What Are Essential Oils:
Pure therapeutic essential oils are derived through steam distillation of plants, trees, and flowers, or through cold-pressed citrus fruit. They have a powerful aromatherapy and healing effect on the body. Essential oils and fragrance oils (perfumes) are not the same thing; rather, fragrance oils are man-made in a lab.
Fragrance oils are made with an unlimited amount of different carcinogenic chemicals in order to imitate specific scents such as vanilla, cherry, or coconut. Since essential oils are natural and plant-derived, when you inhale the molecules of the essential oil, the molecules travel through the olfactory receptors to the limbic system.
The limbic system is responsible for controlling your emotions, stress & anxiety as well as memory & learning. Essential oils play an important role in helping people heal and cope with different aspects of their lives! Not only does the inhalation of essential oils have an effect on emotions and mood, but each oil also has healing and soothing benefits for the skin when applied topically.
Essential Oil Safety:
Our Essential Oils are undiluted and, therefore, will need to be diluted before applying directly to your skin. It is recommended to do a small patch test first. Essential oils are for external use only -never ingest essential oils of any kind unless directed by your Naturopathic Doctor. There are a few essential oil companies that are advising people to add them to water and so on, but this can be very dangerous. Essential oils are very concentrated plant oils and can be very dangerous to ingest if you do not know the chemistry of the oils and if you have not been trained in the ingestion of the different types of plant oils.
Wash hands after use and avoid contact with eyes and mucus membranes. Peppermint and Eucalyptus essential oils are too strong for the respiratory system of children. Thus, it is recommended that these essential oils are not used on children under 10 years old.
Do not exceed a dilution rate of approximately 2-3% of essential oils for adults and 0.5-1% for children and the elderly.
Essential Oil Ratios:
0.5% – 1% dilution is equal to 3-6 drops per 30 ml of carrier (recommended for children and the elderly)
2% dilution is equal to 12-15 drops per 30 ml of carrier (average rate)
3% dilution is equal to 18-20 drops per 30 ml of carrier (recommended for massage oils and compresses)
How To Use Your Essential oils:
Diffuser:
Fill your diffuser with water and add 10-15 drops of your chosen essential oil. The essential oils can be used in both an electric steam diffuser and your candle-lit diffuser.
Facial Steam:
Essential oils are an excellent addition to facial steams. Whether it be a beauty steam for your skin or a sinus and cold clearing steam. To make a facial steam first boil your water. Then using a pot or bowl dedicated for this purpose, add your boiling water, or keep it in the pot you used for boiling the water. Add a few drops of your desired essential oils, using less or more to suit your needs. Hover your face 4 to 6 inches above the facial steam and drape a towel over your head to keep the steam in. Do this for as long as you are comfortable up to about 20 minutes. Make sure to never use active boiling water, always remove the pot from the stove burner before placing your face above it.
Laundry:
To freshen up your clothing you can add a few drops of essential oils to your dryer balls before placing them in the dryer. Add a few drops to your herbal sachets and place them in your dresser drawers or closet.
Cleaners & Carpets:
Add a few drops of essential oils to your cleaning bucket of water, or you can make a simple cleaning spray. Combine white vinegar with a little water (preferably filtered or distilled) and add a few drops of essential oils. If you want to freshen up your carpets add a few drops of essential oils to some baking soda. Mix or shake the baking soda around and sprinkle it onto your carpets. Leave it for at least an hour and then vacuum as normal.
Skin & Body Uses:
If you are applying essential oils to your skin you will need to dilute the essential oils first. You can do this by adding them to a carrier of either vegetable oil, salts, baking soda or even to your shampoo. Avoid adding essential oils directly to your bath as this causes the essential oils to float to the top of the water which results in them being in direct contact with your skin. Thus, if you want to add essential oils to your bath you must dilute it in a carrier first, as mentioned above.