Essential Oils Guide

What is it that makes oils ‘essential’? Well, this is due to the fact that the ‘essence’ of a plant is extracted and turned into an oil, this oil carries the scent of the plant. The oils have been made over the years from a number of different varieties of plants and the oil produced is often used for medicinal purposes.

It is still controversial whether such essential oils actually are beneficial or not in medical use but one unquestionable fact which cannot be denied is that their scents are far greater for you than any artificial ones.

Theseessential oils have become more and more popular as time has gone on. A significant increase in their use has been found within everyday items such as perfumes and household cleaning products.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is not yet recognized as a registered and significant form of treatment within the medical world. However a large number of medical professionals will agree that the use of aromatherapy greatly assists with the healing process of patients. This is due to the fact that these scented oils can greatly affect our moods. This is because they pass through the body’s greatest sense, its sense of smell.

An example of how smells can affect ones mood is that within a work environment. If whilst working there was a strong smell which was unpleasant, how would this affect your work? However, if there was a nice scent such as a pine forest fragrance, I am sure that your productivity would go through the roof.

Even people who doubt the medical power of aromatherapy strongly agree that the fragrances given off by the essential oils greatly affect ones mood.

How Are Essential Oils Made?

The plants are exposed to steam which breaks down their compounds. The steam then passes through a number of coils on a device and turns back into its liquid form. The essential oil is then created.

Other oils such as many citrus based ones (Produced from plants such as the orange and lemon plant) are made by pressing the plant. This enables a greater quantity of oil to be produced. This means that this is much more cost effective. This is why such oils are commonly used in household cleaning products and why the majority of these cleaning products are citrus scented.

Essential Oils For Insect Repellant

A wide range of insect repellants are now being created through the use of essential oils. This is because some insects can be repelled through the use of some scents such as lavender and eucalyptus.

Oils can also be easily applied direct onto the skin which can prevent bites from these bugs. The issue with this is that citrus based oils can actually act as a sun attractor which can cause issues to those who are sensitive to sunlight or those who are fair skinned.