Doable Tips For Kid Aromatherapist Interactions

Essential oil provides lots of health benefits that’s why people like using it. Those who know the healing properties of essential oils not only use them for themselves but also for their kids. They want to take advantage of the health benefits that essential oils can give.

On a personal note, using aromatherapy on children is something I take seriously. Hence, the content of this post is from my observations and real insights. I even listed some of my thoughts before writing this post because I want to make sure that my notes here are carefully written so that they will be understood clearly. I hope that my honest thoughts will be accurately and appropriately expressed.

If you are an aromatherapist who is dealing with a child, it is important to be aware that children are playful. Sometimes, they play so recklessly that may result in unexpected ‘accidents’ or life-threatening problems. Hence, if I may request, I hope that aromatherapists will be careful so that side effects which can put the lives of children in danger will be avoided.

People should be more careful when using essential oils, especially for children. Different literature and case studies have reported the side effects of essential oils among children. Hence this post focuses on how aromatherapists can have a good relationship with kids.

1. Give clear and sincere instructions

Kids believe what you say to them, they follow what you tell them because they trust that adults and aromatherapists are mature enough. Kids think they mean what they say. As a conscientious aromatherapist, I think it is just fair that you have to be sincere with the details, responses, and instructions you are giving to children. Please make sure that the instructions and whatever you are telling them are accurate and true. Ensure that the instructions you are giving them are sincere and really for them. If you are being careless, you may give instructions that are for others. Kids also think, and they have their way of figuring out if they are being fooled even without telling them. Kids talk too, and they talk honestly. So as much as possible, please don’t give confusing instructions. Kids do have instincts and when a kid figured out that she is being fooled, it will be hard to make her obey you. Some kids are stubborn at times, but when they see you are worth trusting, they will keep on obeying you. So to make sure that kids will follow your instructions even if that means staying in a room so they can smell the aroma of essential oil, make sure that you are sincere and certain with what you are telling them and kindly don’t confuse them. Be conscientious.

2. Teach them the right way of inhaling the aroma

Practice what you preach. If you teach kids to focus on inhaling the aroma, make sure that you are also showing them that you are inhaling the aroma properly. Show that you are also focusing on inhaling the essential oil and not other stuff with a different scent. When kids see that you are playing with other things, kids would become curious too. As an aromatherapist, I think you don’t want kids to get distracted by other scents because you want them to focus on the essential oil you want them to keep on smelling. So make sure that you don’t give them any reason to be distracted. Kindly remember that kids look at you, and you are the one who’s giving them ideas on what to do.

3. Treat kids differently

Kids are different than older people. The way you treat adults is not the way you can treat kids. Although kids don’t know much, and they are not shrewd, sketchy, and mischievous as older adults, they know danger. Even though they are just kids with limited ability and knowledge, they have the instinct to protect themselves when they have a hunch that they are in danger. So when kids detect they are at risk, they may react differently too and may become stubborn because they are agitated.

Moreover, you can use different oils, even synthetic ones with adults. You can also play with different oils on them and their body will still allow it without reporting any complaints of the side effects even if you do it repeatedly. Since older people have gotten used to being exposed to different substances, some are already numb so it is okay for their bodies to just allow any oils to be used on them.

Furthermore, kids react differently. Kids remember the values and the right ways of doing things that were taught to them. So when kids see something strange, they think about what they know and remember the correct way of doing things that were taught to them, If the kid is a contemplative one, she may also ask the ‘why’ of things. Some kids would choose to follow what they know is right because what they know has been taught by the people they trust, their parents.

Another thing to consider when dealing with kids is that side effects may easily manifest in their bodies after being exposed to something. Their bodies cannot take toxic substances. Sometimes they get overwhelmed when they encounter toxic things, so make sure that you treat kids differently. As an aromatherapist, it’s important that as early as now, you are aware of the abovementioned factors. If you really want kids to be your client, then this is something that you have to understand and embrace.
Ergo, please don’t treat kids the way you would treat adults.

