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The Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook
Excellent Book
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2013
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419 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 15, 2021
Very easy to understand and use.
I chose this book to have consice recipes for oil blends. There are plenty here and they are just what I was looking for..
I chose this book to have consice recipes for oil blends. There are plenty here and they are just what I was looking for..
April 2, 2016
This is a very basic overview of EO's and aromatherapy.
The first pages include the usual disclaimers, warnings, and general advice about storage, use and skin testing. I'd be wary of any book on this subject that did NOT include this vital information.
There is a small section on aromatherapy, the chemistry of EOs, and methods of EO application. The section on EO chemistry was vague and bland. It felt added only to make the book author look scientifically informed, and, IMO, it had the opposite effect. I got the impression she was merely presenting something she'd cut/pasted from elsewhere and didn't fully understand herself. If one is going to throw around words like "sisquiterpene" or "phenol," let's make it worthwhile. Actually, sisquiterpenes are pretty interesting, but you wouldn't know it from what you find in these pages.
The bulk of the book lists numerous carrier oils and EOs with their basic properties. The lists include less common carrier and EOs, which was impressive. The lists are shallow in content, but have good range -- 17 carrier oils and well over 120 EOs with their basic characteristics. Again, the information is shallow: for example, the author doesn't distinguish among different varietals of chamomile, eucalyptus or lavender (which can have different therapeutic properties).
Appended to the EO section is a list of potentially dangerous EOs. There are definitely EOs that should be used with caution (or not at all), but I'd have preferred information more authoritative than "This is bad stuff and should never be used for aromatherapy" which is one of the two sentences under Rue oil. While true, it's not very informative. It may be informative to know that wormwood "is so toxic that it's been banned for sale in the UK." It's more informative to know that wormwood containing thujone is the real danger, and that's because it can cause seizures/convulsions, kidney failure, paralysis, and, in extreme cases, death.
I appreciate including a list of commonly-faked oils. Some are faked because of price; others because EO cannot be made of them. I makes me crazy when some soapmaker insists she's using "only the best therapeutic EOs" of something like banana or watermelon. Riiiight. This section may have been made more useful by splitting it into "no EO exists" and "faked because of cost." Either way, if she is going to include tuberose, vanilla, and Melissa on the faked list ($$$$), it should also include the very commonly faked rose, jamine, ylang-ylang (all $$$$). The advice to avoid oils that don't "look, smell or feel right" isn't helpful since most beginners have no clue what the "real thing" looks or smells like. When in doubt, ask for certification documentation from an independent lab. A reputable processor will not hesitate to produce such.
Finally, there is a short section with some basic tried-and-true blend recipes.
There is not anything new or in-depth information here, and the author doesn't list any sources for the information.
The e-book edition has some format issues, not just typos or cut/paste errors, but also spacing issues. Those are particularly annoying in lists and charts. Also annoying is the lack of an index and that you can't go directly to the table of contents (no link provided.)
While this is marketed as a introduction to aromatherapy and EOs, it's probably going to be more useful to those who have experience with EOs and can supplement what's presented with their own judgement and experience.
Long review short: I plan to keep it on my phone to use as a memory jog, but there are many better books out there. This is a very average, very shallow book on the subject, but organized well enough to serve as a decent "cheat sheet" for those with some prior knowledge of the subject.
The first pages include the usual disclaimers, warnings, and general advice about storage, use and skin testing. I'd be wary of any book on this subject that did NOT include this vital information.
There is a small section on aromatherapy, the chemistry of EOs, and methods of EO application. The section on EO chemistry was vague and bland. It felt added only to make the book author look scientifically informed, and, IMO, it had the opposite effect. I got the impression she was merely presenting something she'd cut/pasted from elsewhere and didn't fully understand herself. If one is going to throw around words like "sisquiterpene" or "phenol," let's make it worthwhile. Actually, sisquiterpenes are pretty interesting, but you wouldn't know it from what you find in these pages.
