Awhile back I was hawking my personal aromatherapy wares at a local show and found a fascinating disconnect in the way people view aromatherapy. The disconnect happens when it comes to realizing the benefits of aromatherapy are not part and parcel of the automatic link plenty of people have with simple aromas. Many seem to pair the idea of a floral or botanical fragrance permeating a single room or perhaps their entire home as aromatherapy. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Fragrance
It can be a benefit on an emotional level, for sure. Various scents can bring on joyful feelings, or a sense of cleanliness. Some scents can even be an aphrodisiac in a person’s senses. This is the reason for the booming cologne, perfume, candle and room spray market. Mass market cleaning products like rug powders or kitchen and bathroom cleansers also have many fragrance links too.
The way people react to fragrance is as individual as each one of us are to one another but overall, this is not aromatherapy. This is not to say there is a complete separation between scents and fragrances used in commercially available products and the essential oils that are used in aromatherapy. The disconnect is in peoples perception of what aromatherapy actually is and how it works when they are trying to align it with the plug-ins they have used, the room sprays they have or even the lavender fabric softener they use for their laundry.
Aromatherapy
Exactly as it sounds is a therapy using aroma. However, that beneficial aroma stems from essential oils which are extracted from flowers and botanical’s including roots, stems, bark and leaves of certain plants that elicit a reaction by the body on more than just an emotional level. These are not “medicines” but natures botanicals have numerous benefits which you can find out about by doing some homework.
The biggest realization to make is that it is not perfumery, although some essential oils can smell utterly divine and indeed are used in modern perfumery. The therapeutic origins of plant botanicals has a long history and includes extracts, flower essences, hydrosols, tinctures as well as essential oils. A great place to start exploring the benefits of aromatherapy for yourself would be with our line of essential oil blends which are available in our shop.