4. Choose to do the best practices

If you committed ‘mistakes’ in the ‘past’ please don’t repeat the same ‘mistakes’ when you will treat the kids. If you experienced or have seen any ‘side effects while using an oil, make sure that you will not repeat doing and using it with kids. As mentioned above, kids can’t take toxic things. I think that if ever you are doing some wrong practices whether you are fully aware or as a result of an honest ‘mistake’, may I humbly suggest that those things must be stopped when you start to treat kids. Also, please ensure that you will choose to be ‘clean’ when you will treat kids. Please make sure that you are willing to remove any dirt (if there is). This is not just for the kid that you will treat but also for your good health. I honestly think that kids want their aromatherapist to be ‘clean’. Kids will be happy if they see that their aromatherapist is healthy and clean.

I hope aromatherapists will choose to keep on improving their practice by doing what’s right. Kids will be happy when they see that their aromatherapist chooses the best practices. If I am a kid and I’ve seen that my aromatherapist is willing to correct his practices so he can treat me well, and for his welfare as well, I will be so proud of my aromatherapist. Because I can say that my aromatherapist has seen a lot, done a lot, and made some mistakes, but humble enough to admit that he still can improve to be a better aromatherapist and choose to do the best practices. A practice that is conscientious, clean, and good for the body and the soul.

Kids trust and obey, but kids, also fear when they’ve seen something that they think must be feared. Even if kids know a little, it is understandable that kids will be careful and think of things to protect themselves. I hope that aromatherapists will not give reasons for kids to fear them so kids will keep on obeying them when they give instructions and to keep them always believing in what they say.

Please be sincere, always 💋❤

Aromatherapy Tips

Here are some of the tips I personally have written as I walk on my Aromatherapy journey and continue to study Essential oils

… because of my love for essential oils, it inspires me to write about it everyday

Aromatherapy

  • Finding an aromatherapist who understands, and knows what you feel, and need even without telling them are the best kind of healers. I am elated whenever I find one. 
  • One of the best things that aromatherapists can do is to carefully listen and stay for someone who wants to be really healed body and soul. 

Essential Oils

  • (Something to ponder on) Before you buy your essential oil, make sure what kind of essential oil you really want and need.

Hope to add some more as I learn more about aromatherapy and essential oils

Sincerely Care 💋❤

(Ciele) Get to Know Your Essential Oils Better By Doing These Smelling Strategies

It’s fascinating how an aroma can make us feel different emotions. It can make us happy, calm, and sometimes even blue when we associate it with something that made us sad. However, the good thing about aromatherapy is that there are known essential oils that can boost our moods and make us feel more cheerful. Keeping these essential oils in our aromatherapy kit can make us feel hopeful that when worry or a stressful situation comes, it can make us feel better.

One of the responsibilities of every aromatherapist is to be familiar with the scents of each odorous essential oil. This will enable us to know how the oils would make us feel. If we, know the aromatic effects of each oil, we would also know how it would affect others.

Ways to Familiarize Yourself with the Scents

1. Description from legit sources

Honestly, it is challenging for me to describe the scents of some essential oils. There are many articles, and blog posts that talk about the scents of essential oils, but reading them makes me confused at times. Some descriptions are not accurate so it can make you doubtful. For example, one post I’ve seen described ylang-ylang essential oil has a fruity smell, but ylang-ylang has a floral scent. So if you don’t have an idea about ylang-ylang, you can be misled and believe that claim. It can be hard to figure out which one is reliable at times since there are many blog posts available. Hence posts from legit sources are needed for us to fully understand and learn the accurate description of the essential oil’s aroma.

2. Choose reliable brands

Scent makes a statement, it sends a message. Knowing the right and accurate message of the scent will enable you to know how clients will respond to a certain odor. The best way to familiarize yourself with the scent of essential oil is to have the real essential oil. There are different brands available, and buying an oil that does not have a good quality will make it hard to figure out the authentic scent of the essential oil. This is because the oil’s scent may not be as strong as it should be since it is not pure essential oil. Hence aim to have reliable and legit brands if you want to understand and be able to describe the real scent of essential oil. You can know which brands are reliable by looking at the label and the content written on it. Reliable brands indicate the necessary details about the essential oil, so these are the brands that you can trust that will enable you to identify more clearly the different scent details in an oil. Essential oils contain different aromatic compounds which influence their scent as a whole. For example, if I would describe peppermint scent, the main odor I could smell from it is menthol. But when I sniff it, even more, I could detect the herbally and somewhat camphorous odor too. This is because there are different details or aromatic compounds in one essential oil.

