Directory of Essential Oils

Oil
How it can help
Caution

Basil
Lifts depression, relieves muscles from stress and strain.
S

Benzoin
Acne antiseptic, relieves laryngitis, soothes respiratory disorders, stimulates circulation.

Bergamot
Refreshing, fights viral infections, assists digestion, combats acne, cold sores, cystitis, and dermatitis.
L

Cedarwood
Useful against acne, bronchitis, skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis.
S

Chamomile
Anti-inflammatory, sedative, for burns, cuts cystitis, skin irritations, PMS, stress
Y

Cinnamon
Antiseptic, antibacterial, stimulates circulation, eases diarrhoea.
S

Clary Sage
Anti-depressant, soothes anxiety, hysteria and insomnia, aids sore throats, period complaints, lifts post-natal depression.

Cypress
Anti-spasmodic, stimulates circulation, deodorizes feet, aids menopause problems.
S, N

Eucalyptus
A natural antiseptic, aids aches and pains, combats colds, flu, infection, fever, sores.

Fennel
Cleanses the liver, aids indigestion, constipation and fluid retention.
S, N

Frankincense
Calming, aids urine infections, cleans wounds, clears the brain and encourages concentration, excellent aid in meditation

Geranium
Relaxing and uplifting, a good antiseptic, helps oily skin disorders, soothes dermatitis.

Hyssop
Aids coughs, eases flatulence, removes ‘brain fog’ and encourages relaxation
S, N

Jasmine
Relieves nervous tension, brings relaxation, uplifting, soothes respiratory conditions, good for dry, sensitive skins. Don’t use during pregnancy, excellent during labour.

Juniper
Cleanses, purifies the air, eases muscular pain, useful against dermatitis and eczema.
S

Lavender
The most versatile oil, antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral. Battles infection, heals burns and sunburn, soothes eczema, dermatitis, and other skin irritations, relieves digestive and urinary complaints, calms, clears headaches, earaches, eases pain, comforts relaxes, useful for insomnia.

Lemon
Astringent, very refreshing and uplifting, eases digestive complaints.
L

Marjoram
Eases muscle and joint pain, headaches and migraines, encourages a restful sleep.
S

Myrrh
Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, cooling, eases depression.
S

Neroli
Uplifting oil encourages optimism, rejuvenates skin, calming, soothes anxiety and shock, excellent in anti-stretch mark oils, wonderful to use during pregnancy.

Orange
Antiseptic, stimulates digestive system, promotes cheerfulness
L

Patchouli
Anti-depressant astringent, a powerful fungicidal, lifts moods, a sensual oil

Peppermint
Cools and warms, depending on the conditions. Eases car sickness, sore tummies, vomiting, toothache, diarrhoea, promotes clarity, soothes bronchitis.

Petitgrain
Deodorizes, calms, encourages happiness, increases sociability.
L

Rose
Most celebrate of oils, represents and strengthens love, uplifting, soothes menstrual problems, good tonic for skins, especially dry or mature, relieves stress
Y

Rosemary
Antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, anti-bacterial, very warming, combats colds and flu, excellent hair tonic, soothes migraines, aids asthma and coughs.
S, N

Sage
Anti-inflammatory, soothes aches, pains, calms period pains, eases sore throats
S, N

Sandalwood
Powerful antiseptic, excellent for sore throats, clears respiratory conditions, uplifts a depressed mind, anti-spasmodic

Tea-tree
Antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal. Clears skins, respiratory, other infections, sore throats, acne, abscess, sunburn

Thyme
Anti-depressant, most powerful antiseptic oil, aids cold or flu relief, deodorizes, relieves respiratory complaints.
S, N

Ylang Ylang
Sweet, sensual oil, reputed aphrodisiac, calming, anti-depressant, relaxes mind and body, eases high blood pressure

Cautions
S - Do not use during pregnancy
Y - Use with caution during pregnancy
L - May cause photo-sensitivity. Don't use before exposure to sunlight.
N - Don't use if you have epilepsy or high blood pressure

Choosing Oils

Essential oil scents:
Oils fall into one of five groups floral, green, spicy, citrus, woody/balsamic. Choose oils from the groups, which contain the aromas you prefer.

Essential oil Groups:

Floral
Jasmine
Lavender
Mimosa
Neroli
Rose
Violet
Ylang-Ylang

Green
Basil
Chamomile
Clary Sage
Eucalyptus
Galbanum
Peppermint
Pine
Rosemary
Spruce
Thyme

Spicy
Camphor
Fennel
Ginger
Juniper
Laurel
Marjoram
Myrrh
Tarragon
Tea Tree

Citrus
Bergamot
Citronella
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lime
Mandarin
Orange
Petitgrain

Woody / Balsamic
Ambrette
Angelica
Cedarwood
Frankincense
Marigold
Patchouli
Rosewood
Sandalwood
Valerian
Yarrow

Ideal Small Collection:
Lavender, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Chamomile, Geranium, Neroli, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rose, Ylang-Ylang.

Aromatherapy: What is it? And how to use it

What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of aromatic substances. Aromatherapy stimulates your sense of smell, your moods, and behavior, physical and mental well-being.
Aromatherapy is the use of oils called essential oils that have been distilled from herbs, fruits, petals, bark, rind, sap, flowers, roots, seeds, leaves, grasses.

Carrier Oils
Carrier oils are vegetable oils used to dilute the concentrated essential oils, they help to slow down the evaporation of the essential oils and help absorb them into the skin. The carrier oils should be “Extra virgin or cold pressed vegetable oils” for maximum benefit. Some good carrier oils include mineral oil, grapeseed, canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame, wheat germ, olive and peanut oil.

