Aromatherapy

Archive for October, 2006

Aromatherapy is the wonderful smell of a baby fresh from its bath, smelling clean, feeling warm and cuddly. Oh wait, that’s another type of aromatherapy! The truth is, your baby can benefit from aromatherapy and massage. The trick is to use moderation, carrier oil and never using anything but tiny drops of essential oils. Using small amounts of essential oils can be used only when the baby is over three months old.

Massages for babies under three months old can be very beneficial and will help with the bonding between mother and child. Massage is just as relaxing for an infant as it is for an adult. Starting massages on your child can make a difference between a contented baby and a cranky one.

How do you manage a massage on such a tiny little body? First, again, never use essential oils on your child until they are over three months old, and then use sparingly. Massage is comforting and can help ease colic. Choose a time when the baby is comfortable and relaxed. Don’t try to massage just before or just after a meal. After their bath is the best time, warm, cuddly, and relaxed. Take them to a warm room, after unwrapping them from their warm, cozy towel, lay them on the floor or the bed. Lay them either on the front or the back, whichever one they seem to prefer until they are used to their massage.

Pour a little carrier oil into your hands (half a teaspoon is usually enough.) Use carrier oil like Apricot Kernel or Grapeseed. As good as baby oil smells, it isn’t good for your baby. It blocks skin pores and is the worst possible stuff to use on your baby. The baby’s skin can’t breathe and baby acne can usually be blamed on the use of baby oil on your infant. Mineral oil is also not good to use on your baby. If you don’t have any of the special oil mentioned, use a little olive oil.

You’ve warmed the oil by rubbing your palms together now it is time to start on your baby massage. Starting with the front of the baby, place your hand at the top of their chest and gently bring it down in a clockwise motion. You will rub gently over the ribs, down the tummy, circling the abdomen and bring your hand back to its starting position. Gently take both hands and run them gently up and down each arm. Repeat this process ten times. Remember; be firm but tender while doing this massage.

Use the same gentle motion down the legs, if you feel your hands are getting dry; add a few drops of oil. Start at the foot, gently press upwards to the top of the leg, and back down. These also need to be repeated ten times.

Roll your baby over onto their tummy; it’s time to do the back. Begin with the legs, starting at the feet; slide your hands up and down the legs about ten times. Then up the back and that is done pretty much the same way as the front. Start near the shoulders in the middle, slide your hand down in a large circle movement, back up to the starting position then down over the shoulders, down the arms, and back up again. This motion should be repeated ten times just as the front was.

You can use a special massage if your baby is suffering from colic or constipation. These two conditions are equally distressing both for the baby and the parent. Using the same motions but only using the tips of two or three fingers can relieve this. Warming the carrier oil in your hand, place your fingers at the top of the abdomen. This is just under the navel and gently but firmly move them around in a clockwise motion. Repeat this motion ten times. How is your baby responding? If the crying is less, you can do these motions a little longer. The same type of finger massage is good for constipation.

When your baby is three to six months old, you can begin to use essential oils but never more than a drop or two. This massage technique can be continued for as long as it is good for both parent and baby. In time, both you and your infant will look forward to this time of day.

Making a little chest cream can treat colds and coughs. Choose a cream that such as lanolin that has no fragrances or allergens. Add one-drop eucalyptus, Roman Chamomile, and two drops of lavender for each tablespoon of cream. Rub this mixture into the chest going clockwise up, over the throat and continuing behind the ears. Use the same motion for the back.

You can use essential oils in the room but only with a diffuser. One-drop of Eucalyptus and two drops of lavender and be sure the diffuser is not close to their bed. Oils are powerful, natural, but not harmless! In the case of essential oils, more is not better.

There are many different things that you can do to improve the look of your hair. Shampoos can do a lot and so can conditioners. But you can improve the conditioners you use by making them yourself. The use of essential oils in conditioners can go a long way to adding shine, volume and health to your hair. Essential oils are distilled from a variety of plant materials including berries, fruit, flowers, bark, or leaves.

