Is aromatherapy just a nice smell?

[merryone]

I've just been having a little giggle at a presentation of a little rechargeable gadget about the size of a coke can that you put essential oils in. It's on a deal so will only set you back £54 instead of £79. It's Neom, so it's a decent brand name, and you get two oils to go in it. Now the BA was telling how one of them will focus you so ideal for teenagers with exams looming, and the other one will calm you and I found myself shouting at the screen "no they wont - they just smell nice". Am I the only one who thinks aromatherapy is codswallop? I do understand how an aromatherapy massage in spa could be lovely and relaxing and leave you feeling great for a short while, but I don't see what a non ornamental lump of plastic sat in the corner of your front room is gonna do for your wellbeing apart from smelling nice*
Oil burners can be very attractive ornaments, I've had them myself in the past, but can be picked up pretty cheaply as can oils or wax melts to put in them. I feel the same about sleep sprays, yes they smell nice but they don't actually do anything other than to make your pillowcase soggy, but at least they're cheap to buy. I love scented candles because they look and smell nice, I like a nice fragranced bath oil, or foam because they smell nice and can leave your skin feeling lovely. I've got a reed diffuser in the bathroom that I was given as a pressie, that smells nice too.
Opinions please - This product a snake oil that smells nice or a worthwhile investment?!

* Of course it can be said that a nice smell is good for your wellbeing - I get that, but is it worth spending ££££s on?

 

[maymorganlondon]

I think sensitivity to smell means that it can have an effect on some oeople, but not necessarily the effect commonly observed.
Personally, I find some scents evoke a feeling of comfort and relaxation, while others make it hard for me to inhale... and I include scents like baby powder on the negative column.
I got given one of these Neom things but have yet to use it.
So it can be dismissed as phooey, but for some the effect is real.
Marjoram essential oil knocks me out when I have trouble sleeping, but not all the time, but it's a more effective sleep aid than lavender oil imo... as lavender oil in too great a quantity acts with a stimulating on some. Too great a quantity? Could be any amount at all for some, or a bucket load for others.

 

[Mazza]

I certainly don’t think a gadget in the corner will suddenly make a teenager focus. I think aromatherapy is very nice in a massage or meditation situation, but not just in the room whilst you do normal life stuff.

I saw that gadget on TV and noticed that it seemed to be spraying out an awful lot. It struck me that the oil wouldn’t last very long. I have used an oil burner here, but like so many other things it is no longer used. In fact, I have no idea where it is!

 

[donna255]

I don't rate Neom. Proper aromatherapy has been around for years. Lavender can help heal wounds.

But most of the things sold will just be cosmetic and smell nice.

 

[Brissles]

Its all about marketing.

Anyone on here old enough to remember the Camay soap ad with Katy Boyle looking like a glamourous 50's model on the tv ? The slogan was "You'll feel a little lovelier each day with fabulous pink Camay". Of course no-one cleaning the front step in their pinny and curlers were ever going to look like that, but for a small price you could at least smell nice.

Marketing gives you a perception. Look at Molton Brown - all nice 'smells', but the BA elaborates with how it incites your senses to being on a tropical beach, or standing in forest after it rains. Some people fall for the guff, but most think "get real".

 

[boffy]

I love a nice bath or skincare product. But I can't stand Neom. I have an expensive burner and 4 oils and don't use them. Dont rate the scents or the so called benefits.

 

[Mazza]

I absolutely love a nice fragrance but it never evokes these strong memories, taking me back to some incident years ago! Rosa and Michal were forever banging on about that. Remember how one sniff of a Yankee Candle took him back to being a Boy Scout in a field in Ireland or whatever? I just think oh a lovely grass scent!

 

[myamoo]

I think sensitivity to smell means that it can have an effect on some oeople, but not necessarily the effect commonly observed.
Personally, I find some scents evoke a feeling of comfort and relaxation, while others make it hard for me to inhale... and I include scents like baby powder on the negative column.
I got given one of these Neom things but have yet to use it.
So it can be dismissed as phooey, but for some the effect is real.
Marjoram essential oil knocks me out when I have trouble sleeping, but not all the time, but it's a more effective sleep aid than lavender oil imo... as lavender oil in too great a quantity acts with a stimulating on some. Too great a quantity? Could be any amount at all for some, or a bucket load for others.

I have the same problem with some smells making it difficult for me to inhale and baby powder also does it to me. I had to ask a colleague to stop wearing a certain perfume as I couldn’t breathe. It also affects my vocal chords so I lose my voice. I don’t know anyone else who has the same problem.

 

[China Girl]

I am extremely sensitive to scents, and often people walking past me in the street/shops reeking of fabric conditioner, make me feel nauseated, it really is that bad.
I have to use unscented washing powder, as most others smell too strong.
Strangely, some scents I absolutely love, MB Rhubarb and Rose for one, and also the smell of Elemis PCMC.

It's all very odd I know

 

[candycane]

I absolutely love a nice fragrance but it never evokes these strong memories, taking me back to some incident years ago! Rosa and Michal were forever banging on about that. Remember how one sniff of a Yankee Candle took him back to being a Boy Scout in a field in Ireland or whatever? I just think oh a lovely grass scent!

Yankee "Greenhouse", "Dune Grass" or "Garden Hideaway" were some of my favourites. Turquoise Sky reminded me of a hot summer day when we were children, crossing the meadow to go fishing. I don't buy candles and melts any more, that was the first thing to go when my economy drive set in.

CC

 

[maymorganlondon]

I am extremely sensitive to scents, and often people walking past me in the street/shops reeking of fabric conditioner, make me feel nauseated, it really is that bad.
I have to use unscented washing powder, as most others smell too strong.
Strangely, some scents I absolutely love, MB Rhubarb and Rose for one, and also the smell of Elemis PCMC.

