Calming Essential Oils: How Do They Work?
The easiest way to calm down is to take a tablet or drops. But who wants to poison their body with medications once again, especially if stress overcomes them with enviable regularity? That's right - no one! Then folk methods come into play.
My colleague, who knows how to maintain Olympic calm even in the most difficult situations, shared her recipe: a mixture of essential oils.
There is always an aroma lamp in her office, and when her nerves begin to get crazy, she simply lights a candle under a container of ethers. Claims that he calms down almost instantly.
PS. You can and should fight stress at work, including with the help of aromatic oils
Essential oils can really do a lot:
- Ease symptoms of depression.
- Allows you to calm down faster after nervous stress.
- Block unpleasant emotions.
- Eliminate sleep problems.
- I improve my mood.
- Increases the ability to work and perceive new information.
- Reduce the manifestation of acute psycho-emotional states such as fear, panic attack, shock, etc.
People have been healing with essential oils since ancient times. Gradually they conquered Europe.
Despite the fact that the pharmaceutical industry is developing by leaps and bounds, aromatherapy has many fans and their number is only increasing every year.
Aroma oils, unlike medications, act gently on the body without causing unpleasant symptoms or addiction.
But, alas, in addition to a number of advantages, they also have some disadvantages.
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Reasonable cost compared to pharmaceutical drugs. | Aromatherapy is not for everyone - there are people who cannot calm down with the help of essential oils. |
| Safety for the human body - you don’t have to poison yourself with chemicals. | Essential oils do not help cope with nerves in the long term and certainly do not eliminate the cause of nervous exhaustion. |
| This is a very pleasant way to calm down and relieve stress. | Aromatherapy is an unscientific method rejected by doctors. |
A little history
Aromatic plants and extracts from them were used in medicine by almost all ancient civilizations: in India, China, Greece, the Roman Empire, etc. According to legend, the discoverer of the method of obtaining essential oils from rose petals was the famous Arab philosopher and physician Avicenna. However, the real revolution in the field of aromatherapy was made by the French. It was they who developed the basics of the therapeutic use of aromatic oils. By the way, the term “aromatherapy” itself was invented in France by the Parisian perfumer Maurice Gattefosse. One day, during an accident, he was severely burned by reagents and decided to lubricate his injured hand with lavender oil. To his surprise, his hand healed quickly, and not a trace remained of the severe burn.
What oils should you buy?
It is important to buy calming essential oils to calm the raging nervous system. In addition, the products you purchase must be of high quality.
1) Best Calming Essential Oils
There are quite a lot of products that have a relaxing effect on the human body.
Here are essential oils that are unconditionally recognized as calming:
- lavender;
- chamomile;
- patchouli;
- bergamot;
- incense;
- jasmine;
- cedar;
- rose;
- Melissa;
- valerian;
- citrus;
- geranium;
- mint;
- ylang-ylang;
- sage.
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As you can see, the choice is quite large. So you'll have no problem finding an essential oil that will soothe you quickly and reliably.
You don't have to use any one oil from the list. To enhance the relaxation effect, make aromatic mixtures from several types of essential oils.
Important: the uniqueness of essential oils is that they adapt to a person’s mood and work based on their emotional memory. For example, for one person the scent of lavender is calming and relaxing. But for others it is unpleasant and exciting. So you'll have to experiment before you create your own calming essential oil composition.
Don't wait until stress takes over you completely. As soon as you feel an attack of irritation, immediately start aromatherapy.
The best thing to do is to prevent symptoms of stress. If you know that you are going to be in a nervous situation, breathe in essential oils the day before that will calm and relax you.
2) TOP 10 must-purchase oils
It is best to buy essential oils at a pharmacy or on specialized websites. This way you will get a truly high-quality product.
Here are the TOP 10 products recommended by experienced aromatherapy fans.
