The Aromatherapy Scene

It has only become common to buy your soap from a store in the last hundred years. Before this our great grandparents would commonly make their soap at home using fats and other ingredients. One ingredient in normal soap making is Lye, and it is a caustic agent that needs to be handled with care. So you may choose to make soap in the hand milled method detailed below. How to make soap is simple and can be done with four easy steps.

Because this method uses commercial soap as a base it is sometimes called the hand milled soap technique. Its ingredients also mean it is safe to include your children in the process if you wish.

Step one: Use a household grater to grate an unscented bar of soap. The finer you grate your soap the easier the melting process will be. You will need 1 cup of grated soap.

Step two: Add 1/8th of a cup of water plus 2/8ths of a cups of essential oils. You might choose to use a mix of coconut oil and safflower oil. The choice of oils is yours and experimenting with combinations is part of the fun of making soap.

You need to melt the mixture over a double boiler on medium. The benefit of using a double boiler is that the mixture is not against a direct heat and is less likely to burn. Stir the mixture occasionally. Do try and stir gently as this will limit the amount of air bubbles you add to the soap. The cooking is done when it gets to a stringy stage. If it is not allowed to get to stringy, you will find that the soap will fail to harden as it should.

Step Three: This is where you add you signature to your soap and put in scents, colours or other additions. For a scented soap add 5 drops of lavender oil, for example and perhaps a teaspoon of dried lavender. Mix to combine.

Step Four: Moulding. The moulding form you choose will depend on what you have on hand. You may want to mould it into one large slab and cut the soap when it is set. Or you may choose to mould in a number of small shaped moulds. Do avoid this plastic as it is likely to break or melt. When poured tap the mixture to eliminate any air bubbles and leave to set.

The setting process should take about five hours. Then you will have your own hand milled soap.

Aromatherapy: – is an art of healing with inhalation of various essential oils and herbs. There are varieties of essential oils which are used in aromatherapy for different purposes?

Aromatherapy: – is used to cure physical ailments and psychological disturbances such as tension and stress. Here the word aroma means pleasant smell and therapy means treatment.

Learning to use aromatherapy is a great way to relax, unwind, rejuvenate and uplift your spirits. It can also be a good way to start a romantic evening with that special person.

Aromatherapy: – is the practical use of volatile oils extracted from plant parts, from the petals, leaves, roots, fruits and from vegetables. Essential oils used in aromatherapy are the pure essence from such items.

Both perfume oils and fragrance oils are same, however essential oils are different. Perfume or fragrance oils just provide fragrance but they don’t carry any therapeutic benefits like the essential oils. Fragrance oils may smell nice for a time but do not provide any psychological and physical benefits.

Aromatherapy oil is extracted from wood, seeds, bark, roots, leaves, and flowers. Aromatherapy oil works to calm and soothe both the body and the mind.

Aromatherapy oil is especially made to affect a person’s mood positively. Each scent is carefully tested to make sure that it evokes a pleasant response from the person who inhales it.

There are many ways and locations to use aromatherapy oils.

The bath tub is a common place for a good place to relax. Add several drops of aromatherapy oil and soak for at least 20 minutes.

A massage with aromatherapy oil is a great way for a couple to spend a romantic evening together.

You can use an aromatherapy oil by itself, or in combination with meditative music, or candles. Music and lights can enhance the therapeutic effects of the aromatherapy oil.

Inhaling aromatherapy oil can help relieve your sinuses as well as relieve stress. Add a few drops to a bowl of boiling water or to a vaporizer.

The strong scents of plants come from aromatic oils which are in plant cells. Natural fragrances create a beautiful aura easily recognizable to consumers. You can release these oils by soaking the aromatic parts of the plants (they must be dry) in alcohol (for one week), or soaking them in mineral or olive oil (for one-two weeks). When properly prepared, they have not been associated with significant adverse reactions.

Natural fragrances are a complex mix of chemical components. The primary organic compounds are terpenes. They are extracted from odoriferous (strong smelling) things through a distillation process that passes steam over the plants, evaporating the volatile compounds which then condense in water droplets.

Aromatic (highly scented) flowers, herbs and spices, essential oils and incense have been used by people living on this continent for many centuries.

There are 200 commercially produced essential oils that are obtained from oil-bearing leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, or wood of aromatic plants. Natural fragrances tend to be more expensive than synthetic chemicals, resulting in fewer skin care product manufacturers using them. Natural fragrances should be tried on the skin and then sniffed regularly as they develop and change.

Fragrance oils are not perfume oils, they are aroma chemicals which are not diluted, and like essential oils, should not be placed directly on the skin in concentrated form. They need to be diluted into final product use.

