Based on this definition, we know that aromatherapy has been around for a long time. It was brought about as a treatment to help heal what ails us. It uses our sense of smell – our nasal and olfactory senses. Besides activating our sense of smell, aromatherapy activates: our Mind; our Memory; Movement in our Body; and our Breathing. It assists us in our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Basically, an essential oil is the 100% pure essence of a living plant form. It’s the essence of the plant because it takes the seeds, or rinds, or leaves, stems, flowers, petals, bark, sap, or roots and thru a process renders the plant into its basic fundamental properties in a concentrated liquid form. Since it’s highly concentrated, a little goes a long way.

Aromatherapy products are made in different ways. The three most popular ways are:

• Products made from 100% pure essential oils;
• Products made from fragrance oils;
• Products made from a combination of essential oils and fragrance oils.

MOST of the aromatherapy products you’ll find on the shelves at your supermarket, drug store and some specialty stores in the mall are NOT MADE FROM essential oils. They are products artificially made – created using chemicals called fragrance oils.

The dictionary defines fragrance as a sweet or pleasant odor. So fragrance oil is a chemically-produced sweet or pleasant odor added to oil. It is a synthetic, artificial, man-made product. There is nothing natural or organic about fragrance oils, except maybe the oil and most manufacturers don’t even tell you what kind of oil they use.

It all boils down to how they work – that’s the major difference and a significant difference. And, when you spend your hard-earned money, you want value – or the “biggest bang for your buck.”

Essential oil IS the key element in aromatherapy. The only way to the “therapeutic” value and health benefits of aromatherapy is by USING products made only from essential oils.

There is no doubt that essential oils provide health benefits which have been known about for a long time – since ancient times. Essential Oils:

• Are known to have therapeutic value and health benefits;
• Make our environment smell good;
• Remind us, they help us remember times, places, things, and people;
• Directly impact our environment including our indoor air quality. They can improve the quality of our indoor environment.
• Some essential oils can even clean and purify the air we breathe.

Some essential oils are: Bacteria and fungus fighters; Antiseptics; May help with pain; May strengthen the nervous system; Can promote restful sleep; Can help heal cuts, scrapes, bruises and burns.

Essential oils can also support us emotionally and mentally. They can: Sooth, Relax, Calm, Balance, Ground, and Rejuvenate. Using essential oils may help you reduce: fear, anxiety, nervousness, tension, worry, or depression. They can increase: confidence, self-esteem, vitality, self-expression, and communication.

It’s incredible the kinds of healing these oils support – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Fragrance oils work like this:

• They activate our sense of smell.
• They make our environment smell good.
• The smell reminds us or help us remember people, places, and things.
• They impact our environment including our indoor air quality.

Yet, there are some HUGE LIMITATIONS to using fragrance oils. For one, there are absolutely NO therapeutic or health benefits associated with fragrance oils.

And since they are synthetic, artificial, man-made oils, they can actually have a negative affect on our indoor air quality – since most of the time we smell these oils thru burning – like candles and burning them in diffusers.

Fragrance oils pollute our personal environment. When you release fragrance oils into the air – you’re also putting the chemicals and synthetics they are made from into your airspace as well. And, although these vapors are being dispersed into your personal environment at very low levels – they still can be harmful or at the very least irritating.

Essential oils can be used in many ways:

• You can smell them directly out of the bottle.
• Put a few drops on a tissue and smell the tissue.
• Add a few drops to your bath water. I recommend adding the essential oils after you’ve filled the tub with water since you don’t want loose any of their benefits while the tub is filling up.
• You can use essential oils in an oil burner or diffuser.
• You can use them as a perfume.

As a general rule, do not 100% pure essential oils directly on the skin. Since they’re pure and highly concentrated oils, some people’s skin can be very sensitive.

Use a few tablespoons of grapeseed, or jojoba or almond oil as a base. Then add the essential oils you want to use to the base oil. This way lessens the likelihood of skin irritation when you put the oils directly on your body. On my website you’ll find information about these base oils. Choose which base oil would be the best for you.

As a general rule do not take or use these oils internally. Never ingest essential oils unless directed by a doctor or licensed practitioner.

Do not use essential oils if you are pregnant or nursing or have a medical condition such as epilepsy or cancer unless directed by a doctor or licensed practitioner.

Here are some ways to disperse the smell and diffuse the oils into the air around you -- places like your home, office, or car.

1. Burning oils in an oil burner or what is called a diffuser burner. You can find diffuser burners in many drug stores and card shops. It comes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors. It can be made from metal and glass, ceramic, or carved stone.
   It has a small bowl-like top and base that has a place to put a tea light candle. This way it burns the oil over a small flame – the tea light candle. All you do is add water and a few drops of essential oils and light the tea light candle. As the water warms it releases the essential oils into the air.
   You don’t have to use water, you can just put the oils in the top – but it burns off fast. And quite frankly, it just burns up the oil and your money quicker.
2. Passive diffusers. No plugs, no electricity, no batteries are needed. Most are made from terra cotta and look like small ornaments. There is a place in the terra cotta where you put a few drops of oil, then it just sits out on the counter, in a window or near heat – and the smell is released thru the terra cotta.
3. There are two other kinds of diffusers – one uses batteries, the other just plugs into the electrical outlet. They look similar to the ones you can buy at your local supermarket or drug store. Both are made specifically for essential oils. They come with small little cotton pads. Take one pad, put a few drops of essential oil onto the pad, slip the pad into the diffuser, then turn or the switch or plug it into the wall.
4. Some manufacturers make small diffusers you can plug into the lighter in the car. They also come with small little cotton pads; put a few drops of essential oil on the pad, slip the pad into the diffuser and plug the diffuser into the car lighter.
5. Stone diffusers. This reminds me of a small hot plate. You plug it in to the wall, the stone heats up and you put the oil on the hot stone. It seems to me just another one of those ways to burn up your oil and your money a lot quicker. However, there are many people out there who enjoy their stone diffusers. Take a look at what’s out there and you choose the right type diffuser for you.
6. Another quick way to get an oil into the room – especially to clean the air is using a spray bottle. You can make this room spray very quickly. Buy a spray bottle, fill it up with distilled water, add about 7 to 14 drops of essential oil, shake well and spray. To clean the air, use an essential oil that helps fight bacteria, fungus and infection. You might want to try grapefruit oil, lavender or tea tree oil.

