Aromatherapy, You’ve all heard and used the term, but what is it and how does it benefit you and your beautiful black skin?
In short it’s fragrance therapy using the organic essences of aromatic plants to encourage healing and help in maintaining vitality. You know these essences as essential oils. Each essential oil has it’s own unique properties and each oil emits a fragrance that’s unique unto itself.
Aromatherapy and Black Skin Care
As Black women, we have a natural love affair with oils in general. Essential oils enhance the beauty of oil blending by adding fragrance and its benefits to a given carrier oil. It’s through the use of carrier oils, that natural and organic skin care products can be created.
You can use these aromatic blends as facial cleansers, face serums, massage and bath oil creations. Certain essential oils are used to care for dry skin, while others are used for mature, oily or acne challenged skin.
Not only will your skin benefit from these blends, so will your mood. You see … essential oils can also serve as mood enhancers. Some for relaxation while others are used to uplift your spirit.
Imagine … immersing yourself into a tub of warm-to-hot water. As you do so, you begin to sense the blend of lavender and amber … the water surrounds your body while slinking into the tub. You begin to relax and the only thing you can do is exhale … softly. The warm water continues to wrap itself around you like the arms of a lover and you surrender.
Yes, an aromatherapy blend can take you there.
Carrier Oils Used in Aromatherapy Skin Care
Most of you would equate carrier with the word oil, such as jojoba, almond, grapeseed, olive and calendula to name a few. Creams, water and butters are also known as carriers. The word carrier means just that, the oil, cream, water or butter carry the essential oils into your skin as well as your blood stream.
With your skin being the largest organ of your body, anything that’s applied to it will go straight into your bloodstream.
The type of carrier you use will depend on the result you’re seeking from the product. For instance, grapeseed oil is light in texture and ideal for body massages. It can be used on all skin types and is especially good for oily skin. Calendula on the other hand is good as an anti-inflammatory carrier and is excellent for dry and sensitive skin.
Carrier oils are stabilizing agents for essential oils. They have vitamins, minerals and enzymes in them and enhance the blend of the essential oil/oils.
Aromatherapy and Safety Precautions When Using Essential Oils.
- Never apply essential oils undiluted to your skin. There are exceptions, however, if you’ve never used essential oils, or have used them infrequently, follow the rule of never applying them undiluted. There are two oils that fall into the exception rule, they are lavender and tea tree. Once again, always lean to the side of safety and dilute.
- Keep your essential oils away from your eyes. This rule can become tricky since there are a lot of serums and eye creams being formulated with essential oils for this area. Know the company you’re purchasing from, their ethics and values. Make sure you can trust the validity of their ingredients when it comes to eye creams and serums.
- Work in a well ventilated room. Believe it or not, essential oils are extremely potent and can over power you if the room is not well ventilated. You could experience headaches and/or dizziness. They smell oh-so-good, yet they can be oh-so-powerful in a good and not so good way.
- It’s a good idea to take a patch test on your skin. This way you’ll know if you have any allergies or sensitivities to certain oils.
Aromatic Blends
When working with essential oils, this becomes an art and science unto itself. It’s a good idea to take classes and learn the basics of working with them and their blending techniques. You can’t escape the theory side of learning. Once you’ve gotten a certain body of knowledge under your belt, so to speak, then it’s time to apply what you learn.
You’ll be able to create perfumes, inhalers, room sprays, body oils, body butters, skin and hair care products. Some of you will take to this science like a fish in water, studying every day to perfect your craft. Others of you will use it as a go-to when you’d like to create bath salts or body oils for yourself.
Aromatherapy and all of it’s benefits …
However you choose to apply the art and science of aromatherapy to your life, enjoy the journey. Take your time, learn the art and science of working with these beautiful oils. Your mind, body and soul will thank you for it.
That’s it for this week. As always …
Dedicated To Your Beauty,
Juliette Samuel
Esthetician/Author/Publisher
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