Aromatherapy Recipes

Aromatherapy for Stress

2009-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Aromatherapy is something that should form an integral part of your de-stressing bath time routine, irrespective of age or gender. Using aromatic bath oils is a terrific way of relaxing itself, because not only does the heat from the water make it easier for the relaxing oil molecules to permeate your skin, it also releases those molecules into the air as well.

Aromatherapy for Stress - How to Use?
Unlike the other senses, something that you smell has direct access to your brain via your olfactory receptors, hence it is known that aromatic oils that you inhale can have a direct effect on your hormones, your brain chemistry and stress levels.

Aromatherapy for Stress - Latest Research
Tests have indicated that there are certain essential oils that are particularly good for relieving stress, such as lavender oil or chamomile. Of the group of around 40 such oils and herbs that can play a significant role in ensuring that you are as relaxed as possible, others are dandelion, burdock root, peppermint, rosemary and juniper. If at all possible, you should plan to take a relaxing hot bath in an ideal environment using aromatic oils at least once a day. By having and sticking to a ‘planned out in advance’ strategy in this way, it should be relatively easy to make sure that you always have essential oils that you need in the house.

Aromatherapy for Stress - Helpful Tips
However, there may be times when oils are not available, so you might need to ‘manufacture’ something that can act as an effective aromatic oils stand-in from common household substances. Here are a few suggestions. If you have herbal teabags available, drop a couple of them in your bath water before immersing yourself in it. Yes, the water may turn a slightly strange color, but it is not going to stain you forever, and the upside benefits will far outweigh any potential downside.

Aromatherapy for Stress - Best Esential Oils
Alternatively, mix a cup of baby oil with one tablespoonful of vanilla extract, and use the mixture in the bath. Slices of citrus fruits like orange, lemons and grapefruit can work extremely effectively as well, particularly because grapefruit releases enkephalins into the air which are natural painkillers. Try mixing one cup of honey together with four of cheap red wine (even older, oxidized wine is fine) and use this mixture in your bathwater.

Any of these mixtures will help to create the relaxing bath time atmosphere that you need to remove harmful stress from your life. If by taking a bath every day in this way you can significantly reduce the anxiety and stress that you feel, it will help to boost your general wellbeing.

Aromatherapy Treatments for Sinusitis

2009-08-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Aromatherapy Recipes for Sinusitis - What You Want?

10 drops peppermint essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Aromatherapy Recipes for Sinusitis - How to Prepare?

Put the essential oils into a dark glass bottle and shake well.

Add four drops of the concentrate to a bowl of almost boiling water. Cover your head and the
bowl with a towel to form a tent and inhale the aromatic vapour for five minutes. Carry out
the treatment two to three times daily.

Aromatherapy Recipes for Sinusitis -Caution
Avoid steam inhalations if you have asthma.
Not recommended for children under seven.

Aromatherapy Refreshing Oil for Influenza

2009-06-17T03:52:00.000-07:00

To purify the air during flu epidemics, vaporize this high-strength mixture of refreshing oils.

Ingredients:
3 drops Canadian balsam (or Scots pine) essential oil
3 drops Atlas cedarwood essential oil
3 drops juniper berry essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

Preparation and Usage:
Add the essential oils to the water-filled reservoir, then light the candle. If using an electric vaporizer or diffuser, make sure you follow the manufacture’s instructions. If you do not have a purpose-designed gadget add the essential oils to a plant mister containing about 200ml of water. Spray every room in your home at least twice a day.

Aromatherapy for Babies Colds

2009-05-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

Essential oils can protect babies and children from colds as well as relieve symptoms.

* Peppermint and Eucalyptus - blend the appropriate number of drops of either in a base of Almond oil and massage into the chest and back. To benefit from the vapours, add the essences to the bath and use in a vaporizer in your child's bedroom overnight.

* For babies under 6 months: Eucalyptus only. Try adding 3 drops of essence to a small bowl of boiling water and place under baby's cot at night.

