How I Use aromatherapy in my life…

 

Aromatherapy has bettered my life, my work, and my role as a mother.  Pleasing to the senses, and beneficial to body and soul – I couldn’t imagine my life without the healing powers of essential oils.

In my day to day life, I consistently use citrus oils to lift my spirits, and energize me for the day.  A favourite of mine is grapefruit.  I most often diffuse essential oils into my living space, but also add a few drops to a washcloth in my shower.  I use other oils to help fight infections: whenever I feel a cold coming on I bring out essential oils that have antibacterial, antiviral and immune stimulating properties such as tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, lavender, and bergamot.  If ever I am congested I steam with thyme, oregano, lavender, and tea tree for fast relief.  When anxious or overly stressed I would add some juniper, sandalwood, and petitgrain to a relaxing bath.  The use of essential oils has been a big part of my everyday life for years.  When I became pregnant it was difficult for me to drop the use of so many oils that had become such a part of my life – this began my intense interest in the use of essential oils throughout the childbearing year.

Throughout my pregnancy I worked with my doula to create blends safe to use, and appropriate for various side effects of being pregnant.  I battled varicose veins with bergamot and geranium, I eased my many headaches with helichrysum, lavender and grapefruit, and I prevented stretchmarks with rich base oils blended with sandalwood, petitgrain, frankincense, and ylang ylang.  During my very long labour I had basil and jasmine oils massaged into my body to help regulate my contractions, and ease pain.  For the postpartum period I took relaxing baths with epsom salts combined with geranium essential oil to aid in perineal healing, I relieved mastitis by massaging a base oil with geranium and frankincense to relieve the blocked ducts.  I diffused jasmine, rose and neroli into my home to fight the baby blues, and I added lavender and roman chamomile to my son’s night time routine to aid his sleep – and mine!  I  can’t imagine how I would have survived those exhausting and overwhelming days without the use of essential oils to aid my body through this natural process.  I felt that using essential oils throughout the childbearing year helped me such a lot, that my doula and I decided to start our own business making these benefits accessible to other women.  We started our business when my son was 3 months old – I made the decision that I wanted to stay home with him, and work from home in a field I was passionate about until I can attend school to become a midwife.  I currently work as a doula, and make natural products for moms and babies.  In my doula work I use the same oils for my clients’ labours (providing there are no contraindications for health issues they may have) and provide them with the blends to aid them through the joyful and overwhelming postpartum period.  My business partner and I are very careful to use only 1% concentrations in all our blending as pregnant women, and babies are very sensitive to essential oils.  I am so happy to see other people benefiting as I am from the powerful advantages provided to us from nature, through the use of essential oils.

At 13 months, my son is teething quite badly.  I use roman chamomile in his bath to help ease the pain before he goes to sleep.  He loves his sweet scented baths!  He is a healthy boy, but over the holiday season he had a stomach flu – it was awful to see him suffer through that, and quite a mess!  I used a tea tree and lemon mist to spot clean his toys and our carpet.  It was amazing how they not only cleaned the area, but deodorized them too!  I also could use it feeling confident that it was the safest thing I could use to clean and disinfect our surroundings while he was sick – no harsh chemicals around my little guy.

I encourage friends and family to enjoy the benefits of natural alternatives to synthetically fragranced skin care, harsh cleansing agents, and even some medications.  If used appropriately and carefully, essential oils can provide many people with countless benefits.  I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to educate myself further on the benefits and safety precautions associated with various essential oils through West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy 101 course.  I look forward to learning even more in 201, and as I continue my learning and experience working with aromatherapy in my personal and professional life.