• Properties of essential oils – how to enjoy them
• Smell and our well-being

Each of us probably has our own tried-and-true methods for combating fatigue—it might be physical activity, a favorite food, or contact with nature. When stressed or in a bad mood, it's also worth ensuring that our immediate surroundings exude a relaxing atmosphere. The best way to relax is with aromatherapy at home, which uses the beneficial properties of essential oils.

By surrounding yourself with the right scent, you can not only support the relaxation process but also improve your well-being, give yourself an energy boost, and even boost your immunity. It's therefore worth knowing the uses of essential oils and the best ways to use them.

Properties of essential oils – how to enjoy them

Essential oils can be used in many different ways, such as incorporating them into everyday beauty treatments or to aromatize the air in a particular room - and when we talk about relaxation and unwinding, it will most likely be a bathroom or a bedroom.

Essential oils can be used during bathing by adding your favorite scent to warm water. A bath prepared this way helps you relax, soothe your muscles, and also serves as part of your evening preparation for sleep. Lavender, sage, or rose oil are most commonly used for this purpose; they are perfectly relaxing and make it easier to calm the body. A well-chosen oil can also energize. Citrus, herbal (e.g., eucalyptus), and spicy scents gently stimulate the body, so it's worth using them in the morning (e.g., by adding a few drops to your favorite body lotion) or when your energy levels drop during the day.

The most common way to use essential oils is to release their fragrance through special vessels and devices, such as:

• fragrant fireplaces,
• Humidifier,
• special nebulizers,

In any of these cases, the oil should be diluted with water so that the resulting aroma is not too intense and the device is not damaged (and is easy to clean).

Smell and our well-being

An extraordinary property of the sense of smell is the ability to link smells to specific memories. Therefore, it often happens that certain aromas evoke memories from our childhood or events that we remember fondly. This is because the olfactory system has a direct connection to the amygdala and the limbic system in the brain, which are responsible for storing memories and associating certain emotions with them.

The properties of essential oils have been valued for thousands of years and are still used today to relieve tension, as well as the symptoms of certain illnesses or mood swings. Oils such as pine , eucalyptus , sage , or mint are often used to prepare inhalations to relieve the symptoms of colds (cough, stuffy nose, irritated mucous membranes). Some oils, such as anise or cinnamon, are particularly valued in folk medicine for their antiviral and antibacterial properties, so they can also be used in diluted form directly on irritations or skin changes.

High-quality, 100% essential oils are best suited for home aromatherapy treatments. The properties of the natural oil and the intensity of its fragrance depend primarily on the method used to extract it. Steam distillation is the most commonly used method in the production of essential oils, which allows you to preserve the richness of valuable ingredients and obtain the highest quality raw materials.