Diffusing essential oils throughout the home has become increasingly popular in recent years, with a huge choice of diffusers available, ranging from simple candle burners to expensive, high-tech, wireless, app-controlled diffusers with dual fragrance chambers! Whichever method you use, it can be a wonderful way to naturally perfume your home or workspace and enjoy wonderful scents without using the harmful, chemical-filled synthetic fragrance oils, air fresheners and plug-ins we stock. see the supermarket shelves. But it’s not just about making things smell nice and creating the perfect atmosphere – pure and natural essential oils have many therapeutic properties that work on a deeper level to benefit our health and wellbeing.
How diffusing essential oils can support our health and well-being
Essential oils have a range of therapeutic properties that can support our health and wellbeing. These include antibacterial, antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antidepressant, aphrodisiac, stimulant, immunostimulant, decongestant, expectorant and sedative properties. This makes them extremely useful for:
- Balancing and improving our mood
- Stimulates rest and relaxation
- Energetic body and mind
- Improving mental clarity, focus and memory
- Helps sleep better
- Influencing hormones
- Supporting the respiratory system and breathing easier
- Cleans and deodorizes the atmosphere
- Fighting infections to prevent or reduce disease symptoms
How diffusing essential oils affects our brains
There are several ways that essential oils can enter our bodies to confer their therapeutic benefits, and inhaling the oils via diffusion is one of the fastest and most effective ways to get the oils into our system, especially if we want to control our emotions. to support. Essential oils affect the brain in two ways: through the sense of smell and absorption of essential oils.
Sense of smell
Olfaction is our sense of smell. Odors are received through our nasal passages and handled by the olfactory bulb, a part of our brain located at the top of our nose. From here, odor information takes a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and hippocampus – the brain areas associated with emotions, learning and memory.
Absorption
When essential oil molecules are inhaled through the nostrils, they are absorbed into the nasal epithelium. This is very thin and has an extensive capillary supply, allowing the essential oil molecules to be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Due to the small size and lipophilic nature of the molecules, they are believed to pass through the blood-brain barrier to the brain, where they may begin to affect the central nervous system.
How diffusing essential oils affects other parts of the body
When essential oil vapors are inhaled, they are also absorbed into the mucous membranes lining the respiratory tract before entering the alveoli (small air sacs in the lungs), where they are easily transferred into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body.
Some essential oils can have direct effects on the respiratory system itself, allowing easier and deeper breathing and helping with respiratory problems such as allergies, asthma, coughs, colds, flu and sinusitis.
You may like to read our blog about steam inhalations, which are particularly effective for respiratory complaints.
The importance of diffusing the right oils
It is important to note that only 100% pure and natural essential oils possess therapeutic properties. Synthetic fragrance oils can of course smell nice, but they have no therapeutic properties. Another thing to remember is that not all essential oils are of equal quality. So make sure you purchase pure, unadulterated oils from a reputable aromatherapy supplier like us.
Read our more detailed article on how to diffuse essential oils safely.
Diffuser blends to try at home
If you have a wide choice of essential oils, you can get creative and create a whole range of blends for different needs. When choosing which oils to use, it is a good tip to first sniff the bottle caps to see which oils you are naturally drawn to at that moment. Your nose is smart – so the nose you’re attracted to will be the one your body needs. You can also try one of our recommended blends below:
Relaxation: 3 drops Bergamot, 3 drops Rose and 2 drops Lavender
Pressure relief: 4 drops Bergamot, 2 drops Neroli and 2 drops Sandalwood
Uplifting mood: 3 drops each of Lemon, Rosewood and Yuzu
Calming Anger: 3 drops Rose Geranium, 2 Ylang Ylang, 2 Roman Chamomile
Cleaning Negative Energy: 3 drops of frankincense, 3 drops of lemon and 1 drop of lemon eucalyptus
To trust: 3 drops Patchouli, 3 drops Cypress and 1 drop Lavender
Meditation: 3 drops Patchouli, 3 drops Sandalwood and 1 drop Myrrh
Sleep: 3 drops Vetivert, 2 drops Ylang Ylang and 1 drop Valerian
Boost energy/focus: 3 drops Lime, 3 drops Rosemary and 2 drops Peppermint
Metal Overload: 4 drops Sandalwood, 3 drops Basil and 2 Frankincense
Immunity: 10 drops of Bergamot and 5 drops of Tea Tree
Cough/cold: 6 drops of Tea Tree, 3 drops of Ravensara and 2 drops of Rosemary
Flu: 4 drops Lavender, 4 drops Tea Tree, 2 drops Clove and 2 drops Thyme
Allergy (hay fever): 3 drops of Lavender, 2 drops of Chamomile and 1 drop of Tea Tree
If you don’t have a collection of different essential oils, you may want to try one of the pre-mixed essential oils that are ready to put straight into your diffuser.
Dangers of inhaling synthetic fragrances
Now that we’ve talked about the benefits of diffusing pure essential oils, we should briefly discuss synthetic oils.
Synthetic fragrances can be found in most households today. Numerous products, including scented candles, wax melts, reed diffusers, cleaning products, air fresheners, personal care products, colognes and perfumes, all contain these man-made scents. As we noted above, synthetic fragrances do not possess any of the therapeutic properties of essential oils and can be very harmful to human health.
Many of them are made from toxic chemicals derived from crude oil, which are known to be carcinogens or endocrine disruptors. Our endocrine system is our body’s internal calibration system, made up of important glands such as the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, pineal gland, reproductive glands and pancreas, all of which are responsible for the production of vital hormones that maintain homeostasis. internal equilibrium). When this balance is disrupted, it can lead to a range of diseases, including obesity, cancer and diabetes. The chemicals in synthetic fragrances have also been linked to headaches, dizziness, allergies, birth defects, nervous system disorders and more.
So while synthetic fragrances may be cheaper than essential oils and last longer, you should be aware of the potential harmful effects they can have on your health.
Sharon Lovett
Marketing manager