Aromatherapy

Essential oils are wonderful. They are natural, easy to use and can really spice up your life! In fact, people have been using essential oils for centuries—long before you could walk into a pharmacy to purchase expensive medications. People from all over the world have discovered wonderful uses for these great essential oils. If you have never tried essential oils before, then it is time you learn what you can do with them.
You may think that essential oils are only for people that use them in spiritual ceremonies, or for people who shun traditional medical care. This is not true. Essential oils can do so much more for you that they are certainly worth a try. Here is a look at three great uses for essential oils.
Using essential oils for your health: Even people who do go see a doctor on a regular basis, can get a lot of use out of essential oils. Even very common and widely available oils are handy to have around the home for your health. Tea tree oil is probably the most popular. You can use tea tree oil to soothe skin irritations, fight acne and skin blemishes and even help do away with bug bites. Other essential oils can help with congestion and fight off colds. Rub peppermint or eucaplyus on your body with a carrier and it will quickly help break up congestion in your chest. There are many great uses for essential oils that can benefit your health, so learn all you can about these wonderful and helpful oils.
Massages with essential oils: Many people love a good, deep tissue massage. There are lots of spas that specialize in massages, or if you are lucky, you have a partner who will give you a massage now and again. You can ramp up your massage by using essential oils. Either use the oils with a carrier and rub them into your skin, or use them in a diffuser while you are getting a massage and breathe in the scents. Either way, they will benefit you and help you relax. If you have never had an aromatherapy massage, do your research into the types of oils you like. You may find a spa near you that can specialize in these kinds of massage. These types of massage will relax your body and your mind.
Essential oils for aromatherapy: Perhaps the most popular way of using essential oils is through aromatherapy. There are many ways that oils can be used for this purpose. You will first want to find the oils that you like the best and then you will want to use them around your home. You can even put a fee drops in your bath for a relaxing touch. Look into the different types of diffusers that you can use and you are well on your way of benefitting from aromatherapy and the many essential oils that are on the market.
Once you get the hang of using essential oils, you will love what they do for your mind, body and your spirit.

Have you ever found one product that “does it all”? Something that is so great, you can use it to heal your body, give you a relaxing feeling at bedtime, clean your laundry and make your house smell great? If not, then you have not discovered the amazing power of lavender. Lavender is an essential oil that can help with many of your needs.

Lavender is a little purple flower that often grows wild. You have probably seen and smelled it before. It is a beautiful flower—and the beauty of this little flower extends way beyond its looks. When made into essential oil, these flowers can give you a boost in many ways in and around your house. In fact, when you know the meaning behind the name, you will see that it really says it all. The word “lavender” comes from the Latin word “lavare”, which means “to wash”. Lavender gives off a wonderfully clean scent in both flower form and oil form. You will see many people love to grow lavender around their home for its scent alone.

Now, once lavender is made into an essential oil, what can it do for you? More often than not, the question becomes “what can lavender not do?” Lavender is known for its healing properties in many ways. If you have ever soaked your tired, worn out body in tub full of lavender scent, you know that it will relax your mind and body. Tired and aching muscles and menstrual cramps are also eased by using a little lavender. Even people with arthritis will tell you that a good massage using lavender will help ease the suffering. It is certainly worth a try when all else fails.

Lavender relaxes your mind and your body, too. If you have tossed and turned during a restless night, then try a bit of lavender scent in your room. It will help you drift off to sleep. In fact, there are actually many lavender products out there designed with this very purpose in mind. You can add lavender to your wash when you launder your sheets and pillow cases for a nice, relaxing scent at bedtime. You can also bath and lotion your baby in lavender scented baby products in hopes of getting a good night’s rest. You can even find room products that will waft lavender scent into the air at night when you sleep. Forget the sleeping pills—try lavender instead.

Want great looking hair and skin? Well, lavender comes to the rescue yet again. Did you know that a good dose of lavender added to your hair can help fight off lice? Got skin irritations? Lavender can soothe dry, itching skin any time. Like tea tree oil, lavender can also serve as a disinfectant and can help with acne, bumps, scratches and bites. It can also be added with a carrier to help soothe eczema.

With all that lavender can do for you, what are you waiting for? Buy some today and start seeing the benefits immediately.

If you are like most people, you have probably at least heard of eucalyptus. You don’t have to live in Australia to know that this tree produces bark and leaves that are very beneficial to both the koalas living in them and to humans, too! Eucalyptus has natural healing affects that you just can’t get with many man-made remedies. In fact, this plant is just as effective to ward off colds and congestion as the expensive stuff you buy in your pharmacy.

Why does eucalyptus work so well? Like many plant materials, it has healing properties all of its own. You might be surprised to learn that the leaves from this tree are very similar to the rubs and creams you can buy for your chest when you have a cold. It smells very similar, too. It can help fight off the symptoms you get when you have the cold and flu. Plus, it is natural and safe to use around children.

