Riding the Rollercoaster of Female Hormones with Aromatherapy
by Kayla Fioravanti

The cycle of a woman is comparable to a giant rollercoaster. It brings us up and down, upside down and around again. Our hormones send us on a variety of loops that are sometimes scary and other times exciting and creative. A woman’s body is naturally in tune with the properties of essential oils which are the living essence of a plant. Plants smell for two main reasons; defense and attraction. It is the plants need to attract that gives plants an almost feminine nature. The aromatic essential oil of a plant helps in reproduction by attracting insects and animals for pollination and seed dispersal. The sweet, tempting and attractive fragrances aid in the plants reproduction. Plants also use these aromas to communicate through messages of scent known as chemical signals.

The human body works very similarly. In humans, smell triggers both mental and physical responses in the body. Essential oils travel via the nose to the limbic system of the brain where memory, emotions, hormones and sexuality all reside. Smell has a powerful effect on sex drive. As a matter of fact, one out of every four people who suffer from either a loss or impaired sense of smell, lose interest in sexual activity. Our sense of smell picks up subtle aromas that you are not consciously aware of but your body responds to. I am sure you have noticed that women who spend a significant amount of time together have a tendency to menstruate at nearly the same time every month. This is due to the natural scent regulation of women caused by subtle glandular odor allowing our bodies to regulate themselves using pheromones. Just think, during an average year, we breathe 6,307,200 times and with every breath, we smell. With each scent we come in contact with our body is sent a chemical message of aroma.

Essential oils that influence the female reproduction system contain chemical compounds, known as plant hormones, which resemble estrogen. Plant hormones help balance the female body by creating physical changes that balance our menstrual cycles, act as aphrodisiacs, increase breast milk flow, and even strengthen contractions during labor. The human body is so amazing that it even will tell you what it needs at any given time in your cycle by being unusually attracted to certain scents and repulsed unexplainably by others. For instance, I have never met a woman that did not find Ylang Ylang essential oil offensive during her early pregnancy. The hormone properties of Ylang Ylang are too powerful for early pregnancy and your body automatically protects itself. Most women have a heightened sense of smell during their entire pregnancy which automatically protects the growing child inside of her.

I have worked with a blend of essential oils that I call the “Women’s Balance” for more than seven years now. I have witnessed amazing transformations in women’s lives with this blend. Women of all ages have found balance in the same blend of essential oils because your body uses what properties it needs and discards the rest. I have spoken with women who have struggled with fertility because of irregular cycles and, after using this blend, have become regulated and gotten pregnant. Women suffering from severe mood swings have balanced out and menopausal women have found great relief from their symptoms, due to this blend. A variety of essential oils greatly affect the female body for a variety of imbalances and swings. Below I have listed a few of the major issues and the essential oils that work best for these symptoms.

Aphrodisiacs: Anise, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Lemon, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang
PMS: Bergamot, Chamomile, Cedarwood, Citronella, Cypress, Geranium, Clary Sage, Fennel, Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemon, Jasmine, Juniper, Neroli, Orange, Pine, Ravensara, Rose, Sandalwood.
Hormone Havoc: Bergamot, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Fennel, Geranium, Lavender, Ravensara, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Ylang Ylang
Endometriosis: Clary Sage, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Geranium, Ravensara
Menopause: Basil, Bergamot, Cypress, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Fennel, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Orange, Sandalwood, Ravensara, Rose.
Hot Flashes: Clary Sage, Chamomile, Fennel, Geranium, Lavender
Labor and Delivery: Geranium, Lavender, Jasmine, Neroli, Rose, Ylang Ylang
Postpartum: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Fennel, Geranium, Grapefruit, Lavender, Patchouli, Ravensara, Rose.

All these scents can and will effect the female body via the aroma of the essential oil, but the best way to benefit from the full properties of essential oils is to apply them to the body. They are too powerful to apply directly and must be diluted in a massage oil, body mist, bath product, lotion or crème to enjoy. Never apply undiluted essential oils directly to your skin. Imagine that one drop of essential oil is equivalent to thirty pounds of the raw plant material. For every ounce of unscented product that you add essential oils to you only need one to two drop of essential oil. There are many aromatherapy based product lines on the market. Make sure that you only use ones that are truly essential oils and not fragrance oils.

Kayla Fioravanti, R.A., von Natur
Kayla is a Cosmetic Formulator, a Certified & Registered Aromatherapist and owner of von Natur, the ultimate in natural and organic skin and body care.