Starting Out in Aromatherapy

by Leonie Gully

Moon-Haven Soaps, Lotions & Potions

Section 1. Starting Out in Aromatherapy

Section 2. Application Methods

Section 3. Building an Essential Oil Collection

The Magic of Aromatherapy

Picking a flower, crushing a leaf or grinding a seed and smelling its perfume to evoke emotion is the most simplest of aromatherapy practices. Aromatherapy can be as simple or as complex as you like.

With modern distillation methods science has been able to isolate the volatile compounds that make up the scent of Mother Nature's gardens. These compounds we call essential oils

The essential oils of a plant may represent the scent from many hundreds of flowers, leaves or seeds. For example to extract 1 kg of essence of lavender, you need to distil 200 kg of lavender, for 1 kg of essence of neroli, 1000 kg of orange blossom are used and for 1 kg of Cabbage rose essence, over 3000 kg of roses are required.

Such a concentration of plant essence requires respect and reverence. To bring the scent of a field of lavender or a grove of oranges into our homes with only a few drops of oil is an awe inspiring experience.

Learning to use essential oils effectively can be an amazing journey. When first starting out in Aromatherapy it is often better to take maybe only one or two oils, learn all you can about that oil and how to use it safely. Then choose another oil and do the same thing...experiment with different oil combinations and really get to know how each oil interacts with others.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the volatile, aromatic essences that are obtained by various forms or extraction from the roots, bark, wood, resins, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of plants.

Essential oils are extracted from plant material in a variety of ways. The methods include:

Steam Distillation:

This method is used to extract the vast majority of essential oils currently available to the aromatherapist. Plant material is placed in a still with water and gently heated. The essences evaporate off with the steam and collected. When cooled the essential oils are drawn off from the distilled water. The remaining liquid is called a hydrosol and holds some of the non volatile components of the distillation process. This by-product is called a hydrosol and is used extensively in skincare.

Expression:

The expression or cold pressing technique is used mainly to extract essential oils from citrus fruits. The fruit rinds are in effect crushed to release the essential oils, which are then collected and filtered.

The most rudimentary example of this method is to take the rind of a lemon or orange and squeeze the rind. As you do so the oil glands in the skin of the fruit rupture and release their contents into the air.

Carbon Dioxide Extraction:

This method produces some of the most ‘true’ scented oils available today. It involves pressurising the plant material with carbon dioxide to extract the oils form the plant. At room temperature the carbon dioxide evaporates off leaving only the essential oil. This method, while producing superbly scented oils, is considerably more expensive than the above methods of essential oil extraction. It is usually reserved for those oils which are sensitive to steam distillation and the higher temperatures required in that process.

Enfleurage / Maceration:

With enfleurage delicate scented flowers (for example Jasmine) are placed on glass plates covered with a layer of lard and pressed. The flowers are replaced every few days until the fats are filled with the essences. This is substance is then rinsed in alcohol to remove the essences from the lard.

With maceration the essential oils are extracted from the plant material by placing it in hot oils. The essential oils are released into the hot oils and this mix is then placed in a centrifuge. The essential oils are then syphoned off the oily base.

Storing Essential Oils

Essential oils are volatile liquids which are essential unstable. Citrus oils are especially vulnerable and often will only have a shelf life of between 6 to 12 months after opening the bottle.

Deterioration of essential oils can occur when exposed to heat, light, and air. To delay this process always keep your oils in dark glass bottles (blue or brown is best), in a cool dark place. Always decant larger quantities of oils into 15 ml or smaller bottles so that you can minimise the exposure to air.

Cautions:

We should treat all essential oils with respect. Always remind yourself that a few drops of oil may represent a whole room of flowers or several many times its volume in plant material.

Never take essential oils internally unless advised by a qualified health practitioner.

In most cases direct application to the skin is not advisable. Unless advised otherwise by a practicing clinical aromatherapist, always use a fixed oil (carrier oil) to dilute your essential oils in. there are many suitable oils available and include sunflower, almond, grape seed and macadamia oils (see dilution rates below).

Use essential oils at half the recommended dose for young children and pregnant women.

Many essential oils are not suitable for use by particular groups of people at normal application rates so always learn the specific cautions for each of the oils that you use. Often an oil can continue to be used by a affected person but at a much lower application rate. As a good teacher taught me... how a person is affected is all about the method of application, the length of the exposure and the dosage received. Talk to your friendly aromatherapist if you are at all concerned.

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