Aromatherapy: how to choose an essential oil

Published on December 11, 2017 - Aromatherapy

The choice of essential oil depends very much on the uses we want to make for it. Aromatherapy can be used in different ways, but the most common and most pleasant to all is the use of room diffusers.

To date, there are many ways to scent, refresh and purify a room:

Microdiffusers: an innovative and modern method of converting, cold, water into steam and diffusing the aroma quickly without altering the chemical structure of the essential oil. Diffusers can now be found on the market that combine water vaporization with the benefit of color therapy, thanks to colored LED bulbs that diffuse a pleasant light into the room. Generally, 10 to 20 drops of essential oil are placed in the water container, depending on its capacity.
Essence burner: the essence is placed on a brazier filled with water that is heated by the flame of a candle. This is an equally pleasant but less effective method. Three to 10 drops of essential oil are used in the pan (always keeping an eye on the amount of evaporating water).
Room humidifiers to be placed on radiators: 4 drops of essential oil are added to a container, usually ceramic, to be hung on the radiator. This is a very common method, but of little effectiveness as it covers only a minimal area of the room.

However, there are a great number of essential oils on the market. How to pull back to decide for yourself and make a quality choice?
First of all, an essential oil should not be cut or adulterated with other substances. If you find different essential oils on the shelves of a store, but all with the same price, you should be wary of quality, as the fragrances will almost certainly be synthetic and not natural.

The botanical name (therefore the Latin name) must always be mentioned, as well as the part of the plant used: example E.O. Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) rind of the fruit / E.O. of Petit grain (bitter orange leaves and twigs) / E.O. of Neroli (bitter orange flowers)

The method of growth, cultivation: this allows us to know where and how the plant was cultivated (intensive or biological methods or from wild collection and the place of origin of the plant).

The extraction method: there are different methods depending on the part of the plant used, the most common are: cold pressing (especially for citrus fruits) steam current distillation, enfleurage.

The lot number and the date of production: must always be indicated.

Finally, the olfactory note can help you with your choice.

Based on the degree of volatility of the oil, essential oils are divided into:

Oils or base notes: not very volatile are obtained from the bark or root of the plant. They are very persistent and have a calming and harmonizing effect. Their essence can persist even for 24 hours.
Examples: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Incense, Cinnamon

Oils or heart notes: on average volatiles derived from the aerial parts of the plant (leaves and flowers), they are very intense, harmonizing and sensual. Persist from 2 to 4 hours.
Examples: Jasmine, Iris, Lavender, Chamomile

Oils or top notes: very volatile, they are very active, refreshing, dynamic and stimulating. They are the first fragrances to be perceived by our sense of smell in a mix of essences. They diminish on average after about 15 minutes.
Examples: Mandarin, Lemon, Bergamot

Some important information for the use of essential oils:

– never be swallowed
– apart from some particular exceptions, they should never be applied straight to the skin and mucous membranes, but always mixed with creams or vegetable oils
– keep oils away from children
– do not exceed the dosage
– do not replace drugs

At this point all that remains is to wish you: good luck in your research!

FRANCESCA SCALMANA