Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular forms of aromatherapy products: a range of non pharmaceutical distillations that have various uses in the practice of aromatherapy. Used correctly, the essential oils of hundreds of plants can be helpful in imparting health benefits, beneficial mental states and symptomatic relief of some common human ailments, like the perennial colds and flu like viruses that start hitting with the onset of winter. All essential oils are made in roughly the same way, a process of steam distillation that renders pure oil from a natural plant. There are particular usage risks associated with this kind of distillate †noted here for reference. Using lavender essential oil, or any aromatherapy products, is perfectly harmless physiologically †provided the oil and the products are used correctly. Usually this correct use requires nothing more than a quick read of a label on a bottle. Any prohibitions in terms of use will be clearly defined thereon. That said, there are a few common properties shared by all essential oils, knowledge of which can be very useful in ensuring their safe use as aromatherapy aids. Essential oils are completely concentrated †that is, they are a distillation of one organic compound. As a result, they should never be applied neat to the skin. Applying lavender essential oil, or any other pure aromatherapy products, directly to skin can cause mild to severe allergic reactions, baldness, burns and even liver damage. The liver is damaged by absorption †the pure oil enters the bloodstream through the skin and causes the liver to try and process an abnormally high quotient of the active organic compound in question. To us an essential oil correctly, it must be mixed with vegetable based carrier oil. Essential oils cannot be mixed with water (the distilling process renders them hydrophobic) †so the only way to dilute them is in other, non distilled oils of vegetable base. Lavender essential oil and other aromatherapy products must be diluted in this way for safe use. In general, essential oil forms less than 3% of a properly mixed aromatherapy solution †the rest being a neutral vegetable oil. While not all sources of purchase list this properly, some essential oils †including lavender †are flammable in their distilled state. Lavender and tea tree oil will both catch fire at between 50 and 60 degrees centigrade: meaning, of course, that they should be stored with the care due a potentially dangerous substance. Normal caution is the watchword across the board, where aromatherapy products are concerned. Lavender essential oil is perfectly safe when used in the proper dilution †and stored in the proper manner. Reading the label will doubtless vouchsafe all this information and more: but the point holds nonetheless. Essential oils in their base form are strong organic compounds †basically chemicals, though using the word tends to conjure up images of â€unnatural†substances. Treat lavender and co with the same respect you’d afford a bottle containing a lab chemical and you’ll have a long and fruitful use out of it.
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