Essential Oils have been used for hundreds of years for their benefits for the body, mind, and spirit. Understanding these wonderful oils, buying the right quality, and learning how to use them are key to unlocking their therapeutic benefits.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are complex mixtures of naturally occurring compounds that exist in some plants which have fragrant flowers, leaves, wood, bark, roots, or seeds.

Essential oils may be extracted from plants using a variety of methods but for aromatherapy purposes, the only acceptable methods are those that are non-toxic. This includes distillation, cold pressing, and, in a few cases, non-toxic solvent extraction. A good therapeutic grade essential oil is produced using non-toxic procedures that preserve the life-giving vital essence of the plant. Essential oils vary greatly in quality and not all are therapeutic grade.

Do not confuse essential oils with vegetable oils, which are also sometimes called "carrier" or "base" oils. Essential Oils are volatile, which means that they evaporate when exposed to air; they are very fragrant; they do not feel slick or oily, and do not leave an oily residue. Vegetable oils, such as almond oil, apricot oil, olive oil, or avocado oil are not really fragrant; they do not evaporate readily; they do feel oily and leave an oily residue. Vegetable oils are used in aromatherapy for the purpose of diluting essential oils so that they can be safely applied to the skin.

Essential oils have been used therapeutically for hundreds of years for their benefits for the body, mind and spirit. Modern research supports the impact of aromas on mood and other mental states and suggests that aromas can have subliminal, or unconscious effects on our mental states.

Essential oils offer perhaps the most convenient and powerful way to experience the beneficial effects of aromas.

How do you use Essential Oils?

Essential Oils evaporate when exposed to the air. We recommend using an Essential Oil Diffuser, which works by putting a few drops of oil mixed with water in a small dish and lighting a candle underneath it. Warming the Essential Oil helps release the beneficial essences into the air.

Essential Oils are also used for therapeutic massages. They must first be diluted in a massage oil base. Generally 1 drop of Essential Oil should be used per 1 teaspoon of Base Oil. You should use an all natural base oil.

You can also use essential oils in your bath. Put a 1 to 5 drops in your warm (not hot) bath. A common practice is to mix the essential oil with a capful of milk, then pour the combination into the bath.

Remember that Essential Oils are concentrated plant extracts. This means they are very potent. We are all affected differently by aromas and our skin sensitivity differs greatly. You should experiment to find your right mixture. Also keep in mind that some oils can be much stronger than others, such as Peppermint, Tea Tree, and Eucalyptus. A good rule of thumb is to start with one drop, and then gradually increase until you find the right combination for you.

You should never use Essential Oils undiluted (straight from the bottle) on your skin, as these are very concentrated forms of active plant extracts, and can cause serious burning and skin irritations.

What to look for when buying Essential Oils?

There are many companies selling Essential Oils, but many offer only cheap, synthetic fragrances which offer no therapeutic value and can actually be harmful. To get true therapeutic benefits from your oils, you need to make sure you are buying quality, and professional grade essential oils. The most important things to look for are;

• The Latin Botanical Name
  There are many varients of plants, the botanical name helps explain the origins of the extract.
• All Natural Oil (no synthetic fragrances)
  When words like “aroma” or “fragrance” are used within the name, such as Lavender Aroma, you can almost guarantee this is not a therapeutic oil, but a fragrance oil used for scenting purposes only
• 100% Pure and undiluted
  Many stores sell modified or mixed versions of essential oils, adding a chemical constituent to dilute or "stretch" the oil.
• Therapeutic Grade
  Aka Aromatherapy Grade. This means the oils are of excellent quality and suitable for therapeutic applications.
• Oils from First Distillation
  The best Essential Oils come from first distillation. Oils that come from the second, third or fourth distillation of the plant material are weaker and not considered therapeutic grade.
• Non-Toxic Extraction
  Most pure Essential Oils are extracted using steam, cold-pressing, and in vary rare cases, non-toxic solvent extraction.
• Be guided by price, Low cost means cheap oils
  If you are searching for quality and therapeutic Essential Oils, you will not find this level of quality in cheaper oils. Low priced oils are synthetic, pungent, chemical based fragrances that have no therapeutic benefits. Make sure you are purchasing your oils from a company you can trust and who provides indepth information about their oils.
• Dark Glass Bottles
  Essential Oils should always be sold or stored in glass bottles, that come in either a dark amber or cobalt blue color. Clear Plastic containers should never be used.

Additional Reading

There are many tremendous resources that offer a much more detailed look at Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. A good starting point would be;

• Aromatherapy Workbook
  by Marcel Lavabre
• The Healing Power of Aromatherapy
  by Hasnain Walji, Ph.D
• The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
  by Valerie Ann Worwood
• Holistic Aromatherapy
  by A. Berwick

Important:

We do not recommend taking Essential Oils internally. Some websites claim that for certain remedies it is acceptable to do so, however, Essential Oils can be very toxic and extremely dangerous especially when taken internally. Only under the guidance of your physician or qualified aromatherapy practitioner should this method be used.

Never use Essential Oils undiluted on your skin. They are very concentrated and can severely burn or irritate your skin. We recommend mixing your Essential Oil with a Natural Base Oil or a natural unscented lotion.