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Essential oil proportions
For each of the essential oil recipes. I use what is called a 2% blend. And that means using two drops of essential oil in total for every teaspoon (5ml) of your carrier, usually natural vegetable oil. That's the amount that is recommended for anyone who is over 12 and who doesn't have sensitive skin.
If you're using a recipe for someone who is under twelve or who has sensitive skin, you would use a different proportion which I will cover in a separate post.
Tips for non aromatherapists
If you’re not an aromatherapist you can make the products but without essential oils. However, you can use the essential oils in your treatment room, in a burner or a diffuser. When you're using essential oils in a burner or diffuser, you just need three drops of essential oil in total. Any contraindications to essential oils that I mention will apply to using them in burners or diffusers too. The effects of inhaling essential oils is extremely powerful.
What is a treatment upgrade?
A treatment upgrade is also called a mini treatment or a treatment enhancement. It's a short treatment that you use alongside an existing treatment to help the client to get more benefit, relaxation and enjoyment from the treatment.
Why would you want to add these aroma therapy upgrades to your treatments?
Treatment upgrades help you to stand out from other therapists in your area. And they allow you to raise your rates without losing clients. And a huge bonus is they cost very little in terms of time or money, but they give amazing value to your clients.
7 Aromatherapy Upgrades
1. Sugar Scrub
You can use a sugar scrub for the hands or the feet. It’s lovely before a reflexology treatment or before or after a massage. It's very luxurious, and the skin feels absolutely amazing. Sugar is really good for the skin when you use it on the outside. Unfortunately not so much when you use it on the inside!
To make the sugar scrub.
Put four dessert spoons (which is roughly 10 teaspoons) of caster sugar into a bowl. You can also use ordinary granulated sugar. Granulated sugar is a little bit harsher, but it's probably better for exfoliating. I prefer the castor sugar, but you could try both and see which one you prefer.
Add enough natural vegetable oil to cover the sugar completely. You’ll have a thick liquid, but it won’t be firm.
Essential oils (optional for qualified aromatherapists)
As well as nourishing the skin, this blend is also very calming, and relaxing.
Contraindications
Don't use this blend of essential oils for anyone who's pregnant. Lavender is what we call an emmenagogue oil, which means that it can bring on a period. So there is an outside chance that it could cause a miscarriage. I've never heard of it happening, and I think it's extremely unlikely. But it's always better to err on the side of caution when using essential oils.
Also don't use the blend on skin that will be exposed to a sunbed or bright sunlight within the next 48 hours. Grapefruit essential oil is what is called phototoxic, so it can cause burns.
You will need
How to give a sugar scrub treatment
- 1Cover the area where you're going to work i.e. under the hands and/or feet.
- 2Take a small bit of sugar scrub and rub it between your hands.
- 3Massage the hands and/or feet for a couple of minutes.
- 4When you're finished remove the scrub with one of your warm, damp towels/face cloths.
- 5You may need to repeat this with a second warm, damp towel/face cloth.
- 6Dry the feet with a dry towel/face cloth.
- 7Remove the extra towels you used under the hands and/or feet.
- 8Complete your treatment as normal.
This treatment is so simple, super relaxing and the skin will feel amazing.
I had a student who was a reflexologist. When she started offering sugar scrub upgrades she immediately doubled her bookings and raised her rates by €10. She wasn’t working that long, and she usually had 5 clients a week who paid €50 each. Having 10 clients a week who paid €60 each made a massive difference to her confidence and her bank balance.
What to charge for a sugar scrub upgrade?
€10 is a good price for this treatment, but if you’re more comfortable you could start with €5.
2. Tension Tamer Massage
This is for massage therapists or aromatherapists who offer massage. The oils in this recipe are pain killing and anti-inflammatory.
To make the Tension Tamer Oil
Combine 5 ml of Castor Oil, and 5 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 10ml of Sweet Almond Oil.
Optional Essential Oils (for qualified aromatherapists)
This is a lovely calming, relaxing anti-inflammatory, painkilling blend of essential oils.
Contraindications
Don't use Sweet Almond for a client who has no allergies, You could use Grapeseed Oil or Sunflower Oil instead.