3. Use smelling strategies

Since I am just beginning to familiarize myself with the scents of essential oils, it is helpful that I follow some smelling strategies. Previously I tried to identify the aroma of the oils by just smelling the cotton ball with drops of the essential oil on it. But as I keep on reading, I get to see Basic Perfume Primer written by the Institute for Art and Olfaction, and discover that there are smelling strategies that I can do. The techniques written in the paper are the following:

a. Bunny sniff

You do this by making small rapid short inhales. This is what I do when I am already familiar with the scent of the plant. Since I am aware of the scent, I expect that the odor of the essential oil is the same. I use this strategy when I want to be sure or confirm that what I know about the essential oil’s odor is accurate. Also I use this technique when the scent is distinctive hence easy to pick up and remember.

b. Fly by

This is the smelling technique you can use when it’s difficult to detect the smell of the materials. This is effective because the airflow affects the scent. (1) To do this, you have to move the strip across your face. (1) In my case, I use a cotton ball, so what I do is I’m fanning the cotton ball or repeatedly move the essential oil bottle horizontally, back and forth. When it’s still hard for me to identify the scents in the oil, I put down the bottle for a few minutes then pick up the bottle to smell the oil again.

c. Mouth breather

Another term used for this is retronasal smelling and you do this by smelling through your mouth. So far I haven’t done this yet, so I can’t describe much of it.
This is suited to be done when your nose is congested. In this case, the scent passes first at the back of the throat going upwards, instead of the usual process where the scent passes through the nostrils to the olfactory bulb. Hence in this technique, we get to have an idea of the oil’s taste or flavor. (1)

d. Long, slow, gentle inhale

The longer you smell oil, the more you can feel that it affects other senses of your body too. This method is what I usually do when I’m trying to figure out the scent of essential oils. I take time to smell it because I want to make sure that I understand the aromatic details of the scent so I can describe and write my notes about it. I think this is helpful for me. However, when I detect unusual odor, it’s still hard for me to put into words the description of that odor at times.

I like to understand the scents accurately because as much as possible I try to avoid misinterpreting the aroma of essential oils. For example, peppermint, and camphor are said to have menthol aromas. However, just because they both have menthol scents does not mean you can conclude they smell alike. If you do not understand the aromatic details and effect of these oils, you might just get startled by the reaction they can cause to your client. Hence it is the responsibility of the aromatherapist to familiarize herself with the scents properly and I hope that essential oil brands will also provide clearer descriptions of the essential oils to help the aromatherapist understand the essential oil better.

Opt for the authentic ones 💋❤

References:

  • (1) Kessler A.E., Rogers M., Wilson-Brown S., Ausdal T.V., Basic Perfume Primer. Institute for Art and Olfaction

Practical Strategies to Communicate Your Aromatherapy Instructions To Your Clients

The key for a successful treatment plan is to have an effective communication and provide clearer instructions. Whether you are helping a neighbor, a family member, or a client that is near you and doing face-to-face consultation, or you are doing remote or online aromatherapy counseling, the methods below will help you to get your instructions and message effectively to your clients to ensure that they will be able to follow your aromatherapy treatment plan for them.

1. Write personal notes using pen and paper


To make sure that your client will remember the details you instructed them to do, it’s good to give them notes. While you are explaining the treatment plan, you can write what you say on a piece of paper and then give the notes to them. This can serve as a reference that they can always check whenever they need to when they go back home.

2. Direct message through text or chat

If you are providing aromatherapy service then you have to be easily accessible. You need to provide your contact details to your clients so they can easily reach you. You can tell them they can keep in touch with you through text or chat messages. This will be helpful for your client because they can easily contact you when they have questions about aromatherapy or update you about the effects of the essential oil in their body. Moreover, this will enable them to feel that you are reliable because you are accessible.