Storing the essential oils
Store essential oils in brown or dark blue coloured glass bottles with a close fitting plastic screw cap. Do not store in plastic containers, they could become contaminated. Keep them in a dark, cool place to prolong the shelf life. Always store out of reach of children.

Safety in Aromatherapy
Pregnant women and children under the age of two should not be treated with Aromatherapy.
Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts so keep away from the eyes. If oil comes in contact with the eyes, rinse it out with a few drops of pure Sweet Almond Oil, not water and seek medical attention. Never take them internally. They should not be applied directly to the skin but mixed with a carrier oil such as mineral oil to dilute them, as the oils are in concentrated form. Never increase the dose of essential oil. Some oils are toxic in large amounts.

Sweet Almond Oil:
Sweet almond oil penetrates quickly into the skin. It is known to be especially helpful for eczema, and itchy, dry inflamed skin. Contains glucosides, vitamins and minerals.

Apricot Kernel Oil:
Apricot kernel oil is a light but rich oil that is good for sensitive, inflamed or dry and mature skin. It is rich in essential fatty acids and has a high content of vitamin A.

Avocado Oil:
Avocado oil is renown for its ability to penetrate the skin more deeply than other oils and is good for use in products for those with sensitive and dry skin. It is rich in Vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E and with properties such as emoliency, penetration, stability, skin softening and moisturizing it allows for its use as a base in the production of soap, skin care, hair products, and baby products, as well as aiding skin problems such as eczema and Psoriasis.

Jojoba Oil:
Jojoba oil is a liquid wax that is a natural mimic of the oil secreted by human skin so it may be used to protect and lubricate skin and hair. Its title of “wrinkle fighter” makes it an excellent selection when choosing oils for facial and body moisturizers massage oils and dry skin treatments.

Macadamia Nut Oil:
Macadamia nut oil is one of few plants oils that contains high amounts of palmitoleic acid, which is also normally found in the sebum of man, and so is beneficial to the skin. It is very emollient which makes it great for dry and ageing skin.

Palm Oil:
Palm oil is an excellent oil to sue as a component for soap manufacture as it creates a hard bar of soap with good conditioning qualities while maintaining a mildness to the finished product.

Castor Oil:
Castor oil is a wonderful oil to select for your soaping recipe as it enables that soap to lather beautifully.

Fractionated Coconut Oil:
“Fractionated" simply means this oil has been distilled and refined so the solids are removed allowing it to remain clear. The oil stays in its liquid form even in very cool weather and keeping conditions. The very nature of this oil enables it to have a very long shelf life. This wonderful oil is fantastic for massage products as it sinks readily into the skin without leaving any greasy residue and washes easily out of linen and towelling.
The lightness of FCO allows the creation of wonderful creams and lotions (and extends their shelf life due to the difficulty this product has in becoming rancid), as well as perfume products that may be created in a liquid state, or added to a solid for a cream type product.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil:
Meadowfoam seed oil has a luxurious feel, which enhances creams and lotions with its excellent properties. It is an excellent emolient in lip products. It has the ability to add shine and richness to hair products.

Meadowfoam is naturally high in vitamin E, reducing oxidation possibilities and so can increase the shelf life of made products.

General Information

Warning
Store both undiluted and diluted oils out of reach of children.

Combining Oils
It is not difficult to create your own essential oil recipes but the golden rule is to keep mixes simple until you have had some practice. Some oils cancel the value of each other out, some clash, while other combinations can increase the therapeutic properties.

Ten Best Oils for mixing:
Bergamot, Chamomile, Frankincense, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Neroli, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang–Ylang.

Tips on Combine Oils:
Use no more than three essential oils in a mix or four from one group (do not combine citrus oils)

Lavender and Rose mix with all other essential oils.

Test out a combination before using.

How to Test Combinations:
Cut blotting paper into thin strips about 20cm in length.

Apply one drop of each oil to be used to the top of a different blotting paper strip. If one oil is to dominate apply two drops of the dominate oil.

Hold the strips together at the bottom to for a fan shape. Fan the oily tips backwards and forward under your nose and inhale. If you like the combination, go ahead and mix the oils.

Measuring out Essential Oils:
Most essential oil bottles have droppers built into the caps when using oil without a dropper use an eye dropper or pipette to measure out droplets.

Measure drops out quickly and accurately. Essential oils are violatile and evaporate rapidly.
Wash the dropper thoroughly between uses if you are using the same dropper for more than one oil. The aroma will be ruined if you do not do this.

Check Oil Combinations on Recipient
If you are mixing the oils to use on someone else, do the test described above on them before you go ahead.

Equipment Needed

Glass measuring funnel, which takes up to 100mls (½ cup) and shows teaspoon and tablespoon measurers, plus a glass or plastic spoon for mixing.

Ceramic (not metal) bowl for holding mixed oils while working.

Small dark glass bottles with stoppered caps for storing essential oils, 10ml size is ideal, plus similar larger bottles for storing combinations of essential and carrier oils.

4 eye droppers / pipettes (you can manage with one but it will need washing thoroughly after each use.

Small funnel for pouring carrier oils into bottles.

Small heavy saucepan (not to be use for anything else).

Some Useful Conversions

3oz - 90 - 100mls - 5 Tablespoons
2oz - 50 - 60mls - 2 1/2 Tablespoons
1oz - 25 - 30mls - 6 teaspoons

20mls - 1 Tablespoon
10mls - 2 teaspoon
5mls - 1 teaspoon
1ml - 20 drops