Essential Oils: Using A Synergistic Blend Can Often Be More Effective

Sometimes it is better to use a synergistic blend of essential oils to get relief from symptoms rather than use a single essential oil. Some of these synergistic oils include Blue Tansy, Spikenard, Rosemary and Lemongrass. In its basic form, it is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid that contains aroma compounds derived from plants. The word essential is used to indicate that oils have a scent (essence) that sets it apart even if such scent is not very important, or a fundamental matter.

Made With The Help Of Distillation As Well As Solvent Extraction

Essential oils are not known as a group to have any specific chemical properties that are common to the group other than the fragrance. To make them, use is made of distillation as well as solvent extraction. Essential oils are often used in perfumes as well as cosmetics, and also to add flavor to foods and drinks as well as for giving incenses more scents as too are used in cleaning products used in homes.

Essential oils are obtained from many different parts of certain plants and there are some such as orange oil that can be derived from different parts of the plant. Other plants include allspice, Juniper, Almond, Basil, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Camphor, Peppermint, Rose, Bergamot, Thyme and a lot more.

Essential oils have been used throughout history for their medicinal benefits such as skin treatment and providing relief from cancer. Of late, there has been growing interest in essential oils usage, especially because of the increased popularity of aromatherapy, which is an offshoot of alternative medicine that claims that different aromas contained in essential oils can be used for their curative properties.

However, one should not apply these oils directly to the skin because it has a concentrated nature that can cause severe irritation or even cause an allergic reaction if used in undiluted form. It would be better to blend them with a base or “fixed” oil before applying it, and some of the common base oils include olive, hazelnut, almond as well as grapeseed.

Those who use essential oils in an industry should read up their material safety data sheets to get to know the different hazards as well as how to properly handle the particular oils. Concern has also been voiced regarding the pesticide residues found in these oils, and more particularly in those that are used for therapeutic purposes. It is thus more advisable to use organic essential oils.

Clearing Up Information On Essential Oil Remedies For Acne

There is a lot you need to do in the war against acne. You need to carry out plans of attack both inside and outside of your body. A balanced diet with plenty of water, fresh fruits and vegetables can win the inside front against acne, as well as a lot of other health battles. The battleground on your skin is a little more complicated. There are so many remedies and cures out there. Suppose you would like to use aromatherapy, because of it is gentle and natural. Here are some tips on common essential oil remedies for acne.

Acne Boot Camp

Acne is a normal problem that happens in varying degrees with those lucky enough to have oily or combination skin. It mostly happens to teens as their hormones and lifestyles can encourage acne to grow. Acne is cause by bacteria and dirt clogging up your pores. Your goal is to keep your pores clean.

Washing your face is a logical step. Use a gentle soap or cleanser and don’t scrub fiercely, and don’t wash a hundred times a day. Washing after sweating is advisable, as sweat can clog your pores up. But washing too many times with harsh alcohol based cleansers get rid of all the natural oil (sebum) on your skin. Your body responds by making even more sebum than before, which clogs up your pores. There are many products on the market that are made of essential oil remedies for acne. Many essential oils have an antiseptic property, which means they can help clean your pores up and keep them clean. They can also help diminish the acne you already have, or keep any burst pimples from infection.

Stop Playing With Yourself

That got your attention! Although it is difficult, resist squeezing, poking, prodding, rubbing or scratching your acne. This not only can invite infection, but can wind up making your face have large red patches rather than small pink dots. Instead, dab a dot of pure tea tree or lavender oil on the spots, either with a clean finger or with a cotton swab. It is safe to do this several times a day, but if there’s any pain or swelling, STOP.

You can use a weekly steam cleaning treatment to really give your skin a massage. Fill a bowl with boiling water and three or four drops of tea tree, neroli, lavender, ylang ylang, grapefruit, bergamot, helichrysum or myrtle essential oils. I recommend tea tree and lavender combined as one of the cheaper but effective essential oil remedies for acne. Lean over the steaming bowl and put a towel over your head and the bowl for ten or fifteen minutes. If you feel faint, come up for air.

The pleasant side effect of using essential oil remedies for acne is that the scents can often clam you down and trigger happy memories. This reduces one of the great causes of acne – worry. Worry can cause sweat, which blocks your pores, or lowers your body’s self-defense system against acne.

The battle against pimples is hard and long, but with a healthy diet, your perspective and essential oil remedies for acne, you will prevail.

Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils Are A+

There are shelves crammed full of all kinds of essential oils now that aromatherapy is getting more popular. But prices for the same oil can vary remarkably. Suppose you need one of the most versatile aromatherapy oils in existence, tea tree oil.

