The Ingredients Used in Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is fast becoming one of the most popular natural remedies around today. Helping to relieve stress, depression, anxiety and fear, as well as improving your overall well being, it really is no wonder that a lot of people are turning to this fantastic practice. So what exactly is used in Aromatherapy and how does it work?

The ingredients used within Aromatherapy are strictly pure and natural and they include:

• Essential Oils

Essential oils are the most popular remedies used within Aromatherapy. They can be used in the bath, for massages, on your pillow at night, and some can even be burned in an oil burner to really enhance the mood. They are created by distilling the stems, flowers, leaves and roots as well as other parts of plants, using either steam or water. Most oils are clear in color but there are some like lemongrass, orange and patchouli which are amber or yellow in color.

The main thing to know about Essential oils is that they are not like fragrance oils or perfume oils. Those kinds of oils do not offer any therapeutic benefits and are therefore not used in Aromatherapy.

Often Essential oils are diluted down using carrier oils. This is because the oils before they are diluted can be a little toxic and the skin could have an irritable effect from direct contact. Essential oils come in all different prices and qualities and it all depends on where its ingredients came from such as the plant it was created from.

You can buy some Essential oils that are already blended with others which save you both time and money.

• Carrier Oils

Carrier oils are also known as base or vegetable oils and they are used to dilute Essential oils. They also dilute Absolutes and C02’s. Each Carrier oil has different properties and it all depends on which type of benefits are sought after, that determines which Carrier oil will be used.

Basically, Carrier oils are cold-pressed vegetable oils which are taken from the fatty portions of a plant. They differ from Essential oils because they do not evaporate or have a strong aroma.

Some common Carrier oils used in Aromatherapy include Apricot Kernel, Sweet Almond, Avocado and Grape seed. The oils that are usually bought in grocery stores are not the ones that should be used in Aromatherapy. They are generally not cold-pressed and are instead heated which has less of a therapeutic benefit. These are mainly called mineral oils and they can prevent the Essential oils from absorbing into the skin.