* For children over 5: Black Pepper or Rosemary can also be used.

* Steam inhalation helps to relieve congestion in the nose and chest. Add 2 drops of essence to a basin of steaming hot water; cover your child's head with a towel and encourage slow, deep breathing. Always supervise steam inhalations.

* You can to some extent protect babies and children from catching someone else's cold by making a solution using 2 drops Peppermint and 2 drops Eucalyptus in 1/2 pint (300 ml) of water. Spray this around the house.

Can Aromatherapy Stimulate your Brain Activity?

2009-04-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

There are many different ways that people choose to stimulate their brain activity. One of them that seems to be getting a great deal of attention these days is called aromatherapy. This involves lighting candles or heating up oils with various types of scents on them. These scents will trigger a variety of reactions from the brain that are positive in nature. Not everyone is a follower of such methods though because they are skeptical about such capabilities. There are other people though that will tell you that aromatherapy has changed many things in their thinking process for the better.

When it comes to the use of aromatherapy for increased brain activity, you need to do your homework. You need to be aware of what the different scents are able to offer. It is also important to note that you don’t need very much to get the job done. A few drops of essential oils are very potent and that will do the job. Don’t mix scents either as you don’t know how they will affect your brain when they are in a mix versus each one separately.

If you want to energize your brain such as when you are studying for a test or trying to write a paper you need to avoid turning to the caffeine. Instead you should try peppermint, cypress, or lemon. When you feel that your brain is on overload it is important to relax and to reduce stress levels. You won’t be able to make good decisions until you can think clearly about a topic. Some great aromatherapy scents for this include geranium, lavender, and rose.

You will have to decide for yourself if aromatherapy is something that stimulates your brain or not. There is certainly nothing negative about the use of aromatherapy so you don’t have anything to lose by trying it. Many people have done so to curb their own curiosity on the topic. Discovering if there are any such benefits first hand means that you have taken on a role of discovery. That in itself is also a great way to continue to increase your brain activity.

What may surprise you though is that your brain may already be reacting to aromatherapy around you. Many businesses already know the value of it so they use it to their advantage. They use scents that rejuvenate the brain so that you will feel good while you are in their business. This is important because when you leave there your mind will associate that location with positive experiences. It is very likely that you will return to that retailer again and again because of the positive influence it has on your brain activity.

Some employers have experimented with aromatherapy as well. Some of the studies indicate that production levels are higher than in the past with certain types of scents that rejuvenate the mind and to help reduce stress. Common mistakes also are reduced because the employees are in a better frame of mind.

The world of aromatherapy is very fascinating and one you should explore in further detail. It is one of the most natural ways to evoke positive responses relating to your brain activity. Many people burn candles of a given scent in their home to help give it a warm and inviting feeling for all that enter it. They also feel that it helps keep the harmony within the family because everyone is exhibiting healthy brain activities.

Aromatherapy Treatments for Coughs

2009-03-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

10 drops cypress essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops frankincense essential oil
10 drops myrtle (or rosemary) essential oil

Preparation Method and Usage:

Put the essential oils into a dark glass bottle and shake well.

Add four drops of the concentrate to a bowl of almost boiling water, two drops for children over five years. Cover your head and the bowl with a towel to form a tent and inhale the aromatic vapour for five minutes. Carry out the treatment two to three times daily.

Avoid steam inhalations if you have asthma.

Aromatherapy Massage Oil for Influenza

2009-03-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

10 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops coriander essential oil
10 drops sweet marjoram essential oil 10 drops mandarin essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
(or use myrtle for children under 10)

Preparation & Usage:

Put the essential oils into a dark glass bottle and shake well.

For adults, add 15 drops of concentrate to 25ml vegetable base oil (such as sunflower, sweet almond or olive). For children over five years, use seven drops of concentrate to 25ml base oil. Massage twice a day.