Did you know that there are over two hundred plants in the tea tree family, and they all produce similar-smelling oil? However, there are only a few specific kinds of tea tree plants that can make you feel better. The others make you feel no change at all, if you’re lucky. Some companies use additives or solvents or other kinds of oils to cut production costs.

Some even use any part of the plant, while the real beneficial scent cells that help you are only in certain parts of a plant, or need to be harvested fresh instead of dried. So how can you tell that you’re getting the best quality for your money? You look for therapeutic grade essential oils, sometimes called “medicinal grade essential oils”.

How Can You Tell?

There are certain things on the bottle that will let you know if an essential oil is one of the therapeutic grade essential oils and not an evil twin.

The bottle will be dark. This keeps the oil safer longer.
The Latin names of all the organic material will be on the label. For example, the tea tree Latin name you want to see is Melaleuca alternifolia.
Some labels will say boldly that they are NOT for anything else other than burning in an oil lamp. Put those back.
The labels will often proudly proclaim that there no pesticides were used on the plants or herbs before harvest.
They might be certified therapeutic grade essential oils by one or both of these groups – ISO or AFNOR.

What Is ISO Or AFNOR?

These are the watchdog groups of the aromatherapy business that set the standards for what grade an essential oil can be sold at. It’s not quite the same as Grade A, as they use tests American agencies don’t.

The ISO is short for the International Organization of Standardization, which in other languages other than English makes more sense than IOS. It started in 1947 and tests not only therapeutic grade essential oils but many other products as well. It has branches all over the world.

AFNOR is short for The Association Francaise de Normalisation . Yes, it’s French. It’s the French government’s equivalent of the ISO. The tests for therapeutic grade essential oils are especially strict.

The Uses Of Vanilla Essential Oil

Vanilla essential oil is becoming very popular today. This is because it is known to infuse loving vibrations.

Where Vanilla Essential Oil Comes From

The vanilla “bean” is actually a dried pod of unripe fruit, which is native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztec Indians are from this area and they actually combined these vanilla beans with cocoa to make a drink that they called “Xoco-Latl.” Cortez, who was a Spanish explorer discovered this vanilla and took it home with him to Europe. However, most of the vanilla that is used today comes from Madagascar. It is available as a liquid extract or as a synthetic flavoring.

Vanilla Essential Oil As Aromatherapy

There are no direct medicinal applications for vanilla. However, vanilla is often used to create an essential oil that will help you to relax, soften your anger, cause you to become less irritable and make you less frustrated. Vanilla essential oil can blend nicely with sandalwood, bergamot, rose, balsams and other spicy oils.

Making Soap From Vanilla Essential Oil

Soap making can be fun, healthy and rejuvenating. This soap is wonderful for your skin unlike store bought soap, which can dry out your face. One type of soap that you can make is Almond-Vanilla soap. For this soap you will need 1/3 cup whole almonds, 1 (4 ounce) bar of Castile soap, 1/4 cup of distilled water, 1 tablespoon of almond oil and 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla essential oil. You will need to grind the almonds to a fine powder in a food processor, then either shred or melt the Castile soap. In a heavy saucepan you will need to bring the water to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Once you remove the pan from the heat you should add the almond powder, almond oil and vanilla essential oil. Stir this mixture until well blended, then mold it and set it aside to dry for 5 hours.

Making A Scented Spray From Vanilla Essential Oil

Vanilla essential oil can also be used in homemade perfume. This may seem difficult to do but it is actually very easy. Once you have created this perfume, it can also be used on bed linens or as an air freshener. All you need is a 2 ounce spray bottle filled with some distilled water, a1/2 teaspoon of high proof vodka and 40 drops of vanilla essential oil. Once you have placed all of your ingredients into the bottle, you should then mix it gently and either allow it to age for a week or use it right away. Each time that you use this spray you should shake it gently so that everything is mixed together.

The Essentials Of Essential Oil Stills

What is that apparatus of pipes and pots and tubes dripping into a bottle? Could it be a still? Yes, it’s a still, but not for making moonshine. It’s for making essential oil. Essential oil stills are the most popular way to make essential oils from the flowers, herbs or twigs of the original substance. The process used by essential oil stills can be similar to moonshine stills, but PLEASE don’t drink the oil!

Is There Still A Need For Stills?

It isn’t just the smell of an herb or flower that gives oil its medicinal properties; it’s the cells of the plant or herb itself. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple to just reproduce the scent. If you want to use the essential oil for health or mood changing reasons, you need the real deal, the spirit of the plant. It’s like the difference between your favorite kind of tea and the blander varieties. Sure, tea bags look mostly alike and may even smell alike, but there is a vast difference in taste from one bag of dried leaves and another.