Before beginning you must choose which carrier oil to use as your base. This will in part depend on what you are trying to do for your hair, but as well, the base oil should have no scent so you can bring out the fullness of what you create. All the ingredients you need are easily available at your local grocery store or from any health supply shop and are comparatively inexpensive.

Using the base oil jojoba and then adding a few drops of rosemary can make a simple hair conditioner. Once your mix is made, use warm water to wet your hair. Then apply the conditioner and let sit for from fifteen to thirty minutes. After that wash hair normally, rinsing well. This blend will be good for dry hair and will also help eradicate dandruff.

For another combination to fight dandruff use the base of either jojoba or sweet almond essential oils. Then add rosemary, tea tree, cedarwood, and lavender oils. Do the same as above, leave the mix on for fifteen to twenty minutes before washing hair normally.

Once again use jojoba as the base oil and then combine the essential oils of lavender, geranium, rosewood and sandalwood. Apply this mix to the ends of your hair and leave it on for twenty to thirty minutes. Wash and rinse normally. This will improve spilt ends as well and dry dull hair.

To stimulate hair growth use rosemary with your warmed base oil of sweet almond or olive oil. Apply to slightly wet hair and cover with a towel for about forty-five minutes. After that wash out then rinse with cool water. This delightful combination will help to make your hair manageable, softer and leave it smelling wonderful!

Once you know what you are trying to do for your hair you can make recipes yourself. Until then there are many websites on the Internet where you can find suggestions. Remember most times you should use a base, and when mixing be careful to not overdue how much you use.

Here is a general outline of what various essential oils can do for your hair when mixed with base oils to make your own hair conditioners. For dry scalp you can use lemon, myrrh or tea tree. To give highlights to fine or normal hair use chamomile. But the same for oily hair will require the use of lemon. For promoting hair growth the right essential oils to use are basil for oily hair or peppermint for dry hair. Dandruff can be treated with various oils depending on the type of hair. For oily hair use patchouli or rosemary. For dry hair use myrrh. Normal hair needs to use lavender or you can use clary sage with all types of hair.

Some essential oils will do just as nice a job conditioning your hair without having to be washed out. By being left on they can last that much longer. After washing your hair towel dry it. Put a few drops of rosemary in your hand and rub it into your hair. Than comb it through. It won’t leave your hair oily and if you find the scent too strong don’t worry, it fads as your hair dries. But it will make your hair shine.

For another conditioner that you mix in your hand and use immediately take a few drops of carrot seed, rosemary, lavender and chamomile. Once again towel dry your hair before applying. Mix it into your hair with your fingers or by using your comb. Life the other one, it will not leave your hair oily, but leave your scalp feeling wonderful.

Remember to double all recipes if you have long hair. Be careful to keep these mixtures out of eyes.

Many people suffer from the discomforts of muscle pain. How often have you pulled or twisted yourself in the wrong way or overdone it in your exercise program only to find the aches and pains bad enough you had to do something about it. There are many alternatives for the care of these discomforts. You can use painkillers like ibuprofen, hot or cold packs often work or you can try using natural pain relief with aromatic essential oils.

Essential oils, those fragrant bottles of mysterious natural healing, are made from plant materials such as leaves, bark, flowers, berries or fruit. All of these can easily be found at your local grocery store or health shop. You’ll find that they are not overly expensive for what they are able to do.

To overcome the discomforts of muscle aches and pains caused by cramps or cramping you have quiet a variety of aromatic essential oils you can use. Eucalyptus is one of the best natural remedies available. For pain an adult may mix .05 milligrams of eucalyptus oil with warm water. This is one that can be taken internally. Mixing it with five hundred milligrams of warm water should dilute thirty milligrams of this essential oil. Then use this mixture by putting some on your temples to ease the pain of tension headaches. When using this oil remember that a mere 3.5 milligrams take internally can be fatal. Before using internally it’s a good idea to talk over treatments with a knowledgeable professional.

If there were only one essential oil you were able to choose, it would have to be Lavender. This wonderful natural healer is able to do so many things. It has widespread uses and is especially useful not only for pain relief but for relief of headache pain as well. It can be used directly on the skin and is known to be particularly useful in the treatment of minor burns. It also stimulates blood flow and this aids in healing. Rubbed into the joints it eases the pains of arthritis. As well, a therapeutic massage with lavender oil will do wonders for any aches and pains.

