Aromatherapy-The Ultimate Guide to Blending Essential oils

I will go through some of the basics for those of you that are new to aromatherapy and essential oils.

There are certain conditions when we apply essential oils topically and other conditions where inhalation is the best method.

If you don't have the botanical names on your essential oils then you have no idea what type of essential oils you have which can affect the therapeutic properties and also safety issues.

Knowing which chemotype your essential oil is is vitally important for therapeutic properties and also safety issues.

So why do some essential oils have the letter X?

Here are your safety guidelines in regards to pregnancy, certain medications and other important things that you need to be aware of

Photosensitivity and why you need to be aware it.

Here is how to store your essential oils and how to double their shelf life.

Some essential oils, as you will later learn in the course, are highly irritating so you need to be aware of them.

You are about to enter a whole new world when it comes to essential oils and why the GC/MS reports are so informative.

You are going to have so much knowledge by the time you have finished this course. Here is a look at how you will use it.

Here is a glossary of the many common words used to describe therapeutic actions

Here are your dilution guidelines to help you out.

NEW! This is awesome! The dilution calculator!!

Many people have their diffusers on for too long which is wasting essential oils as after 45 minutes or so, you are no longer getting the benefits therapeutically anymore.

It's time to test your knowledge

And, here are the answers

Can this actually happen? or is it just a myth.

An Advert FREE Youtube Channel Dedicated to Relaxing Massage Music For You!

This is a fabulous resource for you.

Let's get started with blending our essential oils with this first technique which will change the way you blend completely

This technique will change the way you think about blending. You will no longer add the stock amount of drops that you see written in a recipe. Now you will consciously use your intent, sense of smell and intuition at times to make the scents and aromas that YOU like.

Now let's make a perfume/cologne with our new skillset!

This is one of my favorite things to make and it not only takes minutes to make, but it adds a whole new level with the beautiful aroma of vanilla to your massage oils, serums and body products that you make.

Now we can use the same technique and take it a step further.

Don't want to use your expensive rose, jasmine or neroli in your products? Welcome to the blending world of extenders to complement your expensive essential oils.

Here is another great way to blend by using the essential oil's fragrances and once again using the skills that you have already learned so far to take your blending to another level.

Here we look at blend enhancers and modifiers which can be fabulous for improving blends.

The world of the perfumer is about making an incredible bouquet that is balanced and using the notes of the aromas. Now I will teach you about the top, middle and base notes of the essential oils and why they are so important for perfumes, colognes, body products, oils and even diffuser blends.

This exercise will get you to ba more aware of the changing aromas on your skin over time so that you can get a firsthand experience of how the scents on your skin change as the notes evaporate over time.

You can blend all top notes, middle or base notes. You can balance out the blend by having a top, middle and base note in your blend. You can also take your blending to a whole new level of sophistication. The work is your oyster!

You can also blend by plant parts and use the energetic properties of the plants to create exceptional blends.

Use this blending technique to address emotional imbalances

Wood/Trunks Energetically and emotionally:

• These give strength and protection

• They will nourish you just as the trunk gives nourishment to the branches, leaves and flowers

• They will keep you grounded to the earth and give you feeling of emotional support and stability

• They are extremely calming

Fruits Energetically and emotionally:

• Have uplifting and stimulating qualities

• Contain lots of water which makes them great for cleansing emotionally and physically

• With the large amount of water in them they are also excellent for the lymphatic system

• Fruits give feelings of joy, energy, hope, love and nourishment

• If you are feeling down fruits are a great choice

Seeds Energetically and emotionally:

• Supportive of new growth

• New beginnings

• Supports the reproductive system

• Helps us feel nourished

• If you are feeling stuck emotionally

• A new start

Resins Energetically and emotionally:

Resins seep out from the tree to heal wounds and protect the tree

They are excellent for healing emotional wounds and when you are feeling hurt

They have traditionally been used in rituals, meditation and incenses for calming, contemplation, relaxing the mind

They offer love, emotional support especially when you are feeling vulnerable, hurt and afraid

Flowers Energetically and emotionally:

• We give flowers for love, friendship and forgiveness and they have that energy

• If you need to be kind to yourself, forgive yourself, feel loved these are great

• They give emotional support and are calming and nourishing both emotionally and for the skin

You are about to learn just how important it is to have a solid knowledge of the chemical families for not only therapeutic properties but also safety issues .

