I believe in the power of natural, organic, plant-based products to help us look and feel radiant—inside and out—while also being kind to the Earth.
Over the years, I’ve come to understand the profound healing power of plants in their most concentrated form: essential oils. These precious oils are a beautiful, natural way to support the mind, body, and spirit. I incorporate them into my personal life, daily rituals, and holistic therapy sessions—and I offer custom blends to support women’s wellbeing, hormone balance, emotional health, and more.
What Is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a gentle yet powerful therapy that uses essential oils to support the body’s natural ability to heal. These oils, extracted from flowers, herbs, woods, resins, and spices, contain potent plant energy that works on physical, emotional, and energetic levels.
The art and science of Aromatherapy is to explore the physiological, psychological and spiritual responses to the essential oils to enhance the body’s natural ability to balance, regulate, heal and maintain itself.
Each oil has a distinct vibration and therapeutic profile that can be calming, uplifting, grounding, balancing, or even detoxifying. Used with intention, they can shift our mood, balance hormones, ease pain, support immunity, and connect us to something deeper within.
The extracted oils are known as “essential oils’.
They consist of tiny aromatic molecules which are readily absorbed via the skin, and travel through the blood stream. When inhaled, the aroma from an ‘essential oil’ stimulates brain function through the limbic system which connects the nostrils to the brain. The limbic system controls emotions and influences the nervous system and hormones.
Aromatherapy is particularly suited to conditions involving stress or improving emotionally-related conditions, and can be used for a wide range of applications including pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive functioning. Over recent years there has been an increase in its usage with patients in Palliative Care.
This list is by no means exhaustive. – There are so many uses and benefits of using essential oils and the results can be powerful and incredibly effective.
There are a wide variety of essential oils each with their own healing properties. As an aromatherapist I have studied the different healing properties of many of the oils, as well as the contraindications and as such can give advice and prepare a selection of essential oils for specific application, tailored to your specific needs. Depending on your individual needs and background the oils may be used or applied in a number of different ways including inhalation, steam inhalation, and in diluted form – added to a carrier oil or natural lotions, creams or gels, and applied to the body.
Why Use Essential Oils Over Synthetic Products?
Most shop-bought perfumes, skincare, and body products are filled with synthetic chemicals, some of which are known endocrine disruptors or toxins. These can overload the body and negatively impact our health, hormones, and skin—especially with long-term use.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 40,000 chemicals are used in consumer products in the US, yet fewer than 1% have been properly tested for human safety. A study from the University of Reading found parabens in 99% of breast cancer tissue samples, indicating just how deeply these chemicals can infiltrate our bodies. Our skin is our largest organ. What we put on it matters.
The Ayurvedic Perspective:
In Ayurveda, natural “perfumes” are far more than just a sensory indulgence, they are applied to improve well-being, balance doshas, and promote relaxation. The sense of smell, or “Gandha”, is highly valued in Ayurveda. It is a powerful tool for healing and balance.
The aromas of certain plant oils have the unique ability to influence our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, harmonising the mind, body, and soul.
Ayurveda recommends the ritual of applying natural perfumes twice a day – at morning and at evening (sunrise and sunset times are best). They can not only help to uplift our mood and senses but can also help to purify our energy field.
For example the application of sandalwood oil at morning and evening prayer and meditation times will enhance our practice and aid in cleansing and uplifting our energy vibration. Sandalwood is also known for promoting clarity, concentration and a sense of calmness – so also perfect at the start of a working day.
Some other benefits of this practice include:-
- Mental clarity: Aromas can help clear the mind and improve focus
- Stress reduction: Aromas can help reduce stress and promote relaxation
- Mood improvement: Aromas can help improve mood and boost confidence
- Emotional balance: Aromas can help balance emotions and create a harmonious mind-body relationship
- Dosha balancing: Specific aromas can help balance the body’s doshas
- Fragrances and the limbic system: Aromas can trigger the limbic system, which controls emotions, memory, and drive
- Fragrances and the olfactory bulb: Aromas can get directly into the limbic system through the olfactory bulb
- Fragrances and endorphins: Aromas can trigger the release of endorphins, which are the body’s “happiness hormones”
In Ayurveda, essential oils are used to balance the three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These energies govern our physical, mental, and emotional tendencies. When our doshas are in harmony, we feel balanced, calm, vital, and connected.
