Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Essential oils are the pure "essence" of plants extracted from their leaves, twigs, flowers, barks, roots, and even rids of their fruits. Used for nearly 6,000 thousand years, aromatherapy is said to connote several therapeutic benefits and is associated with branches of alternative medicine as herbology and holistic healing.

In aromatherapy, several types of plant oils are used to help promote your health and general well-being. The effects of each type of oil may vary according to their therapeutic properties. In this article, you will learn more about aromatherapy bath oil and what it means to use one of them.

Aromatherapy Bath Oils - Essential Oils

Essential oils are perhaps the commonest type of bath oils used. They are liquid substances that are generally extracted from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other parts of a plant. The process of extraction may be done through distillation using steam or water.

Contrary to its name, essential oils are not really "oily" when you feel them. Most of them are clear although some may be amber or yellow in color, like the bath oil called patchouli, orange, or lemongrass.

This type of bath oil is highly concentrated so just a few drops can be very potent. Essential oils give new meaning to the phrase "a little goes a long way."

Aromatherapy Bath Oils - Absolutes

Like all other bath oils, absolutes are highly aromatic liquids extracted from plants. But, unlike essential oils, absolutes are extracted not by mere distillation of the plant parts. The manner of extracting absolutes is far more complicated than that. It requires the use of chemical solvents that are later removed during the final stages of production.

Aromatherapy Bath Oils - CO2s

CO2, if you remember your chemistry lessons, is the chemical formula for carbon dioxide. Aromatherapy bath oils may be derived from plants through the carbon dioxide method wherein pressure is applied until carbon dioxide becomes liquid. The liquefied form of carbon dioxide is then used as a solvent to extract from the natural plant matter its aromatherapy bath oil content.

Aromatherapy Bath Oils - Carrier Oils

This type of aromatherapy bath oils is also referred to as base oils. Carrier oils are made almost purely of vegetable oils and they are used to dilute essential oils, CO2s, and absolutes, hence its name "carrier." This type of aromatherapy bath oil is applied to the skin.