Articles Health and Beauty

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.

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 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