DEFINITION OF
: essential oils - aromatic liquid substances extracted from certain species of flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots, and trees.
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I have a collection of essential oils and I use them for everything from housekeeping to skincare to first aid. It is amazing to me how versatile and adaptable a single oil can be.
Lavender, for example, is physically healing as an antiseptic, analgesic, cytophilactic (protects, regenerates cells), antispasmodic, tonic, cicatrisive (promotes wound healing) and works as an anti-inflammatory agent. It is restorative, calmative, a sedative and anti-infectious.
Emotionally
healing —
Lavender is
said to encourage
security,
gentleness,
compassion,
reconciliation,
vitality,
clarity,
comfort,
acceptance,
awareness
and
emotional balance.
In her book, Aromatherapy for the Soul, —Valerie Ann Worwood calls lavender the "mother of essential oils" and describes its spiritual attributes this way:
"Lavender embodies the warm, protective love of Mother Earth. It is caring, cherishing, and nurturing...When deep sadness covers the spirit like a suffocating blanket, lavender gently lifts the weight. When the inner tears fall, lavender wipes them away. When depression clouds the psyche, lavender blows it asunder. And for those with worries that trouble the spirit, lavender lifts the veil of despair. ...with compassion [lavender] seeks to bring out the best in every one of us, letting us know that we are all her precious children, and we all have our destiny of goodness to fulfill." —Valerie Ann Worwood
There are many methods of use for enjoying the aromatic benefits of essential oils from using a few drops in the bath or shower to using a diffuser or room spray.
A method I use often is by candle. I love the ambiance of a burning candle in a room anyway, plus it couldn't be easier to do:
- Simply light the candle and allow it to burn until the wax melts in a large pool around the wick.
- Blow out the flame and drop 1-4 drops essential oil in the pool of wax. (Essential oils are flammable, so use care not to get any on the wick.)
- Once the wax begins to cool and solidify, you can relight the candle.
The great thing about using essential oils in candles –(and via other methods)– is that you can tailor the aroma in your home to whatever mood you would like to create:
You can send a refreshing, uplifting aroma about in summer
or create a warm, soothing atmosphere in winter
You can generate a motivating atmosphere for exercise
{try Lemon, Basil, and Peppermint}
Once you have a supply of essential oils and have experimented with a few recipes, you will learn what works best for you and it seems to me that a sort of intuition develops, guiding you to what you need most in any given situation. Three favorites that I return to time and again:
Bergamot -citrus aurantium bergamia
Aroma: sweet, fruity, citrus with spicy-floral undertones. Encourages concentration, confidence, balance, strength, joy, motivation, good cheer, harmony and completeness.
"It is an amplifier of light energy, energizing and magnifying, opening the heart to cosmic joy." —V. Worwood
Neroli -citrus aurantium, c.brigaradia, c. vulgaris
Aroma: highly radiant, sweet, floral.
Encourages lightness, the lifting of sorrows, completeness, joy, understanding, calm, regeneration, peace, and to feel guided.
"Neroli is one of the most precious essential oils, its vibration being one of the highest among them...it is itself pure spirit, representing the purity in all things. It is always loving and peaceful. Neroli brings light into any day..."—V. Worwood
Aroma: resinous, warm, smoky with a faint citrus-floral undertone.
Encourages harmony, balance, inspiration, visions and inner knowing.
"Such a fragrance has the ability to take us to the beginning of time, to the beginning of forever."
—V. Worwood
Here are my suggestions if you would like to try essential oils, but aren't sure where to start:
I like to keep a large (30ml) bottle of Lavender on-hand because it has so many uses. It can be used on its own in a number of ways –(such as my favorite, lavender-scented sheets)– and is used in practically every other recipe you come across: from an insect repellent to a burn ointment to beauty treatments to home cleaning...it truly is an essential, essential oil.
Other go-to oils are: Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Chamomile, Geranium, Clove, Rosemary and Thyme. With these ten oils, you can make recipes to treat everything from chapped lips to an upset stomach. Adding Lime, Orange, Citronella, Clary Sage and Rosewood in various combinations, you can create natural yet very effective cleaners, disinfectants and deodorizers for every room of your home with the added benefit of their uplifting aromas.
Many of the essential oils I listed above can be used to create your own custom massage oils
added to your choice of base oil (also referred to as a "carrier" oil.)
{such as hazelnut, almond or sunflower oil}
You can also create luxurious skin care treatments using a base oil or other natural ingredients such as almond flour or creamy coconut oil.
 |
And for soaking tired feet... |
 |
...try my favorite combination: Dead Sea Salts and a synergistic blend such as–
Stress Relief
(Bergamot, Patchouli, Blood Orange, Ylang Ylang and Grapefruit) -or-
Relaxation
(Lavender, Marjoram, Patchouli, Mandarin, Geranium and Chamomile.)
|
RECOMMENDED READING:
by Valerie Ann Worwood
Over 600 recipes for health, beauty and home; –my copy has notations and bookmarks throughout. It is an invaluable guide and a good starting place for practical applications of essential oils from health remedies to beauty treatments.
&
Aromatherapy for the Soul by Valerie Ann Worwood
For delving further into the spiritual uses and attributes of essential oils, this book includes fascinating imagery showing the energy fields of essential oils and discusses their use in relationship to the chakras (our body's energy centers) and reviews the "aromatic traditions" of many cultures throughout history to the present day.
"Healing takes place on all levels - spiritual, mental, and physical, and what's so remarkable about essential oils is that they influence the whole being. Just as they are the catalyst that can make a wound heal, or a mind relax, so can they transport a soul. I know of no other substances that can do that. They are flexible, adaptable, multifaceted, deep, complex, light, subtle, etheric, and all in a positive way. If molecules could be angels, they would surely be essential oils." —Valerie Ann Worwood, Aromatherapy for the Soul, page xx, Introduction.
There is something at once familiar and mysterious about essential oils. Like a dear old friend you've known forever,
—who just happens to hold the keys to the Universe.
Images 1 and 3-16, photographs by LeAnn
For a revised version of this post, visit our new site: www.linenlavenderlife.com
(sorry. digital magazine link no longer available)
{Volume No. 01 ~ Issue 02, (pg 20): "Nature's Gifts"}
{Nature's Gifts: essential oils}
