An Introduction to Aromatherapy
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009The function of aromatherapy is to improve our mental and physical health using essential and plant oils. Aromatherapy has been used for 1000s of years to improve health. 90 essential oils have been described and are in use today.
There are other substances you can accept under the expression aromatherapy : cold pressed vegetable oils, jojoba (a liquid wax), hydrosols, herbs, etc.
In more detail, what exactly are the benefits of aromatherapy? It seems implausible that only from smelling a substance or placing it on the surface of my skin, I can better my well-being. Here’s the science bit : The odor of the natural essential oil arouses the mind to spark off a response, and when inhaled in directly to the lungs, the natural elements can provide a health benefit.
Since volatile oils are so concentrated and strong, they never should be placed on to the skin in their undiluted form. To apply essential oils to the skin, they are typically mixed into a carrier like a cold pressed vegetable oil, which is known as a carrier oil. Standard carrier oils include apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil, and sweet almond oil.
So whereabouts can I purchase such aromatherapy products, and what should I look out for? A basic guideline is to be sceptical of products that don’t name their ingredients and those that don’t use pure essential oils. Looking on the web, there’s an abundance of aromatherapy sellers, and you can buy all kinds of things…..from Lemongrass massage oils to bath crystals.
We encourage you to study some more about aromatherapy as it is a tremendous boost to ones well-being, and it can also be applied in the comfort of your own home, and doesn’t come with any great time or monetary expenditure.