3. Recommend articles from your blog site

If you have a website, it’s helpful to write some articles that provide instructions and helpful details for your clients. You can choose an article from your website that is appropriate for their health concern and advice them to read it so they would understand more about their concern. It’s also nice if you have written a treatment plan on your website. Reading this would enable them to be reminded and guided on what the therapy will be like. Moreover, you can tell your clients that if they can’t reach you at the moment because you are working or have some appointments, they can read some articles on your website that is related to their health issue to get the details they need. This is useful if they want to have some answers urgently. However, make sure that you contact them through chat or a phone call too so you can explain further about their inquiry.

The tips above are just some options to make sure that you can provide the right instructions and provide the necessary details and messages to your clients. Of course, it’s much better to talk to a client through a phone call or have a face-to-face consultation to ensure that your clients understand the treatment plan, and implement it as well.

Communicate care better 💋❤

(Ciele) Six Case Studies That Presents Mouth-related Side Effects of Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is known for its therapeutic and aromatic properties hence being used for treatments and flavoring. Some are recommending taking peppermint oil orally, while some are making some products containing it which are also being consumed through the mouth. Despite that many claims that oral ingestion of peppermint oil safe, it is still helpful to remember that, improper use of this oil can cause side effects.

What comes into our mouths and what comes out from our mouths are both important. We may hear or read recommendations from different sources about the efficacy of taking peppermint oil orally to treat some health issues. If it’s so convincing, we may be tempted to believe and follow these resources. However, presentations without evidence-based information may only lead us to confusion or worst trigger us to put something in our mouth that can cause side effects.

To practice oral care, it is helpful to be careful about what we follow. Not all recommendations are beneficial. and helpful. Some may only lead us to face some side effects. Safety guidelines from legitimate sources that are based on evidence and thorough investigations are more needed. These are more reliable and helpful. Ergo, in this post, we present case studies that show the effect of peppermint oil on the mouth. We only focused on details that are supported by research.

1. triggered asthma caused by peppermint candy scent

A 2011 study purported that smelling peppermint aroma can trigger asthma. A 54-year-old woman with dyspnea was exposed to a peppermint scent and complained that she cannot stand smelling the scent of mints. It’s hard for her to breathe and her right lung hurts when she’s near mints. Even just smelling Tic tac candies from the breath of the people she encounters at work, makes it difficult for her to breathe. Even mint-scented cleaning liquids make it hard for her to breathe. The woman also reported that when she was a child, she played in their garden with peppermint plants. The researchers concluded that her asthma was being triggered when she smells mint because she might have been sensitized when she smells the scent of peppermint when she was a child. Therefore she was advised to refrain from mint exposure. (1)

2. anaphylaxis caused by peppermint candy

Another case related to peppermint candy was reported in a 2014 investigation. The researchers reported that an immediate reaction has been manifested after a 69-year-old male sucked a peppermint candy. The man experienced lip tongue swelling, throat tightness, and shortness of breath and eventually experienced coughing, wheezing as well as difficulty talking and swallowing. The symptoms appeared within 5 minutes after taking the peppermint candy. He had a history of experiencing adverse reactions after using Colgate peppermint toothpaste. Moreover, he experienced nasal congestion, cough, and wheezing when she’s gardening in the backyard with mint plants. Hence he was advised to abstain from taking mint-containing products, and he also removed the mint plants in his backyard. The avoidance of peppermint resulted in alleviating his symptoms. Although cases of IgE-mediated anaphylaxis seldom happen, this case has elicited that some can experience adverse reactions after using products with peppermint. This may happen especially for people who have a history of being allergic to mints. (2)

