Essential oil profile - Neroli

Neroli

(Citrus aurantium var. amara) Neroli essential oil is steam distilled from the freshly picked blossom of the bitter orange tree, also referred to as the bigarade, Seville or sour orange tree. The oil is deep brown in colour, has a warm sweet aroma and top to middle note.

Several sources suggest that Neroli is named after Marie Anne de La Trémoille, Princess of Nerola (1642-1722), who used the oil to perfume her bath and gloves. Even today, Neroli is used as a key ingredient in Eau de Cologne and other perfumes. Therapeutically, neroli essential oil is well known for its calming and stressrelieving effects, which would account for the blossom being traditionally worn in bridal wreaths, as the warm, sweet aroma of the flowers was thought to soothe any apprehension in the newlyweds surrounding consummation of the marriage. Neroli’s antispasmodic properties are particularly beneficial for spasms occurring in smooth muscle, making it useful for digestive complaints and heart palpitations. It also has a rejuvenating effect on the skin and supports the female reproductive system.N

Key uses

Calming, uplifting

Botanical family

Rutaceae

Chemical composition

Alcohols – Monoterpenols: linalool (c.40%), α-terpineol, geraniol, nerol. Sesquiterpenols - transnerolidol, farnesol. Aromatic – phenyl ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol. Hydrocarbons – Monoterpenes (c.35%): limonene, β-pinene, trans-β-ocimene, myrcene, sabinene. Esters – Linalyl acetate, neryl acetate, geranyl acetate. Ketones – Jasmone.

The chemical composition of any essential oil can vary greatly, according to the plant species; climate, altitude and soil where the plant is grown; and when it is harvested. Refer to the manufacturer’s safety data sheet for a breakdown of an oil’s chemical profile.

Therapeutic properties

Analgesic, antiaging, antidepressant, antifungal, anti-infectious, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, balancing, bactericidal, calming, carminative, cicatrisant, digestive, nervine, sedative, tonic.

Indications

Acne, anxiety, boils, broken capillaries, depression, diarrhoea, fear, insomnia, menopause, nervous exhaustion, palpitations, premenstrual tension, shock, skin (dry, sensitive), stretchmarks, stress.

Blends with

Bergamot, geranium, jasmine, lavender, petitgrain, rose. of aromatherapy to normal nursing care on 56 patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, also known as coronary angioplasty) in an intensive care unit (Cho et al, 2013). The aromatherapy intervention involved inhaling a blend of lavender, roman chamomile and neroli (at a ratio of 6:2:0.5) ten times, both before and after the PCI. The study concluded that “aromatherapy effectively reduced the anxiety levels and increased the sleep quality of PCI patients admitted to the intensive care unit”.

Menopausal symptoms

A study involving 63 postmenopausal women compared the effects of inhaling 0.1% or 0.5% of neroli or almond oil (control) for five minutes a day, twice daily, for five days, to investigate the effects of the essential oil on menopausal symptoms, stress and oestrogen (Choi et al, 2014). The authors concluded that “inhalation of neroli oil helps relieve menopausal symptoms, increase sexual desire, and reduce blood pressure in postmenopausal women. Neroli oil may have potential as an effective intervention to reduce stress and improve the endocrine system”. T

Safety data

No known hazards or contraindications.

Research

Reducing anxiety and improving sleep

A study compared the effects NB: Only members who hold an appropriate aromatherapy qualification, accepted by the FHT for membership and insurance purposes, can make, use and supply aromatherapy blends and other products containing essential oils.

For references and further reading, visit

fht.org.uk/IT-references

'just' Not beauty

FHT’s editor, Karen Young, looks at just a few of the health and wellbeing benefits of different beauty treatments.

hen I applied to work as a part-time features writer at the FHT more than 20 years ago, I had very little knowledge of the therapy industry. I thought sports therapists only worked with people taking part in sport, I had no idea what a top note or reflex point was, and I thought beauty therapy was ‘just’ nails, make-up and facials. And as for treatment benefits and outcomes, I didn’t even know phrases like that existed, let alone how these things could make a huge difference to people’s lives.

Of course, with every article in the mag, every survey conducted, every event and seminar I’ve attended, every award entry I have read and every lovely member I have spoken to — on the phone, via email or in person — my knowledge and understanding of how different therapies can help to support health and wellbeing has grown. It’s been a humbling journey and I would have to say that of the three key sectors that FHT represents as a professional association – complementary, beauty and sport – it is beauty that has surprised me the most. Why? Because I have learnt that beauty can be remedial in nature and not ‘just’ about makeup, nails, waxing and facials, and other seemingly ‘superficial’ treatments, aimed at helping someone to feel younger or more attractive. Beauty treatments are also about feeling good about ourselves and comfortable in our own skin. Sometimes they are also about re-connecting with and valuing our incredible bodies after a tough journey, and restoring a sense of ‘the real me’. And sometimes they are about connecting with others – just like other therapies, many beauty treatments involve positive touch, as well as regularly seeing someone who is both professional and

Wcaring by nature. I appreciate these aren’t new or earthshattering observations and they will of course already be obvious to so many of our members. But as we all make our way out of a pandemic that has knocked even the hardiest of people, I just wanted to touch on some of the incredible benefits of beauty treatments that I have learnt over the years, and to remember that there are many ways to restore and support health and wellbeing. As Sir Sam Everington highlighted at one of our annual conferences, ‘it’s not what’s the matter with the patient, it’s what matters to the patient’. What improves our health and wellbeing as individuals is completely subjective. The key thing is to ensure that if it involves a therapy of any sort, that the person seeking that service finds a true professional. And that’s exactly what all FHT members are.