TOP 11 essential oils for sagging body skin
| Name | Properties |
| Organic lavender essential oil, Now Foods, 30 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Now-Foods-Organic-Essential-Oils-Lavender-1-fl-oz-30-ml/922 | Lavender is a wonderful sedative that provides instant relaxation even under severe stress. |
| Sweet orange oil, Artnaturals, 15 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Artnaturals-Sweet-Orange-Oil-50-fl-oz-15-ml/82558 | Citrus aromas in general and sweet orange in particular improve your mood, give you a boost of vigor and efficiency. They inspire optimism even in stalemate life situations. |
| Frankincense essential oil, Aura Cacia, 15 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Aura-Cacia-Pure-Essential-Oil-Frankincense-5-fl-oz-15-ml/6299 | Incense has a pleasant, but slightly viscous and mysterious aroma that has a calming effect. This essential oil makes you believe that fears and anxieties will certainly be left behind. |
| Chamomile essential oil, Now Foods, 10 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Now-Foods-Essential-Oils-Chamomile-1-3-fl-oz-10-ml/77258 | It is not for nothing that chamomile tea is used as a remedy that fights insomnia and stress. Chamomile essential oil is a product that even surpasses tea in its soothing qualities. |
| Jasmine essential oil, Now Foods, 3.7 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Aura-Cacia-100-Pure-Essential-Oil-Jasmine-Absolute-125-fl-oz-3-7-ml /33972 | Jasmine is not only a beautiful flower. Its aroma can give you a real holiday of relaxation after the most difficult day. No wonder it is actively used by oriental healers among the people. |
| Patchouli essential oil, Aura Cacia, 30 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Aura-Cacia-Pure-Essential-Oil-Patchouli-5-fl-oz-15-ml/6304 | The exotic aroma of patchouli gives a charge of vivacity and good mood. It eliminates irritability, despondency and drowsiness, so it is better not to use it at night. |
| Bergamot Oil, Artnaturals, 15 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Artnaturals-Bergamot-Oil-50-fl-oz-15-ml/82564 | Bergamot oil is often called a product that gives happiness because it has a powerful effect on a person’s emotional state. All problems will seem not so serious. |
| Peppermint essential oil, Nature's Answer, 15 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Nature-s-Answer-Organic-Essential-Oil-100-Pure-Peppermint-0-5-fl-oz-15- ml/63174 | Even young children know about the calming properties of peppermint, so you would be foolish not to use peppermint oil to help you relax and recharge. And the menthol aroma adds vigor and enthusiasm. |
| Rose oil, Now Foods, 30 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Now-Foods-Essential-Oils-Rose-Absolute-1-fl-oz-30-ml/936 | Rose oil eliminates emotional discomfort and helps you relax as much as possible. More suitable for women than men. It is especially effective if your bad mood is associated with raging hormones. |
| Cedarwood essential oil, Aura Cacia, 15 ml https://ru.iherb.com/pr/Aura-Cacia-Pure-Essential-Oil-Texas-Cedarwood-5-fl-oz-15-ml/17894 | Cedar is an excellent sedative for hyperactive people and children whose nervous system is constantly overexcited. Their frantic rhythm of life will seem to slow down, and they will finally be able to rest. |
By the way
Health flavors
► Lavender. Refreshing and relaxing. Helps in the treatment of headaches and burns.
► Peppermint. Relieves pain, helps with skin irritation and disorders of the digestive system.
► Sandalwood. It is used for dry skin, to relieve itching, and also to treat sexual weakness in men.
► Rose. Enhances sexual sensation, is used for women's diseases, stress, and nervous tension. Has antiseptic properties.
► Juniper. Tones the nervous system and stimulates digestion.
► Geranium. Promotes healing of wounds, burns, fractures. Useful for nervous system disorders, neuroses, insomnia.
► Eucalyptus and rosemary. Improves the functioning of the lungs and bronchi.
► Noble laurel. Relieves spasms of blood vessels, intestines, bile ducts. ► Santolin. It is used for cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, angina pectoris, atherosclerosis.
How to use essential oils correctly?
There are several simple, yet effective ways to use essential oils for relaxation. You can try them all to see which one works best.
1) Inhalation is the easiest way to use essential oils
There's no easier way to calm yourself with an essential oil than by smelling it. Feeling irritated? Open the bottle of fragrant oil and take a few deep breaths. You should feel better immediately.
But, you must admit, this method is somehow too primitive. It is much better to use an aroma lamp for inhalation.
Use step-by-step instructions to do everything right.
| Steps, photo | Description |
| Step 1. Refill the aroma lamp | Pour some water into the aroma lamp container. Add 5 drops of the selected essential oil to the water or a mixture of different oils in the same amount. |
| Step 2. Light the candle | Place a tablet candle in the recess under the reservoir with aromatic liquid. Light it up. |
| Step 3. Relax | Now take a more comfortable position and try to relax as much as possible. The lamp should be placed as close as possible to your resting area so that you can inhale the soothing aromas. |
If you can, you can even take a nap, but not longer than half an hour. It is important to extinguish the candle before the fragrant liquid in the tank evaporates completely.
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The relaxation effect of essential oil will be enhanced if you turn off the lights or close the curtains/blinds and turn on some relaxation music. It may not even be music, but, for example, the sounds of nature.
This video talks about not living in stress. This is harmful to health. An aromatherapist and psychologist also tells you which essential oils to use to calm down and overcome insomnia.
Aromatherapy methods
Aromatherapy is effective in its complex effects against depression. It is worth selecting rescue methods based on the cause of stress, the degree of psycho-emotional disturbances, and general well-being. When choosing oils, it is recommended to create compositions based on compatibility and volatility of esters. For example, you can take 1-2 oils of high and medium volatility, adding one of low volatility.
