It has been suggested that the history of aromatherapy may go back as far as 40,000 years, but the earliest written record dates to 2650 when a book called “The Art of Aroma Therapy” was penned by Tisserand.

However, some sources credit ancient Egyptians for using plant oils in healing between four and six thousand years ago. They used the oils from plants for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, including bathing, perfuming, healing and even embalming. The history of aromatherapy also documents its use in cleansing and beautifying as well.

The credit for oils and perfumes goes to Europe to the crusaders when trade routes began to flourish. Since much of the Roman’s medicinal knowledge came from the Greeks, Rome became known as the bathing capital of the world once they perfected the use of oils.

Healing Properties Soon Realized

During the plague in Europe in the middle ages, the health benefits of essentials became part of the history of aromatherapy as there effects on healing and the immune system were first seen. It wasn’t until the 19th century that scientists of Europe began investigating the healing properties of oils.

The term aromatherapy has been credited to Rene Maurice Gattefosse who, in a book, wrote about the anti-bacterial affects of essential oils. However, it wasn’t until French Biochemist Madame Margaret Maury came up with massages using the essential oils of plants as a healing practice did the history of aromatherapy become realized.

California became part of the history of aromatherapy in the 1980’s where it was introduced and health food stores today offer a wide range of oils and products as do a multitude of internet web sites. Based on the history of aromatherapy, many massage therapists, chiropractors and psychologists incorporate it into their practice.

While Europe has regulated the use of aromatherapy requiring prescriptions for oral doses and licensing procedures for aroma therapists, the United States has no licensing standards. However, many aroma therapists are working to achieve just that. They believe knowledge in botany, chemistry and physiology should be attained instead of just being able to rub people with oils.

While the history of aromatherapy has been a long one, people have been slow to embrace it as a part of medicinal health. However, today’s aroma therapists believe that licensing standards will help the practice grow as more and more people understand and acknowledge the healing potential of essential oils.

You might agree that people are actually fed up with the standard medical system, and are open to trying alternatives health avenues. One such alternative health treatment, which is gaining popularity by the day, is aromatherapy treatment.

What do you understand by Aromatherapy Treatment?

Aromatherapy treatment is that treatment which uses aromas (smells) to treat different types of diseases. There are a number of essential oils that are used to create the right ambiance and produce the right smells to correct the problem.

There are countries, which do not recognize aromatherapy treatment legally, such as the U.S, while some others, like France, welcome it as part of their conventional medicines. The latter is more common in Europe, while the people in the UK and U.S. are actually more skeptical about its applications, though they practice it every now and then.

What are the Benefits of Aromatherapy Treatment?

You may be surprised to know that aromatherapy treatment can cure a multitude of diseases such as viral afflictions, toothache, earache, cold and cough, fever, digestive problems, depression, nervousness, and so on. You should be warned that, though smelling the essential oils may provide you with relief, you should never ever attempt to drink any of the oils.

You get the benefits of the aromatherapy treatment only through smelling the essence of the many essential oils. The smell can is usually obtained through diffusing the oil in the air and smelled through inhalation with the help of inhalers, through the skin (bath/ massage/ compress), and through application on the mucus membranes.

There is one more way to get the benefits of the aromatherapy treatment, i.e. ingestion. However, since ingestion is extremely dangerous if given in incorrect dosages, it should be consumed only in the presence of an experienced medical practitioner who can, if necessary, give you an antidote.

The aromas of the aromatherapy treatment comes from a number of herbs, trees and flowers, such as lavender, eucalyptus, clove, garlic, camphor, basil, ginger, lemon, nutmeg, rosemary among others. Each of the components is studied and they provide complete relief in most of the cases.

This is why many countries have accepted aromatherapy treatment as conventional treatment and promote it just as they would do the regular medicine practice. Besides, while providing relief for many ailments, the aromatherapy treatment can provide an excellent aroma in any home. This could be quite addictive, in a pleasant and harmless way.

