A warm bath with essential oils can work wonders. With the right composition, a surge of vigor and enthusiasm will breathe in, or, conversely, it will help you relax and sleep soundly all night. Subject to certain rules, the luxury of aromatherapy is available to every novice neophyte.
Essential oil and methods for its preparation
Essential oil (EM) is an oily liquid with a pronounced smell, consisting of odorous substances dissolved in oil. Basically, EM is extracted from plants in which they can be concentrated in different parts - leaves, flowers, rhizomes, etc. Most of the odorous product is highly soluble in ether, gasoline, and fatty oils that are not soluble in water. Bath essential oil is made from natural ingredients. To obtain a product, several methods are used:
- Pressing. By mechanical means, EM is extracted from almost all citrus fruits, where it is found in the bark of fruits. Oil is also extracted from whole fruits, but in this case the process lengthens - first, whole fruits are pressed, and then the ether part is separated by a separation method. 360-600 grams of lemon oil, 4100 tangerine, 700-800 grams of orange EM are allocated per 1000 fruits.
- Steam way. It is used to obtain odorous ether from geranium, rose petals, mint leaves. Raw materials are processed by steam, during the action of which volatile substances pass into the vapor phase, condense and separate from water. The disadvantages of the method are the insufficient quality of the obtained product, large losses of the oil phase with aromatic substances, incomplete extraction of EM from raw materials. For example, 0.2-0.3% of essential oil is extracted from the entire mass of rose petals.
- Maceration. The method is used to obtain EM from flowering plants - violets, lily of the valley, reseda, etc. The raw material is placed in a dark glass vessel, filled with alcohol and insisted for 7 days at a temperature of 20-25 ° C, constantly shaking the contents. During this time, almost all odorous substances are concentrated in alcohol.
- Percolation. Odorous substances from raw materials are extracted with a constant supply of fresh alcohol. The process lasts for 2-3 days, during which time all fragrant substances turn into alcohol.
- Extraction. To extract ether from plants, liquefied gas is used - propane, butane, carbon dioxide. Extractable plants do not decompose, and the resulting product is most similar in composition to natural. In this method, not only the odorous part is isolated from plant materials , but also oils, waxes, and fat, which are subsequently separated with alcohol. The EM extracted by the method of extraction is most in demand in perfumery for the production of high-class perfumes.
Pharmaceuticals or herbal medicine
Modern life is full of hassle, its rhythm forces everyone to be constantly ready for new challenges and high speed. This provokes an overload of the nervous system and emotional state. Traditional medicine offers pharmaceutical methods to relieve stress, get rid of insomnia and normal functioning, but most often medicines have side effects, addiction occurs and cumulative harm is caused to the body.
The use of essential oils is one of the ancient ways to improve your health, relax or get in tone, receive positive signals from the body and life in general. The practice of using odors has a thousand-year tradition, but medicine is just beginning its mass introduction, finding confirmation of the properties of essential oils with modern research.
Useful properties of aroma bath
Many aesculapians already recommend using bath essential oil as a relaxing remedy at the end of the day for prevention or as part of a course of balneological treatment.
Aroma bath effect:
- There is a contact of the body and skin receptors with active substances.
- Inhalation of vapors of enriched EMs has a positive effect on the respiratory system.
- Stimulation or relaxation of the nervous system occurs, depending on the selected aroma.
- The body's defenses increase, immunity strengthens.
- The psycho-emotional state comes into a balanced state.
- Metabolism improves.
Contraindications
Aromatherapy in combination with bath procedures in most cases has a positive effect. But there are diseases and conditions in which the use of EM will adversely affect the human body, exacerbating diseases or causing irreparable damage to health.
Contraindications of the use of essential oils :
- Diabetes mellitus at any stage of the disease.
- Epilepsy.
- Inflammatory diseases in the acute stage.
- Pregnancy in any trimester.
- Thyrotoxicosis.
- An allergic reaction to essential oil, herbal preparations in general.
- Hypertension (consultation with your doctor is required).
- Asthma (consult your doctor).