Why Perfume Matters in Ayurveda
According to Ayurvedic principles, each aroma carries specific qualities that interact with our energies. For example:
Vata-balancing – (like grounding and floral notes) bring calmness and stability.
Pitta-balancing – (cooling, earthy aromas) soothe irritability and promote relaxation.
Kapha-balancing – (warming and invigorating) energise and uplift the spirit.
These blends can also enhance emotional resilience, inspire mindfulness, and even deepen spiritual practices.
How to Use Natural Ayurvedic Essential Oil Blends
- Pulse Points: Diluted with a carrier oil, apply to the wrists, behind the ears, at the base of the throat, or on the temples. The warmth of these areas helps release the oils’ therapeutic properties.
- Over the Heart: Dab a small amount over your heart center to nurture emotional balance and a sense of self-love.
- Before Meditation or Yoga: Apply a calming blend to enhance focus, deepen your practice, and promote inner peace.
- Daily Ritual: Incorporate perfume application into your self-care routine, treating it as an act of grounding and self-connection.
Dosha-Based Blends
When applied mindfully, these blends can uplift your mood, soothe stress, and enhance your connection to self.
I have created three unique dosha-balancing roller blends using 100% organic essential oils and fractionated coconut oil as a base:
Women’s Balance Blend: Palmarosa, Clary Sage, Ylang Ylang, Geranium Rose, Lavender
Vata Blend: Clary Sage, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Patchouli
Calming, grounding, balancing. Perfect for stress, anxiety, insomnia, and hormone fluctuations.
Pitta Blend: Cedarwood, Peppermint, Lavender, Frankincense, Geranium, Vetiver
Cooling, soothing, stabilising. Helps with anger, irritability, hot flushes, inflammation, and skin rashes.
Kapha Blend: Orange, Cinnamon, Geranium, Nutmeg, Clove, Myrrh, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, Ginger, Frankincense, Rosemary
Warming, uplifting, energising. Ideal for low mood, sluggish digestion, lethargy, and heaviness.
I also offer a Sensual Blend using Sandalwood, Blue Lotus, Patchouli, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, and Frankincense—a deeply nourishing and heart-opening combination that invokes divine feminine energy.
Common Complaints & Natural Support
Essential oils can help with natural support and healing of common illnesses and complaints, for example:-
- Hormonal balance (e.g. clary sage, geranium, lavender)
- Menopause symptoms (e.g. peppermint, frankincense, ylang ylang)
- Stress & anxiety (e.g. lavender, patchouli, vetiver)
- Sleep & relaxation (e.g. chamomile, sandalwood, lavender)
- Low mood & energy (e.g. citrus oils, rosemary, cinnamon)
- Immune support (e.g. tea tree, frankincense, eucalyptus)
Essential Oils in the Home
Essential oils can also help uplift the frequency of your home and body, clearing stagnant energy and inviting calm, clarity, and vitality.
They can be used in many ways around the home:
- In a diffuser to shift the energy of a space
- In an oil burner or added to massage oils
- In baths or foot soaks
- Rolled directly onto pulse points or chakras (when diluted)
- In household cleaning, to help freshen, purify odours, kill germs and bacteria.
- Add a few drops of lemon essential oil to a cotton pad and put in the bottom of the bathroom dustbin to keep it smelling fresh.
- Fill a plant spray bottle with water and add 5 drops lavender, 5 drops frankincense, 5 drops geranium essential oils. Shake the bottle well before use and spritz around room for instant room freshener, that will smell like a spa with an uplifting, calming, balancing and serene aroma.
My Personal Blends & Custom Creations
If you are curious about how aromatherapy and dosha-based blends can support your emotional wellbeing, sleep, hormones, or energy levels, I would love to guide you. I offer personalised consultations and can create custom blends tailored to your unique needs.
You can also explore my ready-made dosha blends—ideal for daily use and ritual practice.
To learn more or order a blend, just get in touch via a direct message.
A Final Note
Aromatherapy is not just about scent—it is about natural and soul healing. It connects us to nature, to our senses, and to a more conscious way of living. When we surround ourselves with natural beauty and intention, we begin to feel more radiant, whole, and deeply well.
Note:- Remember to always seek advice from a qualified aromatherapist before using essential oils for specific ailments, or for the first time. Be especially careful when using around children and pets. Some essential oils can be harmful and even poisonous to animals. Keep your essential oils as you would your medicines, safely out of the reach of pets and children.
Main – Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
About the Author: Corinne Cooke
