Ever use them? I've never tried aromatherapy so I'm wondering if you have firsthand experience. 

Yes.  I make this stuff for me and will give out as gifts.  I got little roller bottles and I cut the essential oils with something--apricot, coconut, jojoba oil, and I have a few for different purposes.  I have a lavender, bergamot, bergamot mint that I use for sleep, and a grapefruit, lemongrass one that I like for the day.  

I've used essential oils on my pillow for sleep.  I think for me the association with bergamot and night was always the Earl Grey tea I drank before bed, but now the oil makes me relax. 

I use lavender for migraines as well.  

This ties in with herbs--many of these things have an herbal form that's good for teas, too.  Not all;) But the bottom line is getting away from the urge to pop pills all the time requires a little knowledge of plants and natural remedies--this is a good place to start. 

Wow that's a lot of knowledge. Where did you learn the specifics of these oils?

I don't know... maybe a million years of failing to get off the grid... I used to have books.  Now I have Google.  I made my mom a mosquito spray for Christmas... lets see if that one works. 

Googling seems less optimal than a website or book with it all spelled out. 

I hope your mosquito spray works!

I thought it was a fad... okay, it is a fad.  But I bought 3 to make a non-toxic bug spray for my dog.  It worked so well I started looking at other research, as part of a quest to make many of my own household products (e.g. spray disinfectant, mouthwash, many others).  Then started using some medicinally with great effects... I often get flare ups of bronchitis and breathing certain oils knocks them out.  Made a foot salve that knocks out athlete's foot. 

I was not at first that interested in the "aromatherapy", but after having several oils I made a cheap diffuser rig out of a coffee warmer, a belkin socket timer, and a 4 oz jelly jar.  Now we do some kind of scent almost nightly here and enjoy it very much. 

So it sounds like the oils work well for you after some experimentation. 

I guess our mileage may vary but they're worth experimenting with. 

Here's an oil I've had some success with for breathing through my nose:

http://pandawhale.com/post/711/siang-pure-oil-helps-me-breathe-deeply-through-my-nose

This is not random experimentation, it's all science... because we can get this stuff and it's not well regulated, there's an illusion that it's not science.  I'll give you an example.  I had a friend experimenting with OTC aminos, and combining a bunch created a steroid effect.  Also, I've had friends get sick from  herbs, OTC supplements, and things, because every concentration and origin is different--people spend their careers studying the combos and uses of plant-based products.  Makes sense because most pharmaceuticals came from somewhere in nature (bastardized or pure) anyway... 

I guess that's my "be careful/research" disclaimer. 

I wonder why it's not well regulated. Because you're right, that makes it seem more random to me.

This stuff, and Traditional Chinese Medicine supplements are not well regulated.  It's really important to know the stuff you're taking and whether it was produced with contaminant free ingredients.  I've seen TCM remedies test out with some horrific stuff.  It's no different than my philosophy of food sourcing... know thy sources and be educated.  It's tough to regulate supplements... there's just so much out there... I'd stay stick with some simple teas and remedies/aromatherapy unless you really want to learn.  The other side of the accidentally make yourself sick are the practitioners that'll charge you a million and really don't know much... that's a big side of this too. 

What simple teas and aromas should I start with?

The ones mentioned in the original article above? Chamomile and lavender?

Interesting product -- looks like it's not an essential oil but rather a 'regular oil' aka fixed oil (as opposed to volatile) with one ingredient that is an essential oil (peppermint oil).  The other herbs have oil soluble constituents, so the net product is an "infused oil".  Infused oils tend to have the same properties as essential oils just much more dilute. 

For anyone getting into essential oils I would advise some careful research.  Lots of these new companies are advocating that people use *whatever* oil topically (sometimes undiliuted) and even internally.  While judicious use of any of these is possible, the oils can be very damaging.  Remember we are talking about what plants have primarily used as a chemical defense mechanism. 

Some of the oils are extremely phytoestrogenic.  One hospital had 12 or 13 cases of boys with breast development symptoms... all were found to be using home products using either tea tree or lavender oil.  These were not uses "straight" but heavily diluted, and the hormonal condition reversed itself in all cases after the products were discontinued.  Many supposed "debunkings" of this study leave out those details.

Other oils are photosensitizing.  Use them topically and go into the sun, you could have some real problems. 

Many others have constitutents that may be treated as toxins by the body -- potentially leading in extreme cases to kidney failure or dysfunction.  So rubbing them on your feet or putting just any oil in your bath product or what have you is *not* something I'd advise, without doing your homework.  There are good sources of info amidst the many bad ones.