Still Crazy After All These Years

Although the roots of aromatherapy are lost in antiquity, the modern practice can be traced to a 1920’s French chemist by the name of Rene’ Gattefosse’, who also came up with the name “aromatherapy”. He often used essential oil stills to make the oils he did research on.

There are two types of essential oil stills – steam stills and water stills. Both types are used today not much altered from the 1920’s. Steam essential oil stills are used more often because they are quicker. You put the fresh flowers or what have you in a container, which is then heated. The steam under pressure strips the oil – the spirit of the plant – away from the flowers. But some flowers and herbs cannot handle the pressure of steam distillation, so then water essential oil stills are used. Their vacuum-sealed containers are heated in water until vapor forms. This vapor cools and drips the prized essential oil into yet another container.

There are small essential oil stills for the home that are sold, but they are only for those with a lot of patience and access to huge fields of herbs or flowers. It takes a tremendous amount of organic material to make even one ounce of therapeutic grade pure essential oil. Each flower petal or herb can only give off a minute drop of the oil.

Organic essential oils Are Certainly Superior As Well As Costlier Than Other Essential Oils

The popularity of essential oils can directly be attributed to the therapeutic effects that are obtained by using such oils, which are produced through steam distillation, and also solvent extraction, and are absorbed by the skin, or they may even be inhaled after which a balance in activities is achieved that makes using essential oils well worth the effort. Different components of these essential oils will provide different benefits.

There Are Greater Therapeutic Value Because No Fertilizers, Pesticides Etc. Are Used

Perhaps the more superior among these essential oils are the organic essential oils, which have (supposedly) greater therapeutic value because when extracted, there is an absence of fertilizers, pesticides as well as any other dangerous chemicals. Another benefit to using organic essential oils is that often such essential oils are extracted from plants grown in high quality soil and also with the help of environmentally friendly processes. In fact, you will find that there are certain organizations that actually certify organic essential oils as well as organic plants, which means you should ensure that you are only buying certified organic essential oils to get better results, as well as for guaranteed therapeutic benefits.

Yet another advantage to using organic essential oils is that they have superior aroma, which can be attributed to the fact that they are more concentrated as compared with other types of essential oils. In addition, there is also more potent flavor, which also makes the organic essential oils more suitable for cooking dishes with fresh flavor as well as for healthier dishes.

When you compare organic essential oils to other essential oils that are used for cooking, you will find that the organic variety like organic basil extracts are more exciting as well as give you a more appetizing taste. In addition, they come without glycerol molecules, which means that you won’t be having any fatty oil grease on your tongue. The end result is that you get a healthier as well as antibacterial and antiviral benefit that will also help to combat diseases as well.

However, organic essential oils are also well suited for application to the skin with the help of massages as well as through bathing. It is also possible for it to be inhaled in order to get the most out of its therapeutic effects. Because they are considered more superior to other essential oils, organic essential oils will also cost more, and those that are made from harvesting in the wild are also decidedly more expensive as well.

Lavender Essential Oil Is The Perfect Aromatherapy

For many years lavender essential oil has been used in the production of perfumes and for aromatherapy treatments. The lavender scent has a calming quality which helps to reduce anxiety and aid in relaxation. The oil comes from the distillation of flower spikes from specific lavender plants. It is one of the more popular and widely used essential oils in the world today. This oil is used in many commercial products to help with numerous skin ailments. Lavender essential oil is also used to help relieve the pain of migraine headaches when breathed in as a vapor or diluted and rubbed on the temples or other pressure points. When lavender essential oil is added to a vaporizer, the oil can help treat cough and respiratory infections. Another interesting use for lavender essential oil is a mosquito repellent. When worn as a perfume or added to lotions or hair products, this oil will naturally repel mosquitoes and other pesky insects. Before the invention of mosquito repellant, lavender essential oils were all that people had to rid themselves of these insects which explains why it is included in the commercial repellants today.

First Aid Use

There are many holistic first aid uses for lavender essential oil. Diluted or undiluted, the oil may be used as an antiseptic and pain reliever when applied to minor burns, stings and insect bites. It is used for the treatment of sunstroke and sunburn. When lavender essential oil is added to chamomile, it is an effective treatment for eczema. Lavender essential massage oils are effective for the treatment of muscle and joint pain, and chest rubs can provide relief of asthmatic and bronchitic spasms. This oil is also used as a treatment for head lice. Undiluted oil on a comb will eliminate nits.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found that lavender essential oil may play a role in the reduction of advanced mammary tumors in lab rats. Researchers are constantly looking into potential breast, liver, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer treatments with the involvement of lavender essential oils.

