My relationship with essential oils begins more than 15 years ago, when I lived in Slovenia.
In a supermarket brochure I saw something that caught my attention among the promotions of the month: aromatic decoration – “May your home be filled with the aroma of the season, essence with the smell of apple and cinnamon pie”.
On my next visit to the supermarket I found the essence in the seasonal products area, I came home with my purchases, a candle diffuser and a small 5 ml bottle.
How naive from me to think it was just a decoration. I could not know the little treasure inside that tiny bottle.
Relatively quickly I finished the bottle with the essence. I loved the idea of using the scents with a candle diffuser because visually it was romantic and aesthetic while aromatically very pleasing.
On my next visit to the supermarket I looked for the essences but they were no longer on offer and there were dozens of different brands and scents that were also labeled as etheric oils and with very little information about their uses and/or properties. I came home without scents but determined to understand what they were.
Since I was at home taking care of my first baby I was able to research these essences and learn more about etheric oils. Already then there was a lot of information from different providers on the internet but everything was still very unclear to me.
I understood that they were plant extracts and that depending on the obtention method they could contain solvents, generally ether, hence the name. Then I discovered the term aromatherapy and that changed the whole panorama.
I also discovered that in specialised stores (natural products and alternative health techniques) there was a greater offer of essential oils of different qualities and origins. In one of those stores I bought my first book on aromatherapy and that to this day occupies an important place among my books on essential oils. That book is The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood.
Then I understood that I could take care of my physical and emotional health with essential oils in a preventive way, although it would take a long time to carry it out 100%. Honestly, I still had a lot to learn but I decided that the birth of my daughter would be with the help of essential oils. I did all the research I could on the subject and made a labour blend with almond oil that would also work for postpartum.
Today I can say that I have managed to make the lifestyle change in approximately 98%, since I no longer use commercial products for personal hygiene, household cleaning and preventive health care.
How much would you be willing to change your lifestyle?