How Being Intentional with Essential Oils Works

By Caryn Gehlmann

Many of us have experienced major upheavals in our routines this year and still don’t know quite what to expect in the future. It can be especially stressful for parents who want to guide their children through the challenges with their education — school online from home, strange part-time school schedules, going back to school but with difficult safety protocols. Life can feel a bit out of control! So I wanted to focus this Just for the Smell of It post on how being intentional with essential oils can help us make healthier choices for ourselves and for our families throughout the day.

Aromatherapy can be a very intentional approach to wellness. Especially if you take ownership of your experience and listen to your nose! Here are three tips on how being intentional with essential oils can help you feel more grounded amid so much upheaval.

1) Be intentional about safety, especially when using fragrances and essential oils with your children.

Many common household cleaning and personal care products contain fragrances. Your children can be exposed to scented detergents, lotions, lip gloss, candles, and even art markers. Synthetic fragrances can trigger allergic and asthmatic responses for many, and studies are showing just how hazardous indoor air pollution can be. I found this FAQ article from the Children’s Environmental Health Network to be informative on the synthetic chemicals in fragrances that can be harmful to children’s health.

Many parents want products that feature chemical-free fragrance, here’s a list of recipes that utilize natural essential oils:

Skincare Recipes
Household Diffusing Recipe
Cleaning Spray Recipe
Fresh Air Spritzer Recipe
Simple Antibacterial/Antifungal Recipe
Dish Soap Recipe
Oven Cleaner Recipe
Furniture Polish Recipe

However, just because essential oils are natural, doesn’t mean they can’t be hazardous to your health if used incorrectly. This is especially true with your children! Please familiarize yourself with safety guidelines before using any essential oils with your children. If you have any specific questions, our clinical aromatherapists are available to answer them.

2) Be intentional with aromatherapy by customizing a scent for your body.

We recently had a customer ask us: how long does the scent of dilutes last when using as a perfume?

Great question! First, a quick chemistry lesson. Perfumes are defined as a 30% ratio to the base. e3’s dilutes are a 5% dilution and are meant not as a “perfume” but for an individual to experience a precious oil at an affordable price. Essential oil fragrances simply won’t last as long as traditional perfumes because they’re all-natural with no chemicals.

But here’s the thing with scent, it depends on your body. There are many factors such as body chemistry, body temperature, how dry your skin is, etc. That’s where intention comes in! You can experiment with creating different blends and apply them to see how they smell on you. We’re all different, your best friend’s scent may not be yours. If you want to explore the Art & Science of Blending Essential Oils, download our free workbook and we’ll walk you through it! We also offer samples to make it easy to experiment until you find your favorite.

Also, just because you can’t smell it on your skin doesn’t mean the scent isn’t there. Our olfactory system gets used to it and it fades for us but others can still smell it on us. And the desired aroma “therapy” of mental or emotional support can last longer than we can smell it.

3) Be intentional about what and who you focus your energy on.

In this period of social distancing, it is easy to feel isolated and focused on our own problems. This is why here at e3 we’ve been talking about sharing aromatherapy hugs. Giving someone a thoughtful gift is a great way to shift your focus and feel a whole lot better! Scientific research is backing this up since fMRI technology shows that giving activates the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by food and sex.

For children, much of the world may feel scary and out of our control, so parents can help their children be intentional as well. How can you help your children shift away from anxious thoughts and focus on something or someone else? Perhaps you could plant an aromatherapy garden together this spring? Or could you make a lavender sachet, bake some cookies, or some other creative craft that could be a thoughtful gift for a friend, teacher, or family member? Some families are getting a new pet, if you can’t get an actual pet, a pet plant or even a pet rock can help children focus on healthier emotions.

We’d love to hear from you about how being intentional with essential oils is going to become part of your wellness routine this year. Please join us on Facebook for more tips and suggestions.