Most monoterpene-rich oils are top or middle notes that evaporate quickly.

Their fragrance dissipates quickly. If you use these in a diffuser, they disappear almost immediately. Monoterpene-rich oils tend to be uplifting and energetic. Primary examples are citrus oils and can have 90% or more of monoterpenes. All monoterpenes chemical components end in “–ene.”

Let's put our knowledge of the monoterpene chemical family into practice.

I will show you the personal inhalers and roller bottles which are fabulous ways to use your essential oils both through respiration and also topically.

While monoterpenes tend to be uplifting and energetic, sesquiterpenes tend to be calming, pacifying, grounding and centering oils. Sesquiterpenes are generally very safe oils topically. With these 5 extra carbons the molecules are bigger and heavier, thus taking longer to evaporate and rise from the bottle.  They are heavier oils, and most often middle or base notes.

On the whole  sesquiterpenes are:

Antibacterial

Antiseptic

Analgesic

Anti-inflammatory

Antispasmodic

It's time to start blending sesquiterpenes with this fun exercise

Most monoterpenol-rich oils are generally safe on the skin and are not known to be irritants. One exception is Peppermint, which may be a potential skin irritant.

Many have pleasant, uplifting fragrances

Therapeutic properties of monoterpenols:

Antibacterial,Antifungal and antiviral essential oils that are rich in monoterpenols have excellent anti-infectious properties
Safe topically They are also very safe used topically so terrific for skin care(except peppermint-potential irritant)

Anti-inflammatory They have anti inflammatory properties

Antimicrobial

Immune stimulants They are also great to help with the immune system
Emotionally balancing
Antispasmodic great for helping smooth muscles and muscle and joint pains

Anaesthetic certain essential oils have cooling anaesthetizing effects on the skin which makes them great for pain relief

Sedative Ones with linalool have a sedative effect so great for insomnia

General properties of sesquiterpenols:

Grounding

Calming

Sedative
Skin healing

Immune stimulating

Anti inflammatory

Antibacterial

Antispasmodic

Sesquiterpenols are generally safe oils and are not known to be skin irritants. They are heavier oils, and generally considered base notes.

Therapeutic properties of oils rich in esters:

Antispasmodic-They can have terrific antispasmodic properties.The most powerful one being Roman chamomile

Sedating Esters are great to us when you are looking to relax, have stress or anxiety or to help you sleep

Balancing and Soothing They have incredible balancing and soothing properties on the sympathetic nervous system

Analgesic Some esters have powerful analgesic properties such as Clary Sage, Jasmine, Lavender, Lavandin, Roman Chamomile, and Ylang Ylang.

Good for helping with digestion Some esters are also excellent digestive aids such as Cardamom, Roman Chamomile, and Bergamot.

Anti-inflammatory Esters are excellent antiinflammatories and are great for calming and soothing skin disorders, rashes and irritations

Safety

There are generally no safety concerns except for wintergreen which is high in methyl salicylate.

Let me just go through and summarize these skin loving (mostly) chemical families

General properties of phenols:

Strongly antibacterial

Strong antiseptic
Strongly antimicrobial

Strongly antiviral

Anti-inflammatory
Antifungal
Rubefacient (stimulates blood and oxygen circulation to an area)
Stimulant

Phenols are great however there are safety concerns that you must be aware of.

Oils high in phenols can be very irritating to the skin and must be used carefully. (dilute to 1% or less and only used for short term)

They can be skin irritating if used in a bath.

Oils high in either phenols or aldehydes can be very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, so they must be used very carefully. Therefore if using these oils topically make sure that you dilute them at 1% or less to be safe.

Their shelf life is about two years

Therapeutic properties of aldehydes:

Sedative

Antifungal
Anti Inflammatory

Analgesic

Antiviral

Antibacterial

Cooling

Antispasmodic

This group has a high potential for skin irritations and allergic reactions.
Stick to low dilutions (1% or under)and use other skin-nourishing essential and carrier oils within the blend

If someone has very sensitive skin and tends to react to oils begin with even less

Therapeutic properties of oils rich in ethers

Antispasmodic Ether-rich oils are often antispasmodic.

Carminative They generally have calming properties

Promotes healthy digestion these can be good for digestive problems and gas

Analgesic these can be good for pain
Respiratory These can also be great for respiratory conditions such as colds and flus

Safety

Take care with skin application as these oils can irritate the skin.