Going to the spa used to mean getting a massage and your hair done. There weren’t that many things to offer. Well, times have changed. Now, instead of the usual massage treatment, there are a number of aromatherapy spas opening up all around the country. Aromatherapy is an unconventional therapy method used to cure all kinds of ailments. It uses volatile liquid plant materials, or essential oils, in order to reduce stress and tension. An aromatherapy spa is a great place to getaway to avoid the hectic pace of everyday life. Or, give someone you love an aromatherapy spa gift certificate. Whether they know about aromatherapy or not, they’ll likely thank you when they’re able to reap its soothing benefits.

Gaining Popularity

Aromatherapy spas are springing up everywhere. Chances are there’s one in your town. Aromatherapy spas are just like other spas. They offer massages, only with aromatic oils designed to further relax you. Imagine getting a massage that not only relaxes you but puts you in an almost meditative state that brings you almost to another dimension. This is what visiting an aromatherapy spa is like.

A Variety Of Amenities

Of course, aromatherapy spas offer a wider selection of amenities than just massages. However, every amenity they do offer utilizes aromatic essential oils to further relax and enhance the spa experience. For instance, you can get your hair done and then, afterwards, the person doing your hair might rub aromatic essential oils on your scalp and in your hair to give it strength and sheen.

Given the growing popularity for aromatherapy spas, there’s bound to be one in a town near you. Check the yellow pages or do a local Internet search. Gift certificates from an aromatherapy spa is a great gift to someone you truly care about. Nothing will mean more to them than receiving the gift to total relaxation.

If your job and day to day life has you run down and ready to throw in the towel, visit your local aromatherapy spa. After one visit, it’s likely you’ll become a repeat customer. Imagine, after one visit, being able to feel the weight lifted off your shoulders. The way your anger and tension has just melted out of you. You feel more at peace, more relaxed. That is the power of the aromatherapy spa and that is the feeling you’ll feel after one visit.

In the past, a milk bath was special as it helped the skin stay moisturized and feeling smooth. Today the same feelings can be enjoyed without the need to own your own cow – simply by using aromatherapy soap.

The best of the aromatherapy soap brands are made of vegetable or olive oils, some using palm oil or palm kernel oil with essential oils and perfumes added for fragrance and grains added for texture. This process makes them a true natural product.

Numerous studies have shown the sense of smell is the most involved in a person’s mood. Since the first memories a person has is often based on smell, certain odors can evoke strong emotional reactions. Smells that are pleasant and relaxing include lavender, vanilla and coconut, among others. A bar aromatherapy soap with one of these scents can alter the mood of the person using it rather quickly.

A person using an aromatherapy soap with the smell of vanilla will be able to wash their body and cleanse their mind at the same time, leaving the bath or shower feeling much more relaxed than before. In addition, knowing nothing in the soap will harm them will make it that much better.

Soaps Offer Amazing Feelings

Soaps such as oatmeal, milk and honey can cleanse like few others, and still offer the aromatic cleansing. When you give someone a bar of aromatherapy soap with bay rum, clove and orange essential oils and ground allspice, they may leave the bath feeling as though they are relaxing in the Caribbean.

Using natural vegetable oils, shea butter and orange and tangerine-scented essential oils this aromatherapy soap offers a physical and emotional cleansing. Alternatively, a bar of olive oil, coconut and palm oils, shea butter and patchouli can make one feel younger.

For preparing for a special night with someone special, perhaps an aromatherapy soap of olive, coconut and palm oils titanium which dioxide and amore fragrance oil might be suggested just as one with rosemary and eucalyptus mixed with shea butter along with olive, palm and coconut oils can make the skin feel so much softer.

For an early morning wake-up you may want to try an aromatherapy soap made with olive, coconut and palm oils, lemon essential oil and fig fragrance oil. It can make you feel alive. In addition, for men, try the aromatherapy soap with ginger essential oils. It also contains olive, palm and coconut oils and is mixed with goat’s milk.

