Stress Awareness Month - Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy


April is ‘Stress Awareness Month’. Throughout this month we aim to share some tips on helping to understand stress and what you can do to help balance and manage it.

Today we're focusing on the benefits of Aromatherapy.

What is Aromatherapy and how do we use it?

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils from plants for their therapeutic properties, it’s the use of these oils in holistic treatments to improve physical and emotional well-being. Essential oils are aromatic, volatile substances extracted from a single botanical source by various methods including distillation or expression. They can be from leaves, stems, flowers, trees, twigs – you name it! This results in a very concentrated oil, taken from a large amount of plant material. They possess various therapeutic properties (just like the plant itself) and are used in many ways including Aromatherapy and Cosmetics.
Aromatherapists tend to use essential oils in Massage, Compresses or Baths, Vaporisers, Inhalations and Cosmetics. The therapist will choose essential oils based on the clients needs and create a tailored treatment or product for them.

Essential oils are absorbed into the body through inhalation (via the olfactory system) or absorption (via the skin).

Safety Precautions

If you are using essential oils for their therapeutic properties rather than their fragrance, always be sure to buy ‘pure’ essential oils. The ‘fake’ essential oils will usually list words such as fragrance and tend to not use the Latin name of the plant.

It’s important to know the Latin name of the plant, this helps you decipher between the different types of one particular essential oil – for example Lavender, Eucalyptus and Chamomile all have more than one.

Never ingest essential oils.

Never apply essential oils neat.

Remember that essential oils are not water soluble, do not put drops directly into your bath – they will just float and not disperse. Mix them with a carrier instead.

Some essential oils have negative side effects and are not suited to be used by people with certain health conditions. If you are not a trained Aromatherapist please be careful and read the labels, only use pre-blended oils or commonly known safe oils.

Be careful with your dilutions, the safety guidelines range from a 1-2% blend.

If you are not a trained aromatherapist, we would recommend buying pre blended products for safety.


How can essential oils help with my stress?

Essential oils are made up of natural, aromatic and volatile chemical compounds that contain various therapeutic properties.

Based on their therapeutic properties, you can choose essential oils to help you balance your stress and anxiety, help you sleep, or lift your mood. These can be done using a diffuser, massage, bath oils, balms and lotions, inhalations (a few drops on a cloth for example).


 


ESSENTIAL OILS FOR STRESS






The Usual Suspects
These may be the more 'obvious choices' that come to mind when we think of stress and essential oils

Lavender – ‘the queen’ a wonderful all rounder for the body, but a great oil for the nervous system. Lavender helps balance emotions, relieve stress and can help you sleep (too much lavender can have the opposite affect for sleep, so be sparing).
Frankincense – ‘the king’ another wonderful all rounder for the body, a comforting oil that helps focus the mind and relieve anxiety, it helps produce a sense of calm. A good oil to diffuse during meditation.
Chamomile (Roman/German) – another good all rounder, a sedative which can help with sleep, help reduce tension and anxiety. 
Note – Chamomile can cause irritation for very sensitive skins, it is also a mild emmenagogue (encourages menstruation) so should be avoided in early stages of pregnancy.
Rose Damask – an effective anti-depressant that helps relieve nervous tension and insomnia
Rose Cabbage – very similar properties to Damask (and cheaper!) it helps stimulate positive emotions and reduce feelings of nervous tension



Citrus Oils

Sunshine in a bottle’ the citrus family hold similar properties when it comes to the nervous system, they produce uplifting and cheerful properties and are great stress relievers!
Note some citrus oils are phototoxic, and should not be applied if going out in the sun.
Examples of citrus oils to use for stress would be Petitgrain, Grapefruit or Bergamot.

The ‘Others’
Examples of maybe less known or used essential oils for stress, but very beneficial none the less

Vetiver - an oil of tranquillity, it has a grounding effect and helps to release mental and physical tension.
Geranium – emotionally uplifting, balances both mind and body. Note – may cause mild irritation for very sensitive skins
Jasmine - helps to rejuvenate the body, relaxes and soothes the mind. Note - do not use during Pregnancy
Neroli – a great tonic for the nervous system, rejuvenating for the mind and body (note – neroli is made from the orange blossom, so this links back to the citrus oils) However Neroli is not phototoxic.
Clary Sage  - a warming and uplifting oil that promotes feelings of well being. Note – avoid during pregnancy
Rosemary – rosemary is a refreshing and clearing oil that helps mental fatigue and lethargy, a good ‘boost’ oil. Note – avoid during pregnancy, if you have epilepsy or high blood pressure.



I don’t have any essential oils – what can I do?

That’s OK, most of us don’t have a stock pile of essential oils available or even just one or two like tea tree and lavender! You can purchase products like Frankincense incense or Lavender & Chamomile tea, plus many others receive the same calming benefits. You will also find the plant in the great outdoors or in your kitchen.

Basil – as well as being a good herb for digestion, it is a mild nervine and is useful for stress with relaxing properties. It helps clear the mind of clutter and worries.
Peppermint – A cooling and refreshing herb, peppermint helps to wake up and improve mental fatigue, headaches and nerves. Of course, it’s also great for the digestion (much like the whole mint family).
Rosemary – refreshing and clearing for the mind, helps to stimulate the body and promote well-being.
Thyme – a good tonic for the nervous system, it can helps ease symptoms of stress such as headaches and muscle tension.
Lavender – if this is growing in your garden or somewhere near you, lucky you! Have a good whiff, you’ll feel calmer for it. Crush a bit in your fingers if you want it to last a little longer. You can also buy dried lavender, lavender tea and many other related products.
Chamomile - We all know the benefits of chamomile, help your 'wind down' and sleep with a tea. 
Lemon Balm - A great stress and anxiety reliever, and helps with insomnia. If you can find some near by take a nice inhale of the aroma or you can buy this in tea form.
Ginger – great for your immune, circulatory and respiratory system, ginger is also very warming and spicy – this helps wake up any sluggish and tired feelings. This can easily be made in a tea, chop up some ginger, crush a little to release the flavour and let brew in some hot water. 

So, once in a while try to 'remember to stop and smell the roses'. 

If you are interested in learning more and doing our Aromatherapy course, you can find more information here.



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