Tagged with 'lavender'

We lead incredibly busy, and often stressful lives, and it’s important every single day to take time out to manage and reduce your stress.

Aromatherapy goes far beyond using potpourri or burning a scented candle. It’s the use of essential oils created from the aromatic portions of a plant (such as the leaves, blossom, bark, or root) for psychological and physical well-being. The “aroma” of these essential oils is typically inhaled or applied to the skin.

How Does Aromatherapy Work?

It’s not entirely clear how aromatherapy works. Some experts believe our sense of smell plays a role, and other researchers think the molecules from essential oils may interact in the blood with hormones or enzymes.

The “smell” receptors in your nose communicate with the parts of your brain (the amygdala and hippocampus) that serve as storage areas for emotions and memories. When you breathe in essential oil molecules, some researchers believe they stimulate the parts of your brain that influence physical, emotional, and mental health. For example, scientists believe lavender stimulates the activity of brain cells in the amygdala similar to the way some sedative medications work, which makes you relaxed.

Incorporating Essential Oils

Essential oils can be incorporated via a massage, your bath, or by burning it using an oil diffuser.

When applied to the skin, the oils are absorbed into the bloodstream. It’s very important to note, essential oils should never be applied to the skin in their undiluted form since they’re so powerful and concentrated. To apply essential oils to the skin, they’re typically diluted into a carrier such as a vegetable oil or lotion. Common carrier oils include sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil and grapeseed oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. The choice of carrier oil depends on the therapeutic benefit you’re looking for.

Aromatherapy massage is a popular way of using essential oils because it works simultaneously in several ways. Your skin absorbs essential oils and you also breathe them in. Plus, you experience the physical therapy of the massage itself.

Diffusing essential oils is another great way to receive their therapeutic benefits. When we inhale essential oils, they go straight to our brain and are sent directly to other parts of the body to regulate and modulate, such as reducing stress, and improving focus and concentration.

An aromatherapy car diffuser is an awesome way to incorporate essential oils into your day. Add some lavendar oil, and let the aroma fill the car. Lavendar's great for relaxation and de-stressing, which will feel great after a long work day. You'll also probably notice it helps your kids chill out while in their car seats.

Are Essential Oils The Same As Perfume?

It’s important to look at the ingredient label when looking for true aromatherapy products. Perfume oils (aka: fragrance oils) are not the same as essential oils, as they contain synthetic chemicals and don’t provide the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.

Therapeutic Uses for Common Essential Oils

Each essential oil comes with its own therapeutic benefits. Some oils are used to promote physical healing, such as treating swelling or fungal infections. Other oils are used for emotional value, such as enhancing relaxation. Orange blossom oil, for example, contains a large amount of an active ingredient that’s thought to be calming.

Here are some common therapeutic uses for a few essential oils:

Aromatherapy can be used for health or beauty purposes, and isn't only limited to your home. Use it in your office, clinic, or even hospital room! 

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

A little unknown fact about me—I love beauty products! You name it, I have lots of it…lotions, sugar scrubs, salt scrubs, soaps, body wash, lip balms, and the list goes on. I’ve also become very particular about the brand of product I buy, all pending on its ingredients.

While pregnant, I discovered most commercial “products” contain an alarming number of chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins, which are quickly absorbed through the skin and into the body’s blood stream. These chemicals were drying out my skin and I obviously didn’t want to expose my baby to anything harmful.

Now I look for products made with “natural,” and ideally organic, ingredients that smell great and feel so good on my skin. Does SODIUM LAUROAMPHOACETATE, OXIDIZED POLYETHYLENE, SODIUM TRIDECETH SULFATE or CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN sound natural to you? Me, either. (Partial list of ingredients from OIay’s Pore Minimizer Scrub).

My one complaint about many of the “natural” products? Their cost! After a little exploring, I figured out I could make my own beauty products at a fraction  of the cost. Even better, I get to choose the quality of the ingredients and the results have been very satisfying.

Lemon is great for brightening dull, dry skin, so common during the winter months. Another reason to love this recipe is its versatility. You can substitute the peppermint scent for practically any essential oil scent, such as lavender for calming, tea tree for soothing, and sweet orange for brightening your mood. 

This time of year, these homemade items also make great gifts for friends and family. Give it a try!

Here is one of my favorite -- Lemon Meringue Sugar Scrub Bar

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Organic Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup Shredded Soap (use an unscented type)
• 3-4 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
• 1 cup Organic Sugar

Silicone molds; any shape you want your bars to be.

Directions:

1. 1. In a double boiler, melt your shredded soap. It can take up to an hour to fully melt so be patient. If you do not have a double boiler, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until melted.
2. 2. Mix in your coconut oil until combined and add your lemon essential oil.
3. 3. Separate into two separate bowls.
4. 4. Add ½ cup sugar to each bowl, doing one bowl at a time. Mix until well combined. You are looking for a slushy like consistency.
5. 5. Pour into your silicone molds and allow to dry for 1-2 hours before unmolding.

*If your sugar and soap mixture gets too thick, microwave in 10 second intervals until you are able to pour.

Enjoy!

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Every night before bed, I flip on the switch to the aromatherapy diffuser in my 2-year-olds bedroom. I add 5-10 drops of lavender oil and wait for the sweet, balsamic, floral aroma to fill his room. I was slightly skeptical initially, but I swear by this scent for helping my son relax while we complete his bedtime routine.

