Aromatherapy for Everyday Health
Written by Chloe, our Trainee Beauty Tutor at our Derby Academy.
When used in the correct manner, it is amazing just how Aromatherapy can be beneficial in your everyday life. For both physical and emotional needs, Essential Oils are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people look towards a more ‘natural’ answer to their ailments. They are also beginning to see the benefits that many Aromatherapists have been championing for years!
Indeed, many people are also surprised by just how much Aromatherapy contributes to aspects of modern life that we may take for granted - for example, an estimated 40% of all modern pharmaceutical drugs originate from plants or herbs (1). If you take a look at your everyday household-products, just how many of them boast the inclusion of ‘added Essential Oils’, giving products a more ‘luxury’ or ‘premium’ feel than that of their competitors?
The truth of the matter is, Aromatherapy is incredibly accessible to all, at little expense. There are many websites and books out there which give recipes for creating your own cleaning sprays to use at home. All essential oils are thought to have natural antiseptic properties, so by using them in vapourisers or cleaning agents, not only do they keep your home smelling pleasant, but they can also help to keep it free from airborne bacteria (2).
Essential Oils can also be added to many personal care products. Rosemary is a popular oil used to combat hair loss - a few drops can be added to your shampoo or mixed into a carrier oil and rubbed into the scalp as a nourishing conditioning treatment. My personal favourite time to use them is when I take a bath - a mixture of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and citrus oils such as Orange or Lemon help me to feel uplifted and invigorated, help to ease any congestion I may be experiencing, and to fight off any viral infections that may be trying to take hold. When blended with other oils, the magic truly begins and you can target multiple concerns at the same time.
Having said that, an important mantra to remember is ‘less is more’ - your typical Aromatherapist doesn’t constantly expose themselves to Essential Oils in their home environment, but rather picks and chooses the best time and place to use them. Overexposure can have unintended side effects such as headaches and nausea, or if used in too high concentrations they can cause allergic skin reactions. They should never be taken internally, and many Essential Oils are toxic when ingested.
With only a couple of exceptions, Essential Oils should not be used neat on the skin, and in a typical massage a therapist will use them in a dilution of between 1-2%. Yes, they really are that strong! To make a typical 10ml bottle of Lavender Essential Oil you need around 2lbs of plant extract, and for Rose, you need around 20,000 blossoms for the same amount.
Thorough research and education are key. Therapists must undertake a dedicated qualification in order to be able to use bespoke Essential Oil blends with their clients. If you are a therapist reading this and are eager to add Aromatherapy to your repertoire, or new to the industry and would like to study Aromatherapy, please contact us for more information on our upcoming Diploma courses.
It is the most versatile modality you can have, and can be incorporated into every single treatment should you wish, and can help you truly stand out from the crowd in your practice. For me, choosing to study Aromatherapy was the best decision I ever made, and I absolutely love sharing it with everyone that I meet.
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Sources:
(1) - Aromatherapy for Holistic Therapists, Francesca Gould
(2) – Aromatherapy for Common Ailments, Shirley Price