3. cheilitis caused by toothpaste and lip balm

a. inflamed lips caused by toothpaste

A 74-year-old patient had cheilitis (inflammation of the mouth) after several weeks of using a toothpaste with terpene ketone L-carvone. This compound is known to be contained in mint oils including peppermint oil. The patch testing conducted confirmed that the woman had an inflamed lip due to the main substance in the flavor additive which is the terpene ketone L-carvone. (3)

b. scaling and edema on the lips caused by toothpaste

A 2019 study also reported a case of a 25-year-old woman who experienced cheilitis with scaling and edema on the lips after using peppermint oil toothpaste. The result of patch testing revealed that it reacted with peppermint oil. She was recommended to abstain from using peppermint toothpaste as well as other products that have a minty scent. By following the advice of the physicians, the cheilitis concern of the patient was resolved. (4)

c. cheilitis caused by lip balm

Another rare case of cheilitis caused by peppermint oil has been reported in a 2010 study. Using a lip balm with peppermint oil resulted in allergic contact cheilitis (ACC) among four patients. The symptoms were apparent on the lips and the perioral skin of the patients. Though sensitizers such as propolis, lanolin, coconut oil, almond oil, peppermint oil, and vitamin E were found in the lip balm, the patch test result yielded that peppermint oil seemed to be the most probable cause of the ACC. (5)

4. diarrhea and abdominal pain caused by peppermint candy

A 56-year-old female who had a fear of having bad breath daily consumed 30 to 40 Altoids which is a breath mint candy containing peppermint oil. The woman experienced diarrhea and abdominal pain. After following the advice of abstaining from taking any peppermint-captaining products, her condition improved. Hence the researcher concluded that although this happens very rarely, peppermint oil can also cause symptoms like IBD. Moreover, they purported that eliminating the consumption of peppermint products can improve symptoms. (6)

Side effects do happen. Hence, we should be responsible to practice caution before following a certain suggestion on how to take peppermint oil. Though it is tempting to listen to different recommendations, it is important to remember that not all recommendations are helpful and reliable. Realizing this made me prefer to only rely on legitimate sources that are based on research and come with proven evidence. Moreover, I prefer to read sources that honestly discuss how to use peppermint oil and present both the advantages as well as the side effects of peppermint oil. This enables me to understand what to expect from using peppermint oil, and what should I be aware of to ensure the safe utilization of peppermint oil.

Choosing to focus on what’s only reliable allows me to save time in learning more about peppermint oil. It enables me to avoid consuming time on unnecessary recommendations that do not help me understand peppermint oil better. These noises can only confuse me as they may present more side effects than there are really. hence I prefer to only listen and read literature that will accurately guide me about peppermint oil as it is based on real evidence.

Follow what’s reliable 💋❤

References:

  • (1) Eczema, A. M., & Barnett, T. (2011). Allergic reaction to mint leads to asthma. Allergy & rhinology (Providence, R.I.), 2(1), 43–45. https://doi.org/10.2500/ar.2011.2.0008
  • (2) Bayat, R., & Borici-Mazi, R. (2014). A case of anaphylaxis to peppermint. Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology: official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 10(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1710-1492-10-6
  • (3) Hausen B. M. (1984). Zahnpasta-Allergie [Toothpaste allergy]. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift (1946), 109(8), 300–302. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1069184
  • (4) Griggs J., Almohanna H., Ahmed A., Ren A., Tosti A. Fresh Breath” on Toothpaste: Peppermint as Cause of Cheilitis. American Contact Dermatitis Society. 1/2 2019 – Volume 30 – Issue 1 – p 74-75. DOI: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000433
  • (5) Tran, A., Pratt, M., & DeKoven, J. (2010). Acute allergic contact dermatitis of the lips from peppermint oil in a lip balm. Dermatitis: contact, atopic, occupational, drug, 21(2), 111–115.
  • (6) Heath, R., Cockerell C., Bechtold M. Peppermint Oil Toxicity: Good for Your Breath but Can Be Bad for Your Bowels. American Journal of Gastroenterology: October 2017 – Volume 112 – Issue – p S1531

A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Side Effects of Peppermint Oil

In studying peppermint oil, I found some references that present the side effects of peppermint. Some details and resources that list the side effects of peppermint oil are confusing to me. Hence, I’ve only selected the references that present easier-to-understand information but credible sources. I chose trustworthy references for me to be able to write a post that can serve me and my readers as a reliable reference about the effects of peppermint oil.

There are different side effects of peppermint that can be categorized according to the method of application. We know that it’s easy to get confused and mix up the side effects, hence we organized the items according to their categories hoping our list will be easier to comprehend for our readers.

