Aromatherapy (Basics and Recipes)

March 21, 2010 by Becki Baumgartner
Filed under Beauty & Skincare, Herbology, Holistic Living

Essential Oils

The skin is the largest organ it makes up 86% of the body. Aromatherapy you inhale, essential oil you put on the skin. It absorbs immediately into the skin that begins the healing process. In magical aromatherapy, the use of true essential oils is mandatory. Synthetics won’t work. Because essential oils are born of plants, they have a direct link with the Earth. This subtle energy, nourished by soil, Sun, and rain, vibrates within essential oils. Since we too are of the Earth and also possess this link, we merge and work together. Synthetics have no link to the Earth. In a magical sense, they’re dead. To create them, scientists mix together only what ingredients necessary to make the scent. Essential oils are the distilled or expressed products of naturally aromatic plant materials. Lavender essential oil is extracted from lavender, not from a plant which smells like lavender. Additionally, synthetics are not essential oils. Artificial rose is sickly sweet, antiseptic and easily produces headaches. True rose essential smells like a stimulating field of flowers contained within a bottle. It hums with soothing, peaceful energies. It is alive.

History of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy started in Europe more than sixty years ago and is practice by medical doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. Aromatherapy consists simply of using essential oils for healing. The origin of aromatherapy is usually attributed to Ancient Egypt and India. It would date back to the mysterious Kingdom of Sheba, located in the part of the world now called Ethiopia. The Kingdom of Sheba, the “land of milk and honey,” was a very prosperous country of the high antiquity. In particular, it controlled the production of the very precious frankincense and myrrh and the trade in spices coming by caravan from India and then by boat through the Red Sea. Sheba is the land from where the three magi came to greet the infant Christ with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the three most precious substances of that time. The Egyptian’s are considered the inventors of western medicine, pharmacy, and cosmetology. Parallel with the development of medicine and pharmacy, they also developed very refined techniques for skin care, creating beauty recipes that have endured to the present day. Aromatics were the major active ingredients in their skin care preparations. Cleopatra, of course, is legendary for her use of cosmetic preparations and perfumes to enhance her beauty and her powers of seduction. Her beauty regimes lasted hours. When she sailed to greet the Roman Emperor Marc Anthony, the sails of her ship were soaked in jasmine, one of the most aphrodisiac fragrances. Marc Anthony fell so deeply in love with Cleopatra that he gave up his empire to follow her. The Egyptians also practiced the art of massage and were famous specialists in skin care and cosmetology. During the Renaissance, the use of essential oils expanded into perfumery and cosmetics. Aromatherapy per se was formally developed in France in the late 1920’s and `grew into a mainstream movement in Europe. The term itself was coined by a French chemist by the name of René Maurice Gattefosse. As the story goes, Mr. Gattefosse, was a chemist working for the perfume industry, burned his hand in an explosion in his laboratory. A vat full of lavender oil was nearby, and he plunged his hand into it. The pain disappeared instantly, and he recovered so fast that he decided to investigate further the healing power of essential oils. Thus was born aromatherapy.

French estheticians have grown increasingly attracted to aromatherapy. The French in general, even in the skin care area, tend to use much higher dosages and concentrations than do other European practitioners. British aromatherapy began in the 1950’s with Marguerie Maury, a French cosmetologist who lived in London and emphasized uses in skin care and massage, with esoteric undertones. She gave British aromatherapy the spiritualist undertones that it still retains. Aromatherapy did not exist in any significant way in the United States until the early 1980’s. Essential oils encompass body care, skin care, and massage and touch every aspect of daily life. In summary, peoples all over the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, South America, the Pacific Islands, and those we have discussed above, have used the powers of fragrant plants to produce specific changes in their lives. These changes included inducing spiritual connection with Deity (gods and goddesses); drawing love or mates; heightening sexual arousal; purifying the body prior to ritual; healing the sick and guarding against negative energies. Magical aromatherapy, in one form or another, has been with us from the earliest great civilizations. It is as old as the moment when a human being first smelled the delicious scent rising from a flower and recognized it as pure energy springing from all mighty Mother Nature.

