A Comprehensive Guide to Aromatherapy for Beginners
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Aromatherapy can help ease those feelings. While not a magic cure all – aromatherapy can help reduce stress. Learn about aromatherapy for beginners in this post.
Aromatherapy is a simple self care idea that can help you relax and unwind. Scents can be powerful – ever smell something that reminds you of a good memory or soothes your stress? That’s an example of aromatherapy at work.
Aromatherapy can have several mental and emotional health benefits, making it a great natural way to reduce stress and anxiety. And if you are new to the concept then this post is for you!
This post is going to break down aromatherapy for beginners to help you get started with this self care activity today.
What is aromatherapy?
If you’re new to the idea of aromatherapy, you might be wondering what exactly it is. Aromatherapy is the use of scents to improve your well-being.
To break down the actual word, you’ve got aroma which means fragrance or scent and therapy which means treatment.
So aromatherapy literally means fragrance treatment – and that pretty much encompasses what it means.
Aromatherapy is a form of complementary therapy, which means it should be used in combination with other standard treatments.
So while aromatherapy should not be a substitute for traditional therapy or other treatments, it can be a great way to enhance your self care when used in combination with other self care activities.
Benefits of aromatherapy
There are several benefits of aromatherapy.
- Reduce stress
- Increase relaxation
- Decrease anxiety
- Boost mood
- Promote sleep
Aromatherapy benefits: Reduce stress
Aromatherapy can help you reduce stress. It can help you decrease the perception of stress and reduce the stress hormone, cortisol.
Aromatherapy benefits: Increase relaxation
Aromatherapy can also help you relax. Engaging in aromatherapy helps you take time for yourself to relax. You can also combine aromatherapy with other self care activities like a bubble bath or a massage to enhance the relaxation impact of those activities.
Aromatherapy benefits: Decrease anxiety
Aromatherapy can also help soothe your mind and ease anxiety. Again, since this is a complementary form of therapy, it works best in combination with other anxiety-relieving activities.
Aromatherapy benefits: Boost mood
Lastly, aromatherapy can also help to boost your mood and make you feel more energized. Who couldn’t use a little more positive energy in their life?
Aromatherapy benefits: Promote sleep
Certain scents like valerian can help you feel relaxed and sleepy. Utilizing these scents before bed can help promote healthy sleep habits.
Aromatherapy for Beginners: Ideas and Tools
Want to get started with aromatherapy? Let’s talk about some aromatherapy tools and ideas that you can use to relax.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are a great form of aromatherapy for beginners. Apply essential oils in the scent of your choice to your temples or wrists.
You can sit back and enjoy the scent as you do a stationary, relaxation activity like reading a book. Or alternatively you can apply some oils to your body and enjoy the scent as you move throughout your day.
The oils will provide a relaxing scent that you can enjoy for hours.
When using essential oils, be sure to choose one that is safe. Always make sure an essential oils is safe for skin before applying and never ingest the oil.
As always any time you apply something to your skin, be sure to apply the essential oil to a small patch of skin before full use to make sure you aren’t allergic to any of its contents.
Candles
Another great way to enjoy aromatherapy for beginners is by using scented candles. Candles provide a relaxing, warm light in addition to their enjoyable scents.
When choosing a candle for aromatherapy purposes, choose one with a relaxing scent. You’ll also want to be sure to pick a candle that is strong enough to fill the whole room with your chosen scent.
Be sure to use candles safely and never light candles when you might fall asleep.
Diffusers
Diffusers evaporate essential oils into the air – so it’s almost like the compromise between essential oils and candles.
An oil diffuser either operates using a candle or a battery to evaporate the oils. Using a battery-powered diffuser can be a great, safe alternative to candles because you’ll be able to avoid the flame.
Scented lotion
Another form of aromatherapy for beginners is to use scented lotion.
Applying a lotion with a calming scent to your hands, arms, legs, or face can help you feel more relaxed. In addition to the scents, the actual action of rubbing the lotion into your skin can also be soothing.
And as a bonus you will leave your skin feeling smooth and soft!
Enhance other relaxation activities in your self care routine
Another way that you can utilize aromatherapy tools, like candles or essential oils, is to combine these tools with other relaxation activities to maximize your self care benefits.
For example, light some soothing candles while you take a bubble bath. Or maybe you set up a diffuser while you paint your nails. You can also combine a scented lotion with a relaxing massage.
Another great opportunity to combine aromatherapy with other self care activities is to utilize aromatherapy during meditation. It can enhance the calming effects of meditation, and give you something to focus on while you meditate.
The possibilities are really endless – so choose what fits into your lifestyle and sounds most relaxing to you!
Best scents to use for aromatherapy
Now that you know about the benefits of aromatherapy and the different aromatherapy tools you can use…what are the best scents for aromatherapy?
In general, the best scents are the ones that you find the most relaxing and calming. But there are certain scents that have been proven to be effective for aromatherapy.
Lavender
Lavender is one of the most popular scents for aromatherapy and relaxation. The scent of lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.
This research provides a summary of several controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials that showed lavender oil aromatherapy was effective in anxiety and depression management.
Jasmine
Jasmine has a calming floral scent. It’s a great choice for aromatherapy if you are looking for a scent that will promote relaxation with making you feel tired or sleepy.
Rose
Rose is another calming floral scent that is a great fit for aromatherapy. Utilize rose scents in a bubble bath or massage for a relaxing experience.
Valerian
Unlike jasmine or rose, valerian is a great scent when you’re looking for an aromatherapy scent that promotes sleep. Valerian will help you feel calm and make you feel tired to prepare you for a healthy night of sleep.
Vetiver
Vetiver has an earthy, relaxing scent that makes it a perfect fit for aromatherapy. Sometimes combined with other scents, like vanilla, vertiver can be a great scent to promote relaxation.
Clary sage
Clary sage has an herbal scent that many find relaxing. It has been shown to help reduce stress and depression.
For example, this study found that inhaling clary sage scents decreased cortisol, or stress-hormone, levels.
Lemon
Lemon has a fresh, mood-boosting scent. If you’re looking to feel more energized and positive then a lemon scent might be the right scent for you.
That’s aromatherapy for beginners!
Aromatherapy is a great form of self care that can be used on its on or in combination with other self care activities like skin care, meditation, or massage.
There are several aromatherapy tools you can use such as candles, diffusers, lotion, etc. Be sure to choose the scent that you find most relaxing and fits your goals.
If you are looking to promote health sleep patterns, select a scent like valerian that can help make you feel tired. If you’re looking for a mood-booster, try using an energizing scent like lemon.
As always with any self care activity, it’s all about altering the practice to fit your individual needs.
Use the tips and information in this post to get started with aromatherapy today!
Comment below with your favorite aromatherapy scent.
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