I’m a candle lover. As soon as dinner is over and the dishes done, the electric lights are turned off and the scented candles are lit. Usually I select lavender for calmness, jasmine for confidence, or rose for emotional healing. Until recently, those candles I lit were made from paraffin wax. No longer am I using that kind of wax, as I definitely prefer to get my aromatherapy from soy candles, and I’m much happier for several reasons.

Ecological Benefits of Aromatherapy Soy Candles

Aromatherapy soy candles, as the name suggests, are made from soybeans. Paraffin wax candles are made from petroleum. No, burning soy candles instead of paraffin candles won’t solve the nation’s oil crisis, but every little bit helps. Also, buying soy candles does a little bit to support U.S. farmers. Aromatherapy soy candles are also biodegradable, so that if they do end up in a landfill they will disintegrate quickly. Furthermore, due to the petroleum, paraffin wax candles release carcinogens as they burn—some liken them to second-hand smoke; soy candles, on the other hand, do not produce these carcinogens.

Personal Benefits of Aromatherapy Soy Candles

Environmental concerns aside, aromatherapy soy candles have other advantages over paraffin candles. First, they last longer than paraffin candles. Different websites selling soy products claim that their candles last anywhere from 35 to 50 percent longer than paraffin candles of the same size. Since high-quality candles aren’t usually cheap, having a candle that lasts longer is a money saver.

Another benefit of soy candles is that they are less sooty. Since switching to soy candles, I’ve found that it’s no longer necessary to clean a fine layer of soot off the shelf every time I blow out the candles. Soot candles are also water soluble, which makes for easy cleanup if some wax drips on the shelf—no more having to get out a knife or letter opener and scrape until the paraffin comes loose.

Finally, soy candles burn cooler and more evenly. For this reason, they produce a steady, strong scent throughout the life of the candle. Some paraffin candles seem to lose their scent as they burn down.

Finally, aromatherapy soy candles cost roughly the same as paraffin wax candles, so there’s really nothing to lose by giving them a try. Aromatherapy soy candles are available at several websites and at many candle stores. You can even make soy candles at home. So, why not give them a try? You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose but soot.

It can be a great idea to want to go into business for yourself. The feeling of freedom that you can get from selling your own products under your own company line is very invigorating and freeing from the realm of the grinding world of nine-to-five jobs and traffic jams. Imagine resting at home peacefully, working at your own pace, and going to work in your pyjamas. This can be a distinctive reality if you decide to open your own business and start selling a unique and special aromatherapy product.

The aromatherapy product you select to sell should be a reflection of yourself and your beliefs about aromatherapy as a whole. This may, at first, sound like some sort of ridiculous esoteric statement that leaves the creativity of the world all in the palm of your hands. Instead, it is a smart business and marketing tactic that enables and creates the drive in you to start your own business with a product that you can effectively stand behind with pride and distinction. This means that you have developed the product line and that you believe in it, not that you are simply selling off a product to make a dollar or two at home.

This Is Not Avon

You are your own boss and you are selling a product you believe in and a product you create. Creating your own aromatherapy product out of a kit or out of home ingredients is a great part of the equation that helps bring a certain ownership to the entire procedure and helps create a sense of pride in your product. You are not simply selling what somebody else created and marketed separately. You are selling your own concoction and your own sense of belief with it, allowing you the ability to really get behind your product and back it with full confidence in its abilities.

With Avon or other selling companies, you are not entitled to that right with their aromatherapy product line. You, instead, have to shill a company line and end up selling their product instead of your own. You could simply cut out the middle portion of the equation and be your own buyer and seller. Do not pay money to sell someone else’s product. Create your own vision and take over the world with an aromatherapy product that suits you and matches your desires and beliefs.

Aromatherapy skin care is fast becoming a favourite product of those that are interested in long nights in the bathtub with a great sense of peace floating about them as if they were on a cloud. Basically, everyone is interested in that feeling and having aromatherapy skin care as a part of their arsenal. Simply put, aromatherapy skin care takes the fundamentals involved in aromatherapy as a whole entity and transports them to create a line of great skin care products that use the aromas to soothe the skin as much as any other additive.

