Smorgasbord Medicine Woman’s Treasure Chest – Aromatherapy – Oils, origins, uses and Safety Part Two by Sally Cronin.

Twenty years ago I ran a health food shop and diet advisory centre here in Ireland and we sold essential oils for aromatherapy. I thought that I should learn more about it and took a course on the subject. It is not something that I have covered here on the blog, and I am looking forward to refreshing my memory from my course notes. and introducing you to this relaxing therapy at the same time.

What is Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy uses essential oils which have been extracted from specific sweet smelling plants for therapeutic massage. They are blended with specialised carrier oils to ensure that they are used in a diluted form and are easily absorbed by the skin. The oils can also be used to add these therapeutic aromas to our environment as well with the use of burners.

You can find the previous parts of this series in this directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/aromatherapy/

Oils, origins, uses and Safety Part Two

Last week I gave you a list of the most common essential oils to be found in skincare, massage and for therapeutic use. I would like to continue that today but first a quick word about carrier oils.

Carrier Oils

Essential oils are known as volatile because they smell of the plant they were extracted from and evaporate quickly according to the ‘note’ of the oil. For example if an essential oil has a ‘top’ note such as a citrus oil, it will evaporate within a couple of hours of being applied to the skin. Whereas, an oil with a ‘base’ note is warmer and lasts longer, sometimes for several hours or days. Although called an oil, it does not feel oily and it is not easy to apply. The essential oil also requires diluting in varying degrees dependent on how you are going to use. As skincare, for massage or therapeutic. It therefore needs to be blended with an oil that can be applied smoothly.

via Smorgasbord Medicine Woman’s Treasure Chest – Aromatherapy – Oils, origins, uses and Safety Part Two by Sally Cronin.