Examples of the power of aromatherapy can be seen in nearly every attempt. There are many ways to gain the benefits of the oils. Some oils just need to be sniffed from the bottle, while others need to be kneaded into the skin or added to a hot bath. Examples of these uses are mist sprays, bath blends, and massage oils for every use. Different oils can be mixed together to give different moods, like calming, relaxing, or energizing.
Certain oils are automatically connected with certain feelings, even to people who have never even heard of aromatherapy. Lavender has always been considered a soothing, calming oil, whereas Peppermint is considered energizing with its clear, sharp smell. Many oils can be found on the shelves of a spice rack, and so people can identify them easily- ginger, a warming oil good for muscle sprains; cinnamon, an uplifting oil with a spicy, sweet aroma; basil, an antiseptic oil, good for colds and the flu; and of course, black pepper, pungent and energizing.
Aromatherapy is organized into separate categories of formulas, ranging from aroma lamp blends to blends for skin care or sunburn. Oils are divided into little lists, like recipes, telling the maker how many drops of each oil are necessary to make the blend. Oils are mixed according to the ailment that they need to heal, albeit stress, pain, irritation, or other common troubles. For example, to make a massage oil to decrease tension, a soothing oil like lavender might be mixed with a mood uplifting oil, like mandarin. Adding a couple more to each category and adding a suitable carrier oil (a beneficial oil for the skin to dilute the essential oils and prevent irritation) would complete the blend.