Don't use the essential oils for anyone who is pregnant. Also, also don't use Lemon essential oil on any area of the skin that will be exposed to a sunbed or bright sunlight within the next 48 hours. Lemon essential oil is photo toxic, which means it can cause burns.
How to use the blend
Simply give a massage as normal using the blend of oils.
What to charge for a tension tamer massage
I would charge €10 extra for this upgrade. If your massage is normally €50, you could charge up to €60 for a Tension Tamer Massage. Let your clients know that the treatment includes your signature blend of anti-inflammatory, painkilling and relaxing natural oils.
3. Sinusitis massage.
I’ve created a class about a sinusitis massage. It includes:-
causes and symptoms of sinusitis and hay fever
an aromatherapy recipe to use in a sinus massage,
a short video tutorial where I walk you through a sinus massage routine.
This is an amazing treatment, I see a dramatic improvement in sinusitis and hay fever, often in 5 minutes or less.
4. Mini Facial Rejuvenation
This is an absolutely lovely treatment, relaxing and very effective for facial rejuvenation.
To make the Facial Rejuvenation Blend
Combine 5 ml of Avocado Oil and 5ml of Sweet Almond Oil. These vegetables alone are fantastic for skin rejuvenation. They boost elastin and collagen, they're deeply moisturizing, and they have a lot of other properties as well.
Optional Essential Oils (for qualified aromatherapists)
These oils are fantastic for skin rejuvenation, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, increasing elastin and collagen plus the blend is deeply moisturising.
Contraindications
The essential oil blend is not suitable for pregnant women. Grapefruit essential oil should not be used on any area of the skin that will be exposed to a sunbed or bright sunlight within the next 48 hours.
How to use the blend
If you are already a massage therapist or an aromatherapist, you will have learned a basic facial routine. And you can use this blend in that routine.
In my Aromatherapy Wellness Professional Course, I have a separate module called the Aromatherapy Facial which includes a facial rejuvenating routine and which essential oils to to use for various skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, et cetera, et cetera.
But this blend with your own massage routine will make a fantastic upgrade to any treatment.
What to charge for a Mini Facial Rejuvenation treatment?
You could either offer the treatment as a standalone treatment and charge €50 for 50 minutes. Including a neck and shoulder massage would be a lovely addition to the treatment.
You could also offer it as an upgrade and charge between €10 and €15 for a ten or 15 minute treatment.
5. Reflexology Balm Upgrade
I’m an aromatherapist and a reflexologist and I love combining the two treatments. As a qualified aromatherapist you can make a lovely range of balms for muscle pain, respiratory conditions, stress, insomnia and lots more.
But here’s a very simple recipe that’s wonderful for relaxation.
To make the balm
If you’re not an aromatherapist, use 10 ml of extra virgin Coconut Oil. Non fractionated (solid) Coconut Oil is best as it has more therapeutic properties than the liquid, fractionated version. Non fractionated Coconut oil is very moisturizing, and it's also anti-bacterial, antiviral and antifungal.
Optional Essential Oils (for qualified aromatherapists)
Before adding essential oils you will need to melt the Coconut Oil. Microwaves and cookers destroy some of the therapeutic properties of the oil, so you could put it into a small glass container, and put that into a larger bowl of hot water until the Coconut Oil melts.
Then add the essential oils - one drop of Lavender, one drop of Bergamot and two drops of Ylang Ylang and allow the Coconut Oil to solidify again.
Contraindications
Don’t use the blend for pregnant women and don’t use it on skin that will be exposed to bright sunlight or a sunbed within 48 hours. Bergamot is a phototoxic oil and so it can cause burns.
What to charge for a Reflexology Balm upgrade?
If your normal reflexology treatment is €60, you could charge €65 for this treatment. And if you wanted to, you could also include a Sugar Scrub upgrade using the same blend of essential oils, (if you are using essential oils) and charge €70 in total for the combined treatments.
6. Subtle Aromatherapy
Subtle Aromatherapy is an absolutely fantastic upgrade for anyone who does Reiki, IET, Bioenergy or any energy healing treatments.
