Lavender Bliss can be sprayed on sheets and towels. Lavender is known to be a calming and soothing scent.
Focus is used on the skin. It’s made with ginger, lime and lemon.
Peace Lotion is used on the skin. It’s made with lavender, the citrus fruit bergamot and patchouli plant.
Skin Care is made to heal and refresh. Spray on the skin 1-3 times a day to nourish and hydrate. It’s made with lavender, geranium, sandalwood and avocado.
Serenity is used on the skin or put into the bath or a diffuser. You should use 10-20 droplets. It’s made with orange, clary flower and sage.
Instead of popping pills the next time you’re stressed, achy or simply worn out, try using a different approach to treat your ailments.
Enter aromatherapy. Mostly used for medicinal purposes in Europe, this stress-buster is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. It uses the scents of natural oils on the skin or in the air to rejuvenate and replenish people both mentally and physically.
Susan Stuhr, an aromatherapist at Creative Wellness Holistic Health Center, 2025 Abbot Road, encourages people to expose themselves to aromatherapy every day.
“Immunity is its main focus,” Stuhr said, founder of Earthwerkes Aromatherapy products and an MSU alumna.
Essential oils, the pure botanical oils that are almost always used in aromatherapy, are mixed with base oils such as olive or apricot oil. The essential oils mix a few drops with the base for a beneficial result.
The oils then can be placed in an air diffuser or dripped into a candle to enjoy the scent in the environment.
“It’s a little bit of a science,” Stuhr said. She recommends combining oils to create an effective product.
While aromatherapy can be used by putting the oils directly onto the skin, or through the environment by smelling scents in the air, Stuhr recommends a bit of both.
She’s an advocate of the aromatherapy-massage combo.
“They’re like a match made in heaven,” Stuhr said.
“I do a little bit of neck, hand and foot massage during 20-minute inhalation sessions,” she said. “It’s a good way to get the body to receive aromatherapy.”
Sharon Richter, an aesthetician and educator for the Douglas J Aveda Institute, 331 E. Grand River Ave., said the elemental nature philosophy is essential in aromatherapy treatment. She said five elements are found within each person: infinity, fire, air, water and earth. Clients fill out a questionnaire to discover the elements that elevate them and the scents that are best for them.
“We have certain aromas to balance those elements,” Richter said. “If the person is fire, they tend to be more sensitive. We would use sandalwood and geranium to help balance that nature.”
The scents that energy healer Holly Perry uses in her aromatherapy treatment depend on the person being treated, she said, adding that aromatherapy is a good addition to anyone’s life. “I could have one bottle of oil that will affect people in different ways,” Perry said.
But the hustle and bustle of everyday life prevent people from utilizing aromatherapy, she said.
“We live in such a stress-filled world,” Perry said. “We’re not taught in our culture to really take care of us.”
Aromatherapy doesn’t have to be left to the professionals. Several organic and health food stores have aromatherapy products that can be used in the home.
“You can start by going and smelling and paying attention to what smells make you feel good,” Perry said. “It’s really wonderful to see what you’re drawn to.”
Retail junior Lauren Taflinger has her favorites when it comes to using aromatherapy on her own. “I like aromatherapy candles,” Taflinger said. “I have some in my room.”
Taflinger said she uses candles which have a deep lilac scent.
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“From seeing them in other stores, I think it’s supposed to be calming,” Taflinger said. “My mom got it for me as a gift because she loves them too.”
Candle and plug-in diffusers also can be used in the home to create a scent-stimulating environment.
For students such as Ann Stavale, an applied engineering sciences junior, aromatherapy’s growing popularity adds to its appeal.
“I’ve never used it but I would consider it,” Stavale said.
Instead of saving aromatherapy for meltdown days, Perry said it can be used every day.
“It doesn’t have to be, ‘I feel really terrible today, what oil can I use,’” she said.
“It can just be a way of being.”