There are several base oils to choose from. Here are some of the most common oils which are readily available for purchase in your local health food or homeopathic store:

GRAPESEED OIL: Almost colorless or pale green and the oil contains vitamins, minerals and protein. GOOD FOR all types of skin. Can be used at full strength, right out of the bottle onto skin (100% dilution).

JOJOBA OIL: Its color is yellow and the oil contains protein, minerals and a waxy substance that mimics collagen. GOOD FOR inflamed skins, psoriasis, eczema, acne, hair care, and all types of skin. Due to its highly penetrative nature, it is recommended that it be used at 10% dilution (a little goes a long way) - use a 100% dilution base oil (such as grapeseed, vegetable, or sweet almond oil and replace 10% of the volume with Jojoba oil).

OLIVE OIL: Use only such oil that has been through the cold-press process which can be found in most homeopathic or specialty stores. Its color is green and the oil contains protein, minerals, and vitamins. GOOD FOR rheumatic conditions, hair care, cosmetics, and soothing. Also, highly concentrated, it is recommended that it be used at 10% dilution (a little goes a long way) - use a 100% dilution base oil (such as grapeseed, vegetable oil, or sweet almond oil and replace 10% of the volume with Jojoba oil).

SWEET ALMOND OIL: Its color is very pale yellow and the oil contains glycosides, minerals, vitamins, and rich in protein. GOOD FOR all types of skin. It helps relieve itching, soreness, dryness, and inflammation. Can be used at full strength, right out of the bottle onto the skin (100% dilution).

(Source: “The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy” by Valerie Ann Worwood.)

One sure way to know what you like or what you don’t is to get out there in your neighborhood and start smelling. Find a local health food or homeopathic store that sells 100% pure essential oils and begin there.

Let me give you some helpful tips to so you can make the most out of your excursion:

1. At the store, make sure you use the “tester” bottles that are available. These “tester” bottles are there for you to use and are labeled “tester”. This way, it is not necessary for you to break the seal on the bottles available for purchase. If you cannot find the “testers”, ask one of the store employees to help you.
   When you use these testers, just stiff straight from the bottle. It’s not necessary for you to put a drop on your finger to smell or under your nose. If you start putting the oils on your body as you doing you assessment, the smell of the first oil will carry over to the next oil – impacting your evaluation of the next oil.
2. If you want a really nose-to-nose assessment, take several small pieces of paper with you. I find that 2 to 3 inch pieces of paper work well. There is enough room to put the tester drop of oil on it, enough room to hold the paper, and smell.
3. You’ll be working with a lot of oils during your assessment, and your sense of smell can become overwhelmed. It’s important to reset your senses every now and then so that you can get an accurate assessment of each oil and avoid the feeling of overload.
   Take a little bag full of coffee beans or coffee grounds with you to the store. Or use the grapefruit essential oil tester to “reset” your sense of smell every few minutes. Coffee and grapefruit essential oil are excellent items sniff during your assessment since these two items help to clear the olfactory/nasal pallet.

Using the above process, you will know what essential oils you like and you don’t.

It is highly recommended you purchase my audio CD, The ABCs of Aromatherapy, The premier Aromatherapy Basic Concepts Workshop. Click on the link “About the CD” to buy this CD now. By listening to this CD, you will learn:

• What Aromatherapy is;
• How it works;
• How you can use it; and
• How to determine what you like and what you don’t like because you’ll be given an evaluation tool which will have you in action, out in your neighborhood assessing essential oils.

One of the key tools provided in this workshop is the Essential Oil Assessment Worksheet©. This Worksheet lists about 30 essential oils alphabetically including details about: Some of the uses of the physical body; Some of the uses of for our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies.

The Worksheet provides a powerful way of rating each essential oil based on your own personal preferences. Plus, you’ll have this information all in one place so it will be a handy resource for you to have around and use. You’ll be able to choose what you want to buy and for what purpose you’ll use it.

There are many resources out there. Check in your local bookstore, local specialty/holistic shops as well as on the internet. You can use an internet search engine, search using the word aromatherapy and many websites will be offered for you to shop, learn and play. On this website, you may have noticed links to other websites. Below a list of books that give you specific uses and health benefits for essential oils including any safety alerts. Some books have even have “recipes” for products you can make at home. Just know that the information is out there for you to use. Remember…..just play and have fun!

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
by Valerie Ann Worwood

Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit
by Gabriel Mojay

Natural Healing with Aromatherapy
by Dr. Gisela Bulla

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of ESSENTIAL OILS
by Julia Lawless

Magical Aromatherapy
by Scott Cunningham

The Art of Aromatherapy
by Robert B. Tisserand

RELATED LINKS:

Essence & Alchemy
An aromatherapy company specializing in customized essential blends and 100% pure essential oil products.
www.essenceandalchemy.com