The bulk of the book lists numerous carrier oils and EOs with their basic properties. The lists include less common carrier and EOs, which was impressive. The lists are shallow in content, but have good range -- 17 carrier oils and well over 120 EOs with their basic characteristics. Again, the information is shallow: for example, the author doesn't distinguish among different varietals of chamomile, eucalyptus or lavender (which can have different therapeutic properties).
Appended to the EO section is a list of potentially dangerous EOs. There are definitely EOs that should be used with caution (or not at all), but I'd have preferred information more authoritative than "This is bad stuff and should never be used for aromatherapy" which is one of the two sentences under Rue oil. While true, it's not very informative. It may be informative to know that wormwood "is so toxic that it's been banned for sale in the UK." It's more informative to know that wormwood containing thujone is the real danger, and that's because it can cause seizures/convulsions, kidney failure, paralysis, and, in extreme cases, death.
I appreciate including a list of commonly-faked oils. Some are faked because of price; others because EO cannot be made of them. I makes me crazy when some soapmaker insists she's using "only the best therapeutic EOs" of something like banana or watermelon. Riiiight. This section may have been made more useful by splitting it into "no EO exists" and "faked because of cost." Either way, if she is going to include tuberose, vanilla, and Melissa on the faked list ($$$$), it should also include the very commonly faked rose, jamine, ylang-ylang (all $$$$). The advice to avoid oils that don't "look, smell or feel right" isn't helpful since most beginners have no clue what the "real thing" looks or smells like. When in doubt, ask for certification documentation from an independent lab. A reputable processor will not hesitate to produce such.
Finally, there is a short section with some basic tried-and-true blend recipes.
There is not anything new or in-depth information here, and the author doesn't list any sources for the information.
The e-book edition has some format issues, not just typos or cut/paste errors, but also spacing issues. Those are particularly annoying in lists and charts. Also annoying is the lack of an index and that you can't go directly to the table of contents (no link provided.)
While this is marketed as a introduction to aromatherapy and EOs, it's probably going to be more useful to those who have experience with EOs and can supplement what's presented with their own judgement and experience.
Long review short: I plan to keep it on my phone to use as a memory jog, but there are many better books out there. This is a very average, very shallow book on the subject, but organized well enough to serve as a decent "cheat sheet" for those with some prior knowledge of the subject.
March 20, 2013
This book reminds me a lot of "Modern Essentials," it covers the same type of information. Good quick summary of an extensive list of oils, great table of contents for easy access on the Kindle. An issue I have with this book is the continual theme that essential oils are dangerous and only use with caution and under supervision of a doctor or aromatherapy expert, it distracted from the other information with its repetitive warnings. Also there is no author information so I don't know about training or experience, nor are there any sources for the information in the book.
March 8, 2014
Good primer for beginner
I enjoyed the down-to-earth writing the author uses, and appreciated the organization of the book. The safety information, oil profiles, and charts provided Will serve as a great reference for someone (such as myself) getting started with essential oils for therapeutic purposes. The author seems to have done her research and asserts that she does not believe use of essential oils should replace modern medicine, but complement it. I enjoyed this read, and think I will continue to refer to it often.
I enjoyed the down-to-earth writing the author uses, and appreciated the organization of the book. The safety information, oil profiles, and charts provided Will serve as a great reference for someone (such as myself) getting started with essential oils for therapeutic purposes. The author seems to have done her research and asserts that she does not believe use of essential oils should replace modern medicine, but complement it. I enjoyed this read, and think I will continue to refer to it often.
May 21, 2015
Essential Oils
I have been reading and looking through this book for months now trying to see what the big deal is with essential oils and this book will be getting used quite a lot. Great information!
I have been reading and looking through this book for months now trying to see what the big deal is with essential oils and this book will be getting used quite a lot. Great information!
June 4, 2014
Great book on essential oils.
I bought this book so I could find out how to make essential oils safely. This book gave me a lot of great information.
I bought this book so I could find out how to make essential oils safely. This book gave me a lot of great information.
December 6, 2014
Just finished, interesting concept.
December 29, 2015
Easy to read and understand. Detailed information about aromatherapy, individual essential oils and blends, and a handful of recipes.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews