Vaporisation, massage, steam inhalation, and compresses are all popular ways of using essential oils at home, to suit your needs. One of the many joys of aromatherapy is that essential oils can be used in a multitude of ways.
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Stress is part of normal life for everyone today, and there seems to be no escape from it. Bizarrely, research has shown that some stress is actually beneficial because we all need a certain amount of stress to stimulate us and add excitement to our lives. On the other hand, too much stress can have a seriously damaging effect on our physical and emotional well being if it continues for too long. Read more…

Usually when people think about the subject of hair loss, they tend to just have men in mind. However, there are plenty of women who suffer from premature hair loss too, and some experts estimate that as many as 1 in 4 women will experience hair loss at some time in their lives.
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Pines are coniferous trees belonging to the genus Pinus, which comprises of about 120 different species that are divided into 3 sub-genera based on cone, leaf and seed characteristics. Over 140 varieties of Pinus sylvestris have previously been described and catalogued in botanical references, but after reclassification only 4 varieties of this species are currently acknowledged as being genetically distinct. The species normally used in aromatherapy is Pinus sylvestris var. sylvestris, which is also known as Scots pine. Read more…

Largely ignored for 9 months out of the year here in the United Kingdom, citronella essential oil is currently enjoying its 3 months reign as king of the insect repellent oils. This seems such a shame, because although it is very effective in this role it could hardly be considered mainstream aromatherapy, and yet the oil is capable of delivering so much more therapeutically. Let’s look at the background of this essential oil and see what else it has to offer in aromatherapy. Read more…

No matter what your travel plans are for this month, you will certainly want to make the very best of your available time and ensure that nothing spoils your hard-earned holiday break. But for many folks, the very prospect of long arduous journeys or arranging the travel plans is enough to send their stress levels soaring thereby ruining the whole event!
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Sweet orange oil is the most commercially important of the citrus oils and is produced in very large quantities. The majority of oil production is destined for the flavour industry where it is used in juices, soft drinks, candies and pharmaceutical products.

In the early 1900’s the perfumery industry used vast quantities of this oil in fragrance formulations for soaps, detergents, toiletries and perfumes, but over the years sweet orange met the same fate as most of the other citrus oils and was replaced by synthetics.
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Summer is here and we can all finally get outdoors a bit more and enjoy the wonderful revitalizing and healing rays of the sun. Let’s face it – being out in the sun is one of the best things about summer. But sadly, skin cancer is now recognised as the most common form of all cancers with 1,000,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year in America alone. Those figures are astonishing, and we should all take heed of them.
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Cedar atlas (Cedrus atlantica) is an unassuming essential oil that lays claim to a rather notable history. It is believed to be one of the very first essential oils ever to have been distilled, and ancient records show both the oil and wood were used for a wide range of purposes including incense, medicine and cosmetics. However, it is important to make sure that you are using the correct species of cedar which using the essential oil in aromatherapy since Virginian cedarwood (Juniperus virginiana) has quite different therapeutic properties. Read more…