Surprising Facts About Aromatherapy

Hi there, Ria here. So I used to have a podcast a very long time ago and I’m really, really keen to get back into it and I thought as a start I will record you my lovely mailing list, a little audio, a little mini podcast all around some surprising facts around essential oils aromatherapy. Things that you may not know that are really quite interesting.

So did you know that essential oils aren’t actually an oil? It’s actually a compound that’s extracted from plants. Okay, and it can be extracted in a couple of different ways and The great thing is the substance that is extracted is a really potent medicinal tool and also used in cosmetic products.

things as well, such as skin, so frankincense is really good for the skin and things like that, and obviously they also smell amazing and have such transformational properties. So we think that aromatherapy is quite a new thing, but it [00:01:00] actually goes back 6, 000 years or so. So the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, all benefited from the therapeutic qualities of essential oils.

So if we go back as far as 3, 500 BC, the ancient Egyptians were using essential oils and plant extracts for medicinal purposes, as well as in their sort of rituals and cosmetics. So, you know, it’s steeped in history. This isn’t just a new fad that’s come along. Aromatherapy is something which has been used through Like forever, you know so yeah, before we had all the, the, the new pharmaceutical companies, it was, we were using plants, which is, which is just lovely.

And I feel like we’re getting, we’re going back to our roots. We’re re remembering the power. of nature, which is really, really exciting. Also, it’s really good to know that pure essential oils don’t go off. They, they gradually use their potency over time, but they can be [00:02:00] kept for several years, depending on the oil, so obviously have, have a look.

But, it gives you incredible value for money, knowing that that little bottle, that little, they tend to come in 10ml bottles will last you a really long time, and you really need very little. So, if you are making skin care, You know, you’re looking at sort of 1%, which, you know, if you’re making 100ml, that’s 1ml, so 20 drops out of your bottle.

So that’s if you’re looking at recipes, 20 drops tends to be, on average, about a ml. But obviously, that will change depending on the viscosity of the oil. But it’s a really good sort of just, just as a framework to, to work within. So, they can oxidize and deteriorate over time, okay, so like I say, they will lose a little bit of their potency and benefits, but they won’t go off, so they won’t do you any harm.

Now, one of the reasons that pure essential oils are quite expensive for the small amount that [00:03:00] you buy is, did you know that it takes about two pounds of lavender flowers just to create a 10 ml bottle of lavender essential oil. Okay. One lemon gives five drops of lemon essential oils. That’s like, like I said, quarter of a ml basically.

So 34 lemons will go into about 10 ml bottle. You need five pounds of peppermint leaves for a 10 ml bottle of peppermint oil and 10 ml. bottle of rose essential oils, you need 500, 000 rose petals. So you can see why things, why these oils do cost money, but you’re, it’s being distilled down to create such a potent thing that has the potential to really help in so many different areas of your life.

So. We all know, or many of us know, that lavender helps with sleep and relaxation, okay? But if you wanted to improve your mood, you look at some citrus essential oils such as lemon, grapefruit, and orange. If you want to relax, you can look at lavender, langolang, and [00:04:00] rose. If you want to help with migraines, you can turn to essential oils such as rosemary, lavender, and peppermint.

If you want to boost your immunity, which is always good at wintertime, you can look at tea tree, eucalyptus and lemon. Helping your skin, langolang is a really good one as well. And if you’ve got a little bit of anxiety, then frankincense, lavender and bergamot are also good. oils to go to but One I always say when people come into the shop is you know There’s no point me saying that lavender is really good to relax you if you can’t stand the smell of lavender So I like to work quite Intuitively obviously making sure we’re safe.

But if you if a oil makes you feel a certain way and it’s not written in a book. That doesn’t discount how you’re feeling because of that oil. So it’s really having a blend of, you know, what has been researched but also using your own personal reaction and feeling towards oil. So using your intuition I think is a really important thing to do.

Sometimes we rely too heavily on the books and just [00:05:00] because, you know, it’s been proven to work for this area, it doesn’t discount what you’re experiencing too, if that makes sense. Like I just said, it’s really important when you’re using essential oils to stay safe. So making sure that you have the right dilution.

So when using it on the skin, you know, you’re looking at very, very low, like one to 3 percent dilutions in, in your mixtures. If you’re using anything on your skin you need to dilute it down. Or you can also use some meat in diffusers. So I hope you found that helpful and any questions do let me know.

Bye for now.