Principles of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy treats symptoms by addressing the specific physical, energetic, and psychological background of the individual client. All essential oils are antiseptic to some degree. The milder oils, but very effective oils are rich in alcohols such as geranium, all the various lavenders, palmarosa, tea tree, margoram, and ylang ylang. These oils are much milder and are very safe to use. They are useful for home remedies and first-aid kits, and they work well on minor wounds, as prevention from infectious diseases, or for skin care. Most essential oils stimulate cellular activity and regenerate. Some of these oils include geranium, lavender, rosemary, sandalwood, and generally, all the oils rich in alcohol.
Essential oils are extremely beneficial for the skin. In fact, the use of essential oils in skin care can be traced back to the Egyptians, the inventors of cosmetology (has we talked about in the History of Essential oils). The Egyptians had extremely elaborate skin care regimens, which could take hours to complete. Their skin care preparations made extensive use of aromatic substances. The skin must filter germs and unwanted substances such as pollutants to maintain its beauty. Essential oils help the skin to perform its role as a barrier or protector. Essential oils and their fragrances have deep effects on the emotional plane.

For instance:

Gratifying/indulging/warming/loving – Jasmine, ylany-ylang, rose, and sandalwood
Vitality/stimulating – Rosemary, peppermint, and juniper
Balancing/calming/soothing – Lavender, chamomile, ylang-ylang, and Melissa
Dream work – Mugwort, clary sage, rose, hops, chamomile and lavender
Psychic work – sandalwood spikenard, and rose

These are just some of the few mood-enhancing oils. When doing skin care or body care treatments in particular, there will be not only physical effects and effects on the skin, but also effects on the energy level and on the emotional level. Each level of action works together for the overall effect.

Essential oils for Health, Beauty, and Well-Being

In massage, the hands are channels of healing energy; they heal at the physical, emotional, and psychic level. Therefore, aromatherapy massage is an excellent therapeutic combination as essential oils and massage having mutual enhancing effects. (Demonstrate putting your hands together for energy before doing massage)

Preparations

Sweet almond oil is the most commonly used, but becomes rancid very easily. Grapeseed and canola oils are fine oils with a good shelf life. Peanut, coconut and palm oils are too heavy and may cause skin break-out. A small amount of vitamin E oils will bring some vitamins to your skin and act as a natural antioxidant. Applied to the skin, essential oils regulate the activity of the capillaries and restore vitality to the tissues. The most pleasant scents (especially flower oils) are the most useful for skin care. They can be used in facial steam baths, compresses, masks, and body wraps. They can be added to any kind of lotion, skin cream, gel, toilet water, or perfume. As a rule never apply essential oils undiluted on the skin. Floral waters (such as rose water) are particularly well suited to skin care. Milder and easier to use than essential oils, they are recommended for sensitive and inflamed skins. Essential oils and floral water have more or less the same indications. You can use plain floral water for compresses. You should use floral water instead of water in any skin care preparation. Finally, you will get an excellent facial tonic and astringent using floral water with a spray bottle (rose, sage, rosemary, lavender, etc.)- This is very refreshing. Floral waters retain the water-soluble plant chemicals, which do not appear in the finished essential oils.

Rosemary’s Perfect Cream (Rosemary Gladstar)

Waters
2/3 cup rose water
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
1 or 2 drops essential oil
Vitamin E

Oils
¾ cup coconut, apricot, almond or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup cocoa butter
¼ teaspoon lanolin
½ to 1 oz grated beeswax

Facial Compresses

Add five drops of the appropriate blend of oils to a bowl of warm water; soak cotton or cloth. Apply on your face for five minutes. Resoak and reapply up to three times.

Eye Compresses

Use cotton pads soaked in warm floral water. For puffiness, irritation, and most eye compresses use chamomile floral water. For wrinkles around the eyes, use rose floral waters.

Masks

Facial masks are cleansing, nourishing, and revitalizing; they promote the eliminations of waste material and stimulate local blood circulation. They can be soothing and moisturizing, depending on the ingredients. Basic ingredients for a mask are:

• Clay and soaked oatmeal in a bowl, add the fruit (or vegetable) pulp and juice
• 1tsp. Vegetable oil (wheat germ)
• 5 drops essential oil
• Stir in Floral waters, herb tea until you have the right consistency
• Apply to your face with your fingertips and let mask dry for 15 minutes, and gently remove with wet sponge.
• Apply floral water to close the pores.

Normal skin needs a mask every one to two weeks.
Skin types: (just to name a few)
Normal skin – Lavender, ylang-ylang
Dry skin – Sandalwood, rose, carrot
Oily skin – Lavender, lemon, basil, ylang-ylang
Sensitive skin – Roman chamomile, floral waters
Wrinkles – Lemon, patchouli

Jyll Renee Master Herbologist
765.644.0312
jyllrenee@comcast.net

Three Locations:

Home Office
45 Cambridge court
Anderson, Indiana 46012

Healthy Living Therapeutics
6252 W. Kilgore Ave
Muncie, IN 47304

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1110 S. Peru Street
Cicero, Indiana 46034