Aromatherapy has its foundations in an ancient holistic healing practice of the mind body and spirit. It is something that has been known about way before it was given a name whereby people used plants, herbal preparations and berries as remedies for the sick, embalming and warding off evil spirits. It was widely used during the First World War to treat wounded soldiers and a French Researcher called Rene-Maurice Gattefosse was the first to use the term ‘aromatherapie'. The natural qualities of barks, plants, flowers are still of benefit in our modern age, but the distillation techniques for extraction of aromatherapy oils are far more sophisticated. An Aromatherapist can undertake an aromatherapy course and are trained to impart their knowledge of essential oils to balance the mental, physical and spiritual health of their client. The key therapeutic benefits of essential oils are as an anti-bacterial, antispasmodic, decongestant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, stimulant, sedative, diuretic, analgesic, deodorant, anti-viral, immunostimulant and aphrodisiac. This range of applications in addition to the aromatherapy scent is what makes essential oils so well-liked.
Where is aromatherapy used?
Essential oils are easily absorbed through the skin based on their molecular structure therefore an aromatherapy blend mixed with a carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or almond oil for massage is the premium choice of application. Not only do you get the benefit of touch and easing your pains away on a physical level, but you get mental relaxation and spiritual awareness too. Second to massage therapy is having a bath containing essential oils, which is recommended as a between therapy visit top up as the hot water relaxes you physically and the vapours from the oils stimulate your mind as well. This is a true aromatherapy spa treat at home. One of the most popular oils is lavender oil as it has antibacterial, relaxing and balancing effect so it is useful as an end of the day relaxation treat. Another effective essential oil is Tea tree oil, which is useful at targeting the symptoms of a cold virus and will also attempt to fight off the infection.
Natural aromatherapy is not the only area that uses essential oils as they are also used in skincare with oils such as geranium, lavender, frankincense oil and neroli.
How is it applied?
Massage Oilsspecially blended massage oils depending on the therapeutic use
Aromatherapy oil burnerceramic or glass burner which uses a tea light (flame) to disperse the oils.
Essential oil diffuserthis can be in the form of a vaporizer, aromatherapy ring or aromastone (no flames)
Aromatherapy lotion & creamapplied topically to the skin
Aromatherapy soapnatural soap contains natural blends of essential oils and are quite often natural and handmade, which has the added benefit of not containing SLS and parabens.
Aromatherapy perfumenormally in a roller ball for easy application
In the next few weeks we will be adding more articles to discuss the benefits of select essential oils, so please bookmark us.
***Please take care when using essential oils as there are some that are highly toxic if not used under professional supervision or even banned. The information on this site is intended for informational purposes only and is not an alternative to professional medical advice***
