Will Essential Oils Work for Me?
One of the most common questions aromatherapists get is the age old question of will aromatherapy actually work? I wish the answer was clear cut, but aromatherapy is a little more complicated than that. Aromatherapy can be an incredibly valuable tool, but it’s not always as simple as using a certain oil and all of your problems go away. There are a few things to consider in aromatherapy.
What is the purpose you are trying to accomplish with aromatherapy?
Essential oils are a powerful tool, it is unwise to go into aromatherapy and essential oil usage and not have a plan. If you have a headache and want to use essential oils to help, you won’t get very far if you grab any oil and start applying it. There are certain oils that can help with certain things. Peppermint is a known essential oil to help with headaches.
Are there contradictions you need to know about?
Using essential oils also comes with an obligation to know about them and to know what is safe. Peppermint might be good for headaches, but it shouldn’t be used on children under 6 or if you are breastfeeding (it could drop supply) and it’s important to know these things before using them. You should know some alternatives to oils that you might not be able to use. Spearmint is a good alternative for peppermint, both a lot safer for children (2+) and for breast-feeding mothers.
Does the oil I want to use even work for that?
Like I mentioned before you can’t start grabbing oils without looking at what they are for and hope they work. You need to know what they do and find oils that are specifically for the ailment or condition that you want help with. I wouldn’t use a stimulating oil at bedtime, and I wouldn’t use a calming/relaxing oil if I am trying to be energized. So if you are finding that an essential oil isn’t working for you than maybe double check with trusted sources that you are using an essential oil specific to the need you have.
Do you enjoy the scent of the oil you are using?
This isn’t a for sure thing, but sometimes the essential oil scent can inhibit any therapeutic properties if you don’t like the scent. Perhaps you have heard the saying “If you dislike the smell of an oil this means you need it.”? Well this is false, and if you dislike an essential oils scent please discontinue use. Not liking something can get in the way of how it works, especially if you are looking for help with emotional issues. For example I don’t like lavender that much, it’s not bad but it’s one that bothers me more than I enjoy it. This is not one I would reach for when looking to calm down, or even for a headache (although it is a great one for headaches) and if I do use it I pair it with other oils that compliment or mask the scent. Why? Because it can give me a headache or irritate me. That wouldn’t really help if I am trying to relax now would it? On the contrary using an essential oil that you do enjoy might be more beneficial, I love citrus oils so I use those for a nice bit of calm and it works wonderfully.
Are you using too many?
If you gather all the oils that are good for a headache you might end up with 10 oils. And while blends are wonderful at certain times, sometimes too many scents at once can bog a person down or be confusing. Start small with 1 or 2 and add oils from there. Therapeutic blending is a skill (one I am still working on myself) and you really need to know how to compliment oils before just slapping some together and you certainly can’t just dump all the oils good for x ailment and hope it’s going to work. Trust me, I have been there and done that and I ended up wasting oils. Less is certainly more in this case.
Are you using them properly for what you are needing?
If you need headache relief applying oils to the temple can be most helpful, if you need emotional help inhalation will be the best bet? But if you are stressed and you’re rubbing oils all over your feet, that isn’t going to help that much to make you less stressed. And if you have muscle pain and you breathe in essential oils, that isn’t going to target your pain very well. Just know what you are doing and how to use them appropriately. Also sometimes what you need isn’t even an essential oil, someone with digestive problems can find relief with an essential oil but they should also look into the root cause of those issues. Do they need to work on their gut health, or cut out an irritating food? Essential oils are great but to to apply them to everything in our lives isn’t going to help get us the therapeutic help we are looking for. Consider another method if essential oils aren’t helping you find the relief, or if you are finding you are having to rely on essential oils daily/all the time for a certain issue.
And lastly I want to touch on how sometimes, oils just don’t work for certain people. Lavender might not calm you down, opt for other calming oils. There have been reported cases with things like ADHD/Autsim (and other diagnosis in kids, I do not have any formal sources, just word of mouth from other parents so please look into this more yourself if you need to) where Lavender is stimulating and not calming. Depending on who you are, if you like the scent and other things it might just be that a particular oil isn’t going to work quite the same. That’s okay! Sometimes we have things we need help with that need medicine, sometimes we need different oil. If you find an oil is working, take a break, double check you have the correct one and are using it correctly with no contradictions and maybe seek out another oil or other help. Aromatherapy is wonderful but it is not a cure all and it does not replace other medicines.
