Known as a holistic remedy for physical and mental ailments, aromatherapy uses the essential oils from plants as healing medicine when used individually or mixed in with medicines and a variety of other products. You can find candles, bath products, body lotions, perfumes, and cosmetics that contain essential oils. Prices vary, but you can purchase aromatherapy products to match just about any budget. It all depends on what you buy and what ailments you are treating.

Is aromatherapy effective?

Aromatherapy products are powerful in smell, sending signals to the brain immediately upon inhalation. It truly doesn't take long for your brain to react, making your body feel the effects. Since we associate smells with moods, it is very easy to see how this works. Just take the smell of coffee or chocolate - how do their scents make you feel? Energized? Refreshed? Awake? Now try smelling tangerine or peppermint oil. You'll notice similar effects! What better way of inducing a general feel-good morning ritual than to shower with a shower gel or soap in those scents? Essential oils in their pure form can also be used on the skin to help heal aches and problem areas. Tea tree oil is an antiseptic, cooling on the skin. Rose water makes a great facial toner. Vanilla and lavender soothe your nerves and induce tranquility.

What should you look for?

When choosing products for aromatherapy purposes, you will most likely be bombarded with more than enough choices. Perhaps the greatest deterrent is in seeing the more costly products, so you shy away from them and opt for something else at a fraction of the cost. This is a mistake that can rob you of any benefits derived from the essential oils contained within! For certainly you can purchase things like rose water, lemon oil, and lavender oil solely or mixed in with other products at affordable prices. But when is paying more money worth it? Well, for one thing, certain oils are harder to obtain, because they cost more to make, thus reflected in the price. I have personally seen frankincense oil as much as over $200 for a 4 oz. bottle! But that is because the trees are only in certain parts of the world (such as Somalia or the Arabian penninsula) and the oil is extracted twice a year, for brief periods. And since the trees themselves grow in high, rocky locations, it is not an easy task to undertake. Generally-speaking, you'll find that easier to find oils (especially from plants that can be grown locally) are much cheaper. While you might think you are still getting a good deal by purchasing something that is cheaper, you'll want to check the label. If you buy an aromatherapy product that is not in its pure form (100%), you may not feel any benefits from it at all!

There are many organic product lines out there touting aromatherapy properties, some better than others. Just about any retailer these days carries some well-known brands that work; but the best choices will be from specialty stores like Whole Foods, Fresh Market, The Body Shop, Aveda, or even pharmacies and specialty retailers online whose sole focus is aromatherapy products. Some effective product lines include:

Elemis
Avalon
Burt's Bees
The Healing Garden
Kiss My Face

You can also conduct online searches to find even more brands that carry essential oils and products containing them to suit your needs. Why not make your own aromatherapy recipes? The great thing about aromatherapy is that you don't have to do much for a product to work. A little goes a long way - which is why it is so crucial to find as pure a source as possible, so it will last a while and prove your money's worth. You can purchase the oils and use them in a diffuser as a healing air freshener, or mix them in your bath water for the ultimate soak.