Permanent make-up and microblading

Permanent make-up is a type of cosmetic ‘tattooing’, which is also known as micropigmentation or semi-permanent make-up, and involves implanting tiny particles of pigment into the reticular layer of the skin. It can be used to replicate the appearance of eyebrows that have been lost, for example, due to chemotherapy treatment, alopecia or scarring. Advanced practitioners may also use the technique to make the lips look symmetrical in those affected by a cleft lip and to create the appearance of nipples that have been removed as a result of surgery, eg. for breast cancer. The effect can last between one to five years, depending on skin type and a range of life style and environmental factors.

Microblading is a treatment that can also be used to recreate eyebrows, which involves manually drawing delicate hairs using a fine scalpel or blade and then inserting pigment into the skin.

Electrolysis for unwanted hair and skin issues

Electrolysis is a permanent hair removal technique that involves inserting a fine probe into individual hair follicles. An electrical current passes through the probe, which damages the follicle and stops the hair from growing back.

It is commonly used for the removal of unwanted hair, and particularly when the unwanted hairs won’t respond well to laser treatment (for example, because the hair is fair or grey in colour). Unwanted hair growth can be very distressing for some individuals and can grow for a number of reasons, including hormonal and hereditary factors, or lifestyle factors such as stress and medication.

Electrolysis is also commonly used by clients who are transitioning, not just for the permanent removal of unwanted facial and body hair, but also to support gender reassignment surgery.

Advanced electrolysis techniques can be used to address a range of small, benign skin conditions that can be distressing to individuals, especially when present on the face, but are no longer treated on the NHS. This includes skin tags, moles, dermatosa papulosa nigra, and seborrhoeic keratosis.

Skin camouflage for pigment disorders and scars

Skin camouflage uses highly pigmented products that can be used to mask scars and skin discolouration, caused by conditions such as vitiligo, lupus, and port wine stains, which can affect areas often on show, such as the face, neck and hands.

Skin care treatments, products and make-up

There is a wide range of beauty treatments and products that can be used to address an equally wide range of skin problems, from acne and acne scarring, to dry and itchy skin and nail discolouration caused by chemotherapy. Special make-up

Bald Eyes by Laura Bailey T A bald head is synonymous with cancer treatment. Losing your hair is most people’s worst nightmare. I thought it would be mine. My relationship with hair loss turned out to be far more complex than I ever imagined. I thought I would fall apart, that I would hate my reflection. Feel weak. But I didn’t. I actually felt empowered.

What I didn’t anticipate was the effect of losing every other hair on my body would have on me. I joked it was nice not having to shave but deep down it was eerie. My body hair meant far more then I knew. I had my eyebrows micro-bladed a week after my first chemo. So, I was saved the trauma of seeing myself without them but when my eyelashes started to fall out it hit me hard.

Falsies were not an option, I am allergic to the glue but also the anxiety of them coming off would have been too much. I had a few disastrous encounters with black eyeliner trying in vain to give my face some familiar definition. I devised a way of using eye shadow to make me feel comfortable and confident with bald eyes.

I’m not a vain person, I have always been comfortable without make-up, but my bald eyes caused me to feel ugly and beaten. I understand that is how some women feel when they lose the hair on their head. Like all aspects of cancer, it is totally bespoke. What effects one might not affect the other.

I kept all this to myself. I felt ridiculous and embarrassed that my eye lashes meant so much to me. I remember feeling so relieved and happy when they started growing back which made losing them again so much harder. I was diagnosed with Secondary Breast Cancer a few months later and the drugs I was put on made what I had fall out.

Thankfully years on I have them back. I look after them with a special serum and have a sleep mask that protects them. I wish I opened up at the time more. I might have found someone who understood me. That could have stopped me feeling alone.

Hair grows back but that doesn’t erase the trauma we go through losing it in the first place. It is a big part of our identity which I feel is sadly played down. Yes, I am grateful for the treatments that keep me alive. But I am also allowed to feel sad about what I lost, even if it does grow back.

With thanks to Laura Bailey (find her on Instagram: @thatmumwithcancer) and Jennifer Young (beautydespitecancer.com) for granting us permission to share this story with FHT members. techniques and products can also be used to reproduce missing eyebrows and eyelashes, and restore colour in skin that has become pallor due to illness, medication, stress or anemia. T