Articles 
Health and Beauty
| De-Stress with
Aromatherapy |
What is stress?
Stress is a fact of everyday life and we all need a certain amount
to stimulate us and add excitement to our lives. Too much stress,
however, can have a seriously damaging effect on our physical
and emotional well being as some of the following signs show.
| Physical
signs of stress
|
Emotional
signs of stress
|
| • |
Tension headaches and migraines
|
• |
Depression |
| • |
Insomnia
|
• |
Lack of concentration |
| • |
Bowel problems (irritable bowel syndrome)
|
• |
Being withdrawn |
| • |
Lack of energy
|
• |
Panic attacks |
| • |
Stiff, aching limbs
|
• |
Disorientation |
| • |
Menstrual problems
|
• |
Irritability |
| • |
Loss of libido
|
• |
Nervousness/anxiety |
| • |
High blood pressure |
• |
Low self esteem |
What is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy uses essential oils to enhance our daily lives through
our sense of smell and through absorption of the oils by our skin
or by inhalation. Our sense of smell can have a profound effect
on our mood and behaviour which makes aromatherapy a wonderful
way of counteracting the effects of stress. It can be used in
several different ways as the following ideas show.
Massage
An aromatherapy massage is a relaxing form
of massage which soothes the nerves and creates a feeling of relaxation
and well being. Try to have a professional massage at least once
a month for the best effect. Failing that, get a friend or your
partner to give you a massage. Use 6 drops of essential oil in
15 ml of a carrier oil such as sweet almond or grapeseed.
Baths
After a tiring day, an aromatic bath can be
a wonderful rejuvenator. Run your bath first making sure that
the water is not too hot, then add 6 - 8 drops of your chosen
essential oils and agitate the water to evenly distribute the
oils. Relax for a least 10 minutes, breathing deeply to absorb
the therapeutic power of the essential oils.
Tissue inhalation
One or two drops of essential oil on a tissue can be used for
inhalation for many different problems, such as anxiety, depression,
headaches, colds, nausea or just as "pick me up" when
feeling tired. For insomnia, put 2 drops of lavender essential
oil on a cotton wool pad and put this in the corner of your pillowcase
to aid a good night's sleep.
Room fragrances
Using a diffuser or burner can influence the atmosphere in a room.
There are several types of burners now available. When using a
burner with a night light, make sure that this is not left unattended.
Fill the top of the burner three-quarters full with warm water
and add 6 drops of your chosen oil. Do make sure you use pure
essential oil rather than the bottles labelled as room fragrance
oils - these often contain synthetic fragrances which do not have
the therapeutic effect of essential oils and they can also smell
quite harsh. Candles can also be used for fragrancing: light a
candle, wait until a pool of wax has formed, then blow out the
candle and add a drop of essential oil to the wax, re-light the
candle. Do not drip oil onto a burning candle as essential oils
are very volatile.
Spritzers
A refreshing way of using essential oils is to make up a body
spritzer. Get a 200-ml spray bottle, put in 10 ml vodka (this
acts to disperse the oil) and 6 drops of essential oil, top up
with still mineral water.
Essential oils for de-stressing
Essential oils have a wonderful ability to help us with a multitude
of stress-related disorders. A list of the 10 most useful anti-stress
essential oils would include the following:
Bergamot - Citrus bergamia.
It has a refreshing and uplifting effect which is useful for depression
and anxiety. It blends well with lavender, chamomile, neroli,
geranium, rose and sandalwood. Do not use before or after exposure
to sunlight.
Chamomile - Anthemis nobilis
(Roman chamomile)
It has a soothing effect on nervous tension,
insomnia and stress-related conditions. It blends well with geranium,
lavender, rose, neroli, bergamot and clary sage. Avoid during
the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Clary sage - Salvia sclarea
This is useful in depression, migraine, nervous
tension, pre-menstrual tension and stress-related conditions.
It blends well with lavender, geranium and sandalwood. Avoid during
pregnancy, and do not use before or after alcohol consumption.
Frankincense - Boswellia carterii
A warming and calming oil which has been used
in many religions to aid prayer and meditation. It blends well
with citrus oils, as well as geranium and lavender. Do not use
during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Geranium - Pelargonium graveolens
This is well-known as a hormone-balancing oil
for pre-menstrual tension, as well as in nervous tension and all
stress-related conditions. It blends well with bergamot, lavender,
clary sage, neroli, rose and sandalwood.
Lavender - Lavendula angustifolia
Lavender is the most useful essential oil to
buy as it has such a calming, yet uplifting effect. It can be
used in the bath after a hard day to de-stress you or to help
you sleep if you take a bath about half an hour before going to
bed. It blends well with most other oils.
Neroli - Citrus aurantium var.
bigaradia (orange blossom)
This is an excellent oil for anxiety, depression,
nervous tension and any problems of an emotional nature. However,
it is not cheap although a little does go a long way. It is possible
to buy this oil ready blended in a carrier oil such as sweet almond
and this can then be used either in the bath, for massage, or
a little can be rubbed onto pulse points or on the temples. Do
not use ready-blended oils in an oil burner. Neroli blends well
with
most other oils.
Rose otto - Rosa damascena
A useful oil for depression and nervous tension
because of its instant uplifting effect. Like neroli, it is very
expensive and can be bought ready blended with a carrier oil.
It blends well with bergamot, chamomile, frankincense, geranium,
lavender, neroli, sandalwood and ylang ylang. Do not use in the
first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Sandalwood - Santalum album
With its woody smell, this is another useful
oil for all stress-related conditions. It blends well with most
other oils.
Ylang ylang - Cananga odorata
This is another exotic oil which has an immediate
uplifting effect and is useful for calming palpitations. It blends
well with chamomile, clary sage, lavender, neroli, rose and sandalwood.
Essential oils for some of
the signs of stress
|
| • |
Depression |
Bergamot, chamomile, clary sage, geranium,
lavender, neroli, rose, sandalwood, ylang ylang
|
| • |
Exhaustion |
Clary sage, lavender
|
| • |
Insomnia |
Chamomile, lavender, neroli, rose, sandalwood,
ylang ylang
|
| • |
Irritability |
Chamomile, lavender
|
| • |
Mood swings |
Chamomile, geranium, lavender
|
| • |
Tension |
Neroli, rose, sandalwood |
Essential oil recipes
Do experiment by combining 2 - 3 different
oils, but remember not to go over the total number of drops for
a particular application, i.e. 6 drops per 15 ml of a carrier
oil for massage, 6 - 8 drops for a bath, 6 drops for a burner
with a night light, 1 - 2 drops for tissue inhalation, 6 drops
per 200 ml water for a spritzer. Here are some very simple combinations
to start you off: an equal number of drops of frankincense + ylang
ylang, frankincense + rose, frankincense + rose + neroli, lavender
+ bergamot, lavender + chamomile, lavender + geranium + clary
sage, sandalwood + rose.
Recommended books
The
Complete Illustrated Guide to Aromatherapy
J. Lawless, Element Books
Aromatherapy
Blends and Remedies
F. Watson, HarperCollins
Aromatherapy
Stress Management: A Guide for Home Use
C. Westwood, Amberwood Publishing
The
Fragrant Pharmacy
V.A. Worwood, Bantam
Article kindly provided by
Dace Praulins
Dace (pronounced "datsy"!) Praulins is a complementary
therapist specialising in aromatherapy, Swedish massage, lymph
drainage massage, seated acupressure massage, Indian head massage,
flower essences and meridian therapies. She practises in the Darvel
and East Ayrshire areas.
Click
here to visit Dace's site or contact
her by e-mail here