There are plenty of ingredients and products in terms of great aromatherapy skin care that is available on most marketplaces. They include items such as vegetable oils, butters, essential oils, hydrosols, clays for cosmetics, mud that detoxifies, bath salts comprised of naturally harvested ingredients, a variety of herbal components, and a variety of other fundamental aromatherapy products that are easily converted to a natural skin care solution. These products all combine to form a flawless regimen of body care that is beneficial for anyone that uses it.

Using The Products

Using an aromatherapy skin care product can be fun as well as incredibly soothing. There are so many options for using such a skin product that it can be integrated into a routine or it can be comprised of using individual products at once. Many people like to take the time to complete an entire process of aromatherapy skin care in one sitting and really indulge themselves with the products, using each piece as one at a time and integrating a full massage and relaxation into the procedure. Others simply use one component at a time as they see fit.

Some people also enjoy using an aromatherapy skin care line-up of products in a bath setting. Using a collection of soaps and lotions to ease the body into the bath and then integrating the butters and oils after the bath help introduce the products to a softer and gentler skin texture. This helps the products soothe deeper into the skin pores and work their magic in the skin as opposed to just the surface. Working the product into the skin is a great way to indulge in the maximum potential of a great aromatherapy skin care product line.

Aromatherapy skin care is all about the product and its use on your particular body and skin type. Using it properly will give you hours of relaxation and enjoyment, working the body at its maximum relaxation potential.

Aromatherapy is an alternative medicine practice that utilizes the sense of smell to affect someone’s mood or health. Aromatherapy schools teach students how to use volatile liquid plant materials, which are known as essential oils, and other aromatic plant parts to help patients who suffer from a whole spectrum of ailments.

Discovered By A Perfume Maker

When enrolled in an aromatherapy school, the students will likely hear the interesting story about how this unconventional therapy was discovered. In the nineteen-twenties, a French chemist who was working in a perfume laboratory accidentally lit his arm on fire. To put the fire out, he quickly plunged his arm into a vat of lavender oil, which just happened to be the nearest liquid. That French perfume maker soon discovered that the lavender oil caused his arm to heal very quickly and left no scar. From that point on, that same French chemist dedicated his life to aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy schools teach students the different types of oils and what ailments they help to relieve. If the patient suffers from a burn, an aromatherapy student will be taught to apply lavender oil, but will also be taught how much and how often to apply it. Aromatherapy schools teach that aromatherapy is a science and should only be used in a professional setting by aromatherapy school graduates.

Some MD’s Disagree

Some medical doctors disapprove of aromatherapy schools and anyone who practices aromatherapy, in general. They say that there have been no real studies performed that prove that aromatherapy works as well as it does. They say that aromatherapy school graduates are schooled in nothing more than stress relief.

Stress-Relief

These doctors agree that some patients have been helped by aromatherapy procedures, but they quickly add that they were helped because aromatherapy helped to reduce their stress. Stress can lead to a number of ailments and once the stress is relieved, the ailment is sometimes relieved, too. However, they say that aromatherapy is incomparable to traditional medicine when it comes to serious ailments. This is where aromatherapy experiences its biggest obstacle in its attempt to reach the mainstream.

While medical doctor’s may not agree, there are many aromatherapy school teachers who do and there are even more students clamoring to get into an aromatherapy school. There should be an aromatherapy school near you. They are popping up in all major cities, all across the country. Even if you don’t believe in the use of aromatherapy, going to an aromatherapy school will likely open your mind and your sense of smell.

Different Uses and Interpretations of Scents and Perfumes, Across the World

Perfumes have been known to mankind for centuries and have even been mentioned in the Bible, which has documented ointments, balms and scented oils. Different cultures perceive scents in different ways and Egyptians used fragrances for their burial rituals because they were buried with their prized possessions as well as their favorite scented perfumes. Romans used scent to entice, while Greeks used scent for religious ceremonies. Whatever the use may be, aromatherapy scent can not only improve one’s health, but also one’s mood.