Aromatherapy Ointment for Cuts & Grazes

2008-11-15T03:29:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

25g unperfumed skin cream (available from pharmacies)
5ml calendula tincture
5ml hypericum tincture
3 drops frankincense essential oil
2 drops myrrh essential oil
4 drops lavender essential oil

Preparation and Usage:

Put the unperfumed skin cream into a little glass pot. Add the tinctures and essential oils and stir until thoroughly mixed. Apply the ointment two or three times a day for as long as necessary.

What is Aromatherapy ?

2007-06-23T03:57:00.000-07:00

The word Aroma Therapy means 'treatment using scents'. It refers to the use of essential oils in Holistic Healing to improve health and emotional well-being and in restoring balance to the body. Essential oils are aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruit, bark, grasses and seeds. There are more than 150 types of oils that can be extracted. These oils have distinctive therapeutic, psychological and physiological properties that improve health and prevent illness. All essential oils have unique healing and valuable antiseptic properties. Some oils are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving,antidepressant, stimulating, relaxing, expectorating, support digestion and have diuretic properties too.

Essential oils get absorbed into our body and exert an influence on it. The residue gets dispersed from the body naturally. They can also affect our mind and emotions. They enter the body in three ways: by inhalation, absorption and consumption.

From the chemist's point of view, essential oils are a mixture of organic compounds viz., ketones, terpenes, esters, alcohol, aldehyde and hundreds of other molecules which are extremely difficult to classify, as they are small and complex. The essential oils' molecules are small. They penetrate human skin easily and enter the blood stream directly and finally get flushed out through our elementary system.

A concentrate of essential oils is not greasy; it is more like water in texture and evaporates quickly. Some of them are light liquid insoluble in water and evaporate instantly when exposed to air. It would take 100 kg of lavender to yield 3 kg of lavender oil; one would need 8 million jasmine flowers to yield barely 1 kg of jasmine oil.

Some of these aroma oils are very expensive. They are extracted using maceration. The purification process called defleurage is employed, and in some cases fat is used instead of oil. Then this process, called enfleurage, is used for final purification.

Aromatherapy Recipes for PMS

2007-06-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

PMS-Relief Aromatherapy Massage Oil Recipes

Use this PMS-relief massage oil as often as you desire. You can use it in massage treatments or apply a small amount after bathing as an all-over body moisturizer. You can also use essential oils in baths to ease PMS discomfort. Add four drops of clary sage or rose geranium and eight drops of lavender essential oils to a bathtub of comfortably warm water. Soak for 20 minutes, allowing yourself time to deeply relax and to enjoy the benefits of the essential oils on your body and your mind.

2 ounces almond oil
8 drops clary sage essential oil
16 drops lavender essential oil
½ teaspoon vitamin E oil

Mix oils together, shake well, and store in a tightly capped dark-glass bottle in a cool, dark place

Aromatherapy Recipes for Menstrual Pain

2007-06-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Herbs are excellent for relieving mild to moderate menstrual cramps, but more severe cramps call for extra help. Hot compresses placed over the abdomen, massage with essential oils, and hot aromatherapy baths relax tense muscles and bring circulation to the pelvic area. Several essential oils are especially helpful for easing cramps.

Cramp- Ease Aromatherapy Massage Oil

2 ounces almond oil
6 drops marjoram essential oil
8 drops lavender essential oil
6 drops ginger essential oil
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil

Combine oils in a dark-glass bottle and shake well. Store tightly in a cool, dark place,

Hot baths are wonderful for relaxing the body and mind and easing cramps. Add ten drops of lavender and four drops of marjom essential oils to a bathtub of comfortably hot water and soak for 20 minutes. For additional muscle-relaxing properties, add two cups of Epsom salts, which are rich in magnesium, a natural muscle-relaxing mineral. Hot sitz baths are also excellent for relieving uterine cramps. Add five drops of lavender essential oil and two drops of marjoram essential oil to the sitz bath desired.

Aromatherapy Recipes for UTI (Urinary Tract Infections)

2007-06-27T17:25:00.001-07:00

Aromatherapy essential oils can be added to baths, compresses, and massage oils to help to relieve urinary tract infections. Sitz baths can ease the pelvic pain that sometimes accompanies an infection. Add five drops each of juniper and sandalwood essential oils to the tub.

