Essential Oils.

Article written by Joy.

A healthy human nose can distinguish between 10 000 different aromas. The professional 'noses' used by Essential oil and Perfume companies train for several years and are capable of determining the subtle differences the quality and the origin of essential oils.

Scents invoke immediate and powerful responses as the volatile fragrance molecules travel with tthe olfactory nerve tracts directly to the limbic system ( a part of the brain concerned with memory and emotion). Essential oils can thus reach us through inhalation, via the skin and through ingestion ( the last method should not be used by the layperson at all, unless supervised by a suitably qualified professional).

Essential oils are very complex and consist on average of up to 100 or more chemical components. Essential oils are classified as stimulating or calming, sedative or energising, according to the percentage of esters, aldehydes, alcohol, terpenes and other chemical components the essential oils contain.

The easiest way for the novice to get to know essential oils is by using them in a prescribed manner through perfume, bath and massage oils, blends for burners and simple remedies for home-use. The first step to knowing an essential oil is to smellit and like wine or olive oil testing, there is prescribed way of 'sniffing'.

'Sniffing' an Essential oil:

- To experience the fragrant aroma of an essential oil, put a few drops on a strip of paper and wave it in a circle of about 18cms just under your nose, creating a vortex of aroma molecules.
- move your fragrant paper strip first under the right nostril, then under the left, sniffing every time and then under both nostrils, taking a deep sniff.
- inhale the aroma high up your nose, visualising the aroma of the Essential oil going to the top of your head and through the whole body.
- allow words and feelings to surface describing your experience of the Essential oil, making notes as you go along. It is good to practise the above exercise (don't test more than 3 or 4 Essential oils at a time) as it will be an invaluable aid when you blend your own unique perfume.

Top, middle and base notes:

You will discover characteristics such as woody, herbaceous, citrus, resinous, spicy and floral. Essential oils with a quick evaporation rate are called 'top notes' and are generally experienced as energising, uplifting and invigorating eg. lemon, grapefruit, lemongrass and bergamot.
Essential oils with a slower evaporation rate are called 'middle notes' and usually have a relaxing, calming and balancing effect eg. geranium and lavender.
Those Essential oils with aroma molecules that linger and disperse very slowly are classified as 'base notes'. These essential oils have a grounding and deeply relaxing effect and often act as a fixative to other more quickly dispersing aromatic molecules. Examples of 'base note' oils are: sandalwood, benzoin and vetiver.

To create a well-balanced perfume one should include all three 'notes' in various proportions, the different quantities give character to your blend, be it lightly floral, spicy oriental or cleansing herbaceous.
Essential oils have different therapeutic actions such as anti-viral, anti-septic, sedative, stimulating, aphrodisiac, anti-spasmodic, hypo-tensive and others. Blending different Essential oils into a sinergistic blend takes experience and skill but luckily for the novice there are many recipes to experiment with.

Essential oils and safety:

Essential oils may be 'natural' but they have potent healing effects and should always by used with utmost care. Always use in the correct dilution with carrier oils and be aware of any contra-indications an Essential oil may have. Some Essential oils can cause skin irritation and high or low blood pressure or can be hazardous during pregnancy or for people with a history of epilepsy or diabetes. Most Essential oils are sold with safety data and childproof locks. Store your Essential oils in a cool, dark place, away from children.

Mixing Essential oils:

Essential oils mix readily with other oils and alcohol. Using suitable carriers helps to make the therapeutic effects of Essential oils readily available to the body. A good guideline is to use no more than 3 drops of Essential oil in 5ml (1tsp) of a carrier. This constitutes a 3% dilution but a 1% or 2% dilution is equally effective. Extrapolating fom 2 drops in 5ml, divide your quantity of carrier by 5 and multiply with 2 to get the number of drops of Essential oils to use in your blend. Thus should you have 50ml of a carrier, you would add 10 x 2 drops of Essential oil to your blend. Remember the golden rule: less is more!

Uses of Essential oils:

Making your own perfume, bath oil, massage oil, creams and bath products or simple home remedies can be an absobing and creative pastime. In blending skin oils, choose your carrier oils and essential oils for their properties: for dry skin you will use rich and nourishing carrier oils such as avocado, rose hip and sesame oil. Essential oils should be hydrating and stimulating such as rose, sandalwood, neroli and lavender. Blends for oily skin will include light and easily absorbed carrier oils such as apricot kernel, almond and jojoba oils and Essential oils with an astringent and slightly anti-septic effect such as lemon verbena, cypress, chamomile and lavender.
Mature skin will benefit from carrier oils such as evening primrose, borage, rose hip, almond and sesame oils and the Essential oils that stimulate new cell growth such as lavender, frankincense, neroli, rose geranium and benzoin.

Essential oils have wonderful healing properties, are easily absorbed by the skin and thus transported via the circulation system of the body to have a beneficial effect on the whole body. It is preferable to use quality grade organic Essential oils and organic, cold-pressed carrier oils.