- Highly volatile esters: sage, bergamot, thyme, basil, petitgrain, sage.
- Medium volatility: lemon balm, chamomile, juniper, geranium, rosemary, marjoram, camphor.
- Low: benzoin, rose, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, patchouli, jasmine, incense, neroli.
There are many ways to use oils. The most effective are the use of aroma lamps, diffusers, wooden balls, incense, and wearing aroma pendants. Relaxing baths, inhalations, massages with cosmetic, perfume, and essential oils will also help.
| Oil burner | A ceramic or glass vessel with a lit candle-tablet is filled with water, the mixture or one of the ethers is added at the rate of 3-5 drops per 8-10 m2 of room. The lamp is left lit for 15-30 minutes, then the candle is blown out. |
| Bath | A procedure that allows you to achieve complete deep nervous, physiological relaxation. It is better to take a warm bath before bed, which will help you get quality rest and wake up refreshed and full of energy. For a standard bath of 350-450 liters, 5-7 drops of one oil or a mixture of esters are enough. They are pre-dissolved in salt, honey, cream, bath foam, or another base, and then added to water. Taking a bath 2-3 times a week is enough. |
| Massage | Relaxation therapy that helps cope with psycho-emotional, nervous tension, physical fatigue, and depressive symptoms. It will help you to completely detach yourself, forget about troubles, problems, and tune in to the positive. Improves blood circulation, normalizes overall well-being, helps restore life potential in 2-3 sessions. For 20 ml of base oil or massage lotion, take 4-6 drops of the composition, any pure oil. |
| Aroma pendants | Clay and ceramic medallions are worn daily as a remedy or decoration. It is enough to drop 1-3 drops of one or a mixture and hang it on your chest. Warming up with body heat, the jewelry begins to release healing volatile ingredients that a person breathes throughout the day. |
Practice
Fragrances against diseases
► Sandalwood, lavender, incense, mint, gardenia, bergamot, tulsi, lotus, vanilla, myrrh, ylang-ylang, lemon, lemongrass, and Tibetan incense help with fatigue. ► For increased nervous excitability - orchid, rhododendron, neroli, violet, queen of the night, rose, opium, camphor, orange, Tibetan incense.
► For insomnia – rose, tulsi, jasmine, hyacinth, ylang-ylang, patchouli, amber, coconut, cinnamon, almond, Tibetan incense.
► For sore throat – lemon, lemongrass, eucalyptus, geranium, ginger, lavender, Tibetan incense.
► For bronchitis - eucalyptus, lavender, pine, cinnamon, lemon, lemongrass, cloves, Tibetan incense.
► For flu - cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, mint, pine, rosemary, Tibetan incense.
► For allergies – lavender, sage, geranium, mint, anise.
► For asthma - anise, lavender, mint, pine, rosemary, eucalyptus, lemon, lemongrass, Tibetan incense.
► For low blood pressure – opium, rose, rosemary, Tibetan incense.
► For high blood pressure – lavender, sage, lemon, lemongrass.
► For headaches – lemon, lemongrass, lavender, mint, cloves, Tibetan incense.
► For weakened potency – sandalwood, orange, patchouli, ylang-ylang, aphrodesia, cinnamon, thuja.
► For loss of appetite – bergamot, lemon, lemongrass, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, juniper.
Individual intolerance
The use of synthetic drugs to solve problems with sleep disorders often leads to the fact that while solving one problem, others arise. Negative side effects are expressed in an imbalance of certain physiological processes.
Volatile compounds of natural vegetable oils, on the contrary, harmonize the functioning of all organs. Their use does not produce negative side effects and is not addictive. The main condition in aromatherapy is strict adherence to the specified dosage.
And yet, like any other product, the aromatic mixture can cause an unexpected allergic reaction in a person. In this case, there is only one possible reason - individual intolerance to one or another component of the essential mixture.
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An allergic reaction caused by individual intolerance can be expressed by the following symptoms:
- itching and redness of the skin;
- difficulty breathing;
- increased heart rate;
- dizziness and ringing in the ears.
A mild reaction is possible, which is accompanied by coughing and lacrimation.
Most often, allergic reactions are caused by low-quality oil. Skin irritation, including dermatitis, as well as poisoning of the body as a whole are possible. Volatile compounds have a structure that can very quickly penetrate the lymph and blood.
Personal opinion
Sergey Svetlakov and Alexander Tsekalo:
S.S.: If a person believes, then aromatherapy and even urine therapy will certainly help. The main thing is approach and perception. After all, we are all easily suggestible. If we believe in something, we take everything at face value.
A. Ts.: To create a romantic atmosphere, you can resort to aromatherapy. Light incense, turn on music, all this helps you just relax. But aromatherapy treatment, it seems to me, is from the evil one.