Aromatherapy Bath for UTIs

2 cups Epsom. salts
1 cup baking soda
6 drops sandalwood essential oil
4 drops juniper essential oil
Fill bathtub with comfortably hot water, adding Epsom salts and baking soda while the tub is filling. Add sandalwood and juniper essential oils just before entering the tub: Soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

Aromatherapy Massage Oil Recipes for UTIs

2007-06-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Aromatherapy Massage Oil Recipes for Urinary Tract Infections

1 ounce almond oil
7 drops sandalwood essential oil
5 drops juniper essential oil
1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil

Combine oils and store in a dark glass bottle. Use as a massage oil over the abdomen and lower back.

Aromatherapy Treatments for Vaginal Infections

2007-06-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Many essential oils have infection-fighting properties and are helpful for treating vaginal infections. They can easily be added to baths, sitz baths, and vaginal rinses to help ease uncomfortable symptoms such as itching, inflammation, and discharge. In general, use approximately ten drops of essential oil in a sitz bath and five drops to one quart of warm water for a vaginal rinse or douche.

Lavender has soothing and healing properties and relieves itching and inflammation. Although gentle, it is a potent antimicrobial. It has a sweet, floral, herbaceous fragrance.

Tea tree has powerful antiseptic properties and kills a wide variety of infectious microorganisms. Always dilute tea tree oil before using it on tender mucous membranes such as the vagina. Tea tree oil has a pungent medicinal scent reminiscent of eucalyptus.

Aromatherapy Treatments for Fibroids

2007-06-29T18:19:00.001-07:00

Essential oils increase circulation to the pelvic organs, relax tense uterine muscles, ease cramps, and encourage a state of overall relaxation that promotes healing. Use the following essential oils in sitz baths, massage oils, and abdominal compresses.

Ginger is a potent circulatory stimulant with warming properties. It also helps to improve liver function. Ginger has a spicy, warm scent.

Marjoram has potent sedative properties and is an excellent muscle relaxant that eases uterine cramps. It also has mild laxative action and helps to relieve constipation when used as an abdominal massage oil. Marjoram has a spicy, herbaceous, slightly sweet fragrance.
Rose is gentle and relaxing, and helps to ease physical and emotional tension. It has mild hormone-balancing properties and is considered to be a uterine tonic. Rose has a deep, sweet, floral fragrance.

Aromatherapy Massage Oil for Fibroids

10 drops ginger essential oil
10 drops rose essential oil
2 ounces almond oil
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil

Pour oils into a dark-glass bottle. Store tightly capped in a cool, dark place, and shake well before using. Use as a massage oil over the abdomen and lower back.

Aromatherapy Treatments for Fibrocystic Breast Discomfort

2007-06-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

Healing Breast Massage and Herbal Compresses

Hot and cold compresses and gentle breast massage improve circulation in breast tissue and are a wonderful way of caring for your breasts. Many women avoid touching their breasts because they are fearful of finding disease. Use your daily breast massage as an opportunity to affirm that your breasts are healthy.

To ease pain, make compresses from anti-inflammatory herbs such as chamomile, calendula, and yarrow. Essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties such as lavender and chamomile are also helpful for easing breast pain, and essential oils such as grapefruit and lemon stimulate lymphatic flow. As a preventive measure, avoid wearing underwire bras because they restrict the normal healthy circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid.

Pain- Relieving Aromatherapy Breast Compress

2007-07-02T06:22:00.001-07:00

2 teaspoons chamomile flowers
2 teaspoons calendula flowers
2 teaspoons yarrow flowers
1 1/2 cups water
10 drops lavender essential oil
2 washcloths
hot water bottle

Pour boiling water over herbs, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain, and add lavender essential oil. Dip washcloth into hot herbal solution, wring out slightly, and place over the breast. Cover with a dry towel and a hot water bottle to retain heat and leave. in place for 3 minutes. Remove washcloth and replace with a second washcloth that has been dipped in cold water. Leave cold washcloth on breast for one minute, and immediately fallow with the hot washcloth that has again been dipped into the hot herbal solution. Reheat the herbal solution if necessary. Repeat cycle 3 times, ending with the cold washcloth.