Ingestion

While peppermint oil taken by mouth can help with discomforts such as minor belly spasms, flatulence, belly pain, and those with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, ingesting too much of it can cause adverse effects such as the following:

  • generalized gastrointestinal symptoms
  • gastrointestinal symptoms that mimic IBD.
  • nausea and vomiting
  • heartburn
  • slower heart rate
  • bloating
  • abdominal pain
  • diarrhea
  • burning around the anus
  • mentholy smell in the urine and stools
  • painful urination,
  • glans of the penis inflammation
  • anaphylactic shock or a sudden, severe allergic reaction
  • contact sensitivity on the mucosa such as the lining of the nose and mouth
  • dry mouth
  • cheilitis
  • red skin rash
  • blurred vision
  • headache
  • muscle tremor
  • inability to coordinate muscle movements

Inhalation

The following are the side effects when peppermint oil’s scent is inhaled:

  • apnoea (interruption of breathing)
  • anaphylaxis
  • triggering asthma
  • broncho- and laryngo constriction or constriction of the airways in allergic patients

Cutaneous or topical application

When applied to the skin, adverse reactions include:

  • skin rash
  • inflammation of the skin
  • irritation of the skin
  • eye irritation and mucosa (lining) of the nose.

Some of the side effects listed here have case studies that prove it is experienced by some people when they used peppermint oil or products or preparations containing peppermint oil. As of the moment of writing, I’m still looking and waiting for some research that can prove that these side effects or symptoms can manifest when a person started applying peppermint or even after using it.

Have faith 💋❤

References:

  • Heath, R., Cockerell C., Bechtold M. Peppermint Oil Toxicity: Good for Your Breath but Can Be Bad for Your Bowels. American Journal of Gastroenterology: October 2017 – Volume 112 – Issue – p S1531
  • Peppermint Oil. March 4, 2020. European Medicines Agency

(Ciele) 2 Techniques To Enhance Essential Oil Smelling

For people who are just new to learning about aromatherapy, familiarizing themselves with the scents would be helpful. However, determining the scent details of essential oils can be difficult.

Since I am still in the process of studying essential oils, I notice that I can be slow in identifying the scents. Hence if I would study olfactory aromatherapy, I hope that my teacher would be more patient with me when I am slow in recognizing scent details.

As much as possible I try to identify the scents I am smelling and write them on a note. But writing the exact description of the scent can be challenging for me if it’s hard to figure out the scent. However, there are times when I can notice a particular odor but I can’t exactly describe or identify it because I can’t figure out where I exactly smelled it. There are times I can recognize a scent as it seemed to resemble something I’ve smelled before but I just can’t exactly tell that what I associate the odor with is accurate.

Hence techniques that can help you to improve your smelling experience as well as identify scent details are needed. This post highlights two ways on how to optimize your smelling experience.

1. Rehydrate

Moisture is needed for us to be able to smell properly. Our nasal membrane must be moist for an aroma chemical to be able to pass through it and reach our nasal receptors. To do this, you must hydrate your nose by inhaling from a wet paper towel a few times. The paper towel must be wet with water then hold it to your nose.

2. Refresh

A good remedy for smell fatigue is by smelling by contrast. Smelling between contrasting odors enables your nose to feel refreshed, hence when you smell the essential oil, you’ll be able to recognize its scent because it is different from what you have previously smelled.

To properly care for your nose and be gentle with your smelling experience, smell something that is not too strong or overpowering. Opt for something neutral to you. Some recommendations given are smelling your own scent like your skin, hair, or clothes. Another option is to get some fresh air, then return to smelling the essential oil again to understand its scent details.

Seasoned aromatherapists are already good at identifying scents. However, it can be challenging for someone just new to aromatherapy. Although it is difficult for me to identify scent details at times, I still want to figure it out. Being able to determine the aromas and being able to put them into words and describe them is something I appreciate. Good thing that there are some recommended remedies that I can follow when it is difficult for me to recognize scents. Though figuring out scent details is challenging, following the recommendations above might be able to help me.

