Beginning Aromatherapy

I have been trying my hand at aromatherapy for about 2 months now. I've learned a lot in a short amount of time! I've always been interested in homeopathic medicines and natural cosmetics, but it really had only been curiosity for the most part. A more intentional exploration/experimentation with aromatherapy started when I went with my sister Meg to a workshop in Massanutten, VA led by a crazy lady who thought that essential oils were divine and ought to be respected (worshiped?) accordingly.

We were both a bit incredulous, but a couple of things she said piqued our interested, and we liked how everything smelled. We also liked the idea of not lathering poison or preservatives all over our skin since it quickly becomes systemic, not just topical. My grandma always said, "Don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth." While I know this rule can't be applied everywhere (how on earth would you garden? or clean up particularly messy...messes?), it makes you consider the ingredients in your lotions, shampoos, makeup, etc. a little more cautiously.

I thought, well, I will do some of my own research, maybe make my own essential oils. I went to the library as soon as we got home and got a book that implied we ought to pray to the herbs before we harvest them, and classified them into lunar, solar, and sacred categories. Hello, Vedic mantra!

I like aromatherapy. I will define it as, "the therapeutic, cleansing, or medicinal use of essential oils, raw plant materials, and plant extracts for ingestion, hygienic use, or massage." That is my original definition! You can source me.

I think that considering aromatherapy a spiritual art is dangerous ground, either in respecting essential oils as divine, or in using them ritualistically. The first of these is certainly pantheistic and, in my mind, idiotic. The second reminds me of Nadab and Abihu.

Anyway, I've learned a lot and had some fun in refining all the information I've accumulated about aromatherapy - keeping the gold and throwing away the dross. I've come to decide that aromatherapy certainly has a direct effect on people emotionally. A lot of research has been done to demonstrate that our olfactory senses are most directly related to our memory. For a nice summary, go here. The results of aromatherapy in this case are subjective. Peppermint might remind me of Christmas, and it makes me excited. Peppermint might remind you of that time you ate an entire pack of gum and got sick, and make you feel nauseous. I dunno!

Aromatherapy also has an obvious physical effect. Some essential oils are antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, stimulating, calming, cancer-fighting, etc. Essential oils are 100x more powerful than their raw plant form (don't quote me on that one, I don't remember my source), so taking them internally or topically can be really effective. Spearmint, I learned, is a powerful drug, and should not be taken indiscriminately. Watch out! Same with patchouli.

I had ringworm (ew, but it was from gardening, I swear), and it cleared up with two applications of tea tree essential oil a day. Score!

For me, the whole process is just...lovely. I have a routine now in applying all my products, and it makes me feel nourished, not stripped or sterilized. Here's part of my bathroom setup:

1. a bowl. I don't know what I'm going to put here. Some kind of cleanser - my bar is currently residing on the side of the tub.

2. refined white sugar. It's a super good exfoliator, but I little rough on my skin, so I only use it every couple days.

3. french green facial clay.

4. my mixing bowl.

5. my mixing spatula. Got it for $1.50 at GFR, my workplace.

6. my awesome golden jojoba oil. Just look it up yourself. This stuff is WICKED SWEET!

7. I put some lemon balm in the vase to make the bathroom smell good, and I put the zinnias in there because they make me happy. Aw. Pretty zinnias.

8. Mixed some tea tree and rose oil with water and lit a candle under it for some more good smells. I painted this myself - found it at a yard sale! I actually lit this because I had recently rubbed down the counter with citronella to ward away ants. I hate how that stuff smells.

9. my perfume! Found the bottle on Ebay, the scent is passion fruit in carrier oil (jojoba and sesame seed, I think). That's my deoderant next to it from LUSH.

10. raw cane sugar, because it's a much more mild exfoliator.

I got the colorful bowls, plate, and oil jar at a freaky store in Massanutten for $16. They were meant for dipping bread in seasoned oil, Meg says. My grandma gave me the tea cup tower for my birthday.

Anyway, that is where I am on my aromatherapy journey. I'm going to see if Meg will help me make some essential oils from our practically unlimited herb supply at Victory Acres. Maybe!

So I am a crazy smelly hippie, I know. But if you knew how great it was, you would be too. ^_^