Massage Oils
Sweet Almond Oil - great for all skin types. Best oil to use on children or babies. Helps relieve itchiness, dry skin, general soreness & inflammation.
Apricot Kernel Oil - All skin types, especially the elderly & those with dry skin.Good oil to use on the face because it is very light & easily absorbed. Wheatgerm - Great for prematurely aging skin, psoriasis & eczema. Not for use on children. Not to be used on its own. This is a very heavy oil & I strongly recommend that you use a very refined variety,otherwise it has a strong odour & will effect any recipe. But I do suggest you have this oil making up about 5% of your carrier oil blend. Due to it's antioxidant properties, it makes a fantastic preservative to your blend. Rich in vitamins. Grapeseed Oil - Not recommended for sensitive skin, psoriasis or eczema. Easily absorbed & very versatile. Sunflower Oil - Not widely used by many natural therapists, but is easy to obtain, inexpensive & can be used for massage. Avocado Oil - Wonderful for dehydrated & dry skin. Best used in combination with another carrier oil. Rich in vitamins. Jojoba oil - Useful for older skins, eczema, psoriasis, inflamed, dry, red skin & acne. Choose your carrier oil from those listed above. I recommend that you include 5% of your blend as Wheatgerm Oil. This will help prevent your mix going rancid. As a general rule of thumb. Use 3 drops of essential oil for each 10ml of carrier oil. Avoid 'fragrance' oils, as these do not contain the beneficial constituents as essential oils. Read the label to be sure you are getting what you pay for. For example, if you purchase rose essential oil (rose otto, rose absolute)that isn't expensive. It is likely that it isn't pure rose oil. Approximately 60k rose blooms are required to make just 15gms of rose essential oil. That's alot of roses! Some rose essential oil has already been blended with a carrier oil to make it more affordable. Below is a short list of some common oils & some information on them. Basil - Warming oil. Stimulates the mind helping to relieve fatigue. It is a very potent oil so to help avoid over stimulating the nervous system, only use sparingly. Avoid during pregnancy. Camomile - Middle. Great for tired, aching muscles. Eases anxiety & tension. But avoid during pregnancy. Cedarwood - Base. Wonderful oil for uplifting the spirits. Useful to use while meditating. Helps give courage. Avoid during pregnancy. Eucalyptus - Top. Great for a cold! Has fantastic anti-bacterial, anti-septic & anti-viral properties. But be careful in pregnancy & those that suffer epilepsy &/or high blood pressure.. Geranium - Middle. The great balancer. When your down, it helps you back up. If your too stimulanted, it helps balance you back out by putting the mind back into balance. Very versitile. Be careful during pregnancy because it regulates hormones.. Jasmine - Middle. A lovely warming oil. Like Geranium, it is a must have in the collection. Lavender - Middle. Soooothing...Very widely used oil in so many things. If you love Lavender, I recommend that you try Lavender ice-cream! YUM! Lemongrass - Top. Soothing on the muscles, especially tired legs after a long days work, & stimulating, reviving and energising on the mind. Useful in states of exhaustion. Helps relieve some of the symptoms of jet lag & helps to clear headaches. Is said to also aid the flow of milk in nursing mothers. But use only in low doses. Neroli - Middle/Base. I like to think of it as one of Mother Nature's tranquillisers. Noticeably hypnotic and somewhat euphoric, they say it infuses the feeling of inner peace by helping to relieve stress, chronic anxiety & depression. Patchouli - Base. If you need mental grounding, this is a wonderful oil to use. Helps to clarify the mind & bring unity. A great choice for a sensual massage due to it's positive effect on the libido. Fantastic to help tone the skin & tissue regenerating skills. Also helps combat heavy sweating & acts as a deodorant. Known to reduce the appetite. But please, as with all oils, use in correct doses. Peppermint - Top. A master in revitalising the mind. Common for a foot soak due to it's cooling & pain relieving actions. Not to be used by pregnant or nursing mothers. Try using this oil to relieve a toothache or headache. This oil is more suited to use in oil burners. Tea Tree - Top. This is a sensational oil that helps strengthen the immune system. Amazing anti-bacterial, anti-fungal & anti-viral properties. The benefits of this oil are just too long to describe here. But, trust me, it is a must have in any bathroom & kitchen cupboard. Similar to Eucalyptus & not popular for a sensual massage. Great for massage if you have a cold though! Vetiver - Base. Another mental grounder for those that feel out of balance. Helps to settle nerves. Good for muscular aches and pains & helps relieve some types of athritis. A tonic for the reproductive system. Great to use in the bath. Ylang Ylang - Middle. Another of my favourites. This oil is fantastic to use in a sensual massage. Relaxing & soothing. This oil is just lush on the senses with it's antidepressant and aphrodisiac qualities. Plus has anti-septic qualities too! Not to be used excessively as it may cause headaches, nausea & some skin irritations. Try mixing with Vetiver &/or Jasmine. You will notice that next to the oils is either top, middle or base. This is the oils blending 'note'. They relate to how quickly they evaporate. Top notes will be the ones you smell first. They are the most volatile ones. An example of a top note would be the citris oils. Middle notes don't evaporate as fast as top notes & linger longer. An example are the herbaceous oils, such as Lavender & Jasmine. And finally the base notes. These have long lasting scents & will be around when the other notes have evaporated. An example is Patchouli & Sandalwood. Try to use atleast one of each note in your blends. A great way to experiment with the oils is to put a drop of each oil on some blotting paper. Smell each oil separately, then try some together. With the middle & base notes, you may need to add a few drops more to get the desired blend. The information contained in the pages of Aradiia.com are a guide only & are not designed to replace medical advice. For any medical advice, see your localHealth Clinic or doctor.