My 10 Favourite Aromatherapy Oils

Today I’m looking at my favourite aromatherapy oils – the ones I use all the time in my practice because I find them most effective.

1. Let’s start with lavender.

Everyone should have lavender in their first aid kit because it’s all-round wonderful.

• Lavender is very good for relaxing people.
• It’s good for headaches.
• It’s good for pain, for sharp shooting pains.
• If someone has insomnia, it will help them sleep.

In fact, lavender helped reactivate aromatherapy in modern times. A chemist by the name of Rene Maurice Gattefosse burned his hand really badly in a laboratory  explosion. The nearest thing to him was a vat of lavender oil. Instinctively, he put his hand in the lavender oil. It not only helped take away the pain, his hand healed without any scarring too. And that led to the rebirth of modern aromatherapy

2. Geranium

I love geranium, particularly as a hormonal balancer and a mood balancer. It helps  with the hot flushes of menopause, and with symptoms of PMS. People often say it’s particularly good for females, but it helps males too. Both men and women have times of emotional change. Life can be a roller coaster, and geranium  just helps anyone be a bit more stable & balanced while they are going through emotionally difficult times. We all have roller coaster type experiences, men and women.

3. Clary sage

The French meaning of clary sage is ‘clear sight’.  It’s the most euphoric of the essential oils. It’s extremely relaxing. As an anti spasmodic, it’s very good for those tight tense muscles. I’m not particularly fond of the smell of clary sage, but I like its effects.

4. Bergamot

Bergamot is a lovely balancing oil, energy wise. If you’ve got too much energy it brings you down to the middle line. If you haven’t got enough, it brings you up to middle line. Bergamot takes away the anxiety that leads to either over eating or under eating. So for any sort of anorexia or over weight issues, it’s an excellent oil.  It’s a good aromatherapy oil to use as an anti depressant. Another use for bergamot is the treatment of any sort of urogenital infections, e.g. cystitis.

5. Rosemary

We all know ‘rosemary for remembrance’.  But it’s not just the memory rosemary is good for. It’s an excellent tonic for the liver. Also, it’s a very stimulating oil so it’s good for people who want lots more energy. A lot of people are in need of rosemary these days – everyone is overworked, over stressed, and really quite fatigued. The only contraindication is for people with high blood pressure.

6. Frankincense

I wrote about frankincense before, but here are the main points again. The church traditionally used frankincense to help people fall into a natural state of prayer and meditation. It was one of the gifts that the 3 wise men gave to Jesus – obviously it was highly treasured. Frankincense was used to cast out evil spirits – nowadays it casts out mental negativity. You can combine it with lavender to strengthen people who are feeling a bit vulnerable. It also deepens the breathing, so it’s good for any sort of lung problems.

7. Rose

Rose might be less exotic than frankincense, but in fact rose is the most prized of the essential oils. It’s  the most expensive, too! That might be surprising because there are roses everywhere, but it takes a ton of roses to make a very small amount of rose essential oil. And as with all the essential oils, it is actually 70 times more potent once it’s been refined. So what do we use rose for? It is specifically for the heart chakra, for stimulating love of self and love of others. The rose is very balanced between its roots, branches, stems and flowers.  Rose oil is very good for mental, emotional and physical balance. Rose aids hormonal balance as well, so it’s another aromatherapy oil to use for menopause and PMS. And that ‘love of others’ effect can help you get on better with your husband – which you may need a lot during menopause and PMS! You just put a little bit on your heart chakra.

8. Eucalyptus

A true blue Aussie aromatherapy oil, eucalyptus is wonderful for asthma, any sort of coughing or breathing issues.  It’s lovely to have an oil burner in your room while you sleep. If there’s any infections around the place, use eucalyptus oil in the burner so that other people in the room are protected.

9. Tea Tree Oil

Another Australian oil, but totally different! Tea tree is wonderful because it is antibacterial, anti viral, and anti fungal. It’s marvelous particularly for viral and fungal infections that you want to treat. There aren’t many natural or pharmaceutical things that actually treat fungus or viruses. Many people don’t realise that antibiotics only actually kill off bacteria. So tea tree oil is very valuable from that perspective. Athlete’s foot, for example, is fungal. Tea tree oil is also used a lot in hair conditioner and skin lotions as well. One young girl who visited me left behind a facial scrub that had tea tree in it. It helps keep the skin clear of bacteria and stuff, which is great for young people whose hormones haven’t settled down. Actually, it’s also good for animals. For example, use it to wash your dog because it will repel the fleas, ticks and so on. That’s a useful tip, especially with summer coming up.

10. Ylang Ylang

Ylang ylang – last but not least! It’s just such a beautiful smell. The oil has aphrodisiac properties too. No wonder it’s used so much in perfume. Actually there are a few aphrodisiacs in my list of favourite oils! Rose acts as an aphrodisiac by stimulating love, love for yourself and love for another. Clary sage and ylang ylang together is a powerful aphrodisiac combination, too. It’s meant to be good for people with anger – so maybe use it for kiss-and-make-up sex?!?

Anyway, that’s my list of favourite aromatherapy oils. You can see there’s a mix of them, for a whole range of conditions. Of course I don’t limit myself to just these few oils. There are so many to choose from, and it’s a matter of finding the right mix for each person’s specific situation. But however varied my aromatherapy combinations are, most of them have at least one oil from this list. I use aromatherapy in most of my treatments, but I can also make up a personalised mix for you to take away and use at home. For more information, contact me at any time.