Harnessing Nature's Power | Some History On Essential Oils And How They Benefit Us.

You see the term essential oil all over the place these days, however information on what they are can be a bit vague, so we’re here to set the record straight and give you the key information you need to know when it comes to essential oils and how they can benefit us.

Origins and uses 

 

The earliest mentions of Essential Oils originate all the way back to 1188 in Muslim Spain, where it’s believed that they were first pressed for medicinal purposes. Today, with a big shift towards natural alternatives from synthetic ingredients, essential oils have become more popular than ever. North America is the biggest market, closely followed by Europe.

For the most part, they are used in more natural everyday products, like soap & creams. Interestingly they are also widely used across the food industry as flavouring. It also goes without saying that they are basis for aromatherapy practices.

Whatever you’re using them for, it’s important to watch out for synthetic alternatives, which are are often used as they are much cheaper to produce, but are much less effective and often harmful.

So what actually is an essential oil?

For starters, an essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance. Not to be confused as essential for humans, although they almost are in our books.

When it comes to production, they are generally extracted through distillation or through a cold press process, however it really depends from oil to oil. For example, fruit peel oils are generally pressed, and interestingly are often created as a by-product of the fruit juice industry.

Aromatherapy and Emotional Well-being

The connection between scent and mood

There are significant studies in both modern science and herbal tradition that points to the connection between specific scents and psychological states. Essentially, certain parts of our brain are so deeply connected that when we smell a certain fragrance it triggers an emotional response in the limbic system.

The response can vary from person to person, however for the most part things like citrus oils are generally considered to be uplifting and de-stressing, where as more floral oils tend to be more relaxing for example, the list goes on…

Physical health benefits

You could fill an entire library with books on the different uses of essential oils for our physical wellbeing. But to give you the very short and sweet version, oils can either be inhaled, ingested or applied. Let’s take a look at some examples!

Inhaling Lavender Oil -> This has been shown to help with sleep, with numerous studies showing this to be be true. This also the main reason we use it across our Sleeping Beauty Range.

Applying Tea Tree Oil -> There are strong studies showing how this oil has fantastic antimicrobial properties, making it great in many skincare products, like out Tea Tree Balm!

Ingesting Rosemary Oil -> There is some indication that this oil can help reduce inflammation. However studies aren’t totally conclusive. (Whilst essential oils can be ingested, we don't recommend doing this at home as some can be toxic) 

Why we use essential oils

At WiDEYE we use essential oils for a number of reasons. All our signature scents are made up of pure essential oils that are blended to create a unique mood-enhancing scent. We then use these across loads of different products, guaranteeing there aren’t nasty synthetic fragrances to worry about.

We also use them across our skin and body care range for the benefits they can have on our skin. For example, Geranium Essential Oil used in our balancing face cream is great for acne prone skin.

Now you know the basics of essential oils, it’s a wonderful world to dive in to and if you want to carry on exploring we’d certainly recommend it! Before we sign off though it’s also really important to make sure you’re using oils properly to prevent adverse reactions, especially when applying them topically or ingesting them.