How To Use Aromatherapy For The Best Valentine’s Day Ever!
Fragrant oils have been used for healing and in ritual magic since the times of the ancient Egyptians, and records show that they were already known as the finest perfumers throughout the Middle East, and beyond.
When Egypt was conquered by the Romans about 50 years before the birth of Christ, a triumphant Julius Caesar returned home with Cleopatra plus a vast amount of knowledge regarding the use of aromatics for healing, beauty, and romance.
Cleopatra didn’t waste any time putting this recently acquired expertise to use, and it is well documented how she used the hypnotic aroma of rose petals to entice Mark Anthony into her bedroom. The rest, as they say, is history.
Thanks to the vast array of sensual essential oils available in aromatherapy today, you can easily take a leaf out of Cleopatra’s book and enjoy your most romantic Valentine’s Day celebrations ever! Make plans to stay at home with the one you love this year and you could enjoy a sensuous, aromatic experience far more intimate than a meal in a crowded restaurant. Light up a few romantic candles, put some exotic essential oils in your aromatherapy diffuser, and discover for yourself how aromatherapy can really spice up your love life!
Smells affect your mood
Our sense of smell is over 10,000 times more sensitive than our sense of taste, and researchers continue to investigate how certain aromas excite the brain, causing activation of the hypothalamus gland, the pituitary gland and the body’s hormones. Aromas also stimulate the limbic system, which is the part of the brain that controls sensations of pleasure, emotions and memory.
Research has also revealed that essential oils influence the brain by causing its complex chemistry to subtly change. During controlled experiments it has been proven many times that essential oils will produce specific and repeatable emotional responses in an individual, for example; aphrodisiac essential oils have the ability to invoke romantic feelings. This is how Cleopatra managed to successfully seduce Mark Anthony with the aroma of those rose petals!
Seductive essential oils
- Rose oil still reigns supreme as the most seductive of all essential oils, with a powerful sensual effect that can be used alone or blended with many other oils such as lavender, geranium or frankincense. A combination of just 2 drops of rose otto essential oil and 1 drop of sandalwood smells very sexy and sophisticated. Perfect for showing how much you love your partner on Valentine’s Day.
- Jasmine is another alluring oil ideal for romantic close encounters. Reputed to be a sacred flower in ancient Persia, jasmine is said to attract a lover due to its irresistible aroma. This oil is thought to help with frigidity and impotence, perhaps because of its reputation of instilling confidence and alleviating fear. You can easily reduce the sweetness of jasmine absolute by mixing it with a drop of grapefruit, bergamot or frankincense essential oils.
- Ginger essential oil promises to bring some heat to the occasion! This aphrodisiac essential oil is exotic, spicy, and full of eastern promise, so be sure to give it a try! Use ginger oil to add a spicy note to your romantic blends – it combines perfectly with ylang ylang, sandalwood and rose.
- Neroli essential oil has a beautiful aroma that appeals to both men and women. In common with both rose and jasmine, neroli essential oil is a complete fragrance in itself and doesn’t require mixing with any other oil, unless you want to. Victorian brides traditionally wore a sprig of neroli in their bridal head dress and also included neroli buds in the bridal bouquet so that the beautiful aroma would help to instill a feeling of calm assurance during the ceremony, and unleash their sensuality on the wedding night!
- Ylang ylang essential oil is a powerful relaxant that can help to allay nervousness and anxiety for those who are shy prior to making love. Ylang seems to have the ability to harmonise the emotional and sensual part of our being, releasing the fear of sensuality. These qualities, together with its passionate and arousing action make ylang ylang essential oil perfect essential oil for Valentine’s Day.
Love is in the air
The easiest way to enjoy the mood-enhancing effects of essential oils is to use an aromatherapy diffuser or burner to disperse their therapeutic properties into the air. The tiny essential oil molecules are absorbed into bloodstream when they are inhaled, and from there they circulate around the body and up to the brain where they activate a physical response. When you choose essential oils known for their aphrodisiac qualities such as those above, you can be confident they will get the party going with your significant other!
On Valentine’s Day, however, an aromatherapy massage is probably the most enjoyable way for you and your partner to enjoy the seductive power of aroma because of the alluring power of fragrance and the sensuality of touch combined. You don’t need to do a full body massage to get the best results either, because a back massage can be highly effective and irresistibly seductive. If time is limited, you can even just enjoy a simple neck and shoulder massage.
If you would rather not use a carrier oil base for massage blends, consider adding a selection of alluring essential oils to an unfragranced aromatherapy base lotion, and massage your partner in the usual manner to show them just how much they mean to you. Aromatherapy base lotions are quickly absorbed into the skin and unlike carrier oils, the leave the skin feeling touch-dry in only minutes.
If all of this sounds like too much hard work don’t worry, a creative mix of essential oils in a nice warm bath can work just as well to get your partner romantically inclined. As final alternative, you can just wear your blend as a natural perfume to bring out the passionate side of your partner and just take things from there. Whichever method you use, aromatherapy really is the perfect way to show your partner how much you love and care for them.
So, on Valentine’s Day light up a few romantic candles, add some seductive essential oils to your aromatherapy diffuser, and discover for yourself how aromatherapy really can spice up your love life this year!
Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2023. Written by Geoff Lyth
