Wellness is the key to better physical and mental health, and we’ve got the secret to unlocking it. If you want to sleep well, feel more focused, have more energy, suffer less from life’s pains and strains and be in a better mood, you can.
There’s an all-natural, accessible and easy way to give your life a makeover and reinvigorate your body, mind and soul.
All you need are the essential oils that promote wellness.
Here’s how you can transform the way you feel inside and out.
The emergence of essential oils
Essential oils have been used for thousands of years to facilitate natural healing. They were once the main form of medicine our ancestors relied on, with evidence of their use in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Asia. The term aromatherapy was, however, only coined as late as 1910 by René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist.
Gattefossé was working in his family’s factory, which was still involved in perfumery at that point, when he suffered a serious burn. In his agony, without thinking, he instinctively plunged his injured hand into the tub of liquid nearest him, which incidentally contained lavender oil. This accident went on to become a milestone for essential oil wellness information and experimentation - the results of which so many enjoy today.
Gattefossé was subsequently amazed at how quickly his burn healed and how minimal the scarring on his hand was. This kicked off what went on to become his life’s work. In the 1930s, he entered the cosmetic industry and then branched out into pharmaceutical work, all the while singing the praises of essential oils.
Over 100 years later, his groundbreaking work is evident in each wellness blend essential oil recipe that’s made or created anywhere in the world. Gattefossé brought an ancient practice into the mainstream once again and planted the seeds for the bountiful harvest we’re reaping in today’s world with the quality oils available at reputable distributors like Volant.
How to use essential oils for wellness
The way you use the essential oils you choose is entirely up to you. Here are the most common methods.
Diffusion
The easiest way to inhale essential oils is by using a diffuser. A diffuser will spread the scent molecules around the room you’re using it in, making it an essential oil wellness haven.
Ultrasonic diffusers are one of the easiest and safest types of diffusers. You can change out the oil in it as frequently as you want and it can be used safely while you’re sleeping with its automatic shut-off. Other methods may only offer the option of using one essential oil or blend until it’s completely evaporated, which could take a while, while other methods may be unsafe to use while sleeping.
Inhalation
You can breathe essential oils in directly using an inhaler or by simply removing the cap of the bottle and holding it under your nose, breathing in deeply. Just be sure not to have the lid off too long to prevent excessive evaporation of your oil.
If you go this route, just be very careful not to get any oil on your skin in its concentrated form. These oils are potent and may cause irritation at best, and a burn at worst.
Another way of using indirect inhalation is to add some essential oil to a piece of cotton wool or fabric. You can place this in the vents of your car, for instance, in your handbag, or put them in special spots around your home or office.
You can also do a facial steam by adding some essential oil to a bowl of hot water, covering your head and inhaling the vapour for up to 15 minutes. This is a popular method for skin care and respiratory illnesses.
Room spray
If you want to freshen up your space, your furniture, your linens, your car or your bedroom, essential oils added to a spray bottle of water make for a great room spray.
Simply spritz it over your furniture or linens to freshen them up before company arrives, spritz it over your pillow to help you get to sleep, or spritz it over your bed before your significant other arrives to enhance the mood.
Topically
Essential oils make for a great alternative to toxic perfumes with fantastic health benefits to boot! They’re also a great addition to DIY or commercial personal care products such as skin care, hair care, anti-aging or pain relief products, among others. And of course, they’re a vital addition to an aromatherapy massage that’s bound to soothe and relax!
It’s vital, however, that you properly dilute essential oil into a 2.5% solution for adults. This is roughly 15 drops of oil per six teaspoons of carrier oil or personal care product. Diluting essential oils this way will protect your skin from irritation, prolong the effects and scent of the essential oil on your skin by keeping it from evaporating too quickly, and it will help spread your essential oil further on your skin, saving you money in the long run.
In the bath
Don’t wait to book a pricey spa day - just create your own at home! Once you’ve diluted whatever essential oils suit the wellness issue you’re facing in a bit of carrier oil, think about adding them to your bathwater. This will allow your skin to absorb them as you submerge yourself in the water, and you’ll have the added benefit of inhaling them as you breathe in the moist air, rejuvenating your body and your mind.
Long-term benefits of using essential oils for wellness
Using essential oils for an extended period of time can improve your well-being in so many ways. Oils can help you manage pain, improve the quality of your sleep and reduce your levels of agitation, anxiety and stress.
There is much anecdotal evidence for essential oils soothing sore joints, treating headaches and migraines, easing the discomfort of labour and improving digestion.
Clinical evidence of their many benefits is now constantly emerging, too, as more people turn back to herbal medicine, leaving companies and researchers seeking to validate their effectiveness.
Top essential oils for wellness
There are 90+ essential oils available nowadays, and each one has its own particular set of benefits, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Wading through these different oils, whatever your level of experience with them may be, would be a time-consuming endeavour, so we’ve narrowed down the top recommendations for you.
Read on to discover the best essential oils for wellness in today’s busy world.
Frankincense
As the name implies, frankincense is the original incense that was burned during spiritual ceremonies or to cleanse a home. Today, it can still provide that spiritual, grounding or centering effect as an essential oil.
