Aromatherapy can be an important key in balancing women's health.

Essential oils used in aromatherapy, if they are pure and of high quality, can significantly improve your feeling of wholeness and well-being.

Many have heard the story of French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse who, when he received a severe burn on his hand, mistakenly plunged the hand into a bowl essential oil instead of water, and in the process discovered the wonderful healing qualities of Lavender. It was he who coined the term "aromatherapy". Unfortunately the word tends to give the impression that the healing properties of these essential oils work only through the sense of smell, when quite the opposite is true. Essential oils work in the body in a variety of different ways.

• They can be absorbed through the skin and move throughout the body via the bloodstream
• Molecules can be absorbed into the blood via the alveoli once the aromatic molecules have been inhaled.
• And, of course, the oils affect the body psychologically, via their scent.

Quality Counts

If you are only looking for something that smells good then where your aromatherapy oils come from, and what substances they are mixed with makes little difference. However, if you are interested in quality essential oils to improve health and remove toxins from your environment, you'll want to be aware of a few things.

It takes huge amounts of raw material to obtain pure, natural essential oils. Because of this, a surprisingly large number of products on the market have been either adulterated with chemical substances or diluted with lower quality, commercial-grade oils.

What you want is a company who is willing to go directly to the source and develop long-term relationships with producers of integrity. That is the only way to ensure you are receiving top quality essential oils to use in your aromatherapy experience. Take the time to do a little background checking before you purchase.

For my personal aromatherapy needs and those of my clients I choose NSP essential oils...

SIDE NOTE: Simply enter "essential oil" (without the quotes) in the "Search by Ingredient" box and press search.

...because even after they develop relationships with quality producers who have strict testing standards themselves, they also do their own testing at their home office. Among the many tests they perform on every lot of essential oil are:

• Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
• Optical Rotation
• Refractive Indexing and Specific Gravity

These and other tools allow NSP to check for the proper levels and proportions of chemical constituents, color, clarity, aroma, and for contaminants or adulterations of any kind.

Essential Oil Safety

• Follow label instructions. Use externally; do not ingest - essential oils that can be ingested should be used in that manner under the direction of an Aromatherapist.

• Keep essential oils away from children

• Dilute essential oils before using topically. Undiluted essential oils may cause skin irritation. Essential oils do not dissolve in water, and must be diluted with a vegetable oil such as NSP's carrier oil.

• Always keep a carrier oil readily available when using essential oils, incase of irritation.

• Patch test essential oils on a small skin area to determine skin sensitivity. Potentially irritating oils include but are not limited to eucalyptus, pine, clove and lemon.

• Generally, people with allergies must be very cautious with essential oils. The least sensitive area is the soles of the feet.

• Essential oils, in their concentrated state, must never come in contact with mucous membranes, eyes, or sensitive skin areas.

• Milk can be used to flush the eye. (However, it cannot be non-fat. Soy is also okay as long as there is fat.)

• Avoid exposure to the sun or tanning beds after topical application of essential oils. This is especially important with citrus oils. (Particularly Bergamot)

• Some oils have strong caustic characteristics and should be used cautiously, and in a diluted form.

• Consult a physician knowledgeable in essential oil use if pregnant, terminally ill, or undergoing drug therapy before using essential oils.

• Periodically take a break from using essential oils. Use for six days and rest for one, or use for 3 weeks and rest on the fourth week.

Application Methods

• "Neat"The use of essential oils directly on the skin without diluting them first with a carrier oil. Essential oils that can be applied to the skin neat include tea tree and lavender.

• InhalationEssential oil blends (such as guardian, or Deep Relief, among others) can be inhaled gently yet directly from the bottle for a quick emotional lift. For a deeper and more powerful inhalation, place 6-8 drops of your chosen essential oil or oil blend in a bowl of almost boiling water. Place a towel over your head and inhale for 5 minutes.

• BathDraw your bath, then add 10 drops of your essential oil or blend to the bath. Agitate the water in a figure eight motion. Soak for 15 minutes. For a lightly bubbly, cleansing bath, add 1-teaspoon of sunshine Concentrate. For relaxation, detoxification, or the folk remedy for sore joints, you can mix the oils with 1/2 to 1 cup of Epsom salts or sea salt and add to your bath water. To spread the oils evenly in the bath water, use 1-teaspoon lecithin. Or try a sitz bath with just enough water to cover your lower body, and add 5 drops of essential oil.

• DiffusionPlace 10 to 25 undiluted drops of your chosen essential oil or blend into the diffuser. (A nebulizing diffuser would be used this way. You can also use an Aromaball plug in diffuser, which is a lot better for you than plug-in type air fresheners from the store! Another way I like to "carry my aromatherapy" with me is with the Terra-Cotta Pendants below.

• MassageMix approximately 21-25 drops of essential oil into 2 ounces (30ml) of base oil. Massage oil, almond oil, etc. Apply externally, massaging towards the heart.

• HumidifierPut 10 drops of essential oil or oil blend into the water of the unit.

• SpritzAdd 10 to 15 drops of the essential oil or blend to 8 ounces of distilled water. Shake well before use. (I like to have smaller bottles around the house and in my purse.)

• Gargle or MouthwashAdd 3 drops of an essential oil to a teaspoon of vodka or water and gargle.

Terra Cotta Pendants
Diffuse Essential Oils wherever you go with a Terra Cotta Pendants

I've seen other diffuser pendants, but these are my favorites. As soon as I saw them I wrote to ask the creator of these little gems if I could recommend them on my aromatherapy page. As you can see, she said yes!

According to Lori, her beautiful diffuser pendants are

"Kiln-fired terra-cotta clay: rock hard yet light as air!Smooth, wearer-friendly edges (you can even tuck it in if you like!)Hand-made with stringent Quality Control.Waxed cotton cords: just as soft but more durable than leather.Silver plated rings and safety Lobster clasp -it will break away in an emergency."

She has quite a variety of leaf and flower impressions, and shapes to choose from.

If you visit Lori's site, please be sure to tell her Teri Hayes said hello!

Because I think these pendants are so wonderful, any client/customer who purchases either the

• Health, Home and Beauty Kit

  ~OR~

• Aromatherapy Starter Pack

...will receive 2 terra-cotta pendants as a special gift from me. One to keep and one to give away...

....or keep them both!

Bath salts, body scrubs, spritzs are a few of the high quality, inexpensive aromatherapy birthday and Christmas gifts I have created using the essential oils from these kits. Have some fun and make some unique, personalized, and healthy gifts this year.

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Tools for Health...

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Other Sources of Information

Aromatherapy Books ~~ Learning about aromatherapy is a great adventure on many levels. It is fun to play around with the different scents and their unique qualities. Even more important, though, is when you realize the impact you can have on your home and family when replacing a myriad of toxins with these natural oils.

Health questions? Aromatherapy questions? Ask the Health Coach!

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