Essential Oils and Us
The Power of Scent
Scent is associated with triggering memories, general well-being and even protecting us (we recoil from smells we perceive as dangerous).
Skin Application / Lotions
Using unscented lotions and natural carrier oils from coconut or avocado are a great way to apply essential oils to the body.
Wellness & the Brain
Essential oils work with our brains and the limbic system to affect a range of physical and mental characteristics including nausea, anxiety and concentration to name a few.
Aromatherapy & Essential Oils
What is aromatherapy?
It is the skilled and controlled use of essential oils to promote physical and emotional healing.
Although aromatherapy is associated most with fragrance, there is a science behind the chemical components that make up the oils.
When used properly essential oils may assist in healing for conditions like muscle and joint pain, anxiety and depression, sleeplessness, headaches, nausea and skin disorders.
What are essential oils?
They are the essence of the plant. The oil is released from flowers, seeds, stems, leaves, bark and resins of the plant in a variety of different ways most commonly by distillation and CO2 extraction.
How oils enter the body
The quickest way of getting the essential oils into your body is through your nose. By waving a tissue or cotton ball with a drop or two of essential oil under your nose and breathing in the scent, the essential oil is warmed and mixed with water from the mucous membrane as it travels through your nasal cavity. Once inhaled, the essential oil molecules are dispersed over microscopic hairs, called cilia, located in the olfactory organ at the root of your nose. Particular cilia are stimulated by different odors. An impulse is sent by the nervous system to the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb, which aligns to the brain, allows smells to travel to the deepest part of our limbic system, sparking memories and creating chemicals of emotion.
The Effects of Essential Oils
Aromas can stimulate or relax us, excite or sedate us, even balance and center us due to a chemical process created through the limbic system of the brain. Whether essential oils are absorbed through the skin, inhaled or taken internally, they still will create a chemical reaction in the body because of their interaction with the brain. Since it is the brain that is affected, we can create environments that are conducive to concentration, creativity, emotional balance and healing.
Breathe in
Put a drop or two on a cotton ball and breathe it in through your nose. Place the cotton ball just below your nostrils for maximum potency and effect. As concentrated extracts, a little can go a long way.
Topical Application
Put a couple drops in some unscented lotion or carrier oil such as avocado, jojoba, coconut, calendula, grapeseed or sunflower and apply to the skin.
Electric Diffusers
Place a few drops of oil into the diffuser’s water basin. The device will oscillate and distribute a fine mist into your environment. If using the oils in a public space like an office, retail or seminar be conscious of how the scent will be received by those sharing your environment.