Some essential oils have affinities with particular chakras
But………. when you're using essential oils as part of an energy treatment, your intuition is also really important. So use whatever oils that feel right for you at the time. As long as there are no contraindications to the essential oils.
How do you use essential oils as part of an energetic healing treatment?
You may have heard that you don't use essential oils undiluted on the skin. Subtle aromatherapy is a slight exception. The easiest way to use essential oils in a healing treatment is to touch the top of the open bottle with the palm of your hand, so that you get a trace of the essential oil on the palm of your hand. You don’t need to turn the bottle upside down.
Then you can do the healing treatment as normal with the essential oils on your hand. Or you could use the essential oil when you do the grounding, cleansing, strengthening the aura or chakra balancing. With subtle aromatherapy there is no right or wrong way, just as there is no right or wrong oils (unless they’re contraindicated of course.
When you start using the essential oils with energy work, you’ll probably notice that the aroma of the essential oil intensifies and that the healing energy feels more powerful. Essential oils are partly energetic and aromatherapy and healing energy enhance each other. Beautiful. Combination.
In fact, I find that aromatherapy enhances every other therapy!
If you’re not an aromatherapist
In most places, non aromatherapists can’t use essential oils on the client’s body in a treatment, although they can use pre-blended essential oils which were prepared by an aromatherapist. And they can use essential oils in burners, diffusers and in other ways in the therapy room.
This includes subtle aromatherapy as you're not putting the oils on the skin, you work in the aura above and around a client and/or you work over the clothes.
However, (err on the side of caution will be on my tombstone!) check with your insurance company and/or your State laws before adding this treatment to your menu.
Also bear in mind that it’s not largely understood that inhaling essential oils has a powerful effect, both mentally/emotionally and physically. So if you’re not an aromatherapist, and you use essential oils in any way in your therapy room, always check the contraindications.
What to charge for subtle aromatherapy?
I would suggest charging between €5 and €10 extra to include essential oils in an energy healing treatment.
7. Selling products as an upgrade
The next treatment upgrade is offering bespoke products to your clients. By bespoke. I mean, products that are specially made for that client after you've done a consultation. To sell products off the shelf you’ll need to have them tested first.
Selling the products you used in a treatment make lovely upgrades. For instance, a Mini Facial Rejuvenation blend to take home and use between treatments will really enhance the benefit of the treatment.
Qualified aromatherapists could also sell aromatherapy inhalers (wonderful for anxiety, headaches, respiratory conditions and lots more) bath bombs, moisturising creams and lots more. If you’d like to know more about making a range of aromatherapy products check out my
If you’re not an aromatherapist
If you’re not an aromatherapist, don’t sell products with essential oils, but you have plenty of options to choose from, just in this post alone!
How much to charge for your products
How long is a piece of string?? Price your ingredients, including essential oils, your bottles, your labels. Also do include a profit, or you’re basically sharing your time, expertise and training for nothing. An absolute minimum should be €5, and it could be €20 or more.
Mini pep talk for aromatherapists who want to give away products for free (there’s no finger pointing here, this is exactly what I did when I first trained and for quite a few years afterwards!
You might feel “I already had the bland it feels a bit mean to charge” But bear in mind:-
The client could buy an inferior product from the pharmacy that’s not 100% natural and doesn’t help them half as much as yours.
How much time it took you to learn about essential oils, so you can make that safe and effective blend.
The price of your ingredients and equipment.
That most people don't value free. But if they pay, the product has value, they won’t lose it, and they won’t forget to use it.
Using essential oils in burners & diffusers
This is not exactly an upgrade, but it really enhances any treatment. Here’s a beautiful recipe that will make the client feel relaxed as soon as they walk in:-
1 drop each of Bergamot, Lavender and Ylang Ylang. And you can use this recipe in your reception area or your therapy room whether or not you’re an aromatherapist.
If your client is or may be pregnant, use Neroli essential oil instead of Lavender essential oil.
I hope you enjoyed that and found it useful. I’d love to know which of the upgrades you’re going to try and how you get on, so feel free to leave a comment,
Jenny x