Page 5 - Using Essential Oils For Aromatherapy And Health Enhancement

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and disinfecting (Direct inhalation) or for therapeutic skin-care, massage or baths
(Topical applications).

Aerial diffusion is usually achieved with a diffuser (or aroma-lamp), but can also be
achieved with boiling water in a pot, then placing pot of hot water where you want the
essential oils to be fragrancing the air.

Direct inhalation is performed by inhaling steam of mixed water and essential oil of
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choice, coming out of a diffuser or a pot of boiling hot water.

Topical application is achieved with applying, massaging in or bathing with an
appropriate dilution of a selected essential oil on a skin problem area, or a painful area or
just an area you want to enhance health of or make fragrant.

In aromatherapy, you often hear of specialist terms which will be explained here: carrier
oils, herbal distillates, phytoncides, and absolutes, vaporizer oils.

Carrier oils are used to dilute the essential oils. They are non-essential, vegetable oils.
mostly cold-pressed and extra-virgin organic oils are used, such as olive oil, sesame oil
sunflower seed oil, black cumin seed oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil and others, and
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are also known as base oils or vegetable oils. Diluting essential oils is required before
using them.

A herbal distillate is the distillation byproduct of distillation of herbs, the herbal water
with essential oils removed.

Phytoncides are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, volatile organic compounds.

Absolutes are aromatic oils extracted using supercritical fluid extraction or solvent
extraction from flowers, also oils extracted from aromatic butters and similar.

An essential oil which vaporizes into air for direct inhalation is called a vaporizer oil.
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Any application of the essential oils besides Aerial diffusion aromatherapy, on the skin or
otherwise, requires them to be diluted first, as they are too concentrated to be used by
themselves. Next chapter will give you ideas of how to dilute them for such uses. Be
advised, some essential oils are not allowed for internal use.

1.3. How do you dilute essential oils?

Various oils, such as olive oil or regular sunflower oil, or any other neutral oil can be used
to dilute essential oils. Water is used for some applications, but you must always first
dilute the essential oil in a vegetable oil, then mix this dilution with water, because
mixing water and oil only creates little drops of essential oil which will cause burns if
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you use it as a mouth wash for instance, IT COULD EVEN GET INTO YOUR