By Sandra Guy

Experts say essential oils – mixtures of 20 to 100 compounds extracted from plants – can help you relax and sleep.

With so many of these essential oils on the market, the key questions are: Which ones work, and how can they be taken safely?

Amy Galper, a certified aromatherapist and founder of the New York Institute of Aromatic Studies, recommends using lavender, frankincense, clary sage and geranium, either singly or as a combination.

You can buy pre-blended oils, too.

Galper, who started one of the first essential-oils based skincare products – Buddha Nose – in the early 2000s, said research supports using the essential oils for relaxation, to de-stress one’s body, relax the nervous system and ease the mind of active thoughts and over-thinking.

“The research shows how powerful they are by quieting the mind, slowing down our breathing, and easing physical discomfort and pain,” Galper said. “They’re anti-inflammatory, quieting, relaxing and meditating.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda L. Halcon, a registered nurse and an associate professor emerita at the University of Minnesota, recommended lavender (Lavandula angusifolia) because she said it’s the best-researched of the essential oils aimed at helping people sleep.

Since no independent body certifies products as “therapeutic grade,” Halcon said it’s best to be conservative in using the oils.

So, for example, one drop of lavender can be put on an inhalation patch that can be worn at night. Or you can inhale a drop of lavender essential oil dropped on a cotton ball.

Halcon also cautions that it’s important to use only one to two drops to inhale, and to dilute an essential oil to 3 to 15 percent for a massage.

That’s because essential oils are about 100 times more potent than their whole plant form, so failing to dilute them can cause burns or a rash.

Essential oils are usually diluted with a “base” or “carrier,” which might be a vegetable oil or a fixed oil from nuts, seeds, or trees such as coconut or jojoba. The carrier decreases the concentration and “dose,” and protects the skin from a reaction. Other precautions when handling essential oils:

• Never dilute essential oils in bathwater without using a dispersant, or a substance that helps water and oil mix more easily.
• Never apply any essential oil to the eye area or mucus membranes.
• Stop using essential oils if you develop an allergic reaction.
• To avoid sensitization, don’t apply oils to the same area of skin every day.