Healthy(ish!): aromatherapy
over the past few months, my Neom Organics Wellbeing Pod (an aromatherapy diffuser), has been constantly steaming away, filling my house with mood-bolstering essential oils. Maybe it’s because I’ve had to turn my house into a haven, or perhaps it’s because I believe aromatherapy just works.
Michelle Roques-o’neil is an aromatherapy authority. She tells me that the reason we are drawn to aromatherapy is because essential oils are similar in construction to human hormones, which make them very bioavailable to us.
‘We have more than 4,000 smell receptors in our nose, which have a direct link to our limbic system: the area that holds emotion, stress and memories,’ she says. ‘The oils are absorbed into our circulation, changing our blood chemistry.’ Michelle’s artisan range Therapie is the perfect antidote to these difficult times, with products such as Inner Light Sleep drops, £48, Comfort Warming Rub, £24, Equilibirum Bath And Shower
Essence, £48, and Restore Aura Spray, £32, that aim to cocoon and resuscitate us.
While some people are sceptical about whether essential oils work, aromatherapist Annee de Mamiel may be about to change all that. She recently took her next products – which focus on reducing cortisol, the hormone created by adrenaline and stress – to a neuroscientist to test their effect on mood. The result? ‘The research showed they significantly impacted happiness and calm,’ she says. ‘You see aromatherapy is not magic; it’s scientific. We’ve seen the chemical changes that it makes.’ If you are feeling anxious or having trouble sleeping, she recommends Soothe from her range, a hug of an oil made with neroli, ginger, jasmine and benzoin, which will help clear your mind of turbulence.
I tell Michelle that I feel it’s necessary to surround myself with nature at this time, whether that’s being outside, buying flowers or using aromatherapy oils. ‘The plant kingdom is very akin to our cellular system,’ she says. ‘We are not separate from nature, we are part of it. We took it for granted and now we are returning to it.’
If you can’t get out in nature, try mixing your own aromatherapy oils instead:
1. For quality essential oils, Michelle recommends nealsyardremedies.com.
2. Your intuition will draw you to certain aromas – you will choose what you need.
3. Michelle suggests diluting essential oils in a ratio of 1ml essential oil to 30ml of base oil (almond or grapeseed). You can also put a few drops into a sink of hot water, place a towel over your head and inhale.
4. Michelle recommends: English lavender for anxiety or depression; rose geranium for feeling stuck; frankincense for sadness or grief; lemon myrtle for healthy lungs; and peppermint if you are ill. Annee suggests eucalyptus for inspiration, which is antiviral and anti-bacterial. (NB: don’t apply these oils to your face).
@susannahtaylor_