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Five Tips For Buying The Best Aromatherapy Oils

  • Posted on October 30, 2006 at 12:48 pm

Walking into an aromatherapy supply store can feel like walking into a slice of heaven. The sweet scent of aromatic skin care solutions excite the soul while the tantalizing aromas coming from scented candles steal the show. However, the aromatherapy connoisseur knows that not every scented oil and sweet smelling candle on the shelf contains healing power. Here are five tips to help you find only the best in aromatherapy products. Tip #1: Check the bottle. If your aromatherapy essential oil is in a clear bottle or a plastic bottle, then you should not get it. Light has a damaging effect on oil and truly essential aromatherapy oils can be contaminated when stored in plastic bottles.

Tip #2: Check the label. Keywords such as “perfume” or “fragrance oil” are a big sign that the oils contained within the bottle are not pure essential aromatherapy oils. Even though the bottle may have the term aromatherapy printed on it, if you see natural identical oil or fragrance oil on the label, then your aromatherapy oil more than likely contains unwanted perfumery chemicals.

Tip #3: Check for dust. If you see an aromatherapy product on the shelf that has dust on its cap or around its container, then avoid getting it. Dust generally means that your aromatherapy product is old. Like many other types of oil and solutions, as aromatherapy products age, they lose their healing powers and aromatic scent.

Tip #4: Check the price. Different types of aromatherapy oils demand different prices. Pure therapeutic oils that are exotic cost more than aromatherapy oils that are more common. If every bottle of aromatherapy oil is the same price, you may want to reconsider.

Tip #5: Do your research. Each type of aromatherapy oil has a different therapeutic quality. The scent of aromatic essential oils such as cypress is good for treating coughs and asthma. However, the scent of Patchouli is used for anxiety, depression, and healing skin conditions.

Don’t let the sweet talk of the salesman override the natural therapeutic power of pure essential aromatherapy oils. Whether you are purchasing your aromatherapy supplies from one of the many great online retailers or from the local establishment at the shopping center down the road, by following these five tips you can avoid the pitfalls and start enjoying the healing power of aromatherapy.

About the Author

Vincent DeLuca is author of “Healing Health from Home.” To learn more about aromatherapy and purchasing aromatherapy supplies, look at the aromatherapy resources available at http://www.aromatherapy-oils.info

Written By: Vincent DeLuca

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Aromatherapy And Weight Loss

  • Posted on October 24, 2006 at 12:48 pm

All of us will like to see ourselves well groomed and fit enough to look great and flaunt those athletic physiques among friends and relatives.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible for the most obvious reasons; we simply can not maintain our body weight. For some people the dilemma of being overweight starts first in the mind: It is all psychological and once the mind is healthy, the slimmer body will automatically follow. Mentally, aromatherapy can help you to fight stress and lift your mood.

The connection between smell and emotion are thought to be extremely close. Taking a deep breath of pleasant smells triggers positive reactions in the brain, resulting in a sense of wellbeing and goodness. We are all very unique. If oil works well for one person it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work the same for the next person. The way the oils are used could also make a difference; one person might benefit more by using the oils in the bath, rather than inhalation, massage or burning the oils.

The same theory holds good in case of human weight; more you feel good and hale, the more will be the care towards your physical well being. A regular aromatherapy session may help you achieve weight loss campaign, by increasing your sense of well-being and relaxation. However, aromatherapy cannot produce desired weight loss without you creating your own calorie deficit regime, either by eating a calorie-reduced weight loss diet, or by increasing calories burned through rigorous exercise, or more ideally by a combination of diet and exercise. Aromatherapy has proven to be very useful for this weight loss. This natural way of treating has no side effect at all as compared to other treatments.

Certain essential oils are very useful in weight loss trial, like Birch, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon, Orange, Tangerine, and Fennel. Massage is probably the best method and oils must be used with base oils like sweet almond, which makes oil less strong and easy to use. Applying oil to those places were fatty tissues are more, will really help to reduce the fat level and make your physique well shaped.

Essential oils used here are not only sweet smelling but have also the capacity to make your digestive system good, that in turn also helps in weight reduction. How ever, one must see that the oils used should be in moderate amount and mixed with carrier oil before using.

A calculated dosage, rigorous exercise-workout and a strict diet will go a long way in achieving a significant weight loss.

About the author:

Find more great aromatherapy information at http://www.essentia laromatherapy.co.uk

Written By: Lorna Findlay

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Aromatherapy: Revive Your Senses

  • Posted on October 18, 2006 at 12:48 pm

The art of aromatherapy had been practiced since the earliest times. Strong evidences were found to link aromatherapy to ancient traditions. Though aromatic oils had been used to treat and cure various ailments and conditions for who knows how long, the formal study on their properties only started in the year 1928.

In it’s simplest form, aromatherapy is the use of essential plant oils for therapeutic purposes. They are normally employed to relieve a person from stress and a variety of stress-related conditions. And also for promoting an individual’s general well being and in invigorating the body and the psyche.

Aromatherapy works by inducing the olfactory nerve cells with aromatic oils, which then carries out the message to the limbic system in the brain. Limbic system is the part of the brain that is responsible for controlling memory and emotions.

Aromatherapy is concerned in both the workings of the physical and emotional aspects of the person under treatment. Physically, aromatherapy helps in relieving specific conditions trough the stimulation of the nervous, immune and circulatory system. In emotions however, they may evoke pleasant memories.

Yet, the medical circles do not agree if aromatherapy in itself is instrumental to the complete healing of a certain condition. But the idea of recovery through aromatherapy is widely accepted.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are derived from the distillation of the elements of a plant like the leaves, roots, flowers, stems and bark. They hold the true essence of the plants from which they originally came in high concentration. Though termed as oil, essential oils normally do not have the real properties of oil. Some essential oils are yellow like that of the lemongrass and orange and many are clear.