Feng Shui is one form of aromatherapy scent that incorporates five basic elements of wood, fire, metal and water and each individual element represents different aspects of life. Matching each scent with different aspects of life through Feng Shui can enhance those aspects in one’s life. The nasal passage is connected to the brain directly as are the senses of smell and emotions inextricably linked with one another. The smallest whiff of a fragrance will help do wonders for the human body.

Feng Shui incorporates aromatherapy scent and specially formulated scented oils can be used on the skin as well as on jewelry. Feng Shui believers believe in the wonderful effects that aromatherapy scents have on them since it helps to clear dead and stagnant energy, bringing instead, positive energy into the space where it is used or it can also be used to spice up a room.

Feng Shui aromatherapy scents are useful for relaxation, meditation, insomnia, rejuvenation and happiness. The most liked and popular aromatherapy scents are lavender, chamomile, rosewood, patchouli, cedar wood, eucalyptus and peppermint and each of these scents deal with specific problems which depend on the healing properties of the individual fragrances.

Whenever a person needs to unwind and relax, adding aromatherapy scents to the bath or diffusing it in your room will benefit the person, leaving him or her feeling balanced and relaxed. Putting a few drops of aromatherapy scent on one’s temple or forehead will help in meditation as well as refill one’s expended energies. Having a perfumed bath before retiring to bed at night will make one sleep better and a perfumed massage or bath can also revitalize the person, after a tiring day of work as well as freshen up the skin and body and soul.

The results of using the Feng Shui method of aromatherapy scents are best seen when placing certain aromas in different life areas of a home or work place and experiencing how it helps to enliven the place. Another popular method of using Feng Shui aromatherapy scents is to place essential oils either in a simmering pot or by using aroma rings that can be placed on a light bulb, which causes the heat from the light bulb to release scent into the air.

With the sense of smell being well documented to be one of the fastest means to alter a person’s mood, the use of an aromatherapy scented candle only makes sense. As aromatherapy is accepted more and more for a variety of uses, essential oils used have been put into candles as a means to disperse the smells.

Dr. Alan R. Hirsch of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Center in Chicago claims their studies show odors provide excellent memory spark because their oldest memories are usually of smell. They also claim that lavender and vanilla can cause a person to feel relaxed.

Since the days of ancient Egypt, plant oils were used for their perfume and skin care qualities and ancient Chinese used the plant’s essential oils for perfumes as well as healing. Today, the oils included in an aromatherapy scented candle can be used to provide the same benefits.

Many aromatherapy scented candles are available in a gift set which includes bath oils to complement the candles’ scents. While lounging in a tub with bath oils of peony and lilac, and a candle with the same scent burning nearby, can soothe and cleanse the mind and the body.

Many Scents for Many Uses

Despite making great gifts, aromatherapy scented candles also offer many self-indulgences as well as feelings of enhanced physical well being. Additionally, most of the candles come in decorated holders and add a decorative touch to any room.

Sticking to the desire for a natural improvement, many aromatherapy scented candles are made with soy bean wax instead of paraffin wax. Soy wax is amore natural product, burns cleaner with no black smoke and has no odor to interfere with the essential oils being burned in the aromatherapy scented candle.

Several blends are available including palmarosa, rosewood and cedar wood for relaxation, and to help in a restful nights sleep there’s an aromatherapy scented candle with Roman chamomile and lavender.

Many aromatherapy massage therapists will use aromatherapy scented candles in the massage room to stimulate quicker relaxation for people wishing a massage with essential oils to relax. This provides the stimulation for relaxation on two levels, one being smell, the other having the oils massaged into the body.

As the use of aromatherapy scented candles grows every year so do their availability. For those wishing to make their own candles, essential oils can be purchased at most health stores and on numerous sites on the Internet. Care should be taken, however, to ensure that the oils purchased are pure essential oils and not just juice squeezed from a plant.