If you choose to do one thing, be good at it. Just because you know some of the basics or a slice of it does not mean you can be complacent. One thing I realize when I studied Aromatherapy is that the more I discover the more I don’t know. The more I learn, the more details I encounter hence, I know it’s a never-ending subject to learn, and have realized how little I know despite having some learned concepts.
For several years I’ve always wanted to learn about essential oils and aromatherapy but I never really had the time to do it. (To be appropriate I have time, but I prioritized the more urgent concerns ergo, I ended up delaying learning about Aromatherapy.
When my situation changed and had to stay at home because I was jobless (still am at the moment writing) I had an opportunity to learn about Aromatherapy. Listed below are the ways I did (and currently doing) to deepen my knowledge about this exciting subject.
1. Take an aromatherapy course
When I decided to finally pursue studying Aromatherapy the first thing I did was compare different Aromatherapy courses. I’ve already researched this several years ago but as previously mentioned, I didn’t have enough time to study it hence, it was perpetually delayed. I’ve always liked essential oils and wondered about the world of aromatherapy but I wasn’t sure if it was for me to learn because of limitations. There was even a point where I thought I would not be able to pursue it at all.
Although I’ve already researched aromatherapy course providers, I thought still needed to find new courses again because the research I did previously might not be updated or offered anymore. Plus, I was thinking that maybe there are new courses that are offered by reputable institutions.
There are different kinds of Aromatherapy courses you can find so it’s good to read the course description so you would know what will you learn from taking the course. Choose the one that suits your need and purpose for learning aromatherapy. Gratefully, I was able to study Clinical Aromatherapy which provided me to have a good background and solid foundation in the subject. Taking a Clinical Aromatherapy course is helpful especially if you want to know how different essential oils can be used in different health concerns. Through that course, I’ve learned that there are also risks in using some essential oils. I previously thought that since essential oils are natural and taken from plants, they are always safe. But what I did not know was that even though they are natural, they should still be used with caution. Hence, I realized that it’s also important to know about essential oil safety. I became aware of the importance of knowing how safe your essential oil is before using them. Moreover, it is helpful to know the things to avoid about your usage of essential oil to prevent putting anyone or yourself at risk.
Another thing I’ve learned from that course is the different methods of application of essential oils. This is basic but a must for every aromatherapy learner. I liked the part where they asked us to use a cotton ball and reflect on our experience in practicing the inhalation method using lavender or sweet orange essential oil. For this suggested activity I used lavender essential oil which is my all-time favorite. I think that’s the reason why I enjoyed this activity and it stood out the most to me among other activities. That course has a lot of other good information, so I thought anyone who likes to learn about how you can use aromatherapy in a clinical setting or to address mild health concerns for you or your loved ones, should take a Clinical Aromatherapy course.
However, if you want to learn how to use essential oils for making cosmetics or skincare products some others courses are more targeted at this topic. There are also good training centers that offer this kind of course.
Even though I have already taken a Clinical Aromatherapy course, I still want to take other courses that talk about other Aromatherapy subjects to broaden my knowledge about it. As of now, I haven’t yet enrolled in another course. But I hope I can soon.
2. Play with your essential oils
For the past months, I have had rashes on my feet. I tried an OTC ointment but the itch of the rashes persist. Since I have tea tree oil, I opted to use that whenever I would have rashes on my feet. I’ve read before that it’s antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral, so I diluted tea tree oil using different liquids. One was with my carrier oil and the other was with water. Since then, it’s what I use whenever I would have rashes on my feet. It helps. Hence, I believe that some essential oils are effective to treat some health concerns.
Also, whenever applicable, I try to use my expired essential oils. Recently I soaked a curtain and a towel using white camphor oil. I’ve read that it’s antibacterial and an insect repellent. Therefore, I thought that the fabrics would be well cleaned using them. Moreover, if I’m going to hang them in the bathroom, insects would avoid it because they don’t like the smell of camphor. To see the other ways you can play with your expiring essential oils, you can check out our post about it.
Another easy way to play with your essential oils is to familiarize yourself with the scent of each one of them. The most doable easy peasy way of doing this is to have a cotton ball and let it stay in your room and enjoy the aroma of your essential oil.