The next time you are feeling under the weather with coughing and congestion, consider using eucalyptus. You might be surprised at the results. It can help break up the phlegm that can build up in your chest and it can also serve as a natural germ killer. Did you know that this essential oil can also serve as a diuretic and may also help lower blood sugar? What other medication do you know that has so many healing properties?

One of the best ways to use this essential oil for coughs, colds and the flu is by inhaling the vapors. If you have ever used a vaporizer, then you know how this works. You will place several drops of the oil in boiling water. Pour the water in a heavy bowl and bend over the steam. Be careful, it is hot. You can even form a “tent” over your head with a thick towel and breathe in for a few minutes. You will immediately feel it working. You can also burn candles with this essential oil in the room for an immediate effect. Mix eucalyptus with other oils such as rosemary, lemon or tea tree oil and you can get the same effect.

Another great way to use this oil when you are feeling sick and congested is to actually rub it on your body. Find a good carrier, such as almond oil and mix a few drops of eucalyptus along with tea tree oil. You can then use it as a massage and rub it on your chest and neck. The idea is that it will start to break of the phlegm in your throat and chest. It is always a good idea to mix eucalyptus with something else, as using it alone can cause skin irritations.

There are a few warnings you should know about using eucalyptus. Prolonged use and exposure to this oil can cause liver damage or failure, therefore, it should be used sparingly and only when necessary. In addition, never use this oil and treatment on infants or on children and elderly with a suppressed immune system.

When you drop by natural health and aromatherapy 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 aromatherapy bath oil, aromatherapy beads, essential oils, carrier oils, fragrance oils and infused oils. Is this all confusing? Read on to differentiate one from the other, and get to know each one’s uses.

Aromatherapy Essential Oils

Surprisingly, aromatherapy essential oils don’t feel oily 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 extracted by distilling them from plant parts such as stems, leaves, petals and roots. 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 come from the fattiest part of the plant, i.e., 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. Once essential oils are added to a carrier oil, the resulting products can have very different properties, color, scent and even shelf life.

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. Be sure to read the labels if you want to insure that you are getting only natural ingredients.

Infused Oils

Infused oils are simply carrier oils infused with herbs. These are intended for particular plants that don’t have a large amount of essential oils in them.

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.

Have you taken advantage of the benefits of aromatherapy? It is never too late to start gaining the benefits. You can apply the benefits in the process. You may have already heard of the concept of aromatherapy. Although these days, there are many ways of relaxation and healing techniques that are being introduced, this one remains to be popular because it is easy to follow and not too expensive.

The process involves the use of botanical oils. These are extracts and essences from sources such as herbs, trees and flowers. The type of essences that you choose to use depend on what you are intending to cure and your reasons for undergoing the procedure.

Tracing the Roots

This procedure can be traced to Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, who in the 1920’s coined the term after witnessing how lavender oil cured skin burns. The medicinal properties of the oils and essences from various herbs and plants applied has become a branch of herbal medicine. The idea is now being applied in most countries around the world, especially in parts of Europe and North America.

The approach is popularly used at spas and holistic treatments as an alternative relaxation therapy. This is also being integrated on products used for relaxation purposes such as candles and different essences of massage oils. Many people are discovering the effectiveness of the process through time. This has become an integral part of many people’s lives to alleviate their pains, fatigue and stress.

Benefits Of Aromatherapy

There are many things that essential oils can do to your body. It has the following effects depending on the type of oils used and its sources. The effects range from being tranquilizing, antiviral, anti-bacterial, adrenal stimulating and other pharmacological end results.

The matter is simple. You inhale the essential oil. The molecules enter your system through your nasal cavity. The limbic system in your brain becomes stimulated when its inside your body. Such system is responsible for your emotions and memories. It is also associated with the parts of your body that controls your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. This is also connected with your pituitary gland, the hypothalamus and your adrenals.

The oils help in maintaining the balance between your physiology and emotions. Such oils are extracted from different parts of the sources such as the leaves, flowers, branches and roots. The creation process involves steam distillation, cold pressing and stem and water distillation. You must be cautious in using the matter. It can be harmful to you if you take the substance orally. You should seek a professional’s help to carry out this process if this must be done.

The Basic Aromatherapy Uses

This method is known to relax your body and lessen tensions and stress. This has also been popular to treat different conditions such as bruises and burns, allergies, menopause, sprains, insect bites, headache, colds, flu and joint pains, just to name a few. This can also help you regain your strength and energy and help you sleep if you feel restless or if you are suffering from insomnia.

People around the world are discovering the marvels that aromatherapy brings and this method becomes increasingly popular everyday.