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Stress Release with Aromatherapy
by Sherina Jamal
Aromatherapy can have a profound effect on the mind & body and can be a daily ritual to help release stress, tension and promote relaxation.
This technique involves the use of pure essential oils which benefits are released through heat and enter the body by inhalation. Essential oils are the essence of a plant and are extracted from roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or bark by a specialized process of steam
distillation. Each essential oil is made up of its own unique chemical composition, which has been shown to trigger certain reactions internally such as; releasing tension/stress, uplifting, energizing, relaxing etc.
Essential oils can be purchased at local health/vitamin stores or specialty aromatherapy stores. It is important to ensure that the essential oils you purchase are 100% pure and have not been combined with any other chemicals or solvents.
What you need to get started:
Good quality aromatherapy diffuser – a diffuser uses electricity or a candle to slowly warm the essential oil in order to help release it’s essence into the surrounding environment. Your choice of pure essential oils(can be selected based on your own individual needs)
Anti-Stress Essential oil blend:
Add the following essential oils on their own or in combination to your diffuser dish(dish should be ¼ filled with warm water). Add a total of about 15 drops of any of these essential oils or follow this recipe:
| Lavender |
6 drops |
| Ylang Ylang |
4 drops |
| Marjoram |
3 drops |
| Chamomile |
2 drops |
Other essential oils beneficial for relaxation, anxiety and anti-stress: Sweet orange, clary sage, and rose geranium.
Other ways to use your essential oils:
Aside from using a diffuser, the essential oils can be combined with a carrier oil(olive, sunflower, apricot kernel, almond etc) and applied it directly to the skin as a massage treatment or the essential oil/carrier oil blend can be added to a warm bath.
When blended essential oils into a carrier oil a general rule of thumb is to add about 15-20 drops of essential oil to a 1oz of a carrier oil.
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