Why is Aromatherapy Such a Taboo Topic?
This post will be an opinion piece, so these thoughts are my own and I am just speculating based on my experience in aromatherapy. I have noticed that there seems to be a taboo around aromatherapy, that it’s thought of as just pretty smells and it's not really anything beyond that. Sometimes people don’t inquire beyond reading aromatherapy, sometimes people tell me it’s not for them because they can’t smell (this couldn’t be further from the truth though) and sometimes people tell me it’s just not enough for them. Now my goal with aromatherapy isn’t to convert everyone, quite frankly that is a lot of work and I am not the most social person when it comes to a sales pitch. My main goal also isn’t to get a ton of sales, it's to educate and break stereotypes on aromatherapy and essential oils.
So why then is it so taboo to talk about aromatherapy and it’s benefits? First off, essential oils aren’t FDA regulated, they can be compliant (meaning they have to follow labeling rules to be able to be sold) which can be a good thing and a bad thing. The good news is they really can’t have an input in essential oils and how they are sold. Free market, but that can also be a bad thing. Sometimes oils aren’t real and marketed as such, they have deceiving labeling on them or they are price gouged to extreme amounts. Also, while we can’t market them as a cure this does little to stop the insane claims that larger companies put out about essential oils, and it gets swept under the rug so long as the labeling and marketing is compliant. Free markets are both a blessing and a curse.
So with the guidelines, per se, and big brother FDA breathing down the necks of anything natural there is this idea that natural means it’s less effective. In my experience there is a narrative being pushed that natural solutions are of the past and therefore less effective, but personally this is far from the truth. As someone who has had great success with natural methods, and absolutely no luck from modern medicines, I have seen for myself how beneficial aromatherapy and natural solutions can be. This isn’t to say it’s a solution for everyone or that it’s a cure all, but I have found for most things I can take care of them at home, keeping my family happy/healthy and not burning money on doctors who can’t give me answers.
So with the mindset that modern is best, money pushed from bigger companies and little regulation on essential oils, it’t no wonder that they agenda is that aromatherapy is nothing more than pretty smells. Another things is that people just don’t know about it, they see aromatherapy and they think smells. But aromatherapy can be so much more. It’s the muscle rub after a long day of work or a strenuous exercise. It’s the diffuser blend or inhaler when you feel overwhelmed. It’s the bath soak to relax at the end of the night, the sleepy blend to calm down and get into routine. It’s a massage oil, moisturizing lotions, roller blends for any topical ailment. I use oils for cleaning, for my back pain, emotional support with my little ones, skin care and so much more. It’s astounding to me that we are comfortable adding fragrance into our skin products and home products but not essential oils.
Another thing I want to touch on is the idea that the only benefit to essential oils is smelling them, it’s certainly a large large part of it, however essential oils contain many compounds that are extremely beneficial even without the smell. Lavender is a soothing skin oil, even if you don’t use it aromatically. I have used it for burns multiple times. The idea that you have to smell essential oils to get any benefits is a long held myth, but with the recent events and loss of smell people have discovered smell training. Essentially, even if you can't smell the oils, you take time to smell different ones to “train” your nose into getting your senses back, I have not don’t this myself but I have seen other people do it and they seem to have some success with it.
All in all, I want to break the stigmas surrounding aromatherapy. There are a lot of assumptions and even a fear of pursuing aromatherapy but there doesn’t need to be. We can find a balance in using aromatherapy, combine it with other methods and find appropriate ways to utilize it in our lives. And just because it smells pretty doesn’t mean that’s the only benefit. There are so many ways to utilize aromatherapy.
