Aromatherapy is an ancient practice that is still widely used across the world for anything from pain management to stress relief. There are impressive ranges of diffusers, essential oils, and other tools based around aromatherapy treatments, all with their own uses and benefits. The question remains though, what is aromatherapy and how does it work?

What Is Aromatherapy?

When it comes down to it, aromatherapy can be considered both an art and a science as it is even recognized in certain fields of medicine. Although there is still much research to be done, the use of aromatherapy and aromatherapy benefits, the use of natural plant extracts (essential oils) for the promotion of health, has been around for nearly 6000 years. It was only in the early 1900's that the term "aromatherapy" was coined.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential or aromatherapy oils come from plant components such as the leaves, roots, blossoms, or seeds of plants, that are distilled into highly concentrated essential oils. These oils are known for their specific properties which are then used for your well-being.

There are nearly 100 different aromatherapy essential oils to be found, but some of the more popular ones include eucalyptus, tea tree (antiseptic), peppermint (pain relief), lavender (sleep promotion), lemongrass, and rosemary. Many are also known for stress relief, anxiety, and even immunity boosting.

How Are Essential Oils Used?

Essential oils can be used in a number of ways and even found in a variety of products such as body lotions, toothpaste, and hair products, but they are most commonly used for their scent as aromatherapy oils. The understanding is that the smell of these oils may activate certain areas of your brain to provide the overall results such as calm or sleepiness.

Tip!

Never use concentrated aromatherapy essential oils directly on your skin. Instead use a "carrier" such as coconut oil or body lotion to help dilute it. You would also do well to perform a patch test on your skin to ensure you have no adverse side effects.

Oils & Scents: As mentioned above, the most common and popular form of aromatherapy is practiced through oils. These oils can be used through diffusing devices or even by simply opening the bottles to inhale them. Aromatherapy massage is another popular way to benefit from the scene as well as skin absorption.

Diffusers: In order to get the essential oils into the air, they need to be dispersed into the air. Oil diffusers do so quite easily via the use of heat, evaporation, ultrasonic vibration, or atomization. They all work in their own unique way but all based on the principle of releasing the oil particles into the air so they can cover a greater area with the scent. The best part about these diffusers is that they come in an almost endless array of designs, styles, and colors.

Spray: Similarly to diffusers, room sprays circulate the essential oils through the air as droplets which become vapor that contains the scent. The benefit of room spray is that it can easily and instantly be used to release the aromatherapy essential oils into a space without the need for a diffuser or any other device.

Reeds: Reed diffusers comprise a bottle or vessel that contains the essential oils which is then filled with reeds which absorb the oils. As the oils move up the length of the sticks, the scent begins to evaporate out of the top and finally disperse into the air.

Plug-Ins: Fragrance plug-ins work similarly to reed diffusers in that they comprise an essential oil-filled bottle with a porous rod inside. This rod serves to wick the oils to the top and disperse the scent. They are slightly different though as they plug into a wall which provides a heat that constantly diffuses the scent through the room.

Now we have answered your question, what is aromatherapy? You can move on to learn how to use aromatherapy essential oils in your home by reading our guide How to Use Essential Oils in Your Home.