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What is Aromatherapy?
 Aromatherapy
is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential
oils, for psychological and physical well-being.
Essential oils, the pure essence of a plant,
have been found to provide both psychological and physical benefits
when used correctly and safely. The Essential
Oil Profiles area details over 90 essential oils. Absolutes,
CO2s and Hydrosols
are also commonly utilized in aromatherapy. Although essential oils,
CO2 extracts and absolutes are distilled by different methods, the
term essential oil is sometimes used as
a blanket term to include all natural, aromatic, volatile, plant
oils including CO2s and absolutes.
In addition to essential oils, aromatherapy encourages
the use of other complementary natural ingredients including cold
pressed vegetable oils, jojoba (a liquid wax), hydrosols, herbs,
milk powders, sea salts, sugars (an exfoliant), clays and muds.
Products that include synthetic ingredients are
frowned upon in holistic aromatherapy. It is important to note that
perfume oils also known as fragrance
oils (and usually listed as "fragrance" on an ingredient
label) are not the same as essential oils. Fragrance oils
and perfume oils contain synthetic chemicals and do not provide
the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.
Buyer Beware: The United States does not regulate
the use of the word aromatherapy" on product packaging, labeling
or in product advertising, so any product can be marketed as a product
suitable for aromatherapy. There are quite a few products on the
market that contain unnatural ingredients including fragrance oils
and claim to be aromatherapeutic. It's important to look at the
ingredient label when seeking true aromatherapy products.
Also, use caution with marketing claims that state
a product is "Made With Essential Oils" or "Made
With Natural Ingredients." Claims like these do not state that
the product is only made with the ingredient(s) specified.
Such products may contain heavy proportions of synthetic fragrance
oils and only contain a minute quantity of essential oil to simply
be able to profess the "Made With Essential Oils" claim.
Don't let false marketing hype scare you away
from the benefits of holistic aromatherapy. By exploring AromaWeb
and other aromatherapy resources, you can learn how to safely use
just a few essential oils and start gaining the benefits of aromatherapy.
If you realize you hold an even deeper interest, you can learn to
make your own products and control the exact ingredients included
in your own personal aromatherapy products.
The Benefit of an Aroma
~ Inhaling Essential Oils
Essential oils that are inhaled into the lungs offer both
psychological and physical benefits. Not only does the aroma of
the natural essential oil stimulate the brain to trigger a reaction,
but when inhaled into the lungs, the natural constituents (naturally
occurring chemicals) can supply therapeutic benefit. Diffusing eucalyptus
essential oil to help ease congestion is a prominent example.
If not done correctly and safely,
however, the use of essential oils can have severe consequences.
The Benefit of Physical
Application
Essential oils that are applied to the skin can be absorbed into
the bloodstream. The constituents of essential oils can aid in health,
beauty and hygiene conditions. Since essential oils are so powerful
and concentrated, they should never be applied to the skin in their
undiluted form. To apply essential oils to the skin, essential
oils are typically diluted into a carrier such as a cold
pressed vegetable oil, also known as a carrier
oil. Common carrier oils include sweet almond oil, apricot kernel
oil and grapeseed oil. A more detailed definition of Carrier Oils
is found on the What are Carrier Oils
page. A detailed list of carrier oils and their properties can be
found on the Carrier
Oils Used in Aromatherapy properties page.
Other Benefits
In addition to therapeutic benefit at the emotional and physical
level, essential oils are helpful in other applications. Essential
oils can be used in household and laundry cleaners. Some oils act
as a natural insect repellent and pesticide. You may recall using
citronella candles
during the summer to keep mosquitoes away. Citronella
essential oil is the ingredient in the candles that is responsible
for repelling the mosquitos. Visit the Essential
Oil Uses page for additional information on ways that you can
use essential oils.
Essential Oil Blends
Essential oils can be blended together to create appealing and complex
aromas. Essential oils can also be blended for a specific therapeutic
application. Essential oils that are carefully blended with a specific
therapeutic purpose in mind may be referred to as an essential
oil syngery. A synergistic essential oil blend is considered
to be greater in total action than each oil working independently.
AromaWeb's Recipes area offers
a variety of recipes and synergies.
About Aromatherapy Products
Not all ready-made aromatherapy products labeled with the word "aromatherapy"
are pure and natural. Products that contain artificial ingredients
do not provide true aromatherapy benefits. At worst, they provide
no benefit or be harmful. At best, they provide only a fraction
of the benefit that natural products supply. Buyers seeking true
aromatherapy products must look at the ingredient label to ensure
that the product does not contain fragrance oils or unpure (chemical)
components. A general rule-of-thumb is to be wary of products that
do not list their ingredients and those that do not boast of having
pure essential oils (look for products that contain pure essential
oils on their ingredient list and avoid those that have words like
fragrance). A note, however, is that some sellers of good-quality
aromatherapy blends do not list their ingredients because they are
worried that others may copy their creation. By asking the seller
more about the blend, and listening to how they respond, you should
have a better idea about the quality of the blend being sold. Good
suppliers should be happy to provide you with a list of the ingredients.
They understand that some individuals must avoid particular oils
due to health problems.
More Information
Good sources for expanding your knowledge of aromatherapy include
the following articles:
History of Aromatherapy
What are Essential Oils?
Is All the Hype True?
Safety Information
Uses for Essential Oils
Tips for Beginners
Expanding your Aromatherapy Education
Aromatherapy Diffusers
General Glossary
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