Aromatherapy Archives - Stress Free Mama

7 Easy Steps to Stress Relief with Essential Oils

Essential oils are great tools for stress relief. They are safe, easy to use and smell good.

But when you start with essential oils, it’s hard to know where to begin.

When I started using the oils, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know their effects and it seemed so complicated. Now I love them and use them regularly for stress relief–sometimes changing my essential oil routine every day.

But when I started, I needed something simple and easy to remember.

When I learned this daily routine I had my answer.

Now I’m sharing my super-dooper, not-so-secret Daily Essential Oil Routine for Stress Relief.

Follow this easy routine every morning and notice if your mood improves and your energy increases. These 7 steps are a great beginner routine.
[Read more…]

By Julia Rymut;

Where Can I Buy High Quality Essential Oils?

I write a lot about using high quality essential oils to reduce stress. I encourage people to buy quality essential oils produced for health and not for perfume.

That’s good advice but I admit, it’s confusing.

When you go to a store, how do you know what’s pure?

There are many different labels and classifications–too many. Essential oils are not a highly regulated industry so each company is free to define their product with their own descriptions.

The following are my essential oil recommendations but I’ll be honest, there may be other good companies out there. One of the keys to finding high quality essential oils will be your intuition. Call up the company and ask them questions. Smell their oils and see how they make you feel. In the end, trust your instinct.

I can’t guarantee that instinct means your oils will be pure, but your instinct will guide you to the oils you need at that moment. Use the oils conservatively and you should be fine.

High Quality Essential Oils

The 2 biggest essential oil companies in the US that produce oils for healing are Young Living and doTerra. Both of these companies are quite careful about the purity of their oils and both of them are MLM’s (multi-level marketing or network marketing companies).

I use the oils from Young Living and (full disclosure) I am a Young Living distributor in Madison, WI. I have not used the doTerra oils but I hear good things about them.

There is another company that I have heard good things about and which is not an MLM. Original Swiss Aromatics is run by Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, a well respected classical aromatherapist. Kurt has a school on aromatherapy at the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy. I have not taken any of these courses but I understand they are good.

My background is in French style aromatherapy. You can also find high quality essential oils in France.

Young Living Essential Oils

The high quality essential oils I know and use are from Young Living. These oils are pure and produced for medicinal use. I have used these oils for years and find them excellent for supporting my health.

If you are interested in getting Young Living oils, you can contact me for more information. Since Young Living is a MLM, you will get the best prices if you buy a starter kit. We can discuss which kit would be best for your health needs.

If you contact me, my primary goal is to find what oils or supplements would best support your health. I am low pressure and I’m definitely not one of those network-marketing crazies you bump into (with due respect to the people who love their MLM!)

And if you want to sell essential oils as a business, I can help you there also. Because I was a Thai Massage Practitioner I’m familiar with how to sell essential oils with your existing business. Even if you don’t have a business now, I am an experienced business owner and can give you strategies for starting and running a business.

What you won’t get from me, however, are tips about how to bug your family and friends to buy your products. If you want to build a downline using old-school MLM techniques (the 3 foot rule, memory jogging lists, cold calling people you knew in grade school, etc.) I’m not your gal. I don’t use those techniques, nor do I encourage them. I can tell how to build a legitimate business but I won’t give you pie in the sky fantasies about making $3000/month in 6 months by “just finding 6 who find 6”.

By Julia Rymut;

The Therapeutic Benefits of Essential Oils for Reducing Stress

There are many therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Aromatherapy is so naturally suited to stress relief that it almost like it was designed for it.

The small molecules captured in essential oils have benefits for all our organ systems–the same systems which are taxed while under stress. And the oils have a natural “intelligence” to do what your body needs. They tonify and balance, so while you may think that you are putting wintergreen on your neck to relieve your sore muscles, you may also receive some relief to your hypertension.

Therapeutic Benefits of Essential Oils: Natural Physical Support for your Body

In their most pure form, essential oils are the distilled essence of a plant, and if they are pure and well-made, they can be used herbally. Because the life-blood of healing plants are captured, and because the oils are very potent, they make ideal remedies for stress.

However, finding pure essential oils can be difficult.