Bath Rules
Soothing essential oils for the bathroom require both the preparation of the solution itself and the preparation of hygiene procedures. To get the full potential of a relaxing event for the body, you should first cleanse the skin with a scrub, wash off all the dirt and only after that you can arrange a home session of spa therapy.
Quite often, bath essential oil is not prepared for subsequent use, limited to a few drops on the entire volume of water, the effect of this application is not enough. To activate all the beneficial properties, EM must be diluted with an emulsifier. Which may be:
- Sea salt.
- Honey.
- Sour-milk products, natural milk.
- Salt.
- Vegetable oil (olive, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.).
- Therapeutic mud.
Essential bath oil is dissolved in the selected emulsifier and then placed in the bath. For one dose, it is enough, at the initial stage, 5-6 EM chambers for 0.5 cups of emulsifier. Gradually, the oil dosage can be increased, but not more than 15 drops per session.
Temperature mode
One of the determining factors for the positive effect of aromatherapy with the help of bathtubs is the water temperature:
- To obtain a stimulating effect, the water temperature should be 37 ° C and below.
- For relaxing - 38-40 ° C.
Aromatic baths are taken for a duration of 20-30 minutes, the full course of hydrotherapy, if there is no doctor's recommendation, consists of 15-20 baths with a break for 1 week, then can be repeated.
In addition to complete immersion in water, there is the practice of partial adoption of procedures when the therapeutic effect is required for a certain part of the body - arms or legs. As another option for individual parts of the body, moistened tissue compresses are used, on which an emulsifier with essential oil is applied. The temperature of the compress also varies depending on the desired effect.
Scents for relaxation
Essential oil for baths should choose a natural origin. According to the adherents of aromatherapy, all oils have an individual effect on a person, but the properties of odors cause the same effect in almost everyone. Relaxing aromas include:
- Juniper oil. Juniper is a coniferous plant endowed with useful qualities that can be fully experienced when taking a bath with this conifer oil. The main properties of juniper bath EM are relieving nervous tension, improving metabolism, reducing appetite, removing excess fluid from tissues, stabilizing the metabolic process in cells, increasing tone and improving the structure of the skin.
- Lavender essential oil for the bath has a calming effect that relieves muscle tension. Also, the scent of lavender normalizes sleep, the general activity of the nervous system, stimulates memory and concentration. EM lavender has wound healing, lymphatic drainage properties, stimulates the cardiovascular system.
- Eucalyptus essential oil for the bath will help relieve nervous tension, muscle clamps, and will provide relief from joint pain and rheumatism. Its antimicrobial properties help to quickly cope with colds, strengthen immunity, cleanse and heal small wounds on the skin.
Essential Oils for Activity
Essential oils contribute not only to psycho-emotional discharge, but also stimulate, increase the body's strength. So, jasmine oil, added to the bath, promotes not only relaxation, but also stimulates libido, has a positive effect on the sexual life of both sexes. This fragrance gives confidence in one's strengths and charm, and improves memory. A bathtub with EM jasmine will not only fill the whole house with aroma, but will also help you find inner freedom, forcing you to take a fresh look at the world around you.
Juniper oil for bathing, in addition to the relaxing effect, has the ability to increase the stamina of the body with prolonged use, increases stress resistance, cleanses the mind of accumulated negative emotions and thoughts.
Songs
Essential oil for baths can consist not only of one component, but also of a mixture of several ingredients that successfully complement each other in properties and effectiveness. Creating a composition requires scrupulousness and patience. The oils are mixed, adding them to each other literally one drop. For a novice perfumer, it is worthwhile to limit yourself to only two ingredients, finding a balanced combination. But there are already proven recipes and smell compositions.
For example, jasmine essential oil goes well with aromas of geranium, patchouli, ylang-ylang, citrus, aromas of oils isolated from flower plants. To better feel the "soul" of the aroma and determine the amount, you need to make a palette of smells. To do this, a drop of EM is applied to thin paper strips and, taking several samples together, they evaluate the compatibility of odors, and then only the practice of mixing the ingredients.