Some artisans of the aromatics choose to utilize the assets of an essential oil in its fullest, purest sense. These are avid followers of single scent therapy. This approach avails the recipient of the fragrance the full virtue of the essential and allows the substance to serve its full purpose unencumbered. Without a doubt, this school of thought is not without merit.
The purist philosophy, however, is not the only approach to the use of aromatherapy. Many practicing aromatherapists choose to blend the properties of different essentials. This can serve a dual purpose. First, in the arena of healing, there are many multiple-symptom ailments that may require attention. For example, in cases where there is an apparent respiratory disorder, there may be some coughing, sneezing, and congestion.
It may be appropriate to utilize an essential scent that clears breathing. But, perhaps, this ailment is accompanied by fever, headache, general weakness, or aches and pains. There may be other scents that are better suited as fever reducers, pain relievers, or tonics. This is where the process of blending essentials comes into play.
In addition, combining one scent with another could serve to modify the overall effect of the remedy. Take, for instance, the scent of eucalyptus, commonly used to clear breathing. Add a touch of lavender and the resulting blend will help to clear the confused feeling left by a stuffy head. A bit of orange oil may act as a tonic.
The resulting effect of the blend would be not only to relieve the symptom of congestion but to help the suffering individual feel better, as well. Presumably, the clear, refreshed state of the client will help to speed along the ultimate recovery.
And the client’s state of mind should not be underestimated. It has been said that hospitals are the worst place for recovery because they reek of sickness and so offer no Inspiration but rather perpetuate illness. There is certainly no intention to downplay the healing that does go on in the sickhouses, but many would prefer to be in the comfort of familiar surroundings and positive attitudes.
The quality of the attitude itself can be a marvelous catalyst to speedy recovery. Just as it is difficult to freely feel and express joy in a room filled with those wrapped in the throes of sorrow, it is difficult to find health in a place that is home to the suffering and the infirm.
This precept can be readily seen in taking a page from my own experiences in younger years. There was a man named Otto who lived near the town in which I spent much of my youth. He was a handyman by trade, earning his living through whatever household tasks one of the local families might offer, and one of the most driven and optimistic people I’ve met. As far as anyone knew, Otto never held a regular job.
After speaking a little with him, and at great length with the adults in my life, it was revealed that Otto could not keep a regular job. His body was riddled with cancer. He was too high a risk for anyone to hire on as a permanent employee. In fact, his doctors had told him that he had only a few months left to live.
As dismal as Otto’s situation seemed, it really was not without hope—for the doctors had given him this diagnosis ten years earlier! Not before meeting Otto, and not since that time, have I met anyone with such an incredible will to live.
So while some will adhere strictly to the single purity of scent in aromatherapy application, some of us find greater virtue in utilizing blends. Blended essentials afford us the benefit of addressing mind and spirit as well as the physical condition, priming the natural instincts to rise to the task of self-healing.
As honorable as the intention is of the aromatherapy purist, as virtuous as the art, and as noble the artisan, the possibilities that are opened by blending essentials are worthy of note. One has to wonder if the purists would be as adamant in protecting the virtues of the single scent approach to therapy if they could have known Otto.
A blended scent might offer a client the healing virtues of the single therapeutic scent as well as some hint of the marvelous attitude that kept Otto alive long past doctors’ predictions.
Now, in taking a full scope of the possibilities of aromatherapy, one fact that becomes clear is that there are a myriad of different aromas, and even more when the possibilities of all the different blended combinations are considered. There are also a multitude of varying situations that may be remedied with the arts of the aromatherapist.
Because of this, while some of us may expound the virtues of pure scents over blends, blends over single essentials, natural oils above synthetics, or synthetics above the natural, what we all seek is that which is effective. Therefore, perhaps the wisest precept to advocate is to keep an open mind and to address each situation as it needs be.
If the cause calls for a blend, then so be it. If a pure single fragrance is the ideal approach, then by all means that is the way to go.There is a lot of artistry in the process of blending the best-suited preparation for use in aromatherapy. Certainly, it tests the knowledge, expertise, instinct, and sensitivity of the practitioner.
However, there is even greater artistry involved in choosing the right essential or combination of essentials for each individual situation—without regard to founding principles or schools of thought but with every consideration of the recipient of the benefits of the fragrance artistry.