Most essential oils are produced for the perfume industry and because of this, are made with chemical fillers, additives and extenders. You must be sure to use only the most pure, reliable oils if you want the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Even the oils at health food stores should be carefully investigated before using them for your health.

Just because something is marked “100% pure” or “all natural” does not guarantee that these oils are safe for therapeutic use.

Ways that Aromatherapy Reduces our Physical Symptoms of Stress:

Essential Oils balance and tonify our organ systems.
They can increase blood flow to muscles and help them relax.
They can help regulate blood pressure and restore normalcy.
They can increase the oxygen flow in our blood.
They can remove and reduce toxins in our system.
They can reduce cortisol and other hormones released in acute stress situations.
They can counteract and reverse the wear and tear of chronic stress on our bodies.
They can reduce insomnia and help get a more restful sleep.

Recommended oils for Physical Stress Support:

My favorite essential oils for physical stress relief include Lavender and Valerian, both especially good for restoring the parasympathetic nervous system and promoting a good night’s sleep. I also find the blends “Valor” and “Peace & Calming” bring quietness. Sandalwood is high in sesquiterpenes which stimulate the pineal gland to release melatonin, which is a hormone which regulates sleep, and stimulates the immune system.

For sore, achy muscles, I like to use Basil or Marjoram. Both of these oils are muscle relaxants and can release the tension in your muscles. Wintergreen also brings pain relief to muscles with the hot-cold “Bengay” sensation, but wintergreen is natural and will bring the other healing benefits of the plant, which include anti-inflammation, vasodilation, and hypertension regulation.

Peppermint brings oxygen immediately to the brain and blood. This excellent essential oils brings alertness but not hyperactivity.

Cortisol is a hormone that is released during stress. If you have high cortisol levels over a long period of time, there are many detrimental effects including a weakened immune system, brittle bones, high blood pressure, weight gain and mood disorders. Essential oils balance hormones and so may help regulate cortisol. Some good oils to try include Lavender, Valerian, Frankincense and Blue Tansy.

The therapeutic benefits of essential oils are many. They are safe, natural, and balance the body, and correct the cause of imbalances and not just the symptoms. The next time you are stressed, try aromatherapy.

By Julia Rymut;

How to Use Essential Oils Therapeutically — Part 1: Topical Use

There are a few simple tips to learn how to use essential oils for their potent healing properties. After learning these guidelines, aromatherapy is an excellent way for us to treat our stress symptoms at home, and to control the long term hazards of chronic stress.

There are three main ways to use essential oils: topically, by inhalation, and by ingestion. In this part of the series, we will discuss topical use.

How to Use Essential Oils Topically

When you use essential oils topically, you simply rub them on your body. Take a drop of oil on the palm of your hand, rub your palms together and rub them on your skin.

Topical application is very well suited for relieving pain, aches, sore muscles and injuries–in other words, getting the oils to your physical body. The healing molecules in the essential oils permeate the skin and enter the blood stream and bring almost immediate relief.

Using Oils Undiluted??
Many sources in aromatherapy will caution that essential oils should not be applied neat, or undiluted, on the skin. This is excellent advice if you are not sure of the quality of your essential oils.
Most essential oils are produced for the perfume industry, and this is even true of essential oils from a health food store. They may be adulterated, or extended with chemicals. They may have mixtures of various species of a plant, if the smell is similar. This means that you can not be sure of the purity, the efficacy, or the reliability of the essential oil when using it for its therapeutic benefits.
Be sure you trust the source of your oils. If you have any doubts, use them cautiously.

If you trust your oils, it’s not hard to learn how to use essential oils topically. There are a few simple cautions which can be summed up with “Use Common Sense”:

Common Sense Precautions for Essential Oils:

