AROMATHERAPY FOR ALL
Way back when I was at ballet school, The Royal Ballet created a splinter group called Ballet For All that toured the country introducing ballet to people who had never really seen or understood it. There was even a TV series. When I got into aromatherapy I was driven by the same concept to make Aromatherapy For All. To make aromatherapy products affordable and understandable to everyone and anyone who was interested. That was so many years ago that I seem to have slipped into the belief that most people now know how to use essential oils but recently I have realised that is not the case. I write often for magazines, giving people recipes for aromatherapy at home from simply diffusing essential oils to turning them into skincare and health rituals. At Angelico we sell the highest quality Organic Essential Oils and Organic Base Oils. We have now added a ‘How To’ page on our site so that you can really start to learn how to create your own tailor made aromatherapy products and remedies from essential oils and base oils. Apologies if you have heard it all before but just like way back then when my quest was to make Aromatherapy for All, I am revisiting the concept here. There are many people and sites that teach in depth aromatherapy but I am more interested, for the purposes of this piece, in making aromatherapy accessible, simple and most importantly safe enough for everyone to use. Do let me know if you have any questions once you have read below. I am always happy to help.
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts that each have different and overlapping properties. Some essential oils have contra indications or precautions that should be followed but so long as you follow the instructions on the bottle you will find that they are invaluable to your daily life. By combining different essential oils in a ‘blend’, you can create endless fragrances that can have both physiological and/or phycological effect. Except for in a few cases, essential oils should not be used neat. They should be diluted into base oils which are also known as a carrier oil.
BASE OILS - ALSO KNOWN AS CARRIER OILS
Base oils used to be just that - base oils - used mostly as a base for the more active essential oils and as a basic moisturiser. Now though, there are myriad base oils and we are far more knowledgeable about what they are capable of. Base oils come in many different weights - some are thick and viscous, some are light and some are medium weight. Some are more easily absorbed by the skin than others. They can be antioxidant, antiviral, help to smooth fine lines or even help to regulate oil secretion. Their possibilities are endless.
BLENDING
In Aromatherapy 'blending' is the term used for combining essential oils and base oils which results in a 'blend'.
By combining essential oils and base oils you can create any number of products for yourself, your family and your friends. The possibilities are literally endless. For the creative people amongst us the lure of making something unique is powerful but it can be as simple as adding one drop of essential oil to some carrier oil to make a brilliant moisturiser with no added nasties that can often cause problems in commercial products. Here are a few ways to get started, including some simple recipes for you to try out.
MASSAGE / MOISTURISING OILS FOR BODY
The rule of thumb here is approximately 3% essential oil to base oil and the way to achieve this is to take 10ml of base oil which is approximately one dessertspoonful and add 5 drops in total of essential oil. So 10ml base to 5 drops essential oil. To 20ml base of base oil you add 10 drops of essential oil in total.
For example;
RELAXING BODY OIL
5ml (1 x teaspoon) Peach Kernel Base Oil
5ml (1 x teaspoon) Jojoba Base Oil
2 drops Chamomile Essential Oil
3 drops Lavender Essential Oil
MASSAGE / MOISTURISING OILS FOR FACE
Here we want the dilution to be half that that we use on the body so I use just 1% To achieve this add just 2 drops of essential oil in total to 10ml of base oil.
For example;
FACE OIL FOR MATURE SKIN
10ml Red Rosehip Base Oil
1 drop Rose Geranium Essential Oil
1 drop Frankincense Essential Oil
MASSAGE / MOISTURISING OILS FOR CHILDREN
For children over 2 years of age the dilution for body oil is the same as for adult face so approximately 1% or 2 drops of essential oil to 10ml of base oil.
For example;
HAPPY MASSAGE BODY OIL FOR CHILDREN
5ml (1 x teaspoon) Calendula Base Oil
5ml (1 x teaspoon) Jojoba Base Oil
2 drops Mandarin Essential Oil
MASSAGE / MOISTURISING OILS FOR BABIES
For Babies under 2 years of age please see our AROMATHERAPY FOR BABIES leaflet/section.
