Using essential oils for various health purposes has a long and varied history. Aromatherapy is said to affect lifting a person’s mood or helping them stay healthy. Aromatherapy either works through inhalation or topical application. Below is a guide to help you understand how aromatherapy works.
Aromatherapy works to capitalize on our sense of smell, which is the most primitive of all our senses. Thus, aromatherapy oils cause some reactions which are either emotional or physical within some of the oldest and deepest parts of the brain. When aromatic molecules in essential oils are inhaled, they connect with specialized nerve cells which are part of the olfactory system. Those olfactory cells are connected to tiny hairs in the nose which are capable of recognizing and reacting to particular fragrances. After this, nerve impulses travel from olfactory cells to the limbic system, a part of the brain which is responsible for controlling emotions and instincts, hormone balance, blood pressure, breathing, stress, and memory. The impact of breathing in essential oils, therefore, has a subtle but comprehensive effect on the brain and the body. Based on the essential oils that one uses, different aromas can change a person’s mood, provide stimulation or relaxation, and can even offer help with anxiety and depression.
Topical application can also give you the benefits of aromatherapy oils whereby they are massaged into the skin to increase absorption. Essential oils provide various benefits for the skin. Most of the benefits are antibacterial, while others are anti-inflammatory, antifungal, or antiviral. The molecules in the oils are also small enough to penetrate the top layer of the skin to reach the deeper layer of the skin. From there, the molecules then pass into blood vessels, and they are circulated throughout the body. Essential oils reach parts of the body with good blood vessel networks such as the liver, some groups of muscles, and the kidneys. Once in these places, the essential oils prevent cell damage and promote cell renewal due to their antioxidant properties.
You have to use essential oils properly if you’re to gain the full benefits of using them. In most cases, inhalation is the best method to use the essential oils, except when you want to use the essential oils for the skin or as part of massage therapy. Several ways are available through which you can inhale aromatherapy oils, which include using a personal inhaler, an aromatic diffuser, and using steam inhalation. Using aromatherapy oils on your skin through topical application can address issues such as eczema and acne.
Find out more information about how you can use aromatherapy oils on this site.