Aromatherapy Essential Oils
What are aromatherapy essential oils?
What do they do?
Sounds crazy doesn’t it?
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Aromatherapy is so easy to introduce into your life. It is amazing what you can use it for.
It works perfectly along side traditional medicines, but there are times you can just use your aromatherapy instead. Or use it around your home, for cleaning. It is surprising what you can use the oils for.
All natural and beneficial for your mind and body.
Here are some quick examples of ways to use oils.
Eliminating odours:
Lemongrass. Keep your refrigerator smelling clean: deodorize it with lemon essential oil. Mix 15 drops of lemon essential oil into a box of baking soda. Keep the box open and stash it in the back of the fridge, where it’s less likely to spill. Replace the lemon/baking soda once a month.
Tea Tree Oil. Deodorize smelly shoes: Fill two old (clean) socks with baking soda. Mix 5 drops of tea tree oil (melaleuca alternifolia) into each full sock. Tie the socks shut with string or rubber bands. Fit them into the shoes and keep them there for a few hours or overnight. Moisture in the shoes will be absorbed by the baking soda, while the tea tree oil clears away odours and even helps to reduce bacteria.
Skin:
Tea tree oil. Best known as an antifungal, 3-4 drops of tea tree oil swirled into a teaspoon of neutral lotion or salve helps eliminate athlete’s foot.
Shake up your full shampoo bottle with 3 drops of tea tree oil and see how it helps get rid of dandruff.
Note: don’t use tea tree oil if you have eczema or psoriasis.
Lavender (lavanda officinalis) heals minor burns. Called “the Swiss Army Knife of essential oils,” lavender has multiple uses for health and beauty. It’s also the one that you can apply directly to the skin, although never in great quantity.
In the case of minor household burns, a thin film of lavender stops the pain and helps the skin to heal amazingly quickly.
Improving mood and relieving stress:
Use essential oils to relieve stress after a high-pressure day. Massage is the preferred method but it also helps to drop some into a diffuser. You don’t need to spend time and money on professional massage either, wonderful as it is: massaging your own feet and legs, hands and arms with eo-perfumed lotion is effective too. Just don’t jump up and get busy right away; give yourself at least 10 minutes of rest following your self-treatment.
Lavender, again, helps you relax and even makes you drowsy. A good oil to put into a diffuser in the baby’s room.
Note: use only 1-3 drops of any essential oil when treating children, and make sure the room is well ventilated.
See the note at the end of this post about essential oils for kids. It goes without saying to make sure all the baby’s needs have been met in the first place.
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia). Bergamot essential oil relieves anxiety and stress, either inhaled from a diffuser or incorporated into lotion and massaged into the hands. I’d say, massage the feet and legs with it too.
Rosemary Rosemary helps concentration, the perfect oil to put a few drops on a tissue and keep smelling before an exam or interview. Also relieves that chaotic mind.
It goes well in a diffuser too. Be careful if you suffer with epilepsy, as too much of this oil can potentially bring on fits. Smaller quantities is best.
Energy and focus:
Keep a bottle of Peppermint (Mentha piperita) or Rosemary oil in your desk drawer to sprinkle into a diffuser. Both, alone or in combination, wake you up and energize you.
Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) helps clear brain fog. Your office colleagues may appreciate the benefit of Basil as it wafts towards their cubicles.
Aphrodisiac:
Sweet-smelling Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood and Jasmine oils have relaxing properties that open the senses to pleasure.
Put some into a bedroom diffuser, or massage your partner with lotion imbued with one of those.
Examples
Here are just a few examples of how to use the oils and what they are for. There is sooooo much more too…
Ways to use essential oils
Baths – Simply add 2–5 drops of essential oil to 1 tablespoon of a carrier oil, pour into the bath and whilst the tap is running allow the aroma to diffuse in the air.. Then, release the worries of the day while you let the alluring aroma of essential oils lure you into a state of relaxation.
Massage – Bring some essential oils to your next massage or give yourself a massage at home to help ease tension and get your circulation moving. Massage is a wonderful self-care practice to start incorporating, and I promise you won’t regret it!
Inhale – If you don’t have a diffuser, or maybe you’re traveling or at work, consider simple inhalation. Just clear your mind, then inhale directly from an open bottle or rub a drop of oil between your palms and breathe in the aroma. Do this as needed throughout the day.
Diffusing – Diffusion is one of the most popular methods of using essential oils. Diffusing oils in the morning is a great way to get your day started on the right note.
Topically – There are a number of ways to use essential oils topically but always mixed with carrier oils. The most common places to apply oils are the bottoms of feet, chest, temple, and pulse points. Once you’ve mastered these areas, you can move on to different places on your body that align with specific ailments, aches, and pains.
Lots of love
This is all said with love, I know many people have different opinions and that is absolutely fine. The biggest piece of advice I always say is:
If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. These should not cause any damage to your skin, if used correctly for YOUR skin!
Any questions, just ask…
Much love.