It's all very odd I know

I am with you on this. I never use fabric conditioner. I use unscented laundry products if I can avoid it.

 

[Vienna]

I once had to speak to a member of my work team about her over use of perfume. She shared an office with 2 other people and one of them suffered migraines. The other said the smell made him feel nauseous. For safety reasons the windows would only open a couple of inches so there was little opportunity to get fresh air into the room which was quite small anyway.
The person in question used to come into work reeking of Obsession perfume, she must have sprayed and sprayed it all over herself. You could actually smell her walking down the corridor. She`d then reapply it several times throughout the day. It was a difficult conversation but when clients who actually lived on the premises (it was a hostel for homeless men ) also began complaining about it, then it needed to be done.

 

[Brissles]

I remember the same V, 3 young girls back in the early 90s, one wore Poison, another Anais Anais and another wore Samsara. Well as they walked through the office at 9 a.m this waft of heavy perfume nearly had everyone heading for the toilet to vomit ! They were bathed in the stuff. Sometimes those heavily perfumed cheap body sprays have the same effect - they should be banned. They stink !!!

 

[Loveinamist]

I don't rate Neom. Proper aromatherapy has been around for years. Lavender can help heal wounds.

But most of the things sold will just be cosmetic and smell nice.

Lavender can make boys develop breasts.

Essential oils may disrupt normal hormonal activity

A new study has suggested that lavender oil and tea tree oil may interfere with normal hormonal activity, predisposing young boys to gynecomastia.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

 

[Loveinamist]

I once had to speak to a member of my work team about her over use of perfume. She shared an office with 2 other people and one of them suffered migraines. The other said the smell made him feel nauseous. For safety reasons the windows would only open a couple of inches so there was little opportunity to get fresh air into the room which was quite small anyway.
The person in question used to come into work reeking of Obsession perfume, she must have sprayed and sprayed it all over herself. You could actually smell her walking down the corridor. She`d then reapply it several times throughout the day. It was a difficult conversation but when clients who actually lived on the premises (it was a hostel for homeless men ) also began complaining about it, then it needed to be done.

I would love perfume to be banned in my school as I suffer migraines and the offenders don’t know when to stop spraying themselves. Their chosen poison stinks too.

 

[Glamourkitty]

A lot of perfumes give me a headache, patchouli being the worst culprit. I trained in body massage, aromatherapy massage and aromatherapy. My first aid kit contains essential oils of lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus and a carrier oil. You do have to ensure that you have a sufficient strength of oil to reap any benefits.

 

[Totally Loopy Lou]

Lavender can make boys develop breasts.

Essential oils may disrupt normal hormonal activity

A new study has suggested that lavender oil and tea tree oil may interfere with normal hormonal activity, predisposing young boys to gynecomastia.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

Just read that...

Essential oils contain some powerful chemicals some of which are evidently endocrine disruptive..

But it mentions hygiene, laundry and cosmetic products and other forms - “as well as aromatherapy candles” etc...

So think they’re talking more about essential oils being absorbed through contact with skin (creams, massage etc...)?

Wonder what impact essential oils have chemically via inhalation or diffusion and so on?
(Don’t know the answer!)

 

[Totally Loopy Lou]

I've just been having a little giggle at a presentation of a little rechargeable gadget about the size of a coke can that you put essential oils in. It's on a deal so will only set you back £54 instead of £79. It's Neom, so it's a decent brand name, and you get two oils to go in it. Now the BA was telling how one of them will focus you so ideal for teenagers with exams looming, and the other one will calm you and I found myself shouting at the screen "no they wont - they just smell nice". Am I the only one who thinks aromatherapy is codswallop? I do understand how an aromatherapy massage in spa could be lovely and relaxing and leave you feeling great for a short while, but I don't see what a non ornamental lump of plastic sat in the corner of your front room is gonna do for your wellbeing apart from smelling nice*

I think there’s definitely a difference between artificial parfum in products and true essential oils.

Don’t think all aromatherapy is just codswallop although definitely think brands and others massively over-state the properties of their product on the basis of it containing a tiny amount of essential oil...
And there’s a psychological element to it too, if you think a pillow spray will help you sleep, that in itself could help.

What I don’t know - and would be really interested to! - is if there’s any rigorous research as to the benefits of aromatherapy and what mechanism is...

 

[donna255]

Most perfume are synthetic, loads of essential oils you cannot use neat as they burn the skin. Natural ingredients are very expensive, and you cannot guarantee the quality of the crop from year to year.

I love perfume, but so far never had anyone complains. But I did work with a woman who drowned herself in Escape, her mother used to go on holiday to the US 3 or 4 times a year. We used to joke she brought it back for her by the gallon through duty free. Hence, my dislike of all Calvin Klein perfumes.

Don't forget back in time many essential oils were used for medical purposes and this was in the 20th century.

 

[merryone]

I remember a woman at work who thankfully has left now used to drown herself in Estee Lauder beautiful - Beautiful is not a word I'd used to describe it, I would rename it EUGH. Strong, cloying and sickly, in fact the smell actually made me feel nauseous. When I asked her what it was, she proudly said I've been wearing this perfume since I was 16 and I'm now 45. I really wanted to say I think it's time you found something else, but I said oh wow and left it at that.
I cannot tolerate the smell of Elizabeth Arden Red Door either - That is pure migraine in a bottle. On a high note, another woman at work always smelled divine, and her signature scent was Calvin Klein Eternity. I keep meaning to buy myself a bottle but have never gotten around to it.