Essential Oils: LUXE, POTENT, VITAL

Essential oils can improve digestion, skin health, mood and more.

Once confined to yoga classes and massages, essential oils have officially entered the mainstream. Made up of superconcentrated aromatic compounds that have been distilled and extracted from plants, the oils surged in popularity when scientists dis covered they have compelling and wide-ranging effects on our health, thanks to substances known as odourants. “More than 50 odourants from essential oils have recently been identified and shown to do things such as improve sleep, reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and even accelerate skin regeneration,” says Hanns Hatt, a professor in the department of cell physiology at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, who is pioneering much of the recent research on odourants. Powerful essential oils are catching on, and they’re popping up all over – in beauty products, drinks, deodorants and cleaning solutions. Here’s your guide to everything essential oil.

HOW THEY WORK

Essential oils can be applied to the skin, inhaled or ingested in drinks such as tea. The odourants in them are distributed throughout your bloodstream, Hann’s says. From there, his research shows, they attach to and activate your olfactory receptors and branch out to your skin, heart, kidneys, intestines and lungs. Depending on the type you use, essential oils can do things like help ease a migraine headache, boost skin-cell turnover to promote wound healing, and make you feel more alert.

Some essential oils have even been shown to reduce bacteria and viruses. Thymol, an odourant in thyme essential oil with antibacterial properties, is used in many disinfectants and household cleaners. As you remove germs from your surfaces, thymol is released into the air, where it may support the respiratory system, says Cher Kaufmann, a certified aromatherapist and the author of Nature’s Essential Oils.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

You can purchase products with essential oils in them, such as skin creams and cleaning solutions. You can also buy the oils pure to use in a diffuser or add to unscented lotions. But beware: Some compa nies put synthetic fragrances in their oils, which may not have therapeutic qualities, Cher says. To ensure you’re getting a pure product, look for the plant’s Latin name on the bottle, an indicator that it’s the real thing, she says. The bottle should be dark-coloured glass, which prevents light exposure and doesn’t degrade like plastic. Before you buy, Cher says, check the company’s website to make sure it does gas chromatography–mass spectronomy (GC-MS) testing for quality assurance.

FINDING THE SWEET SPOT

These oils need to be used in measured dosages. Over  doing them is a common mistake, and high concentrations – the amount you’d get if you let a diffuser run all day, for example – will overload the body’s sensory systems and overstimulate the trigeminal nerve in your brain, leading to headaches, nausea and dizziness, Hanns says. To use the oils safely, run diffusers for no more than 30 minutes at a time, then take a break for an hour or two, says Cher. Or look for a model with an interval mode, like Stadler Form Lea ($188, www.lazada.sg/blue-orange-resources-pte-ltd), which disperses oil for 10 minutes and then shuts off  for 20 minutes. Run it for an hour or two, then take an equal amount of time off.

If you’re applying an oil topically, always dilute it to avoid skin reactions. If you have sensitive skin, start with a 1 per cent concentration, which is the equivalent of seven to nine drops of essential oil blended with roughly 28g of a neutral oil such as jojoba, argan and grapeseed. Dilutions of 2 to 3 per cent (12 to 27 drops of essential oil to about 28g of neutral oil) are safe for general use, Cher says. But always try a small, diluted amount of the oil on your forearm before using it all over, and switch oils every two to four weeks so you don’t become overly sensitised to one. Finally, check the bottle for additional cautions. Many citrus oils, for instance, can increase your reactivity to UV light.