Fragrance oils are very complex mixture, containing hundreds of aroma chemicals. The mix can either be part artificial and part synthetic, or all synthetic.

One of the major ingredients in making soap, lotion, shampoo, bath bombs and many other personal care products are fragrance oils.

The amount of fragrance oil is used is usually between 0.5% – 5%, and used in. Fragrance oils do not disperse well in water without the aid of a solubilizer.

When you want to bring some wonderful smells to your home it may be as easy as the addition of some luscious home fragrance oils such as Blue spruce, pumpkin nectarine, vanilla spice, cranberry and even rich plum.

Aromatherapy as a practice dates back to the ancient Egyptians and has experienced a resurgence in the west in recent years. The science behind aromatherapy is known as psychoneuroimmunology which studies the interactions between the psychological, neurological and immune systems. Research has shown that there is a very strong correlation between positive and negative experiences and our immune system as well as our psyche. This premise is recognized by the fields of science and medicine giving credence to the old adage mind over body.

Aromatherapy utilizes the strongest of our senses which is the sense of smell. The sense of smell is unique because it has a direct path to our brain and more importantly it has a direct path to our limbic system. Through this direct portal aromas are able to directly affect conscious thought and reactions as the limbic system is responsible for our memories (turning short term to long term), learned responses, emotions and feelings.

The use of aromatherapy oils to promote relaxation has become very popular by the mainstream population. For this purpose essential oils can be applied in several different ways including baths, diffusers, direct inhalation, or through a massage to name just a few. How you choose to use your aromatherapy oils is a personal preference as long as enjoy the process.

The number of different essential oils on the market is vast leaving the decision of which one to try somewhat daunting. It should be noted that each essential oil has many specific therapeutic applications and many of these are similar with other oils, which allows you to choose an oil that will give you the desired benefits as well as an aroma you enjoy. For instance their are several oils that are known for there powers to relax, so the choice becomes a personal one.

1. Ylang ylang is known for its strong, sweet exotic scent and is extracted by steam or water distillation for the fresh flowers of the tropical tree Canago odorata better known as the Ylang ylang tree.

2. Neroli has a very feminine sweet floral smell and is extracted by enfleurage or steam distillation from the orange blossom petals of the orange tree Citrus auratium. Neroli essential oil is generally sold in a cut form (with another oil) and is one of the more expensive oils on the market.

3. Jasmine is another oil that can be described as having an exotic, sweet floral scent. Jasmine essential oil is extracted from the flowers of the plant Jasminum officinale.

4. Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils as its benefits and applications are vast. This lightly floral scented oil is extracted by steam distillation from the plant Lavandula augustifolia.

5. Sandalwood is has a sensual musky or woody scent and has been used for thousands of years. This essential oil is extracted by steam or water distillation from the heartwood (nonliving central wood)
and roots of the tree Santalum album.

This is by no means a complete list of the aromatherapy oils that can be utilized for the purpose of relaxation, it is instead a sample of the vast number to choose from. When choosing an aromatherapy oil try to find one that you can use for several desired benefits and more importantly find one that you find pleasing to smell. If you do not like or enjoy the scent of your oil chances are it will not give you the results you are looking for.

A new classification of perfumes that is used in the fragrance industry is The Fragrance Wheel developed in 1983 by Michael Edwards, a well-known consultant in the perfume industry. He designed his own system of fragrance classification after being inspired by a fragrance seminar held by Firmenich.

The purpose of this new relative classification system was initiated to make the fragrance classification and naming scheme simpler, as well as to show the relationships between each individual fragrance family.

The four standard families consist of Floral, Oriental, Woody and Fresh are are divided into three sub-groups and arranged around a wheel circumference. The fifth family that makes exception to the rule is the Fougére family which is placed in the center of the Fragrance Wheel.

How To Use The Fragrance Wheel

Step One : Studying the Fragrance Wheel, learn the five main fragrance families represented: Fresh, Woody, Oriental, Floral and Fougere. Fougere is the only family that does not sub-divide and stands at the center being more classic having a more universal appeal and it combines elements of the other four. The others are arranged around the wheel’s circumference.

Step Two : Examine the sub-groupings in each family. The four other families have each three sub-families in the outer wheel that result when their essence is combined with the family on either side of it. These are: Floral, Soft Floral, Floral Oriental, Oriental, Soft Oriental, Woody Oriental, Mossy Woods, Dry Woods, Citrus, Green and Water.

Step Three : Look up which family four your favorite fragrances belong to. This will help you to learn your own preferred scent family.

Step : Four Use a Fragrance Wheel to help you blend your own scents, as you like. Combine scents from families that overlap to create harmonious perfumes.