Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), is the use of volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic compounds from plants to affect someone's mood or health.

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Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, extracted from the flowers, fruits, leaves, stems and roots of flowers, shrubs and trees. The oils are usually obtained by steam distillation. Other techniques include expression (squeezing the oil from peel), maceration (immersing the plant in hot oil to release the essence) and enfleurage (pressing flowers between oiled glass plates).

Essential oils may be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Inhaled scents stimulate the olfactory centres in the nose and particular parts of the brain. Oils massaged into the skin pass into the bloodstream and can influence nervous system function, mental function and emotions.

Modern aromatherapy stems from the work of French chemist Réné Gattefossé in the 1930s and physician Jean Valnet and biochemist Marguerite Maury in the 1960s.

Essential oils can be used to treat blemishes or acne, or can be used in face masks or washes to balance and tone healthy skin. As a general rule, do not to exceed ten drops of total essential oils per ointment, and try to keep it around five for maximum effectiveness. Please read all the warnings at the bottom before using.

How is it used?

The oils are highly concentrated and should be used sparingly. For inhalation, place one to five drops on a tissue or in a burner or vaporiser. The oils can be used to scent rooms, enhance mood and relieve stress.

If you're using the oils for massage, dilute one to five drops of the oils per teaspoon (5ml) of carrier oil, such as sweet almond or wheatgerm, cream or gel. Warming the oil, or generating heat from massage friction, enhances absorption.

The oils may also be added to bathwater. For best effect, add four to six drops to a teaspoon of carrier oil or milk and mix vigorously in the water so the oil dissolves evenly.

Medical aromatherapists prescribe the oils internally, but this requires specialist knowledge and training.

Here are a few tips of aromatherapy skin care that you might want to try at home:

• Use herbs or essential oils for a scent-sational soak in the tub that will melt away your worries and get you ready for your day of pampering.
• Use skin softener and lubricant of sweet almond oil for massage or otherwise applied to the skin. It contains vitamins A, B1, B2 and B6 and some vitamin.
• Steam your face before you do treatment to your facial skin by just standing in the shower for an extra minute or two. This will help to open your pores and improve the effectiveness of your chosen facial treatment.
• Cleanse your face to remove bacteria with aromatherapy skin care that give you natural herbal scent.
• After you are ready, put masker on your face. There is one great fruit masker for all skin types, the papaya facial. You can just mash up a fresh papaya and sieve into a bowl. Pat onto clean skin, leaving on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse with warm water, followed by cold water to close pores.
• To relieve puffiness, reduce fine lines and revitalize the sensitive skin around the eyes, you are suggested to use cold compresses. Anything cool will work well.

Everything is so easy. You can do all your aromatherapy for your skin care just from your house. This will be more convenience since you can order your aromatherapy stuff from the Internet. Life has spoilt you, isn’t it?