Essential Oils

It is not safe to put undiluted essential oils directly on the skin. Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts from medicinal plants that are very potent and are quickly and easily absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream. Although they may be sweet smelling, essential oils have very powerful properties and should not be taken lightly. At the right dilution levels and following recommendations from your healthcare advisor, essential oils can however be safely used on the skin. They are increasingly being used in general, maternity, and oncology hospital wards and in care homes, and being studied in research departments of universities.

Each essential oil has its own medicinal properties; and they are often powerfully antimicrobial. Research is increasingly confirming centuries of traditional experience using the plants from which essential oils are derived. We now know that there are essential oils that are antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antineuralgic, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, anti-venomous, antitoxic, antidepressant, sedative, nervine, analgesic, carminative, digestive, decongestive, expectorant, deodorant, restorative, circulatory, diuretic, vulnerary, and much more.

There is a wide range of methods of using essential oils for therapeutic purposes, including external application (after dilution), inhalation, oral ingestion, pessaries and suppositories – under medical supervision. Their small molecular size means essential oils can be absorbed extremely easily and quickly. Methods used externally include body oils (see our Hair and Body Oils range), compresses, gels, lotions and baths (see our Bath Salts range – most of our bath salts contain essential oils infused into Epsom Salts). Inhalation methods include diffusers (see our Reed diffusers for example), room sprays, as well as simply inhaling directly from the bottle or from a tissue. We have a range of essential oil blends designed to be used with essential oil diffusers – but they can also be inhaled directly, or dropped into a tissue that is left in a room to naturally diffuse the fragrance.

Many essential oils can positively affect mind, mood and emotions. For example, lavender essential oil is not only a great addition to skin healing balms (it is for example in our Skin Saver balm), but it is also a mood tonic that brings calm, relaxation and stress relief. Our Unwind Essential Oil Blend is a balancing, calming and uplifting mix that combines lavender with holy basil and sandalwood essential oils, which are also effective at reducing stress and uplifting the mood. Many citrus essential oils are also known mood lifters — you will find a few of them (lemon, mandarin, and lemongrass — which isn’t citrus per se but is also uplifting, energising and stress-reducing) alongside peppermint and Brazilian pepper essential oils in our Refresh Essential Oil Blend: a blissfully refreshing, uplifting and cleansing blend to brighten any space and create a positive, invigorating atmosphere.

Many essential oils can be deeply effective at easing stress and anxiety. Those included in our Heal the Heart Oil have been lovingly chosen to help uplift the mood and bring comfort to those going through grief, heartbreak or sorrow. The recipe includes rose geranium essential oil, frankincense essential oil, rose absolute essential oil and sandalwood essential oil, infused in gently moisturising jojoba oil and plant-based vitamin E oil. It can be gently massaged onto the heart whenever needed.

Our Grounding Oil is another blend that brings together powerful essential oils to promote calm and serenity. It has been mindfully crafted with frankincense, juniper, cypress, and sandalwood essential oils to help you feel balanced, centred and grounded. It's ideal as an accompaniment to yoga, meditation or spiritual practices such as cacao ceremonies, sound healing, or gong baths. This blend works to restore harmony when you feel nervous or anxious. Simply apply two to three drops into the palms, rub your hands together, and deeply inhale to feel the effects throughout your practice.

Essential oils are highly concentrated substances, and we do not recommend ingesting them. None of Zen Maitri’s products containing essential oils have been designed to be taken internally — only to be used in a diffuser or applied to the skin (diluted into a carrier oil and/or wider recipe). Under the supervision of a qualified healthcare practitioner, it is however possible to use some essential oils in this way, in very small quantities.

There are various ways in which essential oils can be used — essential oil diffusers are one of the main options, alongside including them in blends for room sprays, vaporisers, or using them for a steam inhalation (for example, adding a couple of drops of essential oil to a bowl of boiling water and breathing in the vapours, with a towel over your head to prevent them from escaping). Our range of Essential Oil Diffuser Blends have been designed especially to be used in a diffuser.

Essential oils can be used as ingredients for perfume recipes, but they should never be used undiluted directly on the skin, as most of them can cause skin irritation in their direct form. When used for perfumes, essential oils constitute a maximum of 15 to 30% of the total perfume — generally incorporated into a carrier oil, liquid wax base, or alcohol.