Natural Perfumery Explained...

Mood Enhancing ... perfumery that make you happy (or calm, or sexy) were the hottest trend in recent years, and still are. Yet now you want it natural, without harsh chemicals.  You have come to the right place.

These products create a sense of well-being in the user through ingredients that act on the brain’s neurotransmitters.

Aromatherapy, a practice dating back thousands of years, is the use of therapeutic oils extracted from natural plants and thought to promote overall well-being. I will explain how aromatherapy can be used for mood enhancement. Here is a Q & A series that will lend a better perspective.

What are the benefits of Aromatherapy?

The primary benefit of aromatherapy is that it can be used to support a variety of health and emotional concerns without the use of synthetic chemicals. It’s a well-researched, natural option for skin care, mood support, healing and a wide variety of other issues.

The average shopper may not be aware that true aromatherapy is the use of pure essential oils. Because there’s no regulation around using the word aromatherapy in marketing, anyone can create a synthetic fragrance product and call it aromatherapy. Real aromatherapy uses essential oils distilled or extracted from plants and unaltered in any way.

Can mood be positively affected by scent?

Human emotions, or moods, arise from a part of the brain called the limbic system. Originally, the limbic system was referred to as the rhinencephalon – meaning “nose brain.” The term rhinencephalon reflected the enormous impact that smell had on the functioning of this part of the brain.

All of our senses impact the limbic system. Any of the senses can have a positive or negative effect on our mood. For example, our sense of vision can have a positive impact. When we observe a person who is happy and smiling, this observation can lift our spirits. When we smell rotting food, we are repelled. When we smell tasty food cooking, we feel ourselves getting hungry and happy as we anticipate eating a satisfying meal.

All of these sensations – hunger, anticipation, happiness and eagerness – arise from the interplay of different parts of the brain’s limbic system. By paying attention to what scents lift our mood, we can consciously impact our mood by smelling certain scents.

This is the question most commonly asked to me - Is there scientific study backing this up?
The science behind scent and mood comes from the basic anatomy of the brain, and from decades of research.

From a purely anatomical perspective, we know that the nerves from our nose that are receiving the scent connect directly to the limbic system. In fact, the nerve connections between the smelling apparatus of our nose to the limbic system are faster than those for sight and sound.

Scientifically speaking, the sense of smell is called olfaction. The smelling (olfactory) apparatus is located high in our nose. It is called the olfactory membrane. This little area contains millions of nerve cell receptors that analyze the air we inhale for odor. The olfactory membrane of humans is only about 0.8 inches square, yet contains 10-20 million olfactory receptors. It is able to identify between 2000-4000 different chemical stimuli (molecules).

Scientific research on scent and it’s effect on behavior is what originally led scientists to name the limbic system the rhinencephalon, “nose brain”. A great deal of that research is used by the perfume and personal care industries to devise hundreds of products that consumers buy all the time.

The 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to the team that finally uncovered the mechanics of identifying scent.  http://nobelprize.org... science)

Essential oils have been studied extensively for decades, particularly in Europe. Oils are analyzed using a process called Gas Chromotography/Mass Spectrometry, a test that identifies all the chemical components of an oil. Many of those individual components have been researched in clinical studies.

How do scents work on the brain to change mood?

The limbic center holds our instinctive behaviors, drives, and automatic emotional responses. The limbic system also plays an important role in memory and learning. The key to understanding how scents affect the brain is to remember that the information gathered in the nose from the olfactory bulb goes directly to the emotional center – the limbic system.

Because of this direct neurological connection between scent and the limbic system, we can use aromatic products to impact our moods and emotions as well as our ability to learn, remember and recall. The limbic system facilitates memory storage and retrieval. Long-term memories can be evoked via the limbic system. This response can be noted when a certain smell may bring you instantly back to your childhood and your mood is deeply impacted.

Can EOs used in skin care and other beauty products be as effective in enhancing mood or does it need to be the straight oils?

It is very effective to blend essential oils in beauty products – often lotions or organic oils – for application on the body

Are there oils associated with “happiness”?

... We love using citrus oils in particular to create a feeling of spring and sunshine and health.

Lavender is a calming oil, but may also conjure a feeling of happiness through relaxation of the senses. Stronger florals like Ylang Ylang or Rose have heady, sensual aromas that can create an entirely different feeling of happiness.

This was an interview by Andrea Butje of Aromahead Institute.

At the Aromatic Institute, the possibilities are boundless as over 125 pure essential oils are synergistically blended to create nature's most powerful medicine. Stop by, peruse the store and leave empowered by plants and their healing gifts.  Ask for your own custom blend that is your Natural Perfume. Thanks for caring about your health and happiness.

In Gratitude,

Heather

Mood Enhancing Beauty Products...

Beauty products that make you happy (or calm, or sexy) were the hottest trend for 2010, but it seems they’re still abuzz as a reporter contacted HBP a few weeks ago looking for info on “mood enhancing” products for a story she was working on.