Ginger is another essential oil that works wonder for aches and pains. It lessens the inflammation as well as lowers the amount of prostaglandins in the body. These are the body’s receptors that effect constriction and so pain. Massage ginger oil into sore aching muscles; it will definitely give some relief to overworked muscles. Rheumatoid arthritis responds to ginger as well. Nothing better for that painful condition than a massage using ginger oil. The pain improves as the inflammation decreases.

Another oil that comes highly recommended for pain relief is peppermint. Unlike the others we have discussed, all of which assist in improving muscular pain, peppermint acts on different pain centers. Peppermint works very well in relieving the pain that is caused by any colicky condition. It is also used to reduce pain following surgery. Often the most common pain after surgery is caused by intestinal gas. Peppermint helps with this and especially for woman who have had to undergo a c-section peppermint removes this painful problem. Some people swear by peppermint as the reliever of the terrible pain suffered by those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). On this one, studies are inconclusive.

For all the women who are trying to look into the best possible scenarios for giving birth, essential oils now give you another alternative. The use of clary sage in the delivery room is making a big difference! Place a couple of cotton balls under the pillow of the mother in labor. It has a strong smell so you won’t need to use much. Clary sage helps with process of labor, often aiding the contractions with becoming more regular and so speed up the labor. It also relaxes the mother and so lessens the pain she is experiencing. Rubbed into the skin it can be sufficient to alleviate enough of the stress of delivery to mean that she will require no other pain medication. Remember though, when using in the delivery room make sure it is clary sage you choose as sage can be toxic to the unborn child.

Whether you want to set the mood for a romantic evening, help your lover feel less anxious or inhibited, or arouse their sensual side, there’s an essential oil to help you.

Aromatherapy has been practiced for thousands of years and continues to be practiced today. Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils for mental, physical, or emotional purposes. You can use aromatherapy for a number of benefits but this article will focus on love potions.

Scents can have a powerful effect on a person. People have known this for centuries. Throughout history people have used the sense of smell as a way to attract others for love and seduction. Look at the perfume industry for example. They know what a powerful connection there is between the olfactory organs and emotions and they’ve cashed in on it.

So how does it work? The olfactory system (associated with your nose) is connected straight to your limbic system. The limbic system is often referred to as “the brain’s pleasure center.” This is because the limbic system controls sensory experience, emotions, processing memory, hunger and sex drive. This is why certain smells will bring back a vivid memory. Just like that you can be transported back in time.

Certain essential oils can act as an aphrodisiac (an agent which arouses one’s sexual drive). Cultures all over the world have been using herbal aphrodisiacs for years. Patchouli, sandalwood, rose and agarwood are essential oils that act as aphrodisiacs. Agarwood is said to be the most powerful in the group. Ginger has a warm, spicy aroma and is mentioned in the Kama sutra for its aphrodisiac properties as well. It is deemed the fragrance “to gain the affection of a woman” by people in the Melanesian islands.

Ylang-ylang is used in many oriental or floral perfumes and is also said to act as an aphrodisiac. When couples get married in Indonesia, it is a custom to spread ylang-ylang flowers across their bed. It is used because of its euphoric, sedative, and sensual effect on a person’s nervous system. What better way to start off a marriage?

Other essential oils that are ideal to mix with ylang-ylang include: jasmine, lavender, cinnamon, bergamot, rosewood, tea tree, and lemon. Because essential oils are so highly concentrated they are very potent. This means that you just need a tiny bit in order to achieve the desired effect. If you use too much it may cause your lover to get a headache or feel nauseous and we most certainly don’t want any of that. Usually one to three drops is a safe amount to use.

If your lover is a little shy or nervous in the bedroom ylang-ylang helps to curb their inhibition and boost confidence. Rose and sandalwood essential oils will also help to relax your partner in the bedroom and bring out their sensual side.