Some oils are hot (those high in phenols)–oregano, thyme, cinnamon, clove, lemongrass and bergamot. Do not put them in your eyes, mouth or “tender” skin or they may burn. Even not-so-tender skin may turn red with these hot oils.
If an oil turns your skin red, dilute the essential oil with a vegetable oil (like olive oil or almond oil)–not water. Water is used to increase the effects of the oil. Only vegetable oil will reduce the effects of the essential oil.
If an oil turns your skin red, it will probably be a detox reaction, not an allergy. Back off. Use less oil and less frequently. If it is a detox, the reaction will gradually become less as your body detoxes. If it is an allergy, the symptoms will stay the same or worsen.
Some oils are photosensitive and may cause a rash or darkened skin if used before sun exposure–angelica, bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, orange, tangerine and other citrus oils.
Pregnant women should avoid sage, fennel and hyssop.
Epileptics and people with high blood pressure should be cautious with high ketone oils like basil, rosemary, sage, hyssop, wintergreen, nutmeg, rosemary, tarragon and tansy.
Be aware that children, older people, very sick people or very sensitive people may feel the effects of the oils intensely. Be gentle!
A very good safe place to start with topical use is the soles of your feet. The oils absorb well and the skin is not very sensitive.

Common Topical Uses of Essential Oils

Rub a drop or two of basil or marjoram on your sore muscles.
Put a drop of peppermint on the base or your skull or on your temples to relieve a headache.
Rub some fennel or peppermint on your belly to relieve a stomachache.
When your immune system is depleted and you have a fever from the flu, rub some peppermint on the soles of your feet to bring your temperature down.
Rub some eucalyptus or RC on your chest to relieve congestion, and support your immune system.
Rub some RutaVaLA blend on the soles of your feet to bring your parasympathetic nervous system back into balance.

Using essential oils topically gives excellent support to our tired, stressed bodies.

To learn how to use essential oils completely, the next part of our series discusses inhalation. Inhalation provides deep emotional balance to regain our prospective, and regain our more easy-going nature.

By Julia Rymut;

Essential Oil Use: Practical, Everyday Ways to Use Essential Oils

Need a great stress relief tool? Try using essential oil. Use them everyday and they will revive your spirit, replenish your body, and even balance your hormones. Their potent plant medicine works to relax your physical body, calm your emotions and lift your spirit.

Essential oils can be used many ways. It is easy and quite beneficial to begin casually, using them in our everyday life and with little fretting about the therapeutic benefits of the plants. The plants will support your body, but by using the oils practically, you can avoid the “I don’t know about these things” overwhelm.

There is really only one thing to remember when using the oils this way:

Use your Essential Oils!

Thinking about essential oils, or buying them and leaving them on the shelf will not get the desired long-term effects. Even a drop in your bath once in a while is better than nothing.

The trick to everyday oil use is to use the oils in your normal daily routines, slipping them into what you already do, or substituting them for other more toxic products. Add a drop of lemon oil to your drinking water. Lemon lifts your mood, and is anti-tumoral, but who needs to know that when your water tastes good? You drink your water like normal, but now it’s better for you.

Benefits of Using Essential Oils Everyday:

You get the wonderful therapeutic qualities of the oils but don’t need a vast amount of aromatherapy knowledge.
You reduce your dependence on other more toxic products.
You enjoy the aromas! I have a hard time being morose and stressed when slathering on my favorite oils–they are just too much fun.

Some Everyday Oil Uses

Put a drop of lemon oil in your drinking water.
Put a drop of lavender on a cotton ball and put it in your drawer. Your clothing will smell nice, the lavender will relax you, and the moths and insects will be repelled from your drawer.
Diffuse the blend Peace & Calming, lavender or frankincense instead of using a toxic room freshener.
Use the blend Purification to repel mosquitoes and other insects.
Put a drop of the blend Thieves on your hands to kill germs instead of using a hand sanitizer.
Put a drop of lavender on a cloth and throw it in your dryer to freshen your laundry.
Put a drop of lemon in your dishwater or dishwasher to cut grease.
Spritz the blend Purification to kill mildew, and neutralize cigarette smoke and other odors.
Use a drop of lemon to remove the gummy labels from containers. Be careful if the container is plastic–test it first.
Use a drop of lemon, oregano, basil, thyme or black pepper in recipes as seasonings.

Anyway that you can incorporate essential oil use into your routines will increase your health. Using lemon oil to cut grease in your dishwater will not prevent the lemon molecules from stimulating the limbic part of your brain and lifting your spirits too.

When you are ready to focus more specifically on the therapeutic use of essential oils, please find more information at Essential Oil Use: Therapeutics or find out my essential oil recommendations.