These products supposedly create a sense of well-being in the user through ingredients that act on the brain’s neurotransmitters. The reporter mentioned several mainstream products that contained pheromones and synthetic chemicals to create “happiness”.

When I offered to connect her with an aromatherapist or a cosmetic formulator who works with natural ingredients, say, essential oils (said to affect mood), she declined. But I figured there was no reason why I couldn’t cover the story from a natural perspective for HBP.

Contacting Andrea Butje, LMT, Clinical Aromatherapist and instructor at Aromahead Institute, seemed like a good place to start. Aromatherapy, a practice dating back thousands of years, is the use of therapeutic oils extracted from natural plants and thought to promote overall well-being, but for this article, I’m most concerned with how aromatherapy can be used for mood enhancement. Here are the questions I asked Andrea.

Can you explain the benefits of aromatherapy? What sorts of things can it help?

The primary benefit of aromatherapy is that it can be used to support a variety of health and emotional concerns without the use of synthetic chemicals.  It’s a well-researched, natural option for skin care, mood support, healing and a wide variety of other issues.

The average shopper may not be aware that true aromatherapy is the use of pure essential oils.  Because there’s no regulation around using the word aromatherapy in marketing, anyone can create a synthetic fragrance product and call it aromatherapy.  Real aromatherapy uses essential oils distilled or extracted from plants and unaltered in any way.

Can mood be positively affected by scent?

Human emotions, or moods, arise from a part of the brain called the limbic system. Originally, the limbic system was referred to as the rhinencephalon – meaning “nose brain.” The term rhinencephalon reflected the enormous impact that smell had on the functioning of this part of the brain.

All of our senses impact the limbic system. Any of the senses can have a positive or negative effect on our mood. For example, our sense of vision can have a positive impact. When we observe a person who is happy and smiling, this observation can lift our spirits.  When we smell rotting food, we are repelled.  When we smell tasty food cooking, we feel ourselves getting hungry and happy as we anticipate eating a satisfying meal.

All of these sensations – hunger, anticipation, happiness and eagerness –  arise from the interplay of different parts of the brain’s limbic system. By paying attention to what scents lift our mood, we can consciously impact our mood by smelling certain scents.

Is there scientific study backing this up?

The science behind scent and mood comes from the basic anatomy of the brain, and from decades of research.

From a purely anatomical perspective, we know that the nerves from our nose that are receiving the scent connect directly to the limbic system.  In fact, the nerve connections between the smelling apparatus of our nose to the limbic system are faster than those for sight and sound.

Scientifically speaking, the sense of smell is called olfaction. The smelling (olfactory) apparatus is located high in our nose.  It is called the olfactory membrane. This little area contains millions of nerve cell receptors that analyze the air we inhale for odor. The olfactory membrane of humans is only about 0.8 inches square, yet contains 10-20 million olfactory receptors. It is able to identify between 2000-4000 different chemical stimuli (molecules).

Scientific research on scent and it’s effect on behavior is what originally led scientists to name the limbic system the rhinencephalon, “nose brain”. A great deal of that research is used by the perfume and personal care industries to devise hundreds of products that consumers buy all the time.

The 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to the team that finally uncovered the mechanics of identifying scent.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2004/press.html (Interesting science)

Essential oils have been studied extensively for decades, particularly in Europe.  Oils are analyzed using a process called Gas Chromotography/Mass Spectrometry, a test that identifies all the chemical components of an oil.  Many of those individual components have been researched in clinical studies.

How do scents work on the brain to change mood?

The limbic center holds our instinctive behaviors, drives, and automatic emotional responses.  The limbic system also plays an important role in memory and learning. The key to understanding how scents affect the brain is to remember that the information gathered in the nose from the olfactory bulb goes directly to the emotional center – the limbic system.

Because of this direct neurological connection between scent and the limbic system, we can use aromatic products to impact our moods and emotions as well as our ability to learn, remember and recall. The limbic system facilitates memory storage and retrieval.  Long-term memories can be evoked via the limbic system.  This response can be noted when a certain smell may bring you instantly back to your childhood and your mood is deeply impacted.

Can EOs used in skin care and other beauty products be as effective in enhancing mood or does it need to be the straight oils?

It is very effective to blend essential oils in beauty products – often lotions or organic oils – for application on the body.



Can anyone blend their own mood enhancing oil blends or do they have to come from someone who’s trained in how to do it?

If safe dilution guidelines are followed, anyone can begin blending.  It does take a reasonable amount of education to blend therapeutically, especially for emotional concerns.  While some blending approaches are based in the chemistry of essential oils and require education, we can also blend using methods related to plant parts, plant families and our intuition. That being said, inhaling an essential oil you love or applying that lavender lotion after your shower can bring such pleasure. Sometimes it really is that simple.

Are there oils associated with “happiness”?

Many essential oils are emotionally uplifting. We love using citrus oils in particular to create a feeling of spring and sunshine and health.  During the winter months, these oils can be especially helpful. We add them to our sponge for cleaning, in a diffuser for uplifting and to our liquid soap.

