Aromatherapy Basics
What Are Essential Oils?
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What Are Essential Oils?
What Are Pure Essential Oils?
Pure essential oils are used most often in aromatherapy, because of the extraordinary health benefits they provide.
Not the same as perfume or fragrance oils, pure essential oils are volatile liquids found in plants. They are the pure plant extracts, usually extracted through distillation.
For aromatherapy use, pure essential oils are used to help make changes in the mind and body, for better health and well being.
Virtually every part of a plant has been used to extract various essential oils, such as bark, flowers, fruits and berries, leaves, needles, resins, roots, seeds, even wood! It just depends on the plant, which part, or parts, are used to distill the essential oil.
Are Essential Oils The Same As Perfume?
Perfume oils, fragrance oils, and pure essential oils can be vastly different. For aromatherapy purposes, you should be aware of some of these differences:
- Perfume oils are normally blends of various plant materials and extracts, and do not always contain pure essential oils.
- Fragrance oils are most often blends of carrier oil, chemicals, and synthetic plant extracts. Seldom, do fragrance oils contain any essential oils.
- Although you may find pure essential oils in perfume or fragrance oils, you should never find perfume blends or fragrance oils in pure essential oils.
Unfortunately, in the USA, the term "essential oil" can be legally used by companies that are only selling blended fragrance or perfume oils. That's why it is important to make sure the company you deal with is reputable and that you know what type of oils you are actually purchasing.
Although fragrance oils and perfume oils are used in aromatherapy for mood changes, they have little real health benefits.
It is the essence of the plant in the pure essential oil, that makes the medicinal health changes possible through aromatherapy.
Sandalwood perfume oil will not react on your physical body the same way as sandalwood pure essential oil, and essential oils are normally much more expensive to produce. Hence, the difference in cost: $3.79 for 1/4oz. sandalwood perfume oil and $39.00 for the same quantity of pure sandalwood essential oil. Sometimes, you do get what you pay for...
Relax, you do not have to shell out tons of money to begin using pure essential oils in aromatherapy. Many essential oils are quite inexpensive because they are very easily extracted. Pure essential oils can also last quite awhile if stored properly.
To begin using aromatherapy, why not try using one or two inexpensive pure essential oils such as cinnamon, lavender, cedarwood, spearmint, pine, siberian fir, lemon, lemongrass, orange, lavender, or bergamot oil, first? In this way, you can find out if the wonderful world of aromatherapy is something you want to know more about, without going to great expense.
Some Beginner Aromatherapy Tips
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To learn more about using scent in this way, please visit our main learn aromatherapy page for more articles on aromatherapy.
The aromatherapy information we provide here is for entertainment purposes only. Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this page for more.
This page was last modified: September 23, 2019 04:14pm UTC