Smell to learn 💋❤

Reference:

  • Kessler A.E., Rogers M., Wilson-Brown S., Ausdal T.V., Basic Perfume Primer. Institute for Art and Olfaction

(Ciele) Creative Ways To Play with Oils Through Inhalation Method

Essential oils can be applied in different forms. A typical option to do it is through the inhalation method. However, there are also different ways to do this method. A usual manner to do this is to put a diffuser in a room and let the odor of the essential oil spread out in the room. If you are someone who can recognize the odors of essential oils, you will be able to figure out the scent being emitted by the oil being used. While this is the common way of playing with the oils to practice the inhalation method there are also other ways to do it which can be categorized into direct and indirect methods. Scroll down below to uncover the different ways to play with your essential oil using the inhalation method.

Direct inhalation

The most obvious way to allow the odor of oil to sink into you is to do direct inhalation method. In this method, you can simply hold an item with essential oil and place it close to your nose. Listed below are the ways to do it:

  • a tissue or cotton ball with a few drops of essential oil
  • aroma stick or essential oil inhaler, lipstick-sized nasal inhaler. Tip: These come with a cover to keep the scent under wraps until you’re ready.
  • sniff on scent strips
  • inhale directly from the bottle
  • inhalation from a surgical mask with essential oil applied

Indirect inhalation

If you want to play with oils by just allowing the oil’s odor spread out in the room, the following items or methods below are useful. Since these are very useful materials, they are also suited for gifting because they will enable you to play with your oils. Note: Some of the devices listed below might only require you to use water-based oils. However, if you are really serious about pursuing the practice of aromatherapy, you have to be aware that aromatherapy is about applying real and pure essential oils. The difference between the two is that synthetic oils are usually used for cosmetic purposes but real essential oils are therapeutic. In addition, the commercially sold products listed below are not made of pure oils. They have been mixed already with other different ingredients. These accessible and readily available products are well known because they have been used by different people repeatedly.

  • electronic vaporizer aroma
  • diffuser
  • lamp diffusion method
  • humidifier
  • home fragrance
  • room sprays
  • air fresheners

Direct-Indirect Method

Other ways to play with oils will enable you to apply both direct and indirect methods. You can do it by simply wearing an aromatherapy accessory that has an absorbent material that’s soaked with essential oil. Some require you do topical application so you can inhale it, while some just need to be hung to smell the oil’s scent. Most of the wearables below are very cheap so it is conveniently available. You can also order it online whenever you want to have it and it will surely be delivered to you. Some delays may happen though but it will surely come as long of course as you pay the amount that needs to be paid.

  • Necklaces
  • bracelets
  • keychains
  • vapor balm
  • skin patch or a blank patch

A reminder: Playing with cheap synthetic oils can be tempting because they are easily available and can be bought for a fixed amount. So if you want some relief from discomfort or itch, you may want to sniff the day the oils you are using or play with synthetic oils as you go about your normal daily routine. However, remember that not oils are good for you. Synthetic oils are different from real essential oils. Reiterating the note above, that in order to bring healing and wellness, aromatherapy is focused on applying authentic essential oils and not synthetic oils. Moreover, I think it’s worth mentioning that aromatherapists who are serious about studying essential oils can figure out and identify the difference between the smell of synthetic oils and real essential oils.

The different Inhalation methods are Outlined above, so I hope you will ask yourself, how do you want to receive your aromatherapy? I hope that regardless of whatever method you are doing at the moment, you will be careful and remember to choose the right and safe way to do olfactory aromatherapy, as well as aim to have authentic essential oils.

Play safely 💋❤

(Ciele) Why Argan Oil is Effective in Preventing and Protecting Hair Damage and Preserving Hair’s Protein

You’ve probably seen shampoos with argan oil (Argania spinosa kernel oil ) in health and beauty sections of grocery or department stores and wondered why it’s there. What makes argan ideal for hair application is that it gives the hair volume and makes it look shinier because it seeps in the hair axis and damaged follicles. (1) The idea that argan is a hair-loving oil is supported by few researches. It is not just based from folk beliefs, or baseless theories.

