Aromatherapy:   Your Guide to Using Essential Oils

Note:   When the combination is more than the sum of the parts, this is said to have a synergistic effect. Synergistic blends contain two or more oils mixed in such a way as to produce a chemical compound different to the component parts. They are powerful acting and direct and contain a vibrancy not otherwise attainable with just one oil. Proportions should be correct, however, and it is sometimes important to mix more than needed because a component part diluted in carrier oil may be only 0.001 of the whole, but that thousandth is vital to the whole. You can try to mix your own or use some of the excellent aromatherapy blends available today (such as the blends from dōTERRA Essential Wellness).

There are many simple and satisfying ways to use essential oils in your everyday life. Whether you need to calm down, recover from a cold, wake up, feel more confident, or go to sleep, essential oils will benefit you.

A word or two of caution: Like any therapeutic tool, essential oils must be used with caution and respect. Do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2s or other concentrated essences onto the skin and never contact the eyes or sensitive parts of the body as they can cause redness and burning. If a stinging sensation, inflammation or burning does occur, apply a lot of carrier oil immediately. This will help to disperse the essential oils. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and give children only the gentlest oils at extremely low doses. (It is safest to consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children.) Consider conducting a skin patch test prior to using an oil that you've never used before. Also do not take any oils internally without consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner or physician.

If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Also be aware that citrus oils can cause skin photosensitization to the sun's ultraviolet rays and exposure to the sun should be restricted for no less than four hours after using such oils. People with high blood pressure, epilepsy, neural disorders, or kidney disease should be especially careful of oils such as cypress, rosemary, juniper, and black pepper as they may aggravate their conditions.

Ways to Use Aromatherapy Oils

Stress, pollution, unhealthy diets, hectic but inactive lifestyles all have adverse effects on our bodies and spirits. The art of aromatherapy harnesses the pure essences of aromatic plants, flowers and resins, to work on the most powerful of the senses-smell and touch-to restore the harmony of body and mind. Use the beneficial properties of essential oils to treat common ailments, promote good health, and emotional well being, and to enhance every aspect of your life. These potent, volatile essences are nature's gift to mind and body.

With our busy lifestyles, we can still easily add essential oils into our every-day lives. Below are a few easy suggestions:

• Blend a few drops of our aromatherapy oils with a natural-based non-oily lotion as a body cream. You'll get the healing benefits of aromatherapy without an oily residue. The body cream will enable the scent of the essential oils to linger on your skin longer
• Use 1/4 teaspoon in a full laundry load
• Add a few drops at the bottom of your child's baby wipes liquid
• Use on a cotton swab on a pillowcase (leaves no residue!)
• Drop a cotton ball into the vacuum cleaner
• Add a cotton ball in the dryer
• Add a drop or two in a humidifier
• Add a single drop to the water in your iron
• Add to a cotton ball in your lingerie drawer
• Dab a cotton swab onto a light bulb before light is turned on
• Swab a single drop on your kitchen burner
• Place a cotton ball in your pocket (leaves no residue!)
• Place a drop on a light bulb
• Use in an aromatherapy diffuser diluted with water
• Add oils into tub after your tub is filled to prevent evaporation, making sure to shut the bathroom door or pull the curtain on your bathtub to avoid the aroma from escaping
• Add a few drops to a bowl of hot water, lean over and cover your head with a towel. Breathe deeply for three to five minutes (especially effective for clearing up sinus congestions and stuffiness caused by colds - use essential oil blends like the doTERRA Breathe blend with Peppermint, Eucalpytus, Lemon, and Melaleuca
• Place a few drops on your favorite oil on cotton and inhale
• Dilute and stir or rub on in a clockwise direction

Using Scent to Create a Scent-sational Home Environment for the Summertime

Reprinted from the doTERRA blog

Just a few drops of essential oils can make life at home look, smell, and feel more pleasant!

Even though there is plenty to enjoy outdoors during the summer months, most of us will still be spending some time indoors (at home, in hotel rooms during summer travel, or perhaps a cabin on campouts).

Adding the fragrance of essential oils to your summer space is the perfect way to create an inviting atmosphere for friends and guests, while also creating an UN-inviting environment for pesky insects.

• Diffuse uplifting fragrances such as doTERRA's Citrus Bliss, Peppermint, and On Guard to purify the air and to create a fresh, clean smell.
• Take your essential oils along when you travel. When staying in hotels, add a few drops of essential oils to a tissue or washcloth, and place over the air vent or fan in the room. This will disperse the oils into the air and rid the room of any odors and airborn pathogens.
• If you're sending your child to camp, send him/her with a spray bottle and a bottle of Purify. By adding a few drops of Purify to water in the spray bottle, your child can spritz the air in the cabin or tent, as well as any mattresses or sleeping bags to rid them of insects or musty odors.
• Here are additional tips on how to keep your home environment smelling fresh and staying free of insects by using all-natural essential oils. Simply add a few drops of the following essential oils on a cotton ball and place in corners or areas where insects are found; sprinkle a few drops of the essential oil directly from the bottle along baseboards; or add the essential oil to a water bottle, shake, and spritz the area to send bugs running away. Use the following doTERRA oils for the ever-present summer bugs:
  
  
  • Ants- TerraShield, peppermint, rosemary
  • Aphids- peppermint
  • Beetles- TerraShield, peppermint, thyme
  • Chiggers*- TerraShield, lavender, lemongrass, thyme
  • Cutworm- Thyme
  • Fleas*- TerraShield, Purify, lavender, lemongrass, peppermint
  • Flies- TerraShield, lavender, peppermint, rosemary
  • Gnats- TerraShield
  • Mosquitos*- TerraShield, lavender, lemongrass
  • Moths- TerraShield, Purify, lavender, peppermint
  • Plant lice- peppermint
  • Spiders*- TerraShield, Purify, peppermint
  • Ticks*- Purify, lavender, lemongrass, thyme
  
  *In case the insects find you before you use your oils, the same oils that repel insects also relieve the effect of the bites.

(See Part 1 of this article for additional ideas.)

Something as simple as a scent can inspire an intense emotional reaction, heightening our senses and awakening our true desires. Try some today!

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Chandra is an independent representative for dōTERRA Essential Wellness, a company founded on a wellness philosophy of healthy lifestyle choices and informed proactive participation in one's own healthcare alternatives. dōTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade™ essential oils and other wellness products are specifically formulated to support a wellness philosophy of eating right, exercising, resting and managing stress, and reducing toxic load. dōTERRA also teaches informed self care alternatives and encourages people to take a proactive role in their medical care. The dōTERRA mission is to teach people to live more healthy, productive lives and to share with others the blessing of a lifetime of wellness.

See the dōTERRA website for more information or to place an order.

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