Essential Oils

A Brief Introduction to Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy has become a catch-all phrase in recent years for just about all things that contain a fragrance or scent. Thousand of products on the market today are marketed under the premise of "Aromatherapy", but only a fraction of those products are true aromatherapy products. True Aromatherapy products contains pure essential oils in a variety of methods for use.

So, what is Aromatherapy? Aromatherapy is the use of pure essential oils that have been extracted from living plants, and these essential oils can have a therapeutic and medicinal effect on the body and soul. Essential oils are volatile, eaters, hormones, vitamins, anti-bacteria, and antiseptics. Each plant can produce a variety of constituents and in varying concentrations.

There are several ways to administer aromatherapy:

Through inhalation.
Through the skin via massage, bath, friction, or topical application.
Through skin care, hair care, and cosmetic use (facial care products like compresses, masks, creams and lotions)

Regardless of the method taken, essential oils diffuse through the skin or olfactory membranes deep into the tissues and circulatory system. Inhalation is the easiest, most pleasant, and sometimes most effective way of taking them. External application is a very effective way to treat specific disorders.

Essential Oils form the foundation of “aromatherapy”, which, as defined by Jan Kusmirek, is “the use of pure essential oils to seek to influence, to change or modify, mind, body or spirit; physiology or mood.” Essential Oils can be used for their cosmetic, medicinal and scent qualities and they can be applied in various ways, including in baths, creams, hair care preparations, hot/cold compresses, hydrosols, inhalation, lotions, massage, ointments, oils, steam inhalation and vaporization.

Whatever methods you decide to use to apply or use essential oils, be aware and cautions of how much you use and in what concentrations. As a general rule, pure essential oils must be diluted in some other base product such as a massage oil before applying topically to the skin. Some essential oils can cause irritation to the skin. Do not take essential oils internally.

Aromatic plants are those that contain Essential Oils. Essential Oils occur widely in the plant kingdom, not only in the flowers, leaves and fruit but also in the root systems and in other parts of green plants. Essential Oils are complex mixtures of individual chemical constituents, the precise nature and proportions of which determine its therapeutic and fragrant properties. Essential Oils are highly volatile substances that readily evaporate.

Essential Oils can be made in three ways:

1. Expression Processes:

Only Essential Oils from citrus fruits are extracted by Expression Processes, whereby the oil cells are ruptured by lateral compression of the peel or puncturing by scarification or grating.

2. Distillation Processes:

Most Essential Oils are made by the Distillation Process, whereby a volatile liquid is converted into a vapor; the vapor is then condensed by cooling the condensed liquid collected. The major distillation processes are Water Distillation, Steam Distillation, Water and Steam Distillation, Fractional Distillation and Hydro-Diffusion.

3. Solvent Extraction Processes:

Solvent Extraction utilizes volatile solvents (alcohol, ether, carbon dioxide) to isolate Essential Oils found in very low plant concentrations, such as Jasmine. Solvent Extracted Essential Oils have a finer fragrance than Steam Distilled Essential Oils.

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