Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Benefits Of Essential Oils

There are so many oils in the products we buy. Have you seen the words "essential oils" in products and wondered how those are different than other oils? Essential oils can be found in many marketed products as of late. But they are not new; they have been useful in societies for many years. The origins of essential oils will give insight to why we need and want them. It's important to understand what they are and learn the benefits and uses of these essential oils.

First, in defining what essential oils are it's important to know that these oils are not new just because they are being promoted in many basic household items. Essential oils have been useful to societies for thousands of years! However, recent research has shown that the usage of these oils may have many benefits; this is why you may see essential oils being featured on products.

Two types of oils exist. There are essential oils and regular fragrance oils. Essential oils always come from plants naturally. Fragrance oils are created synthetically. So let's discuss how essential oils come from plants. Essential oils are extracted from any type of plant life. This extraction happens through expression or distillation.

Essential oils are produced by extracting pure liquid or the "essence" of a plant. This extraction must occur through either a distilling or expressing process. In distilling essential oils, steam is used. In expressing essential oils, a cold-press method is used. The usage of these methods will depend on the kind of plant being used for extraction. Leaves, stems, flower, peel, bark, wood, roots, seeds and resin will all produce different types of essential oils when distilled or expressed.

The creation process of essential oils gives insight into why they are important. Because they are naturally from plants, they are pure and highly concentrated. However, this concentration does not feel oily at all. This high concentration will allow more benefits.

One of the great uses of essential oils is in the home. Some essential oils will actually repel pest. Other essential oils will naturally freshen living spaces. You can maintain your home without hash chemicals in using essential oils.

Aside from using essential oils in the home, body function improvement is another application. The topical use of essential oils may actually help improve or heal your body. However, people with allergies should consult a physician before using essential oils topically.

Certain kinds of essential oils can relax the mind as well as the body. And so, one of the most common uses of essential oils is for stress management. Essential oils may release mental tension because of their calming sent and thus, help reduce stress.