Best Way to Understand the Basics of Aromatherapy

Succumb to the beautifying and health-giving properties of plant oils.

Aromatherapy was first used as far back as 3000 bc by the Egyptians, who discovered its uses for culinary and therapeutic purposes, as well as in perfumed oils and incense. Natural aromatic essences are extracted from different parts of both wild and cultivated plants, including their flowers, leaves, fruits, seeds, bark and stems, and are then made up into essential oils.

A key ingredient in perfume and in many of the leading skin- and bodycare ranges, essential oils have a wide variety of uses, not just on account of their aroma, but also for their beautifying and therapeutic properties.

Essential oils are sold either in their pure form or blended with such carrier oils as almond, wheatgerm or jojoba. Reassuringly, there are now many specialist companies that provide safe and effective pure oils and blends. Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil for massage, sprinkle blended oils into a bath, or add a few drops to body lotions or natural ingredients to make your own range of beauty preparations.

One of the leading authorities on aromatherapy is Susan Harmsworth, head of E’spa, which manufactures a range of beauty, spa and bath products based on aromatherapy. Susan has seen how more and more people are turning to aromatherapy for both health and beauty remedies. Aromatherapy is, for example, now widely used in conjunction with massage to help relax the body. As we enter the new millennium with our man-made stress, many of us are seeking home remedies and are relying on soothing baths, refreshing aromas and the healing hands of a qualified aromatherapist,’ explains Susan. As always, nature has never let us down. Let’s hope that humankind realises the precious gifts of aromatherapy for its own sake!’