Essential oils are part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used to treat various health-related issues. Essential oils are extracted from certain plants to capture their scents, flavors, and overall health benefits. To capture the compounds that produce fragrance, fruits, flowers, bark, and leaves are steamed or cold-pressed to produce a concentrated and potent oil extract. When used properly, these oils will make for a great addition to your hair and skin. Here’s what you need to know before getting started with essential oils.
Types of Essential Oils
There are many different types of essential oils meant for different kinds of use. Some of the most popular types of essential oils include; lavender, chamomile, rose, hyssop myth, vetiver, frankincense, grapefruit, cedarwood, peppermint, basil, lemon, orange, and oregano, among others.
Benefits of Essential Oils
According to experts in the aromatherapy industry, essential oils have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antispasmodic, and immune-modulating properties. Some studies suggest that these oils can help improve sleep, mood, and memory while alleviating the symptoms of insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Each type of essential oil comes with its unique healing properties. Before buying or using any product, learn more about the individual oil and how it should be used.
How to choose the Best Essential Oils
When buying essential oils, you must check for the words ‘organic’ and ‘pure’. Organic and pure essential oils contain the healing properties your body requires. The low-quality oils will either do little to treat you or do more harm than good. Keep a lookout for labels using vague words such as ‘natural’ or ‘fragrance’ as they tell nothing about the properties of the oil. The label should also use Latin botanical names of the plant and mention where it was grown. The label should also indicate whether the oil was extracted through cold pressing or steam distillation.
Pay close attention to the price tag when making a purchase. While you want to save money on these products, keep in mind that cheap can be expensive. For instance, frankincense, sandalwood, jasmine, and rose are quite difficult to distill and this makes them a bit costlier. So, if you find a jasmine or rose oil going at $90 or less, then assume it is not authentic.
The Best Essential Oils for Beginners
If you are still new to essential oils, you’re probably wondering where to start. Before investing money in essential oils, test the waters with these aromatherapist-approved oils.
Peppermint Oil – Peppermint is purifying and refreshing. When inhaled straight from the bottle, peppermint oils can help soothe nausea. You can also add a drop of this oil to your foot bath to help stimulate blood flow and ease aches.
Lavender oil – Lavender oil is a popular essential oil with many uses. Its healing properties offer pain relief and are therefore great for burns, bruises, and minor scrapes. Lavender also offers a calming effect which makes it perfect for bedtime diffusing.
Teatree Oil – Teatree oil is another essential oil you can try as a beginner. it has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties and will be perfect to diffuse during the cold months. You can also use this oil to treat sore throats by adding two drops to a bowl of hot water.
When buying essential oils, consider the age and severity of the condition being treated. If you are using it on a child, search for kids essential oil and learn as much as you can about the product and its side effects. Also, feel free to check out Amritacourtglobal.com for the best Australian essential oils.
