GETTING STARTED
Follow these simple steps to create your own aromatherapy experience.
1CHOOSE YOUR ESSENTIALS With dozens on offer, just where do you start? ‘To get the best out of aromatherapy, make yourself an expert on a few essential oils, include them in your everyday life, then build on that,’ says Glenda. Here are her top oils for newbies…
● Lavender Seriously versatile, this heals skin, promotes restful sleep, reduces anxiety and blends well with other essential oils.
● Rose geranium This is good for balancing the emotions, as it’s calming and uplifting. Menopause-friendly, it is said to help with hot flushes.
● Grapefruit Refreshing, sparkling and antiseptic, this is good for oily skin. It also helps beat tiredness, so use some in your morning shower.
● Frankincense This promotes deep breathing and eases coughs. It’s good for mature skin, as research shows it can reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It eases anxiety, too.
● Tea tree You’ll either love or loathe this scent. However, it’s good for cuts, scrapes, tired feet, skin breakouts and colds.
● Peppermint Antiseptic and antiviral, use peppermint for headaches, hot feet and cold symptoms. A few drops in a diffuser will clear a stuffy head.
● Clary sage This is earthy and said to be an aphrodisiac and may boost oestrogen. Add it to a massage oil to help PMS and menopause symptoms.
● Yarrow Soothing for skin and nerves, Yarrow is good for all things stress-related, such as insomnia. It’s helpful for skin and nerves, too.
● Black pepper This warms muscles as it stimulates circulation and eases aches. And it ups alertness and motivation. Glenda Taylor is an aromatherapist and creator of Angelico Serums (angelico.london).
2 ACE THE BASES
For massage and skincare with essential oils, you need a great base oil. They are the delivery drivers of the aromatherapy world, diluting essential oils to safe levels without knocking out their benefits and creating a soft skin surface, while essential oils penetrate further. From apricot to yangu, there are dozens out there, but for starters, we love these…
● Jojoba This is good for conditioning dry skin and hair, as it helps to reduce water loss and bring back that supple feel.
● Peach kernel Lightweight and soothing, this hydrates sensitive skin without blocking pores. It makes skin feel velvety, but not oily.
● Borage Brilliant for mature skin, this features a fatty acid that helps strengthen skin cells and increase elasticity.
● Rosehip This is a smart wrinkle-fighter and skin problem-solver. It is great at calming breakouts and minimising stretch marks.
● Calendula This skin healer spreads beautifully. It’s a great anti-inflammatory that soothes rashes, irritations and the after-effects of too much sun. 3 PUT THEM TOGETHER So, how much essential oil should we use? Aromatherapy blends are defined by the ratio of essential oils to base oils. But don’t get stymied by the science. ‘The general rule of thumb for healthy adults is 3% essential oil to base oil for the body and 1-1.5% for the face,’ says Glenda. ‘This is a safe and cautious ratio for beginners.’ Still unsure? Here’s her guide to working out your ratios. Remember 10ml is around 1 dessertspoonful.
● Face Add 3 drops of essential oil to 10ml of base oil. If you are using more than one oil, it should still add up to 3 drops.
● Body Add 5 drops of essential oil to 10ml of base oil. If you are using 2 or
3 oils, make them add up to 5 drops (for example, 1 + 2 + 2).
● Diffuser Use about 6 drops of neat essential oil and top up when it has evaporated. Diffusers vary and some need water, so do check the instructions.
● Spritz Dilute 20 drops of essential oil in 1tbsp vodka, then add 100ml water in a spray bottle. The vodka dissolves the oil, but give it a good shake.
● Bath Essential oils do not dissolve in water, so it is best to dissolve them before adding them to your bath. There are three main ways to dissolve essential oils. For a moisturising soak, put 10 drops of essential oil into 10ml of base oil, before adding it to your bath. Not into oily baths? Dissolve
10 drops of essential oil into 10ml of cow’s milk. You can also try dissolving essential oils in salts. Pour Epsom, magnesium or sea salt into a jar and add essential oils. You want 10 drops per bath, so 10 drops for every handful should be fine.