Lavender’s high concentration of volatile oils are responsible for its distinctive and pleasing fragrance. The relaxing experience of smelling lavender led to its therapeutic use in aromatherapy centuries ago.  As it turns out, lavender actually has many uses, and relaxation is one of its primary ones.

Other aromatherapy benefits include balancing, soothing, normalizing, calming, relaxing, and healing. Lavender is primarily used either dried or as an essential oil.

Anxiety and Depression

I don’t know many people who like going to the dentist so here’s something worth considering, and so simple…dental patients who smelled lavender prior to their appointment had a decrease in their anxiety levels (1).

A suggestion for improving mood is adding a 3 mL mixture of 20% lavender oil and 80% grape seed oil to daily baths. This combo produces small improvements in mood, compared with baths containing grape seed oil alone.

Calming and Soothing

Research has confrimed lavender produces a slight calming, soothing, and sedative effect when its scent is inhaled. In one study, a blend of lavender and bergamot (orange) oils proved effective for inducing a calm, relaxing effect on a person (2). This could be used before bed, in the car after a long day, at your office desk, or anyplace you want to find your zen.

Insomnia/Sleeplessness

Developing research suggests using lavender oil in a vaporizer overnight, or on a gauze pad left beside the bed, might help some people with mild insomnia. Short-term inhalation of lavender oil has also been used as a sleep aid (3).

Attention women transitioning through menopause; if you’re experiencing sleep problems, one study showed after 12 weeks of lavender aromatherapy, midlife women with insomnia had improvements in the quality of their sleep (4).

If you’re a mom of a newborn, bathing your very young infant in lavender-scented bath oil found babies cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath (5).

Agitation

Using lavender to reduce agitation has been studied in patients with dementia, and study results have been mixed. In one study, nightly use of lavender oil in a bedside diffuser for 3 weeks reduced agitation in patients with various types of dementia. However, in another study, continuous use of lavender oil on a pad attached to a patient's shirt had no effect in a small group of patients with advanced dementia. More research needs to be done.

Mix and Match

Lavender combines well with many oils including citrus, clove, patchouli, rosemary, clary sage and pine.

Considerations When Purchasing Lavender

Look for pure essential oils of the highest quality. Important criteria to consider when selecting essential oils include the following: 100% pure and natural, country of origin, growing season, extraction method (ie: distillation, expression), plant part used and the reputation of the company providing the oils.

Bottom Line: Considering we’re in the midst of a busy, often hectic holiday season, lavender would be awesome for staying sane and relaxed when needed.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1. Lehrner J, Marwinski G, Lehr S, Johren P, Deecke L. Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety and improve mood in a dental office. Physiol Behav. 2005 Sep 15;86(1-2):92-5.

2. Hongratanaworakit T. Aroma-therapeutic effects of massage blended essential oils on humans. Nat Prod Commun. 2011 Aug;6(8):1199-204.

3. Wheatley D. Medicinal plants for insomnia: a review of their pharmacology, efficacy and tolerability. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2005;19(4):414–421. 

4. Li-Wei Chien,Su Li Cheng,and Chi Feng Liu. The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Autonomic Nervous System in Midlife Women with Insomnia. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012; 2012: 740813.   

5. Field T, Field T, Cullen C, Largie S, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn C. Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants. Early Hum Dev. 2008 Jun;84(6):399-401. 

 What Is Lavender Oil?

A plant native to the Mediterranean, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis) gets its fragrance from the essential oil found inside its flowers. In aromatherapy, lavender essential oil is often used for its many healing properties.

The Benefits of Lavender Oil

Although lavender essential oil has yet to be extensively studied in clinical trials, research suggests that lavender-based aromatherapy may help with these conditions:

1)  Anxiety

Thought to help calm the nervous system, lavender helped ease anxiety among a group of adults shown anxiety-provoking film clips in a 2009 study. According to the study's authors, lavender appears to act as an anti-anxiety agent under conditions of low anxiety, but may not be as useful in conditions of high anxiety.

Learn how to make a relaxing blend of essential oil.

2)  Insomnia

Often touted as a natural sleep aid, lavender may have sedative effects. In a small study published in 2005, a group of people with insomnia reported improvements in sleep after four weeks using lavender (with the help of an aromatherapy vaporizer) at bedtime. Study results showed that women and younger volunteers with a milder insomnia improved more than others.

3)  Alopecia Areata

In a study of 86 people with alopecia areata (a disorder that causes the rapid onset of round patches of baldness), researchers found that 44 percent of those who massaged lavender essential oil (along with oils of thyme, rosemary, cedarwood, jojoba, and grapeseed) into their scalp daily had an improvement in their condition after seven months.

How to Use Lavender Oil

Often incorporated into massage, lavender essential oil can also be applied directly to the skin, added to baths, or inhaled (typically after sprinkling a few drops of the oil onto a cloth or tissue, or by using an aromatherapy diffuser or vaporizer).

Lavender essential oil is sold at many health-food stores and may also be found at spas. Although dried lavender is available in tea form, lavender essential oil should not be taken internally without the supervision of a health professional.

Learn more about using essential oils safely.

Lavender Oil Side Effects

Although lavender essential oil is generally considered safe, it may cause irritation when applied to the skin or aggravate drowsiness for people taking sedative medications.

A small study published in 2007 also showed that lavender oils in personal-care products may cause gynecomastia (breast development in a male) in boys.

Article courtesy of AltMedicine/About.com, found with sources here.