Last week I decided to change up my usual blog post, but this week we will back to our usual discussion of aromatherapy scents! This week I want to talk about one that I have been itching to try but haven’t gotten the chance. Therefore, this post will result in a lot more research rather than personal experience. My “aromatherapy of the week” is the Sleep edition! Yes… you read that correctly, it’s a scent that can put you to sleep! Do you have trouble falling asleep at night and find yourself scrolling through social media at three o’clock in the morning?

The Aromatherapy: Sleep is a fragrance that has essential oils that include lavender and cedar wood. Lavender is proven to initiate tranquility. Surprisingly, lavender oils have an enormous amount of health benefits! These benefits include things like it’s ability to eliminate alleviate pain and nervous tension, sterilize the scalp and skin, increase blood circulation, and treat respiratory problems. The reason lavender oil helps you sleep is because it helps your muscles relax and your heart rate to go down which is included in the first stages of your deepest sleep.

Cedar wood is a scent that you don’t hear as often but it has been proven to help you sleep! This scent comes from and is provided through the process of steam distillation from pieces of a cedar wood tree.  The scent of cedar wood essential oil motivates the release of serotonin, which is switched into melatonin in the brain. Melatonin is what induces your usual deep sleep and helps you feel relaxed/calm. Cedar wood, like lavender oil, also has many health benefits besides helping you sleep. Scientists have proven that it relieves symptoms of eczema, prevents infections, and reduces inflammations and spasms.

Clearly, the reason people use these essential oils is not only to help them fall asleep but also to help them feel calm. People will often spray these essential oils on their pillows or put oil diffusers in the room which will fill the entire room with the scent. You can also buy this product at Bath and Body Works in a body lotion, a shower gel, a candle, etc. I know I will be investing more money, yet again, on this product because I am intrigued to see if it actually works. Studies have shown that most people who use the sleeping oil products say that it has worked for them.

13 Wonderful Benefits of Cedarwood Essential Oil

13 Surprising Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil

This week, I decided to switch my usual topic up a little bit. You’re used to reading about the different types of scents used in aromatherapy products but today I want to touch upon the types of aromatherapy there are. By this, I mean the three main ways people incorporate aromatherapy into the use of their daily lives. These three common ways include cosmetic aromatherapy, massage aromatherapy, and olfactory aromatherapy. However, regardless of which type you choose to use, there is always aromatherapy essential oils incorporated or diluted into the method, somehow someway.

The first common method of the use of aromatherapy I want to touch upon is cosmetic aromatherapy. This is the type that I have continuously touched upon throughout the course of this blog. Someone who is considered a “cosmetic aroma therapist” is trained and taught to infuse essential oils into cosmetic bases, soaps, lotions, etc. This specific method focuses on the blend and applications of aromatherapy cosmetics, such as the lotions I have previously informed you about. The use of cosmetic aromatherapy is often found in spas or hair salons. You may be surrounded by it all the time and not even notice. Although, most people do go to the spa to feel more relaxed… Have you ever noticed that after a relaxing hair cut, you feel rejuvenated? You can thank the essential oils that are commonly infused in the hair products. Cosmetic aromatherapy also has a main focus on the science aspect of the topic. People are trained to find what mixes together well and is considered a “right” blend; potential aroma therapists study the practice for years.

Another common method is massage aromatherapy, the practice fits its name. This basically consists of getting a massage but the use of highly concentrated plants (essential oils) is infused in the oil and lotion used to massage you. Many people who choose to receive massage aromatherapy do so for the sole reasons headaches, insomnia, cramps, and back pains. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to receive a “professional” massage. It has been scientifically proven that the use of essential oils during your menstrual cycle can reduce pain and cramps in the future. If this method of aromatherapy intrigues you, I suggest that you make sure the health precautions do not pertain to you. For example, it is often encouraged that a pregnant woman should check with her doctor before receiving a massage that uses essential oils.

Finally, another common method is called olfactory aromatherapy. This method works by releasing the scent of essential oils into the air around you and having it work through inhaling or diffusing. Our nasal cavities have olfactory nerve cells that are endless. These cells allow scent to be directly carried to the back of our nose; the nerve endings located in the back of the nose have the ability to send messages directly to the brain. When you walk into stores like Bath and Body Works, do you immediately receive a headache located right between your eyes? Well, now you know the reason why. Science has proven that an average human can process 10,000-100,000 different scents and be able to memorize each one of them. That’s why you are so easily able to remember the smell of pizza or the perfume your mom always wears.

It is interesting to touch upon the ways aromatherapy essential oils are used besides through hand and body lotions. However you choose to go about using these products is up to you, but you can be promised that whatever you choose will be beneficial in the long run.