Essential Oil Massage

One of the greatest pleasures in a woman’s life is discovering little ways to console her righteous husband. After a stressful day, most men would be delighted to receive a nice relaxation massage from their wife. Although loving touch can be a heavenly experience which decreases stress and improves muscle functionality, the thoughtful use essential oils further enhances the health benefits of massage. Essential oils are what give plants their unique fragrance. These oils are very concentrated and are considered “plant medicines”. Each has a unique ability to affect mood and health in varying ways. These properties make essential oils a wonderful addition to a massage.

Essential oils are generally very safe to use if your follow common sense guidelines. Essential oils are extremely concentrated plant oils. Pure essential oils are not the same as the perfume oils you can purchase from street vendors. Authentic essential oils vary in price, depending on their quality and the difficulty in producing them. Some oils such as lemon and tangerine may be priced under $10 per 10ml bottle, other oils such as pure jasmine or rose oil may be $60-100 (or more) per 10ml bottle. Cheap oil imitations may smell pleasant, but they don’t have health benefits.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Many oils are flammable; keep away from open flames.
• Some oils, including many citrus oils, are phototoxic. This means one should not venture out in harsh sunlight after applying these oils unless they have been extremely diluted. Doing so could cause nasty burns on one’s skin.
  
• With a few exceptions, such as lavender, always dilute essential oils in a carrier oil before using them on the skin. Water does not dilute essential oils.
• Keep essential oils away from the eyes, genitals, and other sensitive areas.
• Store oils in a cool, dark place.

In order to safely use most essential oils for massage, you must dilute them into some type of “carrier oil” or lotion. Carrier oils are neutral, non-irritating oils such as safflower, sunflower, apricot, grapeseed, olive, avocado, or jojoba oil. Because essential oils are so strong, they can irritate the skin if they are applied neat (at full strength). Adding essential oils into a carrier oil is an inexpensive way to create quality all-natural oils for massage.

Some of the benefits of various essential oils include:

• Skin clarification
• Increased alertness
• Relaxation
• Relief from some headaches and muscle tension
• Improved digestion
• Relief from menstrual symptoms
• Anti-depressant

 
 There are many varieties of oil commonly available online or in health food stores. Experiment and see which ones you like best. Some floral scents smell feminine, but most essential oils are unisex or masculine. Lavender, for example, is marketed as a feminine scent. However, when you smell the pure essential oil, in contrast to a cheap lavender perfume oil or blend, it is unisex. Never assume an essential oil is ultra-feminine until you smell it for yourself.

The following are a few common essential oils and some of their uses:

• Basil- insomnia, insect bites, muscle aches, fatigue
• Bergamot- soothes muscles, alertness
• Clary Sage- menstrual symptoms, mental clarity, stress
  
• Eucalyptus- respiratory, invigorating
  
• Frankincense- calming, meditation, respiratory
• Geranium- asthma, menstrual/menopausal symptoms, depression, detoxification
• Ginger- sore muscles, colds, digestion, arthritis
• Grapefruit- stress and depression, weight loss
• Jasmine- relaxation, menstrual cramps
• Lavender- depression and stress, soothes skin
• Lemon- antibacterial, deodorizing, alertness, colds
• Lime- antibacterial, energizing, colds
• Neroli- mood disorders, digestion
• Orange- invigorating, mood disorders, colds
• Patchouli- good for skin disorders, depression
• Peppermint- headaches, fatigue, oral hygiene
• Rosemary- memory, sore muscles, colds, clarity
• Sandalwood- relaxation, meditation, sleep, alertness
• Thyme- immunity, stress, anti-inflammatory

 
If you are not comfortable diluting essential oil for topical use, you may choose to invest in an aromatherapy diffuser. This works well because it diffuses the scent throughout the room and adds a pleasant light humidity to the air. Diffusers range in price and are available in many attractive styles.

To better understand the benefits and safety considerations of oils, invest in a book or basic class in essential oils. You can find several online.

Beware of multilevel marketing companies which overcharge for essential oils and use poorly educated reps who often make wild, unrealistic, and irresponsible claims about the benefits of their products. A wife must be a domestic engineer. She must study and learn to apply the sciences of life, not merely depend on "snake oil salesmen" or "bean soup scientists" for guidance. Natural health topics are a wonderful and necessary area for self-development in homemaking.