Essential oils with a high content of ethers can raise toxicity concerns when used in larger doses. Use these oils in low doses (less than 1% in a blend) and only for acute, short-term use.

Avoid using oils with ethers during pregnancy. Oils high in ethers should not be used long-term.

Therapeutic properties of oils rich in ketones

Mucolytic and Expectorants: valuable in fighting respiratory infections especially Rosemary ct. camphor, Spike Lavender, and Peppermint.

Analgesic Some have analgesic properties.

Antispasmodic Some antispasmodic properties.

Scar and Wound healing Some can help with scar and wound healing especially Spike Lavender, Vetiver and Helichrysum.

Circulatory Peppermint, Rosemary ct camphor, and Spike Lavender can have circulatory effects

Therapeutic properties of oxides

Oils high in 1,8 cineol: Mucolytic/expectorant/antiinflammatory/antitussive oils high in oxides are excellent for respiratory problems

Analgesic, antispasmodic and anti- inflammatory This makes them great for muscular and joint pains

Antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial
Stimulating these are great for their stimulating effects

Skin penetration enhancer

Take care when using 1,8-cineole with asthmatics, as it is possible to set off an attack.

Do not use with infants.

Take care when using with children under the age of 10.

Let's test your knowledge once again with regards to the chemical families.

You are going to be amazed at how well you did! You know so much already.

Now we take your aromatherapy to an entirely new level!

Linalool is one of the main components found in lavender, rosewood, thyme ct linalool, basil ct linalool. Oils rich in linalool are extremely calming and excellent for the skin.You may also see it spelled “linalol.”

Linalool is great for:

Soothing irritated, damaged skin and also for skin repair

Excellent for muscle and joint pains

Reduce the presence of germs and fungi

Extremely calming

Excellent for insomnia and sleep disorders

Linalyl acetate is one of the main components found in lavender, clary sage, bergamot and petitgrain. Oils rich in linalyl are extremely calming, great for pain relief and excellent for the skin

Linalool is great for:

• Soothing irritated, damaged skin and also for skin repair

• Excellent for muscle and joint pains

• Reduce the presence of germs and fungi

• Extremely calming

• Excellent for insomnia and sleep disorders

Limonene is mainly present in the citrus essential oils (and a few others).

Limonene is great for:

• Great for boosting the immune system (think cold and flu season)

• Great for getting rid of germs

• Excellent for muscle and joint pains

• Cleansing and detoxifying

• Stimulating and uplifting

Terpinen-4-ol is one of the main components found in tea tree essential oil which gives tea tree oil its incredible antimicrobial ability. This component also tends to be gentle on the skin.

Terpinen-4-ol is great for:

• Great for muscle and joint pain

• Germ fighting ability

• Great for boosting the immune system (think cold and flu season)

• Antifungal

• Soothes irritated skin

A-pinene is in many conifer essential oils such as pines, cypress and fir essential oils(so is b-pinene). However, a-pinene is also present in frankincense as well.

A-pinene is great for:

• Germ fighting ability

• Great for boosting the immune system (think cold and flu season)

• Great for muscle and joint pain

• Helps with opening up the lungs to assist breathing

1,8-cineole is in the oxide chemical family.

This is what gives eucalyptus oil its fresh invigorating aroma and much of its breath-opening effects. You will find this in eucalyptus, ravintsara, niaouli ct 1,8 cineole, cajeput.

1,8-cineole is great for:

• Airborne antimicrobial-Great for getting rid of germs

• Great for boosting the immune system (think cold and flu season)

• Great for muscle and joint pains

• Great for stimulating the mood and clearing the head

• Great for breathing problems

Citral is a combination of the components neral and geranial. When neral and geranial are together in significant amounts, they form citral.

You will find significant amounts in both lemongrass and melissa.

Citral is great for:

• Fighting germs

• Great for boosting the immune system (think cold and flu season)

• Deeply relaxing

• Antifungal

• Great for muscle and joint pains

Eugenol is in the phenol chemical family.

You will find eugenol in both cinnamon leaf and clove bud oil.

Oils rich in eugenol are also well known for their warming touch and ability to soothe soreness.

Eugenol is great for:

• Great for muscle and joint pain

• Germ fighting ability

• Great for boosting the immune system (think cold and flu season)

• Antifungal

Eugenol can cause serious irritation.

Now, we have come full circle and look at how you can now apply all of your knowledge

Studies have shown that when you isolate chemical components they do not work as well as when they are together.