How a particular smell or scent reminds you of someone. How a baby knows his/her mommy’s smell. But did you know that some scents can actually improve your health? They can also help you relax or sleep, or improve your skin or digestion — their benefits go well beyond a pleasant smell. We are talking about Essential Oils here.
These days, all are talking about essential oils. People are moving towards the use of herbs and natural medicines. If we see any beauty channels, in some point of time, it talks about essential oils. But what are they? What is the reason for their popularity? Let’s talk about basics today.
I have never used essential oils until one of my friends mentioned about essential oil she has been using for her kids. Obviously, as a mom, I had lots of questions and to be frank I was skeptical about using them on my kids. Since I came across these terms many times in many youtube videos also, I was curious to know more about it.
Essential oils they are the highly concentrated version of the natural oils in plants. They are extracted directly from the bark, flower fruit, leaves, nut, resin, or root of a plant or treewith a process called distillation . Hence have the characteristic, fragrance and properties of the plant from, and contain all the goodness of the plant it came from. This includes not just the smell, but also the plant’s healing properties and other characteristics.
So, are Essential Oils the same as Fragrances? No, Essential oils are not the same as perfume or fragrance oils. Perfume oils are artificially created in a chemist’s lab, while essential oils are a product of nature.
As we all know, essential oils have therapeutic effects. The most common therapeutic application is that of aromatherapy. They have gained incredible popularity in recent years due to their antidepressant, stimulating, detoxifying, antibacterial, antiviral and calming properties, but they are really an age-old remedy that has become popular again. Many essential oils are believed to have an uplifting effect on the human’s mind as well.
- Fight cold and flu symptoms.
- Boost immunity and infection
- Relax your body and soothe sore muscles.
- Heal skin conditions.
- Alleviate pain.
- Relieves headaches and migraines
- Balance hormones.
- Improve digestion.
- Reduce cellulite and wrinkles.
- Promote restful sleep
But, along with these benefits we cannot overlook the harmful effects of overuse.
It is important to use as little as needed, not as much as possible. When a few drops of an oil used topically or aromatically will work, using more or consuming it internally is not only unnecessary, but may be harmful.
- Quality matters: I have recently got my essential oils from Oilogic. I got 3 oils in total –Slumber & Sleep, Sinus & Allergy and Relax & Calm. Before applying it on my kids, I tried it myself. And the smell was very soothing. It wasn’t too strong, perfect for kids and babies. The smell itself makes you feel relaxed. 🙂
- Usage: Two common ways of using these oils are in diffused or topical form. The body can utilize the beneficial parts of the oil and this is a much gentler (yet still effective) approach. Always perform a small patch test to make sure you are not allergic to an oil before using it on a larger section of your skin. You can check the usage here.
- Do not apply to the eyes or ear canals.
- If you are pregnant or nursing then be careful before using these oils. Same applies to people with sensitive skin, infants, children or the elderly.
Information source: https://draxe.com/essential-oil-safety/
I have learnt a lot while drafting this post. I hope you too have gained enough information in case you want to explore essential oils.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I got the product in exchange for my honest review. All views are personal.
