MINA DIARIES: on aromatherapy
There are so many philosophies regarding aromatherapy — what it is exactly, how to use it, how much to charge for it — so it was exciting to discover and develop my very own, within my own space.
The meaning of aromatherapy is at the root of its philosophy, and luckily, this part is simple: aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to enhance well-being. Essential oils, when inhaled, interact with the limbic system, a group of structures in our brains that regulate our moods. When combined with base oils (I use either Rice Bran, Jojoba, or Sweet Almond Oils with Vitamin E) and applied to the skin, the effects on the limbic system can last longer, because the subtle scents of the oils stay with us the whole day.
We know essential oils can affect our mood, but do they have health benefits as well? Putting aside viewing them as curative, because we don’t have enough information about that, we do know certain oils have certain properties. Several oils such as lavender and eucalyptus oils are antibacterial; others such as clove and thyme are anti fungal (tea tree is both); the National Institute of Health found in a research study that oils such as cinnamon and bergamot have antiviral properties. Wintergreen and peppermint oils can relieve muscle pain and reduce inflammation locally when applied topically. More scientific research is needed in this area, but I’m anticipating some good findings.
I decided to focus on two uses of aromatherapy in my practice: to enhance mood, and to relieve pain and inflammation. I did some research on pain relieving oils and found that wintergreen, camphor and menthol showed the most efficacy in reducing pain and inflammation, while peppermint, rosemary and willow bark were showing some promising results as well, so I chose pain relief products with concentrations of these ingredients.
When it came to mood enhancing essential oils, I knew I wanted to have a good variety, though I believe the emotional effects of the oils can all fit into three main categories: calming, uplifting, and grounding.
Grounding is a great buzzword that often eludes proper description, but you know it when you feel it. My simple definition of grounding is an awareness of and contentment with the present moment. We feel our bodies in space and time and are soothed by this awareness. Earthy, woody scents are great for this: oils such as sandalwood, frankincense, rosewood, spruce and pine.
Calming seems to me to go by a lot of names in the world of aromatherapy. Relaxing, stress reducing, anti-anxiety, soothing, quieting, sleep-inducing; synonymous enough to me, I think of these as the same category. Lavender, chamomile, cedar wood, lemon, sage and rose are examples of calming scents.
Uplifting essential oils are sometimes described as energy boosting, and I think they can be, at least for a short burst. I like to use these in the morning, when I’m not ready to unwind because I’ve got things to do. Cinnamon bark, grapefruit, peppermint, eucalyptus, bergamot and sweet orange are some of my go-to’s.
Now that I had a good idea of what sorts of oils I wanted to acquire, I had to research brands. My priorities are no animal testing, quality plant-based ingredients, and bottles that have stoppers and are dark to prevent sunlight from damaging the oils. I also didn’t want to choose any oils that come from multi-level marketing companies, because my values don’t align with that business model. Gya Labs Essential Oils fit all my requirements, so most of my oils are from them, although I’ll sometimes venture out to other brands such as Thistle Farms, Revive and Plymouth Soap Works because they’ve got blends I like.
My philosophy on using aromatherapy in my studio is simple: I want it to be available for anyone who would benefit from it, and so I don’t charge extra to use it. I offer it for free to every client and I really want people to enjoy it. I believe it enhances the experience, and I want my sessions to engage all their senses when they come to my studio (even taste, because I offer tea and candy). Aromatherapy makes your spa experience memorable, and I hope the lingering scents of calming lavender, grounding cinnamon bark or uplifting lemongrass encourage people to return.
Sometimes the effects of aromatherapy are subtle, other times powerful. When I lived and worked down in Florida on a Hugelkultur Homestead (essentially a Dirt Farm), we all used to get up early in the morning, cook breakfast over a fire, then work with the various piles of wood and compost and mulch, adding different types of leaves and branches, measuring the pH of the soil. One morning there was to be a workshop, some kind of dirt scientist was coming to talk about earthworms and which sorts to add to what soils. There were lots of muffins on the table in the outdoor makeshift kitchen, and a man was smoking a grape flavored clove cigarette. I ate a muffin and partook of the clove, but then realized it wasn’t a clove and that of course, the muffins weren’t ordinary muffins.
“How high am I going to get?” I asked the man. In spite of my apparently perpetually calm and laid back demeanor, I’m not a stoner — hadn’t been high since high school.
“I’m not going to lie to you. My stuff is high grade and I don’t mess around,” he said. “You are going to be very, very high.”
I went and found the Dirt Farm owner, a friendly old hippie. “I don’t know what to do,” I said. “I wanted to learn about the earthworms but now I can’t feel my head, I think it’s gone.”
“You just take the morning off. Go back to your bus,” he said. “Use your oils.”
On the property were two old school buses, no longer running, that had been transformed into homes. They were hollowed out and contained beds and dressers and tapestries, and they had solar powered Christmas lights. I curled up in my bed with my oils — some my own, some given to me by a fellow farm worker whose sister owned a distillery. I started grounding with some cedar wood, breathing deeply, focusing on inhaling, exhaling. Then I moved to lavender and chamomile — drifting off to sleep might be nice. The pounding of my heart began to slow, very gradually. I felt suddenly very creative, I took my journal and made up some word puzzles that seemed clever at the time (they didn’t make sense). Finally I was able to take a nap, woke up rested and ready to catch the tail end of the worm presentation.
So aromatherapy has always been helpful to me. I also enjoy lovely scented products that contain synthetic fragrances, as long as they’re not tested on animals. Some people are purists and believe in only using products with 100% plant based ingredients, but I’m not one of those purists. Some manmade scents can give us the same comforting, calming or uplifting feelings as the scents plants give us. Also, synthetic fragrances have the benefit of being less taxing on the environment. For example, it takes 10,000 freshly picked roses to create just a 5mL bottle of Rose Essential Oil. It takes 250lbs of lavender plants to make one pound of Lavender Essential Oil. Not to mention the water these plants require! As therapeutic as it is to use aromatherapy, sometimes it’s nice to switch it up, thank the Earth and the farmers and plants for all they’ve done for us, and give them a little break. That’s why I offer products with synthetic fragrances as well. Marshmallow Whipped Body Butter is my favorite — it’s got a mango butter base, with the comforting aroma of toasted marshmallow that sinks deliciously into your skin.
I’m still learning about aromatherapy, and look forward to taking a certification class in the future. I love to offer my clients seasonal choices to add to their sessions, such as vanilla and cinnamon in the fall, pine needle, spruce and fig in winter, floral scents in spring, or grapefruit, coconut and lime in the summer. I also love when I have choices that match people’s needs — peppermint for a pick-me-up, eucalyptus for sinus issues, or lavender and chamomile for stress and as a sleep aid. As I learn more, I can offer more unique and tailored choices.
Sometimes I dream of living in a forest and having a magical healing hut made of cobb, and inside would be hanging herbs and an assortment of potted plants, and old wooden shelves of bottled herbs and oils, illuminated by lanterns, and the room would be draped with Indian kantha quilts. Until then, my little studio with my three shelves of oils will do. I can close my eyes and inhale some heavenly Angelica Root and dream my little dreams. If I do ever get my cobb hut, though, I hope you’ll visit me there, too.
