How To Use the Different Aromatherapy Oils

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How To Use the Different Aromatherapy Oils

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

When you drop by natural health and aromatherapy stores, you are faced with choosing among the many ingredients you may employ to achieve a holistic treatment. Some of the items you may encounter include aromatherapy bath oil, aromatherapy beads, essential oils, carrier oils, fragrance oils and infused oils. Already confused? Read on to differentiate one from the other, and get to know each one’s uses.

What Are Essential Oils

Surprisingly, aromatherapy essential oils don’t feel oily at all. Usually they are clear and colorless, but some, like orange or lemon grass essential oils, may be yellowish or amber in color.

Essential oils are distilled, usually by steam or water, from various parts of the source plant such as leaves, stems, petals, roots and other parts. They are highly concentrated and contain no artificial fragrances. When applied to the skin or inhaled, the composition and scent of these oils can provide many physical and psychological benefits.

They are often sold in small bottles and can greatly vary in price, depending on the rarity of the plant, the amount of oil produced by the plant and other standards. Because they are in pure form, essential oils are often diluted with carrier oils prior to usage.

What are Carrier Oils

Since essential oils are very much concentrated and may cause severe irritations and other reactions in some people, carrier oils are used to dilute them. Carrier oils come from the fattiest part of the plant, i.e., the seeds, nuts and kernels. Sometimes called vegetable oils, each one of them carries different therapeutic benefits, depending on what is being sought.

Carrier oils got scents of their own, although they may not be as strong as those from essential oils. Some of the natural lotions, body creams, massage oils, bath oils and other skin care products are made from carrier or vegetable oils. When essential oils are added to carrier oils, you will get differences in color, scent and shelf life of the final product.

Fragrance Oils

While essential oils are natural because they are made of the distilled essences of the plants where they came from, fragrance oils, on the other hand, are artificial scents – they contain artificial substances and are diluted with carrier oils. You might have also encountered items like perfume oils or potpourri oils, but they are basically just the same as fragrance oils, considering how they were made.

It is generally felt that fragrance oils do not have the same therapeutic benefits that essential oils have. Many scented cosmetics, candles, skin-care products like lotions and soaps, and others only contain fragrance oils or other synthetically-made fragrances. Be sure to read the labels if you want to insure that you are getting only natural ingredients.

Infused Oils

Infused oils are simply carrier oils infused with herbs. These are usually intended for those plants that contain very small amounts of essential oils.

The good thing about using infused oils in aromatherapy than just plain carrier oils is that the combined therapeutic benefits of the carrier oils and the herbs infused into them are achieved. Infused oils are generally oily to the touch, depending on the consistency of the carrier oils used.

Remember, infused oils can go rancid over time just like carrier oils, so keep them properly stored.