Essential oils are products which are obtained from natural raw materials; they are extracted by distillation of stem or water. They can also be made from epicarp of citrus fruits through mechanical processing or by distillation. Essential oils are subsequently separated from aqueous phase through physical means.

These oils are volatile in nature and they can be used for therapeutic treatment. The essential oils should always be used for external treatment only. Essential oils blend nicely with ointments and oils which suit external remedies. They are easily absorbed by the skin and vaporize easily for inhalation.

There are many artificial fragrances which duplicate the scent of flowers, but they don’t have the originality like essential oils. It should always be kept in mind that the synthetic fragrances don’t have the therapeutic properties that are there in essential oils. Natural essential oils have a life force with an additional impulse and they can only be found in oils which are extracted from plants or parts of plants.

There are various ways of evaluating essential oils. They can be evaluated in terms of odour quality, changes of odour on evaporation, odour intensity, and diffusiveness of odour.

There are some of the guidelines which should be followed while using essential oils. Some of the guidelines are:

• Some essential oils have the tendency to cause irritation to the skin. Especially they cause irritation to people who have sensitive skin. First one should apply base oil on the skin and add few drops of essential oils and then put a plaster on the same. It should be left like that for about an hour. If there is some type of irritation or redness occurs then one should reduce the concentration of the oil and add more base oil.
• Some essential oils can be photo toxic and can cause skin pigmentation if they are exposed to direct sunlight. Bergamot, angelica root, ginger, cumin, lime, lemon, mandarin, loveage and verbena are few of the essential oils which can be photo toxic.
• The essential oils must be applied neatly by diluting them in carrier oil. Some of the oils like ylang ylang, lavender, and sandalwood can also be used directly.
• Hyssop, rosemary, sage, and thyme should be avoided if a person is suffering from high blood pressure.

• Some essential oils like hyssop, fennel and rosemary have powerful action on the nervous system, so if a person is suffering from epilepsy then they should not use them.
• Essential oils should be ignored during pregnancy because they can have powerful effect on the growing child because of their sensitivity.
• Angelica oils should be avoided in case of diabetes.

Some of the therapeutic treatments of essential oils are that they can be used in Massages, Baths and vaporization.

Different essential oils have different properties and they should never be applied directly to the skin. During Massages they should be diluted in 5 to 20 ratios of essential oils of 100 ml of base oil. In vaporization water is put in a cup and then few drops of essential oil is added in it. Then the vapours of essential oils spread in the room producing beautiful aroma.

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jenny

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