Normally even when oils are safe for topical use the concentration of essential oil should be no more than 1% or 2%, with the rest being a "carrier oil".  But this can vary with the oil, preparation and use.  A few oils are said to be usable "neat" in some situations -- for example, I think lavender oil is actual can be used neat as first aid for severe burns; true cedarwood oil is an effective stypic. 

One should be even more careful about internal use... I have read that one drop of pepperment oil has the same amount you'd get from 200-300 cups of peppermint tea, so even though some people recommend "just one drop" in your water, I wouldn't.  However I have used multiple drops of oregano oil (with carrier) internally medicinally, and there is a tradition of doing this.  One method of "micro dosing" is to dip a toothpick in a drop of essential oil, and then touch that toothpick to a fluid.  A single drop of basil oil would overwhelm even a large pot of spaghetti sauce, but I'm going to try the toothpick method at some point.  I hear there are several companies who are now marketing essential oils for seasoning food so it will be interesting to see how they handle dosing. 

Can you tell us more about the dog spray?

Certainly.  After years of feeling bad about the monthly poison-based flea & tick control stuff but not knowing there were good alternatives, I found that Dr. Mercola was selling a natural, essential oil based pet spray.  Which was getting good reviews... and they listed the ingredients.  So I started reading studies on the effectiveness of essential oils for pest control, of which there are many.  And they are reaallly effective.  There are many studies showing effectiveness on par with, and in some cases significantly better than, the leading pesticide chemicals. 

There are a few problems... the essential oils are volatile and evaporate fairly quickly.  This is a problem generally in the fragrance industry, but often the solutions are strange chemicals.  Mercola tracked down research showing that vanillin -- yep, the artificial vanilla, which often has a natural source (just not the vanilla bean) -- extends effectiveness (in time) significantly. 

Another problem is that many essential oils that people can handle without issues, are toxic to dogs.  I did some independent research confirming the effectiveness of 2 of the 3 oils in the Mercola product -- lemongrass and rosemary.  But he also listed cinnamon oil without specifying bark or leaf (both are commonly used).  I am 98% sure that it's the leaf they are using, as the bark oil can be very harsh.  But I didn't have enough to confirm it so used rose geranium oil, after reading some success stories from people who were using it very effectively against ticks.  I am in the tick capital of America here.  

The formula contains a few other ingredients.  I would be happy to share my version it if you are interested.  I also have a more extended file of research into essential oils specific to various pest species, for both dogs and humans... 

Thank you!!  My dogs and I are in the mosquito/heartworm AND flea capital.  Extended warm weather is not helping!

bug repellent spray for dogs - three pipe problem's recipe

4 tsp sesame oil, toasted; 4 drops essential oil of rose geranium; 4 drops essential oil of rosemary; 4 drops essential oil of lemongrass; 1/2  tsp vanilla extract, artificial (high-vanillin); 4 Tbsp water, reverse osmosis or distilled

Note that this is NOT SAFE for cats!  It's okay for people but the oily component isn't great for clothes.

Just combine it all.  You need to use a light-blocking spray bottle because the essential oils will break down in the light.  Amber works way better than other colors of glass/plastic.  Plastic isn't great for essential oils, but these are diluted and the sprayer will be plastic regardless.  I used a plastic amber spray bottle from specialtybottle.com so I could take it outside without worrying about the glass.  Stainless steel would also work.  

You need to shake it well every time.  Even between every few sprays.  I would actually recommend adding a small amount of soy lecithin (or another naturally derived lecithin) as an emulsifier to reduce the need for shaking somewhat... I was actually about to make that change to the formula but my German Shepherd died from a congenital heart failure earlier this year.  Which sucked.  Before that happened, I had almost a year of experience with the spray and it works quite well as long as you reapply every 2-3 hours.  Friends have used it successfully as well. 

If you try it, let us know how it works for you! By the way it smells wonderful.

I'm a huge fan of rosemary - thanks so much! 

Your doggy must have had a wonderful life.  

Rosemary is wonderful in food. I never realized it has other uses. 

I wonder what makes Three Pipe's potion bad for cats. 

Adam, predator species often lack the ability to detoxify plants, since they eat very few in nature.  Meat is relatively toxin free (as long as it's alive) whereas plants, lacking claw and teeth, contain a lot -- it's their main defense mechanism.  Sure, wild dogs (and wolves) are carnivores who eat plenty of meat.  But they are much closer to omnivores than cats... known as "opportunistic omnivores" I think -- whereas cats are "obligate carnivores".  So dogs' livers and kidneys can filter out more stuff.  Everything I have read is to keep the oils away from cats 100%.