Frequently Asked Questions
Aromatherapy is using 100% pure essential oils to stimulate our olfactory
senses triggering therapeutic responses of our physical, mental
and emotional bodies based on ancient healing traditions and practices.
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.
WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL OIL?
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.
HOW ARE AROMATHERAPY PRODUCTS MADE?
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.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRODUCTS MADE
WITH ESSENTIAL OILS OR FRAGRANCE OILS?
Because 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.”
HOW DO PRODUCTS MADE WITH ESSENTIAL OILS WORK?
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.
HOW DO PRODUCTS MADE WITH FRAGRANCE OILS WORK?
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.
HOW DO I USE MY 100% PURE ESSENTIAL OILS?
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.
CAN I USE MY ESSENTIAL OILS DIRECTLY ON MY SKIN?
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. CAN I EAT OR DRINK ESSENTIAL OILS
As a general rule do not take or use these oils internally. Never ingest
essential oils unless directed by a doctor or licensed practitioner.
WHO SHOULD NOT USE ESSENTIAL OILS?
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.
HOW CAN I USE MY ESSENTIAL OILS?
Here
are some ways to disperse the smell and diffuse the oils into the air
around you -- places like your home, office, or car.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
WHAT BASE OIL OR MASSAGE OIL IS RIGHT FOR ME?
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.)
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH ESSENTIAL OILS I LIKE OR SHOULD USE?
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT AROMATHERAPY?
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!
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
RECOMMENDED WORKSHOPS:
“ The ABCs of Aromatherapy, The
premier Aromatherapy Basic Concepts Workshop”,
led by Christine Kontos, CEC, Aromatherapy Practitioner.
This workshop is available in two formats:
- As a live workshop. Check the “Upcoming
Workshop Schedule”
on this website for additional information and registration;
- You can also purchase
the audio Compact Disc for the workshop to learn and play in
the comfort of your own environment.
The New York Open Center
83
Spring Street between Broadway and Lafayette
phone: 212.219.2527
www.opencenter.org
“The
Fundamentals of Aromatherapy”
led by
Linda Tilton, Director of Wellness at The New York Open Center
“Aromatherapy & the
Chakaras”
led by
Linda Tilton, Director of Wellness at The New York Open Center
“An
Introduction to Practical Aromatherapy, 101 Ways to Use Essential
Oils"
led by Michael Scholes at The New York
Open Center
“Aromatherapy Certification Program”
led
by Michael Scholes & Debbie Freund at The New York Open Center
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