Essential Oils

March 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Aromatherapy

An essential oil can be classified as a liquid that is most frequently distilled by steam or water from leaves, flowers, bark, stems, roots, or any other portion of a plant. Contrary to the word “oil”, essential oils do not actually feel the slightest bit oily. Many oils are clear, although some oils such as orange and lemongrass portray an amber or yellowish color.
Due to the contents of essential oil, it is commonly used in aromatherapy and is most definitely the best choice of oil to use for this particular practice.
As noted in previous articles, essential oils are not the same as perfume or fragrance oils and are much safer to use in aromatherapy. While essential oils are derived from real plants, perfume oils are artificially created fragrances or contain artificial substances and do not offer the therapeutic benefits that essential oils offer, and could actually cause harm to one’s body.

The chemical composition can provide valuable psychological and physical therapeutic benefits, as well as the aroma of these essential oils. These benefits are most often achieved through methods including application of the diluted oil to the skin and inhalation.
Essential oils are usually used in this sense by diluting them with a carrier oil and then applying this blend to the skin for absorption.
These oils are usually sold for individual use in very small bottles. They vary greatly in quality and price, various factors can affect the quality and price of the oil. The factors can include the rarity of the plant, country and conditions in which the plant was grown in, the quantity of oil produced by the plant, and quality standards of the distiller.
Essential oils can also be purchased as blends of several essential oils in one bottle. The advantage is that by buying a blend of pure essential oils will spare you the relunctancy of having to buy every required essential oil individually. The disadvantage is that you will have no control over the blend by not mixing the oils yourself, nor can you reliably mic the blend with other desired oils.

Although essential oils can be beneficial when used in aromatherapy, there are hazardous essential oils that should not be used in aromatherapy without the express administration by a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Many of these should not be used even by a qualified practitioner. Look at a list of hazardous essential oils to assure your well-being, although you should not assume that an oil is safe to use if it is not on one of the lists, because every individual’s body reacts differently when exposed to certain substances..