Aromatherapy Advice

Everyone knows how great it feels to get a good massage. With the help of a massage, you can alleviate sore and tired muscles while also releasing stress. In order to increase the benefits of a massage, however, you might want to include aromatherapy massage oil in your massage sessions.

What is Aromatherapy Massage Oil?

Aromatherapy massage oil is a special type of massage oil that contains aromatherapy essential oils. Since it is a massage oil, it contains special oils that make it slippery and easy to glide over the skin. This way, friction is reduced and a more soothing and relaxing massage can be enjoyed. In addition to containing oil, however, it also contains aromatherapy essential oils.

Aromatherapy essential oils are oils that have been extracted from plants. By extracting the oils through a distillation process, aromatherapy essential oils are able to maintain the beneficial properties of the plant from which they are derived.

How Does Aromatherapy Works?

To understand how does aromatherapy works, it is important to first gain a better understating of essential oils. Since aromatherapy essential oils are a concentrated version of the plants they are derived from, it takes very little of the oil to receive the benefits the plant provides. Therefore, aromatherapy massage oil typically only contains a few drops of essential oils. Yet, these oils are potent enough to provide benefits to the recipient.

With aromatherapy, the essential oils are inhaled. As a result, the scent of the essential oils has an effect on the brain, particularly on the limbic system. Depending upon the plant used, the aroma of the plant as well as its healing properties has a different effect on the body. Aromatherapy essential oils are even more potent when used along with massage, as the combination helps to further relax the body and to surround the olfactory system with the scent of the oils.

Some of the benefits of aromatherapy essential oils and the plants that provide these benefits include:

Antibacterial – cinnamon, clove, lime, rosemary and tea tree oil

Anti-inflammatory – bay leaf, black cumin, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus and sage

Antifungal – clove, juniper, lavender, tea tree oil and thyme

Antiviral – ginger, hyssop, lemongrass, peppermint, sandlewood, tea tree oil, thyme

Aromatherapy essential oils can also be used to change a person’s mood, such as using peppermint to energize the body or chamomile to help the body relax.

A look at how does aromatherapy works and how to include aromatherapy essential oils in an