Everyone who has ever enjoyed the scent of a rose has experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. They can carry both a beautiful and a powerful fragrant. Essential oils give plants their distinctive smells, protect plants and play a role in plant pollination. Additionally, essential oils have long been used for food preparation, beauty treatment, and natural health-care practices. What is more, essential oils can be used for a wide range of emotional and physical wellness applications. They can be used on their own or in complex essential oil mixtures depending on user experience and desired benefit.
The essential oils are naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds which can be found in the seeds, bark, roots, stems, flowers, and other parts of plants. Still, you might ask what those aromatic compounds really are. The compounds of essential oils are small organic molecules that tend to change quickly from their solid or liquid state to a gas at room temperature. When you first open one bottle of essential oil, you will instantly notice that the aroma is potent and you can smell it usually even from some distance.
The physical and chemical properties of the volatile aromatic compounds that compose essential oils allow them to quickly move through the air and directly interact with the olfactory sensors in the nose. Such unique properties make essential oils ideal for applications inclusion in aromatherapy – using these compounds from plants to help maintain a healthy mind and body, for instance. The type of volatile aromatic compounds present in an essential oil determines both the oil’s aroma and the benefits it offers.
There are different types of essential oils. The pure essential oils for example have a composition which can vary depending on the time of day, season, geographic location, method and duration of distillation, year grown, and of course the weather. That is why every step of the production process is a critical determinant to the overall quality of the essential oil product.
Lastly, what could essential oils be possible used for? There are various usages and benefits to essential oils. The main benefits include aromatic, topical and internal. Some essential oils induce uplifting or invigorating effects when sniffed, while others are more calming. One way to use the tropical benefits is to add a few drops of oil to a warm bath. Essential oils can be also used as replacement of spices.