Hair is composed of lipid, water, melanin, trace elements, and protein, (2) hence the preservation of protein in our hair is crucial. This is the reason why, different natural ingredients are being tested to see its effectiveness in terms of keeping the hair’s protein. The researches about argan oil that’s presented in this post studied and tried different formulation and treatment plans to preserve hair’s protein. This post presents two researches that proves why argan oil is good for you hair.

Argan oil as pre-treatment to prevent hair damage

As the old adage says prevention is better than cure, ergo, some people believe that preventing your hair from being damaged is a good way to keep a gorgeous hair. Some chemically formulated conditioners are available in the market, while others use natural oils such as coconut oil. (2) One natural conditioner that is less commonly known for hair prevention damage is argan oil. A 2022 research has proven this claim when it investigated the preventive efficacy of argan oil as pre-treatemt for hair before being exposed to oxidative damage. It tested whether argan oil has the ability to prevent protein loss as well as its reflectance.

The researchers of the study categorized the hair into three groups. First group were damaged hair using oxidant agent. Second group were pre-treated hairs with argan oil before being exposed to oxidative damage then the oil was removed by physical cleaning. While the third group was also pre-treated hair with argan oil prior to undergoing oxidative damage but the oil removal was done through washing procedure. The result yielded that pre-treatment of hair using argan oil is effective in protecting hair from oxidative damage because it reduces the amount of protein loss on hair.

Argan oil as a Post-treatment for hair damage caused by hair coloring

Argan oil is not just effective to be used for hair damage prevention but also as a remedy. A 2013 study investigated the effect of argan oil and theobroma grandiflorum seed butter to damaged Caucasian hair due to hair dye. Hair samples they use were categorized into six. First group have untreated hair, second group have hair treated with hair dye, third group have post treatment hair using base hair care formulation. Fourth group have hair post treatment using the formulated hair care mixture with added argan oil. Fifth group have hair post treatment using hair care formulation with theobroma grandiflorum seed butter. While the sixth group had post treatment using the formulated hair care compound with both argain oil and theobroma grandiflorum seed butter. (2)

The researchers have already expected the effectiveness of their base hair care formulation because it used cationic compounds that are useful for hair’s adsobrption or ability of the liquid or oil to sit in outside the hair’s cuticle. (2)

However adding the conditioner agents – argan oil and theobroma grandiflorum seed butter to the base hair care formulation has improve the reduction of protein loss for hair that have undergone coloring process, regardless that they were added sepeately or together. A possible explanation why aragn oil is efective in treating hair damage caused by hair coloring is because of its ability to penetarate into the hair fiber. Oil’s composotion is important with regard to its ability to seep into hair fibers. Factors to consider depends on its oil polarity, chain saturation and molecular weight. The main fatty acids in argan oil are oleic acid and linoleic acid which are a monounsaturated and diunsaturated fatty acid. (2)

Testing natural ingredients whether by applying them purely on your hair or incorporating them into your base hair care formulation is important to see what works effectively. It could be a challenging process but when you find what is effective it is rewarding because you know that it’s been tested thus you can be assured of its effectiveness. This will enable you to understand why it’s released in the market and have confidence to repurchase it after it has gone through a burdensome tests that led to prove its effectiveness. (2)

Preserve proven wisdom from pretreatment and post treatment tests ❤

References:

  • (1) Gharby S and Charrouf Z (2022) Argan Oil: Chemical Composition, Extraction Process, and Quality Control. Front. Nutr. 8:804587. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.804587
  • (2) Faria P.M., Camargo L.N., Carvalho R.S.H., Paludetti L.A., Velasco M.V.R., Da Gama R. M. Hair Protective Effect of Argan Oil (Argania spinosa Kernel Oil) and Cupuassu Butter (Theobroma grandiflorum Seed Butter) Post Treatment with Hair Dye. Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications, 2013, 3, 40-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jcdsa.2013.33A1006
  • (3) Sharifi, N., Hamedeyazdan, S., Shokri, J., & Monajjemzadeh, F. (2022). Argan oil as a pretreatment of human hair before exposure to oxidative damage: Attenuated total reflectance and protein loss studies. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 21(10), 5010–5017. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.14885
Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started