These oils are used in a variety of methods: through inhalation, by adding them in the bathwater and by the application of the diluted oil on the body.

The use of oil in aromatherapy is only restricted to those with unadulterated qualities. The purest of the essential oils alone have the therapeutic values.

The following is a list of the most common essential oils used in aromatherapy. Some of which are used as carrier oils (also known as vegetable oils or base oils):

- Almond, Sweet
- Apricot Kernel
- Avocado
- Borage
- Cocoa Butter
- Evening Primrose
- Grapeseed
- Hazelnut
- Jojoba
- Kukui
- Macadamia Nut
- Olive
- Peanut
- Pecan
- Rose Hip
- Sesame
- Shea Butter
- Sunflower

Below are listed essential oils that are not advisable to use in aromatherapy, especially if not supervised by a professional aromatherapy practitioner.

- Ajowan
- Almond, Bitter
- Arnica
- Birch, Sweet
- Boldo Leaf
- Broom, Spanish
- Calamus
- Camphor
- Deertongue
- Garlic
- Horseradish
- Jaborandi
- Melilotus
- Mugwort
- Mustard
- Onion
- Pennyroyal
- Rue
- Sassafras
- Thuja
- Wintergreen
- Wormseed
- Wormwood

Aromatherapists put into practice the workings of aromatherapy in a spectrum of work environments including:

- private practice
- mobile visiting practice
- natural health clinics
- beauty therapy clinics
- health clubs
- hospitals
- hospices and
- nursing homes.

In spite of the lack of formal research on aromatherapy therapists and European physicians are often prescribing certain aromatic oils for a range of complaints including colds and flu, insomnia, sinusitis, migraines, digestive problems and muscle pains. It must be understood though that aromatic oils must never be taken orally and should be first tested to determine the degree of skin’s sensitivity to some oils.

About The Author

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides aromatherapy resources on http://www.about-aromatherapy.info.

Written By: Robert Thatcher

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Aromatherapy As Weight Loss Tool

  • Posted on October 12, 2006 at 12:48 pm

Aromatherapy Weight Loss

Aromatherapy Weight Loss in many cases is extremely effective and less costly than other diet plans. All of us will like to see ourselves, well groomed and fit enough to look great and flaunt those athletic physiques among friends and relatives. Unfortunately, it is not always possible for the most obvious reasons; we simply can not maintain our body weight. For some people the dilemma of being overweight starts first in the mind: It is all psychological and once the mind is healthy, the slimmer body will automatically follow. Mentally, aromatherapy can help you to fight stress and lift your mood.

The connection between smell and emotion are thought to be extremely close. Taking a deep breath of pleasant smells triggers positive reactions in the brain, resulting in a sense of wellbeing and goodness. We are all very unique. If oil works well for one person it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work the same for the next person. The methods, by which the oils are used, will also make a great difference; one person will accrue benefit more by using the oils in his bath, rather than inhalation, massage or burning the oils.

The same theory holds good in case of human weight; more you feel good and hale, the more will be the care towards your physical well being. A regular aromatherapy session may help you achieve weight loss campaign, by increasing your sense of well-being and relaxation. However, aromatherapy cannot produce desired weight loss without you creating your own calorie deficit regime, either by eating a calorie-reduced weight loss diet, or by increasing calories burned through rigorous exercise, or more ideally by a combination of diet and exercise. Aromatherapy has proven to be very useful for this weight loss. This natural way of treating has no side effect at all as compared to other treatments.

Some essential oils are very useful in weight loss trials, like Birch, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon and Fennel. Massage is probably the best method and oils must be used with base oils like sweet almond, which makes oil less strong and easy to use. Applying oil to those places were fatty tissues are more, will really help to reduce the fat level and make your physique well shaped.

About the author:

Massage Richmond Va & Chair Massage Richmond Virginia

Written By: B W Zelock

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Aromatherapy – More Than Just Hot Air

  • Posted on October 6, 2006 at 12:48 pm

Many people have found aromatherapy very helpful in terms of their general feelings of psychological and physical wellness. Aromatherapy uses volatile plant oils in a natural form in massage, candles and other delivery methods.

Aromatherapy uses “Essential Oils”. The vapors from these oils benefit many people when they are absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream, giving physical benefit. The aroma of the inhaled oils stimulates certain receptors in the brain, giving psychological benefits.

The benefits of alternative therapies like aromatherapy are difficult to prove or disprove, but millions of people spend millions of dollars on these products and do so again and again, so they must be feeling better.

Essential oils are different from perfumes and commercial fragrances in that essential oils are 100% natural and contain no man-made chemicals, as so many perfumes do. Many people use a special burner to heat their oils to vaporize them using a tea-light candle underneath.

It is important to take advice only from an experienced and qualified aromatherapist because too high a concentration of some oils can be harmful, especially if applied to the skin. Be sure to get expert advice because some essential oils can cause sensitization or allergic reactions. Sensitization means that you will have little reaction on the first exposure, but subsequent use will cause a massive adverse reaction. Penicillin has this sensitisation effect on some people, a mild reaction the first time, but a second dose can be fatal if you are allergic to the antibiotic.

In aromatherapy massage essential oils, well diluted with “carrier oils” are rubbed into the skin. The diluted essential oils are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. Use of “Carrier Oils” is essential for safe application of “Essential oils” to the skin without very serious adverse reactions.

“Essential Oils” are often blended to give a greater effect than one could expect from the amounts of the separate oils.

About the Author:

Ciara McGrath taught chemistry for 28 years. She has four daughters. Find more info here. For more info visit aromatherapy and massage therapy.

Written By: Ciara McGrath

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