Vonzabuesnig - Aroma Hair: Aromatherapy Formulas For Healthy Hair

Aromatic materials have been used since the beginning of time for many diverse purposes. The Egyptians used aromatic substances for medicinal, cosmetic and religious purposes, and for embalming.

Greek athletes doused themselves with certain oils to increase their strength for competitive games. Roman soldiers were anointed with aromatic oils before going into battle.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine claimed the way to health was to have an aromatic bath and scented massage everyday. As far back as the fourth century he recognized the use of aromatic substances for protection against certain infectious diseases.

Throughout the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, many plagues ravished throughout Europe and Asia claiming millions of lives. Interestingly, it was noted that perfumers and those who were in regular contact with aromatic plant substances seemed to be immuned to the effects.

In the nineteenth century the cholera epidemic in France claimed thousands of lives. Again, it was noticed that workers in perfume factories were not affected. It was evident that aromatic plant substances provided a source of protection and immunity.

During this period, aromatic botanical materials filled the pharmacopoeia. In fact, the word drug comes from the Old Dutch word drogge, meaning to dry -- referring to the dried plants used to make medicinal cures.

As chemistry and modern machinery began to flourish, essential oils were analyzed and recorded. Chemists isolated the active principles within plants and manufactured them synthetically.

Isolating certain chemical constituents produced stronger, fast-acting cures, which could be totally controlled, standardized and monopolized by synthetic production. Because of this, herbal products began to lose their place in the pharmacopoeia.

Perfumers also realized that it was more profitable to produce synthetic fragrances. Extracting fragrances from plants was tedious, expensive and unstable. The scent could vary according to crop, climate, location, etc -- the same way that wine may vary in taste from year to year. Synthetic manufacturing allowed perfumers to produce the exact same scent each time with no variance.

In 1868 the first synthetic perfume was produced. Synthetic production placed perfumes and medicines in two separate categories. They no longer could be used interchangeably. Sadly, the aroma was taken out of medicines and the medicinal qualities were taken out of perfumes.

Fortunately, certain French perfumers were wary of the new synthetic scents. The French were regarded as excellent perfumers. They felt that mass-producing synthetics threatened their image and devalued their perfumes. To maintain their stellar reputation, certain French perfumers continued using natural plant oils to formulate their perfumes.

A French chemist, Rene Maurice Gattefosse was responsible for the revival of aromatherapy. While working on an experiment in a perfume plant he burned his arm very badly. He immediately thrust it into the nearest liquid he could find which happened to be a vat of lavender oil. The quick reduction of pain took him by surprise. His arm healed quickly and left no scar. From then on he devoted the rest of his life to researching the remarkable healing properties of essential oils.

He used essential oils to treat wounded soldiers during World War I, and noticed an increased rate of healing, with less disadvantages of other antiseptic agents being used at that time.

After the war he continued to experiment with essential oils. He discovered that essential oils, when applied to the skin, are absorbed into the bloodstream. In the bloodstream they interact with other body chemistries, causing actual physiological changes to take place.

Gattefosse began to classify essential oils according to their healing properties. Categories included, antitoxic, antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-venomous, anti-infectious, anti-parasitic, anti-convulsant, anti-rheumatic, etc.

The therapeutic abilities of essential oils were becoming quite impressive. Since then many more healing effects have been identified including calming, sedative, energizing, uplifting and anti-depressive etc.

In the 1920s Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy. Unfortunately the term implies that that healing comes exclusively from the aroma -- which is untrue. Essential oils actually get their therapeutic properties from their chemical make-up. There are 30,000 known aromatic molecules that make up various essential oils. Every single essential oil has hundreds of natural components. Some oils such as eucalyptus have over 250 chemical components. These components are intricately balanced to give the essential oil its unique characteristics and therapeutic properties.