What are essential oils?
Simply put, they are natural oils typically obtained by distillation from plants. We use essential oils for a variety of things and why we may not necessarily *need* them in our lives, they sure do help us when we need them. Plants are vital to our life and the essential oils that we buy in the shops are distilled from plants. I know that plenty of my friends and family use essential oils on a regular basis and was recently offered the chance to try out some of the essential oils available at Essence of Arcadia. After a discussion with Rebecca about her products and their uses, I was kindly sent the 14 pack and the 6 pack to see how I got on with them. I already have a few diffusers at home and a very small selection of oils that people had gifted me but I was interested to see how I got on with these. Essence of Arcadia say:
Essence of Arcadia was born to celebrate aromatherapy and essential oils. We believe that aromatherapy is a thing of beauty and that its products should reflect this. We only sell the finest, therapeutic grade oils that are unmixed and pure. Every oil is checked and has the relevant certification so you know you are in safe hands.
Why do we need them?
Certain essential oils have their own uses and I recently asked a couple of my blogging friends for their favourite essential oils and what they use them for.
Laura recommends lavender and tea tree for their antiseptic properties and Tina mentions that tea tree is effective when it comes to headlice whilst Rachel sings its praises in regards to spots.
Lisa mentioned that she used lavender for her anxiety and Rachel talks about how it is helpful for helping you sleep. Sam is a wealth of information about essential oils and talks about geranium being good for acne, chamomile for relaxing, eucalyptus for colds and ylang ylang is good for hair growth. Meanwhile Vicky talks about essential oils at length in her blog post.
As you can see, there are so many uses for essential oils in our lives and we would often turn to expensive stuff from the pharmacy to treat these when in fact, essential oils are natural and can do the job much better.
As I mentioned, I was sent two different sets from the Essence of Arcadia range. There was a nice selection of essential oils in each including lavender, cinnamon, peppermint and bergamot. There was some duplicates as I expected as some people would choose either the bigger or smaller set, not both usually.
I found the little booklet that came within the larger box an interesting read as it outlined the oils inside, all about them and their benefits with a link to order that particular oil separately if needs be. There were even some fantastic recipes printed in the booklet – one for fighting fatigue, one to improve concentration and another to get a full nights sleep. I am yet to try one of these recipes but I am especially interested in the concentration one – I can often be distracted!
I have only tried a handful of the essential oils so far as I haven’t had a need for most just yet. The eucalyptus has been helpful in keeping a cold at bay and whilst I am not the biggest fan of the scent of lavender, there is no denying its effectiveness when it comes to laying your head down to rest at night.
I am looking forward to trying the other essential oils in the pack as and when required and am certainly more interested to their uses. I always knew of the uses of some such as lavender and tea tree but to find out just what benefits these oils can offer is really interesting.
Essential oils are so ‘essential’ to my life, they really do help to provide a relaxing atmosphere so its easy to see why people love them and places like spas use them. Paired with a wall fountain in the spa (or even your home if you’re lucky enough), the two together can work together to provide a serene environment.
Do you use essential oils? What ones would you recommend?
I have used lavender near my pillow to aid sleeping but I have not tried any others although I have read about their benefits. These sets sound really nice.
I’m a big fan of the properties of essential oils. I made myself some oil spritzers for when I went into labour with my son. A citrus one to keep me going and uplifted, and a lavender one to chill me out if things got a bit too much (I used the second one a lot more). I also made one to deal with any nauseous feelings and I really am grateful I had them with me! x
I adore essential oils and do find Lavender relaxing and great for stress relief. I have a whole list of oils that I like and use x
I’ve always shied away from any other than the standard essential oils everyone knows about. However, I will have a look at these ones now you’ve checked them out!
Yes I am big fan of using essential oils. I use lavender in the bedrooms to help wind down when it is time to sleep and get a good nights rest. I use sandlewood in the living room as I find that energizing.
I often use lavender to help me get to sleep. Plus, it smells amazing 🙂
Yes I am a huge fan of them and their health properties and have a variety of them for differnet results
I love the scent of lavender, it’s so relaxing and I usually put a drop or two on my pillow so that I can sleep better 🙂
I haven’t really tried essential oils before but I am beginning to get into them. I thought they just smell nice but it’s amazing what benefits they can have.
I want to try essential oils out and see if they help me get to sleep easier. It might be worth a shot!
The only essential oil I have in the house is some tea tree oil for emergency spot treatment. It’s pretty handy to have. 🙂
I love essential oils – lavender for relaxation, citrus and peppermint oils to wake me up. These look like pretty good sets, especially if you are just getting into essential oils
Looks like a lovely little selection. I must admit I am partial to some lavender – I honestly believe it has calming qualities. x
I haven’t ever really used essential oils, I’m not really sure where to even start!
I have always wondered what is so ‘essential’ about these oils! Tea tree is the only one I can really get any use out of but it does work wonders for the skin!
This is such a great little set! I’m a big fan of essential oils, I often use one called ‘Melissa’ which is for calming/stressful situations, I believe it really helps.
I love having a kind of oil around the house. Comes in handy. Love lavender.
Interesting post, never thought to use oils before.
Hi,
Rebecca Thank you so much for your lovely Review and article on our Essential Oils, and to all your blogging friends too for their favourite oils suggestions, My personal favourites are Lavender, and also I like Citrus blends of Bergamot and Grapefruit to energise and freshen up my work space.
Im so glad you are enjoying them!
Many Thanks
Becky
http://www.essenceofarcadia.com
I have to admit I often use them in my diffuser – great way to make a room smell amazing and relax when you want. x