Why servello uses essential oils
The s e r v e l l o product line is based on aromatherapy, and incorporates vitamin & mineral rich plant based oils, pure therapeutic essential oils, plant extracts and medicinal herbs into its’ formulas. Essential oils are the essences of plants and fruits. They have a long tradition of providing therapeutic benefits for the mind, body and soul. Essential oils & their essences are readily absorbed through the skin & hair follicles and carried to all parts of the body via the circulatory system, lymphatic system and the limbic system. Essential oils help the skin & hair detoxify, drain, heal & regenerate. Many of these traditionally known benefits have been confirmed through modern scientific research. Each essential oil has many therapeutic properties and is balancing in its’ effects, bringing the body to a balanced state representing health and well-being.
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of plant-derived, aromatic essential oils to promote physical & psychological well-being. Aromatherapy offers diverse physical and psychological benefits, depending on the essential oil or oil combination and method of application used.
Aromatherapy can be administered by inhalation, topically or internally (although you should never take essential oils by mouth without specific instruction from a trained and qualified specialist!).
What is an Essential Oil?
Essential oils are the pure essence of the plant. The word essential oil is used to describe all natural, aromatic, volatile, plant oils, including CO2s, concretes, absolutes, SCO2s. Essential oils can be found in all parts of the plant: seeds, bark, root, leaves, flowers, wood, balsam, resin. They are a concentrated liquid (sometimes semi solid) containing volatile & aromatic chemical compounds, which generally constitute the odorous principle of a plant. Essential oils are obtained from the plant by different processes of distillation or expression: water, steam and fractional distillation, expression, solvent extraction (maceration, CO2, enfluerage).
Not all plants contain essential oils. Which explains why s e r v e l l o does not have certain scents available. For example, coconut does not produce an essential oil, but it does produce a fixed/carrier oil that almost has no scent at all. It is essential oils that give spice their flavor, flowers their perfume, and so on. Each essential oil has an individual combination of chemical constituents that interact with the body’s own chemistry. Different essential oils are absorbed through the skin at different rates. For example, rub a clove of garlic on the foot and see how fast the odor will appear on the breath!
The History of Aromatherapy
Essential oils have been used for therapeutic purposes for nearly 6,000 years. The ancient Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used them in cosmetics, perfumes, and drugs. Essential oils were also commonly used for spiritual, therapeutic, hygienic and ritualistic purposes. René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist, discovered the healing properties of lavender essential oil when he applied it to a burn on his hand caused by an explosion in his laboratory. He then started to analyze the chemical properties of essential oils and how they were used to treat burns, skin infections and wounds in soldiers during World War I. In 1928, Gattefossé founded the science of aromatherapy. By the 1950s massage therapists, beauticians, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, and other health care providers began using aromatherapy. Aromatherapy did not become popular in the United States until much later. Today, many lotions, candles, and beauty products are sold as “aromatherapy.” However, many of these products contain synthetic fragrances that do not have the same therapeutic properties as essential oils.
Why Not Fragrance Oils?
Synthetic fragrances do not have the healing powers that essential oils have. Synthetic fragrances are a man made product, primarily made using petrochemicals. These fragrances are typically ‘fixed’ with Phthalates to make the scent stay and linger for long periods of time; keeping the molecules from disipitating into the air. The FDA does not require fragrance manufacturers to disclose the ingredients of synthetic fragrances because these formulas are regarded as “proprietary.”
In a 2001 study, the EPA reported that synthetic fragrances were shown to cause “possible mutagenic and genotoxic effects.” Synthetic fragrances have also been shown to contain hormone disruptors, which are linked to abnormal cell reproduction and may result in tumor growth.
The Science
The skin is the largest organ in the body. What we choose to put on our skin is absorbed through our pores and transported to our organs via the lymphatic system and connective tissues. This is one reason why servello chose to use therapeutic essential oils in our products, not synthetic fragrances. These therapeutic essential oils are blended for their specific therapeutic properties to benefit the health of your skin, body and soul. Synthetic fragrances may have their aroma benefits, but they do not produce the same neurochemical healing effects that natural essential oils do.