“Why not take care of this body, which is the receptacle of our soul, so that it may remain as healthy, strong and perfect as possible’.
– Paracelsus
How to use essential oils at home
Essential oils can be enjoyed at home using a variety of different methods. They are convenient, enjoyable and easy to use! They also make ideal travel companions as they are light and compact, plus they make a valuable addition to a first-aid kit. You can easily and effectively turn your bedroom into a fragrant sanctuary or your bathroom into a relaxing aroma spa!
Below gives some indication of their numerous applications, as well as the type of conditions for which they are particularly effective to treat at home.
- Emotional health: To help relieve stress related complaints such as headaches, nervous tension and insomnia. Certain oils can also help with travel sickness and jet lag.
- First-Aid: To treat minor first-aid cases such as cuts, burns and insect bites.
- Skin Hygiene: As skin care agents in the treatment of conditions such as eczema, acne, stretch marks and dry skin.
- Face & Body Care: As everyday cosmetics to cleanse, revitalise, nourish and normalise the skin. They are especially valuable to help prevent the skin ageing: this is one of their most traditional applications since early times.
- Common Complaints: To help prevent and relieve common complaints such as colds, coughs & period pains.
- Sports & Muscular Pain: For the treatment of sports injuries as well as general aches & pains, like muscular tension, back ache and rheumatism.
- Immune Support: As a preventative measure, to help maintain health and vitality and ward off infections or illness.
- Environment: To create a fragrant environment by using the oils to scent the office, home, linen, clothes, potpourris, notepaper etc.
- Well-Being: Purely for pleasure by making fragrant gifts, or blended together to create individual personalized fragrances for the body or home. Check out our Blending Notebook for plenty of DIY ideas and recipes.
- Perfumes: Many essential oils can be used as natural ‘pulse-point’ perfumes directly. Oils such as rose, neroli, ylang ylang, patchouli and sandalwood are classic scents in their own right: our 5% dilutions make ideal natural perfumes.
Aromatherapy & Bathing
Create your own blended bath oil, or simply add 5-10 drops of essential oil to the warm water when the bath is full. Use lavender and chamomile to promote relaxation, or rosemary and juniper to invigorate. You can also add your oils to bath salts or Magnesium flakes to make your own bath soaks. We also supply a range of natural bath accessories to compliment your home spa experience.
NB: Beware of oils that may irritate sensitive skin, and do not use more than 5 drops for children under 12. In this case, it is best to dissolve the oils in a little milk before adding to the bath water. Always check the specific safety data before using any essential oil.
Aromatherapy & Massage
Aromatherapy massage can be applied to the whole body, or to specific parts, e.g. the shoulders to relieve muscular tension or to the stomach for indigestion. One can also apply the practice of self-massage at home on areas such as the feet or neck.
Oils are absorbed readily through the skin and into the bloodstream, so it is an effective treatment for many muscular complaints or cramps.
Simply blend 5-6 drops of essential oil with one dessert spoon (approx. 10ml) of a carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil to create your own massage blend. We also supply a selection of ready-made formulated body oils to use with massage for your convenience.
Aromatherapy for Beauty & Skincare
Aromatherapy oils have been used for thousands of years due to their amazing value in beauty and skin care. They have proven to be highly beneficial for a wide range os skin care solutions, and are also exceptional skin care agents for the treatment of conditions such as eczema, acne, stretch marks, or to help prevent the signs of ageing.
Our ‘Blending Notebook’ contains plenty of DIY skin care tips, advise and recipe ideas, with all the theory to get you started making your own aromatherapy skin care elixirs at home. Choose from recipe ideas for facial oils suited to either oily, mature, sensitive, normal or combination skin types, or from a selection of formulations for a relaxing, anti-cellulite, muscle-ache, after-sun, stretch-mark or sensual body oil.
Aromatherapy for Room Fragrance & Diffusion
Diffuse essential oils or diffusion blends for a healthy environment. They can be used to dispel unwanted smells, to repel insects, to create a particular atmosphere, or for therapeutic purposes.
The easiest method is to use an oil burner or diffuser. Use a few drops such as tea tree or fragonia to prevent the spread of germs, bergamot and geranium to cheer the spirits, or peppermint and euclayptus to clear congestion.
Oils can also be used to scent potpourri, linen and clothes to repel moths, or a few drops can be put on a hankie or on the pillow at night to help induce sleep. Our flower waters can also be used as light room fresheners.