BATHING
There are many ways to add essential oils to your bath.
NEAT
Add 6 to 10 drops of essential oil into the bath after the water has run to stop the oils from evaporating. Swish the water around to prevent sitting on the individual drops of essential oil. Do not have the water too hot.
For example;
REVITALISING BATH
3 Drops Bergamot Essential Oil
3 Drops Grapefruit Essential Oil
2 drops Mandarin Essential Oil
BATH OIL
This is great for dry sensitive skin as it will nourish and protect the skin from harsh water.
Add 6 to 10 drops of essential oil to 10ml of base oil which is approximately one dessertspoonful. Mix together and add to your bath water after the water has run to limit evaporation of the essential oils.
For example;
DEEP RELAX BATH
10ml Borage Base Oil
3 drops Frankincense Essential Oil
2 drops Rose Geranium Essential Oil
4 drops Lavender Essential Oil
BATH SALTS
Add 6 to 10 drops of essential oil per cupful of un-fragranced bath salts such as Magnesium Salts or Dead Sea salts.
For example;
MUSCLE RELAXING BATH SALTS
1 cupful Dead Sea Salts add to this;
3 drops Myrtle Essential Oil
2 drops Cypress Essential Oil
1 drop Black Pepper Essential Oil
Mix together and pour into bath
SHOWER
Add 6 to 10 drops of essential oil to the shower tray before you get into your shower. The steam will diffuse the fragrance.
For example;
HEAD CLEARING SHOWER
3 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
1 drop Peppermint Essential Oil
2 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
DIFFUSING & INHALATION
You can add up to 10 drops of essential oil to a bowl of hot water for inhalation. Place a towel over your head and breath in the vapours to clear airways or to steam to cleanse your face.
For example;
ROOM FRAGRANCE
Add a few drops of essential oil to an un fragranced candle where the little puddle of wax appears after lighting. Alternatively add a few drops to a damp cloth or absorbent paper and place on radiators or add to electric or candle vaporisers as instructed by the supplier. Usually 6 drops in total is the correct amount.
For example;
CUTS, STINGS, SPOTS & BITES
Even though essential oils are not usually used neat, there are a few instances in which neat essential oils work brilliantly. Just one or two drops of neat Lavender or Tea Tree essential oil works brilliantly on cuts stings or bites and neat Lavender essential oil on light burns is brilliant.
Lemon and/or Tea Tree essential oils are often used on warts and verrucas with great success.
RINSES
I love to fill a bowl with warm to cool water and add just a few drops of essential oil to it. This can be used to refresh and/or clean your face or body. If you have been in the sun for too long a few drops of lavender in a bowl of cool water, soak a flannel in it and place on over heated skin to cool it.
For example;
SUMMER FOOT COOLER
Fill a bowl with cool water and add 6 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil to it. Swish around to dissipate the Essential Oils then soak your feet in it for at least 10 minutes - bliss!
SPOTTY SKIN SPLASH
Fill a bowl with warm water. add 4 drops of Tea Tree essential Oil. Swish the water around to dissipate oils and use to wash face.
CLEAN SURFACES
As just abut all essential oils are anti bacterial, it’s a great idea to use them to wipe over kitchen and/or bathroom surfaces leaving them not only clean but smelling fabulous.
For example;
ST CLEMMENTS SURFACE FRESHENER
Fill a bowl with warm water and add 5 drops of lemon essential oil and 5 drops of sweet orange essential oil. Swish the water around to dissipate oils and use a cloth to wipe down surfaces.
LASTLY
Aromatherapy is not an exact science so quantities are approximate but with essential oils, less is often more so always bare this in mind. There are many more ways to use aromatherapy in your day to day life - this is really just the tip of the ice berg but its a very good start. Have fun!
ONE MORE THING!
If you want to make and store your blends, we have a selection of amber bottles available on our site.
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