Have you had a massage lately? If you haven’t, then think about aromatherapy. Like the name suggests, the room will be filled with the scent of oils used to heal the body of a number of ailments.

That said, aromatherapy itself uses extracts created from various plants, flowers and herbs. Absorbing these smells through the nose can ease the symptoms of the complaint. Aromatherapy massage takes that one step further and allows the extracts to seep into the skin to affect changes in the body as well.

Here is how it works. If you went to an aromatherapist for a massage, he or she would ask you to fill out paperwork so they can get a profile of you and any complaints you have (stress-related conditions, headaches, digestive system and such). Depending on what you say, the choice of oils used will be different for each massage.

In Aromatherapy Massage the plant extracts need a carrier to deliver them to the skin. Mild oils like almond are used to deliver the healing herbs to your body. These are not fragrant oils like you would put on your skin as perfume. It is the oil that smells of the extract with no other chemicals added.

The oils are blended with the appropriate extracts for your condition. The smell fills the room to relax you and also enters your skin through the skilled hands of the massage therapist. Aromatherapy has the advantage of providing relief for stress-related conditions and digestive complaints without adding chemicals to your body.

There are a few additional things to know before having an aromatherapy massage. Tell the massage therapist if you have any allergies to medicines and plants. Do not eat before going as lying down on a full stomach can be unpleasant. If you are pregnant, consult a doctor before engaging in an aromatherapy massage. Anyone with blood clotting issues should abstain from massage because the pressure could dislodge a forming clot and cause serious if not fatal complications.

Aromatherapy massages mingle the healing touch of massage with the powers of natural plants and herbs.

Beauty without Cruelty

Also, to our mind, natural makeup means not only ingredients which are healthy and natural, but which have also not been tested on animals. And no, they don’t just dab it on their fur, they inject it into their eyes, constantly expose their even more sensitive skin to it, and generally torture the animals they use for testing.

You can try the beauty without cruelty line of products, or the Body Shop products that have been around for decades, with good reason. You may ened up paying more, but this is your health and the safety of harmless animals we are talking about, not vanity and saving money at the expense of the planet.

Also beware of products that say they were not tested on animals-the finished product might not have been, but the chemical components they are using often have been.

Also consider products like Oil of Olay, which uses worm secretions, or products with silk extracts, which come from silk worms. Even if you are not that squeamish about these products, do you really want to exploit living creatures in such a way? You don’t even want to know where your mascara comes from if it is not all natural….

The more educated you are about the products you use, the better able you will be to make smart choices for your health, and safety.

Is It Really Natural?

In light of the increased awareness of the dangers of certain chemicals, some companies have begun to label their products “safe” and “natural.”

The problem is that these terms are not regulated either. They are mainly media hype to try to sell more products. Unlike terms used in food labeling, these words can appear on cosmetics packaging without any specific requirements. So it is up to us to read labels and research the companies that we buy cosmetics from.

Some companies have shown their dedication to eliminating dangerous chemicals in their products by signing the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. This is a pledge to replace hazardous chemicals in their products with safe alternatives within three years. While the compact is not overseen by the government, it does have strict requirements for signers.

Natural makeup is not yet the norm, but it is becoming more popular. And as more users learn of the dangers of chemicals commonly used in cosmetics, it can only become more mainstream.

Until then, it’s up to us to seek out companies that care about their customers enough to avoid using hazardous ingredients. Read the labels, and don’t just jump on the latest fashion bandwagon for such items as ‘minerals’. Fashion trends often spawn much cheaper imitations that can have disasterous consequences for our skin.

Similarly, Botox injections are actually injection of botulin poison, which is commonly used to kill rats. No one has done any long terms safety studies on the effects of putting that in our bodies.

There are many reasons why natural makeup is better for our health. These reasons include:

* Some of the chemicals used in cosmetics are known to be dangerous on their own. Mercury, for example, is hazardous to our health in numerous ways, yet it continues to be used in cosmetics and deodorants (and is in increasing amounts in our food chain as well). Other hazardous chemicals found in makeup include lead acetate, formaldehyde, tolulene, phthalates and petrochemicals (Vaseline is PETROLEUM jelly—it comes from oil). Many of the harmful chemicals have long, obscure names that hide the true nature of what is in them.

* Many chemicals are not particularly harmful on their own, but can form dangerous compounds when combined with other chemicals. So a chemical in your foundation could come into contact with a chemical in your blush and create a new, hazardous chemical.

* While one exposure to a small amount of a given chemical is unlikely to cause major harm, daily use of cosmetics containing these chemicals allows them to build up in our bodies. This can lead to hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems, cancer and more. Our skin is the largest organ in the body, and so whatever we are doing to it with makeup, soaps, creams and lotions, affects the whole body. The chemicals absorb into it simply by sitting on the skin.

If you don’t believe this, just think of how many medicines are administered by so-called ‘derma patches’ which you stick on the skin, such as birth control patches, anti-smoking, or pain relief patches. They rely on the highly absorbent nature of human skin to give the dose of medicine in the patch.

Therefore, any cream or lotion with harmful chemicals can equally be absorbed into the body.

∑ Natural products are less likely to cause sensitivity. It is possible to develop an allergy to anything, but synthetic chemicals are more likely to cause adverse reactions, especially over time. People with sensitive skin will suffer most. Then, ironically, they will start putting even more chemicals on their skin to try to treat their rash.