Frankincense essential oil has some very interesting benefits, most of which offer something nearly all of us are lacking to one degree or another. It’s a natural antiseptic, it can be useful if you’re struggling with digestive issues, it’s an anti-inflammatory, and it can reduce the appearance of scars.
Frankincense can also boost collagen levels and will make even the most unhealthy-looking skin look plump and refreshed. This essential oil wellness option works to support proper cell functioning and does all this while it relaxes your body, heart and mind with its sublime, earthy aroma.
Lavender
Along with its documented ability to treat burns and help skin heal, lavender essential oil can treat insect bites, acne, and offer relief from painful sunburn because of its antihistamine and soothing properties.
Lavender’s scent is very relaxing, which has made it a wonderful alternative to over-the-counter medicine for relieving anxiety and stress and regulating sleep. It plays a starring role in many wellness blend essential oil recipes and stands as one of the most widely-used oils in the world, making it a top essential oil for wellness.
Lemon
Who doesn’t love the smell of lemon? It’s such a happy smell that you can’t help feeling invigorated by it. This is obviously why it’s a top essential oil for wellness, on top of the fact that it’s great for cleaning and many other uses. Extracted from the exterior of the fruit’s fresh peel, lemon essential oil is widely used in cleaning sprays, detergents, cosmetics, lotions and perfumes because of its wonderful fresh scent.
Lemon oil is also famous for its mood-boosting properties and its ability to regulate hormones like oestrogen, reduce PMS symptoms and make menstrual cycles more regular and lighter. It also happens to be one of the best cures for a hangover!
Peppermint
If you’re feeling under the weather, the minty fresh aroma of peppermint essential oil will make you feel better while it actively works on your physical symptoms too. It’s a fantastic oil for opening airways and sinuses and can help you breathe more easily as well as help relieve pain.
Peppermint oil can also give your digestive health the boost it needs, addressing bloating and other IBS symptoms, and it can help you combat sugar cravings. Use it if you suffer from headaches or nausea regularly and you may find it improves your ability to focus and your overall alertness. Peppermint is a must-have essential oil for wellness.
Tea Tree
Sometimes referred to as melaleuca, Australian aborigines have been using tea tree oil to heal wounds for many years. You can put it to work in boosting your immune system, giving you protection from colds and flu, and as a skin cleanser. It’s a good oil for greasy skin and breakouts and can help prevent dandruff.
Tea tree is a fabulous deterrent for nits and ticks, and its antibacterial and antifungal properties mean it makes an excellent staple in any household.
What the research tells us
As old as aromatherapy is, the information that the scientific community can tell us about essential oils’ wellness capabilities is relatively limited. This is starting to change, however, and clinical trials are increasingly being conducted the world over with results that confirm what our ancestors believed. Here are just some examples of essential oil research.
Smell stimulus and scholarly achievement
Year five Turkish pupils were divided into two groups for this trial, randomly divided into an experimental group and a control one. Both underwent English lessons biweekly over the course of a month, with the experimental group exposed to the scent of lemon during their classes. Thereafter, these students outperformed the control group during testing.
In another study, nursing students who smelled lemon essential oil for 15 minutes before a test not only had better cognitive and physiological scores, but their test anxiety was reduced by almost half that of the controls!
Stress-reducing benefits of lavender and chamomile oils
Lavender and chamomile essential oils are two of the most popular essential oils for anxiety and stress reduction. A controlled study on older adults showed that stress, anxiety and depression were significantly reduced when either lavender or chamomile essential oil were inhaled at night over 30 nights.
The impact of smell on the quality of sleep
A wellness blend essential oil recipe of lavender oil and distilled water increased the percentage of slow-wave sleep (aka deep sleep) in the male and female subjects of a 2005 study. Additionally, everyone who took part reported that they felt more robust the morning after they were exposed to this mix.
The effects of plant extracts on learning and memory
One study revealed that mice being met with rosemary and spearmint extracts experienced a boost in their learning and memory. The oxidation of brain tissue markers that comes with age also improved.
Can essential oils mitigate exercise-induced fatigue?
Forty-eight male Wistar rats were used for this study, divided into control, essential oil mixture, peppermint essential oil, and fatigue groups. It took longer for the groups exposed to an essential oil mixture and peppermint oil to become exhausted from swimming, showing the positive impact of essential oils on tiredness.
Pain relief with essential oils
Many essential oils have been found to have pain relief effects. Many studies have found that just inhaling certain oils has the ability to help relieve various types of pain. Using essential oils topically has also been found to help with arthritis, knee pain, low back pain, dysmenorrhea and so much more.
Wellness blends: essential oil recipes
If you want to enjoy many different benefits of essential oils all in one, these wellness blend essential oil recipes are a great place to start. They’re crafted by experts and are sure to help you make the most of essential oils in your daily life.
Sleep by Volant Aroma
You don’t need to change your linen daily to get the luxurious feeling of sinking into fresh bed sheets at night. Try Organic Sleep in your bedroom before lights out and step into a delightfully muted, tranquil, calm space. The frankincense, lavender, and palmarosa essential oils for wellness in this blend merge to ensure you sleep soundly.