Healing Aromatherapy Breast Massage Oil

2007-07-02T18:57:00.001-07:00

2 ounces almond oil
1/2 teaspoon vitamin-E oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops grapefruit essential oil

Blend oils together in a tightly capped dark glass bottle. Apply approximately 1/2 teaspoon of oil to breasts immediately after bathing, while skin is still slightly damp. Massage breasts with a gentle, circular motion, finishing 'With sweeping movements, stroking from the breasts to the underarms to enhance lymphatic flow.

Ease Hot Flashes with Aromatherapy

2007-07-03T04:14:00.001-07:00

Relaxing baths ease physical and emotional tension and are a wonderful treat for relieving the discomfort of hot flashes. Avoid hot water, which can raise body temperature and trigger hot flashes. Draw a tub of tepid water, and add one cup of baking soda as a skin soother. Essential oils add fragrance and subtle healing properties. Lavender, geranium, clary sage, and rose essential oils all help to balance hormones and promote relaxation. Add 5 to 10 drops total of one or more essential oils to a tubful of water.

You can enjoy the cooling and relaxing benefits of aromatherapy throughout the day by carrying a spray bottle filled with a refreshing facial mist.

Cooling Aromatherapy Facial Mist for Hot Flashes

1/4 cup aloe vera juice
1/4 cup rosewater
5 drops rose or lavender essential oil

Combine ingredients in a glass spray bottle and shake well. Mist skin as often as desired.

Enhance Your Sexual Vitality with Aromatherapy

2007-07-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Scent has a powerful effect on the mind and the body and can greatly enhance sensual enjoyment. The sense of smell is controlled by the limbic system, the part of the brain that is the center for emotions, memories, and sexuality. Because fragrance directly influences the limbic part of the brain, many essential oils have long been valued as aphrodisiacs.

Rose is especially beneficial for women. It helps to balance hormones, has a tonic effect on the reproductive organs, and enhances sexuality. Psychologically, rose is uplifting and helps to restore a woman's connection to her femininity.

Sandalwood induces a state of calmness and serenity and relieves nervous tension. It is considered a sexual restorative for both women and men and has a rich, deep, woodsy-sweet scent.

Ylang-ylang is deeply relaxing, exotic, and sensuous. It has a rich, intensely sweet floral fragrance that can be overpowering in excess. Use it in very small quantities-two or three drops at most in a bath.

Patchouli has been used for thousands of years as a sexual stimulant. It also relieves nervous exhaustion. This ancient fragrance has a rich, deep, earthy, herbaceous scent.

Jasmine relieves nervous tension, has mild euphoric properties, and is said to restore sexual confidence. It has an exotic, warm, fruity-floral fragrance.

Clary sage helps to balance hormones. It has sedative, almost euphoric properties and relieves emotional tension that can interfere with sexuality. It has a deep, sweet, herbaceous fragrance.

Sensual- Pleasures Aromatherapy Massage Oil Recipes

2007-07-04T05:52:00.001-07:00

3 ounces almond oil
1 ounce jojoba oil
20 drops sandalwood essential oil
10 drops rose essential oil
5 drops clary sage essential oil

Combine almond oil, jojoba oil, and essential oils in a dark glass bottle. Cap tightly, shake well, and store in a cool, dark place.

Essential Oils That Relieve Fatigue (fatigue)

2007-07-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Essential oils can either relax or energize you, depending on the oils you choose. Use relaxing scents such as lavender and clary sage in baths and massages to help you unwind after a stressful day and to promote a good night's sleep. Use stimulating essential oils such as basil, rosemary, and peppermint in cool baths or footbaths for a quick boost of energy.

