my husband calls them. I have practised aromatherapy and played around with essential oils for years so thought it was time to sort them all out and give the doo yoo readers an insight guide to essential oils and their uses. As this can be a large subject to cover I will try to keep it as concise as I can.
Introduction
------------------
Aromatherap y is an enjoyable way of experiencing the many benefits of essential oils. We all live in a very stressful world. Some of us work too many hours and are dashing here there and everywhere, trying to fit everything into our hectic lifestyles. This kind of lifestyle can cause ill health and have a serious detrimental effect on our well being and I hope that by reading some of my suggestions that aromatherapy will come to the rescue. Everyone in the family can enjoy aromatherapy and I hope will find it a gentle and soothing experience.
When was Aromatherapy First Used?
-------------------------------------------- ---
It is not quite clear when aromatherapy was first used although most reference books suggest that it can be traced back to the early Egyptian empire. It seems that the ancient Egyptians used essential oils for embalming their dead. The oils do have antiseptic qualities and this would have helped to slow down the decomposition of the bodies.
Ancient Greeks are the next civilisation to be known to use essential oils in various medical treatments.
The Romans however were the civilisation who used the oils in beauty therapy. It has been recorded that they often used to rub the oils into their skins before and after bathing. Also they used various oils to make their hair and clothes smell scented.
Eventually the Romans transferred their knowledge to Britain and it was known that in the Great Plague people wore pomanders impregnated with essential oils, churches were fumigated with frankincense and pepper and incense was always burned in houses. These substances were used everywhere as they were the most effective antiseptic available at the time. Up until the 19th century physicians would carry little containers filled with essential oils on their walking canes. They believed these oils would protect them form deadly diseases.
In the early twentieth century a French scientist, Rene Maurice Gattefosse, researched the oils further and coined the term aromatherapy. It was through an accident where he burnt his hand and having placed it in lavender oil which was the nearest liquid he could find, he realised afterwards how quickly his hand had healed without scarring. During the First World War he used essential oils on soldiers' wounds and found that they healed very quickly. He carried on with his research and he found that the oils were known to have healing affects on the nervous system, vital organs and the endocrine system.
Essentail Oils
-----------------
To practise aromatherapy we have to use essential oils. What are they and where do they come from you may ask? They are substances extracted from the roots, stalks, flowers, leaves or fruit of a plant and have healing properties. They are also known as aromatherapy oils. The amount of oil in each plant is tiny. If you ever squeeze or scrape the peel of any orange or lemon you will extract a small amount of essential oil. This is called hand expression and this method is still used today to extract citrus oils.
However, the most popular method of extraction is distillation. This is when the parts of the plants (flowers and leaves) containing the most oil are tightly packed into a distilling vessel which is usually closed and boiled with water. The boiling water causes the oil cells to burst. The essential oil is then drawn off as it will have seperated from the water. You will usually find that the water will carry the oil's fragrance and is often sold seperately. You may at some time have bought rose or orange flower water.
There are two types of distillation - steam and dry.
Buying Essential Oils
-------------------------------
You can usually buy essential oils from chemists, health shops and mail order. Body Shop have a good selection of oils and they retail at about £4.75 for a 10ml bottle. Or you can buy a special starter kit which consists of six 10ml bottles of your choice and this is packaged in a wodden storage box and costs £33. I have always bought mine from mail order companies as they usually have a larger selection and are cheaper. Be careful not to buy perfumed oils by mistake. These do smell wonderful but are not beneficial for aromatherapy. To make sure you have bought the right thing the oil should be in a dark bottle because light damages the oil, it should be thin rather than oily, quick to evaporate and shouldn't leave a greasmark on paper, and the perfume should be overpowering when neat. Believe me sometimes it can nearly knock you out.
Below are two links regarding mail order companies.
http://www.essentialoilsdirect.co.uk/
http://www .amphora-wholesale.com/essential-oils-c-1.html
Ca rrier Oils
-----------------
Essential oils are very rarely used neat. They are blended into a carrier oil which acts as a base for the essential oil. Carrier oils are always natural, unprocessed and vegetable in origin. It is best to use oils that are pale in colour, have no smell and are fine in texture. My suggestions are and if you are a good cook you probably will have these in your cupboard; Sunflower oil, Grapeseed Oil, Soya Bean Oil.
Avocado oil is very lubricating as well as is sweet almond oil. If you have very dry skin then use a richer vegetable oil mixed with any of the above oils. For very dehydrated skin wheatgerm oil can be used and it is good for healing scar tissue.