France is highly known for its many perfumes and emollients which are derived from and with lavender essential oil. There are certain areas of France that are covered with acres and acres of lavender. Lavender from this area of the world is highly fragrant and tourists flock to these areas yearly. It is no wonder that with all of its properties and fragrance, that lavender essential oil is the most popular of the essential oils.

Making Beautiful Music For Your Nose With Essential Oil Recipes

There are a lot of benefits to aromatherapy. Perhaps you want to help heal minor problems. Perhaps you want a sensual massage. Perhaps you need to calm down or wake up. Or perhaps you want to smell something pleasing. Whatever your reason, you will soon discover that your nose has its own likes and dislikes. What essential oil recipes work for one person might not work for you, much in the same way jazz music is both loved and hated. You have to spend some time learning what scents you like and what you don’t. This way you can make your own essential oil recipes that best benefit you.

Notes Of Scent

Creating your own essential oil recipes can be a lot of fun for many people, like playing or listening to music. With your first essential oil recipes, stick with just three oils until you get the hang of it. Otherwise, they’ll clash. Also, considering the price of some essential oils, it’ll be a lot cheaper.

There are three kinds of oils that you need in your mix to make it the most effective. These types of essential oils are called “notes”. You need a top note, and a middle note, and a base note. You can also make some good essential oil recipes with one top note and two middles. Experiment and see what works best for you. Note what scents bring about what kind of feelings brought up in you. It’s safer to blend essential oils with a carrier oil like olive or jojoba than just to use the pure essential oils if you mean to put the oil on your body. It’s also a lot less expensive! When burning oils for their scent alone, it is best to use the pure essential oils.

Top Notes

Top notes are like the lead vocals of an essential oil recipe. They are usually the first thing you notice. They also don’t last too long, letting the other notes take over. Many fruity and floral scents fall into this category. Common top note essential oils are lemon, bergamot, eucalyptus and orange.

Middle Notes

Middle notes are like the guitars in a band. They are more subtle than top notes and tend to last a lot longer. Spicy, floral and herbal kind of essential oils tend to fall into this category. Some are listed as middle notes OR base notes, depending on what aromatherapy book you read. Smell them and determine for yourself how long the scent lasts in your essential oil recipes. Common middle note oils are lavender, geranium, patchouli, rose and rosemary.
Base Notes

Base note scents are the percussion and rhythm of the scent band. They provide the beat that the rest of the band has to follow. The base note oils linger the longest in you essential oil recipes. Many spicy and woody scents fall into this category. Common base note oils are sandalwood, cypress, frankincense and myrrh. Some also list patchouli and even rose in this category.

Essential Oil + Pimples = Acne Greatly Reduced

You can help fight acne with essential oil. Pimples, acne, spots – whatever you call them will all be reduced or clear up with your determination, know how and a bottle or two of essential oil. Pimples, acne and spots all have the same cause – bacteria in your pores. Although your skin makes natural oil, called sebum, it seems to go into overdrive when you hit puberty. Dealing with sebum is bad enough without sweat and dirt and your fingers complicating matters any.

Surface To Air Attack

One of the simplest ways to get the benefit of essential oils is to buy anti-pimple products that already include or are made up entirely of essential oils. However, these products are not always available in America and sometimes are costly. A more cost effective method is to dab the oil onto your acne a few times a day. Which essential oil? Pimples, acne and spots seem impervious to most anything. Tea tree, lavender, jasmine, sandalwood, helichrysum, grapefruit and ylang ylang are the most popular and widely available to clean out bacteria and keep any open pimples from infection. Give yourself a patch test first on your arm or leg to see if you are allergic to the oil. Tea tree is considered the best essential oil. Pimples, acne and scarring from them are greatly reduced by the pure oil.

Another popular remedy is to use no more than 6 drops of essential oil(s) in your bath to help clean, disinfect and relax you. The more you stress about your acne, the more it seems you get acne.

One a week, you can have a steam facial massage for ten or fifteen minutes with essential oil. Pimples, acne and spots are given the rough treatment then. Three or four drops of your choice oil in the water, lean over into the steam and put a towel over your head and that’s all there is to it.

Don’t Overdo It

In the fight against acne, more is definitely not better. Don’t wash more than two times a day (depending on how sweaty or dirty you are), don’t scrub your face, and avoid really harsh alcohol-based treatments. Your body is used to having a normal amount of sebum out and about at all times. If it suddenly all disappears, the body freaks out and makes loads of sebum, which can block pores and cause acne.

You also need to eat healthily, and learn how to deal with stress. This will help the effectiveness of your essential oil. Pimples, acne and spots can be defeated with time, patience, and general good health.