Do all natural products work?
The short answer is yes! However if you are like me and are here because you are skeptical then you may be wanting the longer explanation, which is totally fine as I too had to do my research before finding myself confident in its use.
What exactly are essential oils?
Essential oils are responsible for the aroma and part of the taste of many plants. While essential oils are in the plant, they are constantly changing their chemical composition, helping the plant to adapt to an ever-changing internal and external environment.
Oils are a natural substance in all of nature, including humans! We secrete our own natural oils, these oils can help us (or sometimes if we overproduce can cause issues, like zits!) by keeping our hair strong and healthy and maintaining moisture in our skin.
The same goes for plants in nature, however I think nature has taken this oil thing to the next level. They can use oils to attract, distract, or deter. Some plants use their oil scents to attract bees to improve their pollination rates, other plants will use their oil to stop infection from fungus and bacteria. The fir tree has even taken this one step further by changing its oil on a regular basis so that the budworm cannot create an immunity (this is truly mind blowing, modern science struggles to deal with this, nature already has it sorted) the active ingredients that help the tree do this are part of the oils they produce.
How effective are they?
I mean, I’m not trying to attract bees, however the use of oils over time have shown they are definitely capable of doing what they say they can. In New Zealand the Manuka (Tea Tree) has been used for hundreds of years for treatment of skin ailments and has a very high success rate in treating acne, boils, fungal infections, the list goes on! Lavender has long been known to help with sleep and has a very calming effect on the mind. In fact, the more I have looked into the different essential oils, the more I wanted to try them out.
Is there a downside?
I can honestly say that after looking into the different products, where they come from and how they are produced, I am confident that it’s a very good step to be looking after your body and mind with essential oils and the natural products that are being made from them.
Is there a downside? For sure. Being a natural product will mean they break down over time, this means that the active ingredients that give the product their abilities may not work as well. The best way around this is to shop local or buy the smaller sized container of a product, this will ensure you can use the product to its full extent before it starts to break down, the general timeframe they give a natural product is around 6 months.
So should I buy natural?
I say, they are worth a go. If you have a particular issue you are trying to solve, I'm almost certain there is an essential oil (and an all natural product made from it) in order to help you.
I hope you have found this useful information. I will also add, I do not profess to be an expert in the field of aromatherapy, I am learning and the information provided is part of what I have discovered. Please keep researching and find what products are right for you.