Many people are misled by the name aromatherapy. Because of the word “aroma” they assume that it relies solely on the sense of smell. But this is not the case. A great number of essential oils have properties, which will enhance or restore physical health as well. Some oils have healing properties when applied to the body and some have a direct stimulating effect. Certain essential oils have been said to have hormone like influences on a person, as well.

Not only does aromatherapy aid in setting the mood for love and romance but it will also help with physical difficulties in the bedroom. Far before Viagra there was yohimbe oil. It has been used for many years in other countries for erectile dysfunction. Using yohimbe as a part of your aromatherapy practice increases both blood flow to the penis and norepinephrine in the brain. Yohimbe has been shown to increase the strength and stamina of penile erection along with a general awakening of the libido. If you do use yohimbe essential oil be sure to consult a physician first.

Choosing which oils to use to enhance your love life is the hardest part of aromatherapy. And that’s only because there are so many to choose from. After you’ve found something that both you and your partner like, you can get to the fun stuff.

Deciding how to put aromatherapy into practice will be fun for both of you. Whether you choose to massage one another, take a bath, or heat the oil be creative and have fun.

Home is where your loved ones are. Of course, you want to create a clean, comfortable, relaxing environment there. Aromatherapy can do all three of those for you and your family in your home.

Creating a clean place for you and your family to live is very important. First of all, there are germs everywhere and second nobody wants to live in a dirty house. That’s what cleansers at the store are for, right? Yes they are, but they’re also very toxic in more ways than one. If a child or animal accidentally ingests those chemical products, they could be poisoned. Also just breathing in those harsh chemicals, while using them to clean, is damaging to anyone around.

So how exactly would you use aromatherapy to clean your house? That’s easy. There are a couple essential oils that are commonly used for cleaning purposes. These include lavender oil, tea tree oil, lemon oil, frankincense oil, pine oil, and grapefruit oil.

Tea tree oil is wonderful to use on its own as a disinfectant. You can use it to clean just about anything around the house: floors, counters, sinks, toilets, and showers.. It also works well if you mix it with lavender oil. Just get a water bottle and fill it with water and a little borax or baking soda. Then add just a few drops of tea tree and lavender oil and you’ve made your own pleasant smelling disinfectant.

Pine and frankincense both have similar cleaning properties to those of lavender and tea tree oil. You can do the same thing as stated above for a different aroma. This mixture would be good for tackling mold that’s growing around the house. You can also heat some frankincense oil and just let the vapors fill your house. Germs will be dissolved and the air will be fresh and clean.

Lemon essential oil is great for cleaning carpets. Instead of other cleaners, add some lemon oil to the water and go for it. Remember to use more essential oil for this task than you would for say putting together a small water bottle or using an essential oil diffuser. It’s a tough job so bring in the muscles.

Grapefruit, pine or tea tree oil are all effective to use as a room deodorizer. If someone smokes at your house or you have pets you’ll appreciate what these oils can do. You can use any of these mixed in with some water, pour it into a spray bottle and spray away. These essential oils will not just mask the odors you’re trying to get rid of. They’ll actually take them away. You can even use this mixture as a bathroom or car freshener if you’d like.

Okay, so now that your house is clean it’s one step closer to being comfortable and relaxed. What a difference a clean house can make. So your house probably already smells wonderful from the natural cleaning supplies you used, but if you want something different or more relaxing there’s an oil for you.

Lavender oil is known for the ability to alleviate headaches, lift depression and promote relaxation. It has a light floral scent that you’ll love.

Frankincense is an essential oil that will help to slow and deepen your breathing. Use some of this in your house and everyone will calm down. You might want to blend the frankincense with another scent to lighten it up a little.

Rose oil is another popular essential oil that will put you and your family in a good mood. It also has a light floral scent that will help keep you focused while you clean.

To create that comfortable relaxed environment in your home, you can use a diffuser or oil lamp to warm the essential oils. Or, if all else fails you can always mix another bottle of water with your favorite aroma and spray it anywhere you like.

So now you can safely and effectively clean your house without using harsh chemicals. You and your family will feel good and be protected from breathing anything that could be harmful to you. When people come into your house they’ll enjoy the natural aromatherapy in your house.