Aromatherapy for Home Cleaning Products
Quick, easy and cheap to make, homemade cleaning products are safe and non-toxic to use, but still retain excellent cleaning powers helping to kill germs and bacteria. Chemical cleaning products are being linked more and more to increased cases of cancer and asthma, especially in children, as well as headaches, eczema and all sorts of allergies.
There are many essential oils with fantastic antiseptic qualitites that can be mixed with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to create your own household disinfectant products. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to your laundry detergent in the dispenser of your washing maching when cleaning clothes.
Aromatherapy for Gift Making
Essential oils are the ideal tools for making fragrant, personalized gifts for loved ones or for creating well-being items for the body or home.
Aromatherapy candles, soaps, bath bombs, face masks, scrubs and rubs – the list is endless! Or use them to scent cards, decorations or notepaper! There are so many creative ideas available online to get inspired with. Children also love to get involved and use their senses, though young children must always be supervised when using essential oils, as they are highly concentrated substances.
Aromatherapy for Natural Perfumery
Many essential oils such as ylang ylang, jasmine, neroli and rose make ideal perfumes just as they are. Dab a few drops directly on the wrist as ‘pulse-point’ perfumes or try our 5% dilutions for a less intense perfume. Our selection of flower waters also make wonderful light body perfumes.
Avoid oils which may cause irritation, and always do a patch test first, i.e. put a drop of oil on the back of the hand and leave for fifteen minutes to check if there is an adverse reaction. If any skin irritation occurs, bathe with cold water immediately.
If you fancy creating your own perfume, our Blending Notebook contains some starter recipe ideas to get you going with suggested oil combinations for different effects such as ‘exotic’, ‘fresh’ or ‘romantic’.
“Training and using our noses is very important in perfumery but it is also a way of being intimate with oneself. The experience of really smelling something with awareness and enquiry is meditative. Our mind becomes still as the sensation is felt in non-rational parts of the mind. Zen master Dogen’s shikantaza ‘just sitting’ meditation method is a practice of bodily awareness. The effective use of the method entails shifting ones awareness away from the stream of thought and placing it in the body. The method works because the body is always present whereas the mind hops around like the hare in the moon. Once the meditation is established, the body mind harmonises and like Ryokan says in his poetry, ‘like the little mountain stream, we too may turn clear and transparent’. We should aspire to practice perfumery just like that.”
-Alec Lawless
The Blending Notebook
A clear & concise introduction to the art of blending, our blending notebook makes the perfect companion for anyone just starting out or futher developing their own exploration into the world of blending aromatics. It also makes the perfect gift for any budding aromatherapist.
Full of theory, guidance & recipe ideas you need to get started in developing your own aromatherapy elixirs at home. Contains all the key information to create your own aromatic blends, with journal pages to write your own formulations, a glossary of key essential & carrier oils, a measurement conversion guide & a perfumery chart with notes on how to train your nose.
Safety Guidelines
All our products have clear safety instructions on the label: please always read these guidelines prior to use.
The safety aspect of essential oils is a very important issue! Some oils, such as pennyroyal, should never be used in aromatherapy due to its high toxicity levels, while certain other oils such as white camphor, should be used in moderation only. However, the potential hazards of any essential oil depends entirely on how much is used and under what circumstances. Precise instructions and information on usage, exact botanical origin and up-to-date safety data on specific essential oils should always be taken into account.
“It is important to always use high quality essential oils from a reputable supplier at home if they are to be effective and safe”.
– Julia Lawless
Before using any essential oil, we recommend you take the following simple precautions:
- Always check specific safety data before using an essential oil.
- Do not take essential oils internally – they are extremely concentrated and can be harmful!
- In general, essential oils should not be applied undiluted to the skin, although there are a few exceptions to the rule.
- Do not use essential oils on new-born babies and note that some oils are contra-indicated for infants (children under six). Always use the essential oils at half the recommended dilution for children under twelve.
- Some oils should be avoided during pregnancy, others during the first 4 months only. Always use the essential oils at half the recommended dilution during pregnancy.
- Some oils should be avoided when in combination with drinking alcohol or using homeopathic remedies, and in cases of high-blood pressure, epilepsy or allergies.
- Do not use essential oils at home to treat serious or long-standing medical or psychological problems – if in doubt consult a doctor or qualified therapist.
- Store in dark bottles, away from light and heat, and well out of reach of children.
- Avoid contact with eyes and delicate areas of the skin. Rinse immediately with plenty of cold water in cases of irritation.
- All our products have clear safety instructions on the label: please always read these guidelines prior to use.