3. Make DIY projects using essential oils
See different ways you can use your essential oils by using them in your DIY projects. You can compare which is the most effective form you can use to address a certain health issue. Compare whether, a balm, a liniment, a cream, a blend, an ointment, or a salve is best to use to address your skin issue, inflammation, or whatever your concern is. Using your essential oils in different projects will enable you to understand how versatile it is, the risk of using them and what kind of essential oils you’d like to use repeatedly for certain projects.
4. Books books books…
Recently I was able to buy a book from a book sale that contains different alternative cures for some illnesses. In some chapters of that book, they have also included remedies using Aromatherapy. I find the book interesting because it provided practical ways to use essential oils and included several recipes. I like that it provided aromatherapy tips that are doable and realistic. Hence, for a beginner like me, following the suggested aromatherapy techniques in that book is not so intimidating at all.
Books provide a lot of pretty useful details. To read more about how I find good Aromatherapy books, you can read my post about it.
5. Online articles
There are lots of websites and blog sites where you can find details about essential oils. Though it’s time-consuming, I like to read them so I can easily compare different thoughts of different individuals about the effectiveness and therapeutic properties of essential oils.
I like to gather them and put them in one word file so I can categorize their content. This way I can review, read and easily compare what different people are saying about a particular health benefit of essential oil.
I noticed that some select articles say the same thing and seemed to retrieve their information from one source because the words they used, gist, and sentence structure are just the same. Some lines were just reworded by using synonyms. If you are a keen observer or have read different articles about the same topic, you would be able to notice. Regardless that they are the same I still read them because I might find new details in some parts of the article which I might not find in others. If I haven’t gotten any new information from that article, I still consider it not a waste of time, because it enabled me to know which websites are reliable and provides original content that’s based on research and which ones are not.
The other thing I like about this process of reading different articles online and compiling them into different categories is that I can easily identify how many people or writers are recommending a certain essential oil to be effective in treating a particular illness. When I’ve seen that different websites are consistently recommending an essential oil for a particular health condition, I am more convinced that it might be effective. However, if I’ve seen that there are only one or fewer people that are recommending it, then I’m kinda hesitating about it. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe it, I’m just thinking that maybe I have to try it myself or I still need to read and find more references that recommend the same thing before I would be fully convinced that it is indeed effective.
Moreover doing this process enables me to identify which essential oil should be a staple in my Aromatherapy oil collection. There are essential oils that I’ve already bought and are currently part of my “aromatherapy kit” but I’m thinking of not buying them again after reading and comparing some articles about them.
When reading different articles online you would see different writers. You would see writings made by different people ranging from essential oil experts, aromatherapists, copywriters (e-commerce selling essential oils), natural medicine enthusiasts, and health & wellness influencers to DIY bloggers. Hence, you would see different perspectives and concerns in using a particular essential oil. This will also enable you to identify which essential oil is consistently liked by different individuals with different backgrounds.
5. Write my thoughts and new learnings about essential oils
One good advantage of writing about essential oil is that it requires me to read more about essential oils and compare them with my own experience. It’s a good way for me to learn about the science of aromatherapy and compare them with my first-hand experience in using essential oils.
I am not writing about essential oil because I’m an expert in it. I’m writing about essential oils and aromatherapy to continue to learn and document my observation and thoughts while I’m using essential oils.
I’d like to write my little discoveries and realization about the application method I used when using essential oils as well as the benefits it offers that I and others I know enjoyed as well. I don’t want to forget about the things I’m learning, so documenting them is my way of remembering them.
Someday, when I know better than today, I would like to re-read the things I write about essential oils and see my journey in learning about aromatherapy. I’d like to see my real story about my journey in learning about aromatherapy. I’d like to remember my mistakes, my bloopers, my thoughts, and my little discoveries. I also want to remember the readings that inspired me as well as the courses I’ve taken that all led me to have a better understanding of the fascinating world of aromatherapy.
I know that I still have a lot to learn about essential oils. At the moment of writing this, I’m a novice who’s hungry to learn more about this field. I see the need for continuous learning as more advanced research is continuously conducted hence there’s more to know…
Learn and Thrive! Together ❤
Oil Therapy 