Scented Candles and Stress Relief

True or False?

Can burning scented candles help relieve stress?

The answer to this question is TRUE.

Lets face it. With so much stress we all face in one day, it can take a toll on your mind, body and spirit.  Have you ever thought, what if there was a simple way to unwind through out the day or after a long, tiring, stressful day. The answer is simple, one of the most effective ways of stress relief is scented candles. A lot of you may know this as Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is one of the most effortless, yet effective ways to relieve stress, pain, and anxiety. Exposing your senses to strong smelling fragrance oils and or essential oils can effect your stress levels in a positive way. When you combine your sense of touch and smell you will benefit the most from aromatherapy, here is why.

When you involve your sense of touch, using warm massage and or essential oils in your bath, are an effective way of reducing stress. By adding heat to the oil and placing a few drops into your bath will allow the oil to soak into your skin. Allowing this to happen will loosen the blood flow and improve circulation. To fully maximize your stress relief, get a massage. This will strengthen the effects by using 2 different methods.

Another way of relieving stress  is using your sense of smell. The combination of strong scented candles and oils are known to decrease anxiety. So while you are enjoying your nice bath with essential oils and or massage oils, light a strong scented candle to maximize your stress relief. Some popular scents include Rose and Peppermint.

You may be asking yourself what are the side effects.

The only side effect known would be if you are allergic to the fragrance. Always do patch testing before hand to be sure. You may also have a reaction due to contact sensitivity.

To do a patch test:

• Mix a very small amount of essential oil/carrier at twice the concentration you plan to use. For example, if you plan to use a 3% mixture of the essential oil, mix it at 6% (six drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil, or three drops in ½ teaspoon of carrier oil).
• Using the inside of the forearm, apply a couple drops of your double concentration mix to the pad of a band-aid and keep the bandage on the skin. After 48 hours remove the bandage and check for irritation.
• You may repeat to check for allergic sensitivity. Remember, however, that allergies can develop any time after the first exposure; thus absence of a reaction does not necessarily mean that an allergy will not develop with later exposures.
• If the skin under or around the bandage becomes red, swollen, itchy, or develops blisters, that is a reaction and you should avoid skin exposure to the essential oil you tested.

Contact Sensitivity

Contact sensitivity is a type of allergic reaction. This can happen anytime after the first exposure to an essential oil, and usually presents as an itchy rash or hives. This is caused by the immune system’s response to one or more of the chemicals in the essential oil. The extent of the reaction may seem out of proportion to the amount of exposure. Again, old or altered essential oils are more likely to produce skin reactions.

Do you need stress relief through out the day?

Try this. Pick up some Lavender essential oil and pour it in a 4-6 oz jar with a lid or cork and place it in your purse. While you are at work and feeling stressed, take out the bottle, remove the lid or cork, add a few reed diffusers to your jar for the fresh smell of Lavender all day. It becomes your traveling stress buster. Keeping you feeling calm, balanced and more energized through out your day.

There are so many aromatherapy products, massage oils and essential oils out on the market that there is something for everyone. Just keep in mind that every one is different. You may have a reaction with one company but not with another. Be sure to adhere to all cations for not over using the oils, research the oils, follow the recommendations for diluting the oil, and make sure you have a knowledgeable person to answer your questions about the oils such as your health care provider.  Aromatherapy as a whole works the best when you know what fragrance makes you calm. For example if you like rose, use rose scented candles with essential and or massage oils so on and so forth. If you like peppermint, use peppermint scented candles with essential and massage oils etc. I will go into further details about essential oils, their uses, and their benefits in my next article.

Our candles contain top quality fragrance oils, 100% soy wax and cotton wicks . They are the perfect addition to your every day stress relief. Better for your health and the environment. So the next time you come home feeling tired after a long stressful day, grab your candles and oils and take a few moments to yourself.

Article Sources and additional information:

http://www.yourwellness.com/2011/09/aromatherapy-can-relieve-stress/
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/true-false-aromatherapy-relieve-stress/story?id=14730215

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/aromatherapy/are-essential-oils-safe