Lavender is a calming oil, but may also conjure a feeling of happiness through relaxation of the senses.  Stronger florals like Ylang Ylang or Rose have heady, sensual aromas that can create an entirely different feeling of happiness.

Pure essential oils contain an incredible range of aromas from plants. When you love an aroma, we would call that happiness!

This interview was from The Healthy Beauty Project. To learn more from Andrea, visit her blog. And to ask a network of natural beauty enthusiasts about their experiences with aromatherapy, visit our beauty social network, www.healthybeautysocial.com

At the Aromatic Institute along with its product line Aroma Pharmica, the possibilities are boundless as over 125 pure essential oils are synergistic blends to create nature's most powerful medicine. Stop by, peruse the store and leave empowered by plants and their healing gifts. Use the coupon "thanks" for 20% off your purchase. That's our way of says thanks for caring about your health and happiness.

Until next time,
XOH

Essential Oil Recipes for Wellbeing

The following are creative ways to use essential oils: to bring peace, relaxation, and simplicity into one’s space.

• Lighten the air: Put a few drops of essential oil in the bag or filter of a vacuum cleaner. This will fill the room with aroma while cleaning. This instantly changes the energy of a room and the people in the room too. Lavender is calming; Lemon is uplifting and an incredible germ killer.

• Aromatic House Spray to evoke memories of holidays past.

o    Recipe:

Pine Essential Oil 4 drops

Orange EO 2 drops

Cinnamon EO 1 drop

Diluted in 1 cup of distilled water in a spray bottle.

• Fragrant Linens: Put 3-6 drops of essential oil on a handful of cotton balls and place them throughout one’s closet shelves. Next time one reaches for new sheets or towels, a waft of the heavenly scent will be present. Do the same thing to one’s dresser drawers, desk drawers, etc. Use your favorite essential oil or blend, one that leaves a feeling of elation.
• Essential Clean: To clean one’s fridge, put a few drops of orange, mandarin, mint, lavender, or lemon oil in a spray bottle of water. Not only will it disinfect and clean the fridge, but it will leave a wonderful scent when done.
• Stove Top Potpourri: Simmer a few drops of Cinnamon and Nutmeg essential oils and other spice to create a warm and delicious scent in one’s kitchen. OR make a pot of incredible air freshener by adding cinnamon sticks, cloves and sliced lemon to water and simmer on the stove. This eliminates any odor in the kitchen.
• Stress Buster: Take 30 minutes to relax in a sensuous bath infused with 5 drops lavender oil, 4 drops orange oil and 4 drops ylang ylang oil. This fragrant bath with entice one’s senses while leaving you calm, rejuvenated and refreshed.

• Aromatic Logs for the fire. Whether the fireplace is inside or outside, this will surely evoke memories of yesteryear and perhaps create new ones for years to come.

• Just one drop of EO, that's right only ONE drop of Essential oil per log per fire. Surprisingly, this one drop will be enough to provide an aromatic boost to the ambiance.

• Simply put the "Firewood or Holiday" oil onto the log and leave it to soak in before putting on the fire. Suggested wait time before putting into the fire is 20-30 minutes. The reason is that Essential oils are inflammable so unless the oil has been given time to soak in, there could be sparks. Prepare several logs at a time and set them aside and use as needed.

• Firewood Essential Oils: Frankincense, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Cypress, Sandalwood

• Holiday Essential Oils: Cinnamon, Clove, Bay, Pine, Cedarwood, Mandarin, Orange Tangerine, Frankincense, Myrrh

• Use 2-4 oils and blend together to create a unique blend for special occasions.

These are a few quick and easy ways to enhance one’s mental and emotional health through aromatherapy, but one should consult a trained Aromatherapist who can read the chemical composition of an essential oil profile and make an educated decision about the safety of an essential oil before delving into this healing modality. 

Delve into the realms of nature's medicine and perfumery by scheduling an appointment with the Aromatic Alchemist, Heather A. Howell in person or via distance consultation for your very own custom blend of essential oils that assist in your advancement on your journey. Call toll-free 866.697.4367 or visit Aroma Pharmica

Heather A. Howell has love, compassionate and great reverence for plant essences and their healing power. As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, Heather serves many businesses and organizations as the Aromatic Alchemist. Currently at Aroma Pharmica, an Organic Skincare Company and at Seeking Indigo, a Holistic Wellness Oasis in Historic downtown Charleston, SC, where she has an Aroma Bar for custom blends, consultations and workshops. Heather is also at The Wellness School, an integrative approach to health. And she serves as a Director on the Board and the National Representative of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists. Heather also teaches therapeutic uses of Essential Oils to medical field professionals, massage therapists and other healing modality practitioners as well as those who want to assist themselves and their families. In her private practice, Heather assists her clients’ issues, guiding them in obtaining wellness through the natural medicine of essential oils. Passionate about natural healing, Heather has over a decade of experience in the realms of Aromatherapy and healing modalities. Life with three incredible children based on holistic living, energetic presence and nature is rewarding and fulfilling.