Lavender has relaxing and restorative properties for the body and the psyche. It helps to relieve fatigue that is related to emotional tension and also eases muscle aches caused by physical exertion. Lavender has a floral herbaceous fragrance with balsamic undertones.

Clary sage is deeply relaxing and helps to relieve fatigue by calming an overly active mind and by enhancing adrenal function. It also helps to relax tense muscles and promotes restful sleep. Clary sage has a musty, deep, sweet scent.

Basil has an uplifting effect on the psyche and pelps to dispel mental fatigue. It also enhances the function of the adrenal glands. Basil has a warm, sweet, spicy scent.

Rosemary is one of the most potent and balanced essential-oil stimulants for both the mind and the body. It enhances the functioning of the adrenal glands, helps to overcome fatigue, and also improves mental clarity. Rosemary has a strong, herbaceous fragrance with mint and camphor undertones.

Peppermint is energizing and invigorating and is excellent for relieving mental exhaustion and physical fatigue. It has a potent, minty scent, and because it is so strong, should be used only in small amounts (no more than three drops in a bath).

Energy- Restoring Aromatherapy Bath Recipes for Fatigue

2007-07-05T06:24:00.001-07:00

This bath combines the soothing qualities of lavender with the energizing effects of rosemary and peppermint for an uplifting, yet restorative bath.

7 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops rosemary essential oil
2 drops peppermint essential oil
1 cup sea salt
1 cup baking soda

Draw a bathtub of comfortably warm water. Combine sea salt and baking soda in a covered container and add essential oils. Shake well to combine, and add just before entering the tub. Soak for 15 minutes, and finish with a cool shower to energize your body and clear your mind.

Aromatherapy for Stress and Anxiety

2007-07-05T17:48:00.001-07:00

Fragrant essential oils have powerful effects on the emotions and can help to relieve stress and anxiety when used in baths and massages, or even by placing a drop or two on a handkerchief and inhaling the fragrance. The following essential oils are especially helpful for easing emotional distress.
Bergamot has a sweet, spicy, citrusy fragrance. It has a refreshing and uplifting effect on the emotions and is helpful for both stress and anxiety.

Bergamot contains a compound called bergapten that can cause skin photosensitivity, so use a bergapten-free oil.

Frankincense has a warm, rich, sweet balsamic fragrance and has been used as an incense since ancient times to promote a sense of peace and to soothe the spirit. It has sedative properties and slows and deepens the breathing, which helps to relieve stress and anxiety.

Lavender has a sweet, herbaceous, floral, and balsamic fragrance. It is balancing for the body and emotions and helps to relieve anxiety, nervous stress, and headaches or insomnia that are caused by tension.

Marjoram has a warm, herbaceous, slightly spicy fragrance. It has potent sedative properties, eases nervous tension and irritability, and is helpful for stress-related disorders such as muscle tension and headaches.

Rose has a sweet, floral, intensely rose fragrance. It has mild sedative and balancing effects on the psyche, is soothing and comforting, and promotes a feeling of well-being.

Sandalwood has a deep, rich, woodsy fragrance. It has mild sedative properties, engenders a sense of peaceful relaxation, and is helpful for relieving anxiety and all stress-related complaints. Burning sandalwood incense creates a peaceful atmosphere.

Ylang ylang has a very sweet, exotic floral fragrance and has a sedative and slightly euphoric effect on the emotions. It is helpful for both anxiety and nervous tension. A drop or two of ylang ylang is sufficient-beware of overdosing, because too much can cause headaches or nausea.

Body & Mind-Relaxing Aromatherapy Bath for Stress and Anxiety

2007-07-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

2 cups Epsom salts
1 cup baking soda
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops marjoram essential oil

Draw a tubful of warm water, and while the water is running add the Epsom salts and baking soda. After the tub has filled, mix the lavender and marjoram essential oils into the bathwater. Darken the room, light a candle, put on soothing music, 15-20 minutes. Imagine as the tub drains that all of your tension is draining away with the water.