What is aromatherapy? A beginner's guide for Nigerians

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, the natural aromatic oils of plants, to support how you feel. You breathe the scent in, or apply a gently diluted blend to your skin, usually at a chosen moment of the day.

That's the short answer. Here's everything else you need to know before you start.

Where essential oils come from

Every essential oil starts as a plant. Some come from flowers, some from leaves and grasses, some from the peel of fruit, and others from woods, roots and resins. Most are made by passing steam through the plant and collecting the aromatic oil as it cools. Citrus oils are usually pressed from the peel instead, which is why they smell so bright.

Because these oils are concentrated, a small amount goes a long way. That's also why they're always diluted before they touch your skin.

Scent has always been part of Nigerian life

The word "aromatherapy" may be new to many of us, but the idea isn't. Turaren wuta has scented Nigerian homes for generations. Scent leaf and uda find their way into our kitchens and our memories. Many of us grew up around perfume oils, fragrant soaps and the smell of a mother getting ready for an occasion.

Aromatherapy takes something familiar, the way a smell can change how we feel, and makes it deliberate.

How it works, simply

Of all our senses, smell has the most direct route to the parts of the brain linked to emotion and memory. That's why one breath of a familiar scent can bring back a whole moment, often before you've even named the smell.

Aromatherapy uses that connection. When you use the same calming scent at the same moment every day, such as when work ends or at lights out, it can become a cue your body learns to recognise. Over time, the scent itself becomes part of how you slow down.

Research into aromatherapy is still growing, and everyone responds to scent a little differently. It's best thought of as a supportive ritual, not a cure.

How people use aromatherapy

• Breathing it in: from a roll-on on your wrists, from cupped hands, or from a diffuser in a room.
• On the skin: a roll-on applied to pulse points, or a massage oil worked in with slow strokes.
• In the bath or shower: a few drops of a properly diluted bath oil.

The simplest place to start is a roll-on: roll it onto your inner wrists, cup your hands over your nose, and take three slow breaths. It takes about thirty seconds.

What aromatherapy is not

• It isn't just perfume. Perfume is mainly about how you smell to others. Aromatherapy is about how a scent helps you feel.
• It isn't herbal medicine like agbo. Aromatherapy oils are used on the skin, diluted, or breathed in. They are never swallowed.
• It isn't a medical treatment. It can support calm, focus and rest as part of your routine, but it doesn't diagnose, treat or cure any condition. For any health concern, speak to a doctor.

Using it safely

• Always use essential oils diluted. Ready-made roll-ons and body oils are already diluted for skin.
• Patch test first: apply a little to your inner forearm and wait 24 hours.
• Keep oils away from your eyes, the inside of your nose and ears, and broken or irritated skin.
• Never swallow essential oils.
• Keep bottles out of reach of children.
• If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, have a health condition or take regular medication, speak to your doctor first.
• Some pressed citrus oils can make skin more sensitive to strong sun, so check the label.
• Store oils tightly closed, away from heat and sunlight. Never leave them on a hot car dashboard.

How to start

Choose one moment of your day that needs a pause: a demanding afternoon, the journey home, the end of work, or lights out. Choose one blend for that moment. Use it at the same time every day for fourteen days, and notice how quickly you begin to settle.

That's all aromatherapy really asks of you: one moment, one scent, and a little repetition.