Blending
------------
Blending can be fun and you can try allsorts of different concoctions. A small expresso cup or anything that size will do to blend in. As a general guide I would say to use 6 drops of an essential oil to every 2 teaspoons (10ml) of carrier oil. If blending oils to use on your face I would only use 4 drops. Essential oils will last a long time and there is no need to add extra drops to the carrier oil as it won't make it any more beneficial.
Ways of Using Aromatherapy
------------------------------------- ------
There are five main ways to use aromatherapy in your own home and they are;
Bath Time
---------------
If you have had a hard day at the office or just feel tired and a bit stressed the best way you can relax is to run yourself a bath and add an essential oil of your choice. Personally I would choose a lemon essential oil mixed with peppermint. I find this soothes aching feet and uplifts my mood.
Here are some other suggestions;
Camomile - If you suffer from insomnia try an aromatherapy bath by adding a few drops of camomile oil into the water. Drink camomile tea before going to bed and to make sure you get a good night's sleep either put some oil in a vaporiser or add a few drops on to your pillow.
Geranium - My husband has always suffered from tension especially in his neck and shoulders. If you have these problems then a few drops of geranium oil added to your bath will help ease the tension. This oil is a good balancer. It can have a good relaxing effect, uplift moods and is very good for menopausal problems.
Juniper - Juniper berries are known for flavouring gin but the essential oil made from dried berries and then distilled, is used as a stimulant oil and can help improve circulation problems. Add a few drops to the bath water and have a good soak.
Marjoram - It has a good uplifting effect on one's spirits and helps to ease away those muscular aches and pains. It also blends well with lemmon essential oil.
Orange blossom or Neroli as it is often called - It is good if you are feeling a bit depressed and need cheering up. This oil has the most beautiful scent and when added to the bath or inhaled will lift the greyest of moods.
Ylang- Ylang - has a calming effect and is known to relieve high blood pressure.
Steaming and Inhalation
-----------------------------------
Wh en I was a teenager I always used to put my head over a bowl of hot steamy water and cover my head with a towel. This was my method of cleaning my pores. I am sure we have all done it at one time or if not used it to clean our skin probably to inhale Vick when we had a cold. Aromatherapy can be used in the same way. There are many different oils to choose from and they are all very pleasant and relieving. Oils can also be inhaled by putting a few drops on a tissue or on a pillow case at night to help you to sleep. Here are some suggestions;
Bergamot (the same oil as used in Earl Grey Tea) - used with boiling water as a steamer for oily skin and spots, Please never use this neat on your skin as it can cause pigmentation marks.
Eucalyptus - used for colds, sinus problems and Flu.
Hysopp - use on a handkerchief - can ease hayfever symptoms
Juniper - use as a steam inhalation for acne
Lavender - inhale if you have a headache or migraine
Neroli - Use as an inhaler for bronchitis, catarrh or a chesty cough
Burners
------------
Burners seem to go in and out of fashion all the time.They are quite versatile and with all the different perfumes can make your room warm and relaxing, refreshing, flowerey or even medicated. As well as making rooms smell nice they can also uplift your moods. If you are suffering from a cold a burner with a few drops of eucalyptus or orange blossom can help relieve your cold symptoms. There are so many to choose from these days - from the most simple to the most abstract design. If you are a dab hand at pottery you can easily make your own. I am not - that's why my burners are all a bit wonky but never mind they do the job.
Compresses
------------------
Aromatherapy can be used on a compress to alleviate the treatment of such ailments:
Bruises, Muscular aches and pains, Irritable skin conditions.
As a rule I would soak the compress in half a pint of water which has had 10 drops of essential oil added already. Sometimes if you have a bad bruise neat oil on a compress can be effective and also on boils and abscesses. I wouldn't suggest applying the oil neat on broken skin as it could cause a reaction. I have never known anyone to have an allergic reaction to essential oils but it is possible.
Massage
-------------
I am only going to touch on this as massage is another subject in itself. For most people this is the most therapeutic and relaxing way to experience aromatherapy. Essential oils are blended then worked into the body using massage techniques that stimulate the whole system while improving circulation and relaxing the nervous system. I will write a seperate review regarding massage but here are a list of some oils you can use for massage.
Camomile, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Lavender, Vetivert, Ylang-Ylang .
The above are usually used to relieve aching muscles.
Summary
-----------------
I hope my review gives you some ideas of how to use essential oils and how to carry out aromatherapy. It takes a while to collect all the oils and I know some like rose, jasmine and orange blossom are very expensive but I do think they are a good investment as there are so many ways they can be used and there are times in all of our lives when we need relief from the hum drum of everyday stresses and just want to smell good, feel realaxed and be cheerful. Go and run that bath!! Spoil yourself!
Summary: Aromatherapy in a 10ml bottle
|
|
