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Find Out How To Use Essential Oils At Home

By Mattie MacDonald


One of your most powerful senses is your sense of smell. The way that food tastes to you, for instance, is mainly due to how the food smells, even if you don't consciously realize it. You can easily use your sense of smell to help relieve ailments too. All you need to know is how to use essential oils at home.

The art of using smell as therapy is known as aromatherapy. Some smells can increase your energy levels while others will reduce stress and can help with insomnia. There are smells that have infection-fighting properties and ones that will relieve pain. Of course using aromatherapy is only suitable for minor ailments. It won't cure serious illnesses.

The easiest way to practice aromatherapy is by using essential oils. These are oils that capture the smells of certain plant products in a concentrated form. They can be produced in different ways, depending on the plant. For instance, sometimes they are simply pressed out, for example in the case of citrus skin that contains oil naturally. Most often, though, they're obtained through distilling the plant materials.

Another important tool to have is an aromatherapy burner. It has a container in which you place a few drops of oil and a candle underneath to heat up the oil. This causes vapors to be released. If you're looking for something to help you focus, look no further than a few drops of grapefruit or basil oil in your aromatherapy burner.

You can use your essential oil on your skin too. However, oils are too strong to use on their own and you need to dilute them with a carrier oil such as grapeseed or almond oil. Tea tree oil is great for treating wounds because of its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. For sore muscles, massage the skin with an oil containing lavender, pine or clary sage.

When you're suffering from a winter cold, there's a great way to open up clogged sinuses and relieve coughing. Simply add some peppermint and eucalyptus oil to a steam inhaler and let the vapors do their work. If you don't have a steam inhaler, use a bowl of boiling water instead, with a towel over your head to trap the steam. Add some lavender oil too to help you sleep.

Many people use their favorite oil in cosmetics that they make at home. For example, add some lemon oil to a face or hair mask. You can even make your own perfume. Simply add a few drops of oil, or even a combination of different oils, to a base of alcohol. Vodka works very well. Let the mixture stand for a couple of weeks and shake it regularly.

Among the most popular aromatherapy oils are lavender and tea tree. These works for a wide range of ailments and are widely available. You may even find them in your local supermarket. Chemists and health stores tend to stock a greater variety and for that highly specialized oil, simply get it online.




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