If you want your home to smell beautiful and fragrant, you should consider incorporating some oil blends into your life. Just a whiff of their smell can boost your mood and make you feel much better. After spending a long day at work, coming to a beautifully scented home can instantly make you feel better and more relaxed.

The physiological impact of smells such as perfumes and room fresheners on the human brain has been recognised long ago, and their place in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry is progressively growing because of it. Scents have the ability to touch our emotions and may evoke recollections of distinct periods of our lives.

For thousands of years, several ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and Chinese embraced aromatherapy as alternative medicine and a popular holistic approach to treat the mind, body and soul. The compounds from plants have been used in traditional and herbal medicine for a variety of psychological and physical ailments such as headaches, pain, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and even some skin conditions.

The Health Benefits of Essential Oils vs. Fragrances

Essential Oils

Pure essential oil blends are a highly concentrated volatile and complex blend of aromatic components collected from different parts of plants. They’re considered to be the principal medicinal agents and are produced roughly by seventeen thousand different plant species. Most quality pure essential oil blends are acquired through the process of steam distillation or solvent extractions and are not mixed with a carrier oil. Depending on the type of plant, the extraction process might be somewhat different.

Essential oils are pure oils which means they have not been treated, diluted, or otherwise modified with additional solvents or chemicals. Essential oils are difficult to synthesise since they might be composed of 50-500 distinct naturally occurring compounds found in plants. They are well-known for their capacity to soften and moisturise the skin, heal specific skin conditions like rashes and eczema, and can help with stress and migraines. Even if you have a cold, aromatherapy can provide relief for clogged sinuses.

Fragrance Oils

On the other hand, fragrance oils are man-made. They are made from a combination of fragrance compounds and natural substances like essential oils, extracts, and resins. Fragrance oils are synthetic and are created to resemble the natural scents from fruits and flowers.

Synthetic oils are made from chemical ingredients and are used in many commercial items because they last much longer than naturally occurring scents. Synthetic fragrance oils include a significant percentage of chemicals, so this raises concerns if you have any fragrance or chemical sensitivities. Synthetic fragrance oils may be branded as perfume, fragrance/ fragrance oil.

The more organic alternative to fragrance oils is natural fragrance oils. But still, these aroma oils are created in a lab. They’re composed of essential oils, absolutes, extracts, CO2s, and isolates of natural aromatic components extracted from the complex scent of essential oils. Natural perfumes are created in a laboratory, but they lack the synthetic components in regular fragrance oils.

Natural scent oils are still debatable as to whether they are actually natural. Even if they are drawn from nature, they are nonetheless made by human science. The most common ones are lemon-derived limonene, vanilla-derived vanillin, and rose-derived geraniol. If you have delicate skin, are allergic to particular smells, or are giving them as a gift to someone with allergies, these are the oils to choose from.

Fragrance oils are commonly used in scented candles, soaps and creams, massage oils and body lotions, rollerball fragrances, perfumes and colognes and for a pretty good reason. Fragrance oils may carry a considerably stronger and longer-lasting aroma.

The Best Ways to Use Oil Blends

Essential oils and fragrance oils can be used in a variety of ways, including aromatherapy, topically as massage oils and lotions, and sometimes as flavour in recipes. While many individuals apply them straight to the skin or use them in baths, others may use an olfactory system, such as a humidifier to spread their scent throughout a certain space.

If you decide to use them on your skin, be wary because something that is natural doesn’t imply that it’s safe to rub on your skin, breathe, or ingest. Natural compounds can irritate the skin or trigger allergic responses, so it’s better to start with a tiny patch and observe how it reacts. If an oil’s scent is too strong for you, or if your skin is sensitive, dilute it with a carrier oil, some use them like a massage-able blend mixed with olive, jojoba, or coconut oil. Massage with lavender and cedarwood essential oils for a calming effect, and Peppermint essential oil for a cooling effect on the muscles after a long day.

For traditional aromatherapy, it’s recommended to combine no more than five different oils in one mix, in order to allow each one to properly express its therapeutic capabilities. Few ways to use aromatherapy is through inhalers, bath salts, diffusers and aroma sticks. The many benefits of aromatherapy are reducing the pain in headaches, lowering the stress and anxiety levels, fight insomnia and many bacterial and virus inflammations.

Furthermore, did you know that a little hint of these natural fragrances is safe to use in cooking when processed correctly? Adding little amounts of safe essential oils to your recipes may significantly improve the flavour and health benefits of many dishes. Some people use peppermint, lemon, and orange, to flavour pastries, candies, and chocolates. Other, more herbal oils, like thyme and marjoram, are ideal for seasoning savoury meals like stews and sauces. Lavender and bergamot oils, in particular, are very popular in chocolate making. For safe use of essential oils in recipes, anything more than a drop amount may overpower your recipe and also damage your intestinal flora.