Essential Oils in Reflexology

[anwen55]

Hiya all
I have read some information from other reflexologists from other sites that they do not use essential oils - in fact some say they do not use oils at all. They use creams/talcs/lotions.

I use essential oils with a carrier oil. I do notmix them as I am not an aromatherapistbut put 1 or 2 drops in some carrier oils. I use a cream afterwards for thepost treatment massage.
A qualified reflexologist friend of mine who is now a midwife and combines the two (reflexology and midwifery together) says she does not use any oils or essential oils at all just her bare hands. I feel sometimes this drags the skin, but I also find Jojoba drags the skin too. I do not use talc anymore in light of the contents/ingredients not being good for breathing/asthma sufferers.

What do you all use?
Someone else said as they are not aromatherapists they are not qualified to use essential oils during a reflexology treatment on a client! I use the oils but not qualified. I was under the impression I can use them but not sell them or pre-blend them myself as I am not qualified and it would be illegal/unethical, etc. The only time I am wary of using oils is when working with clients who are (as I have one this evening) trying to conceive and are using fertility drugs. My client tonight is using Menopure and I am unsure whether to treat at all. She is injecting herself and I always say 'if in doubt - don't'. I have come across Clomid before but not Menopure, but i guess they should all be treated with caution and care.

Any comments/advice would be grateful. ASAP would be great as I have a client at 7pm!! HELP!
I will email her and ask her if she is using daily injections.
Many thanks
Tracey

 

[Oh Oh Oh OMG]

hi tracey,[/align][/align]you say:[/align][/align]"I use essential oils with a carrier oil. I do notmix them as I am not an aromatherapistbut put 1 or 2 drops in some carrier oils."[/align][/align]do you mean you dont use more than one essential oil because whether you use one or more essential oils, if you put any drops into a carrier oil, you are "mixing" them! and if you are not a qualified aromatherapist, you are not "insured" to use essential oils on clients. you can, however, use pre blended oils as the dilutions are very low and basically "available" BUT even so, maybe care should be used.[/align][/align]as a reflexologist, i dont use oil or talc to do treatments although i do finish with a foot massage and use, currently, a pedicure lotion that has rosemary, peppermint and lavender in it (strictly professional brand).[/align][/align]treating clients having IVF treatments are a personal choice of both therapist and client. as you say, if you have any worries or doubts at all, then dont. you should find out what you can about the fertility treatment, what the drugs do, how the client reacts etc etc. you need to understand how it works in order to give best service to client.[/align][/align]IVF and reflexology will always have differing views from different therapists. you will get the POV that the drugs are to increase eggs but as reflex is supposed to balance and "normalise", will this cancel out the drugs? [/align][/align]but then, if reflex works on balancing and relaxing, would this not improve chances of conception anyway?[/align][/align][/align]

 

[Tony Ogla]

Hi there

I use a carrier oil and use say 1 drop of mandarin in a little pot. I have oils that are not mixed.
My tutor at the college stated to us that if we blended them we would not be insured and we could not do this as we are not aromatherapists. I am so unsure about using oils and I am thinking I may steer clear of them altogether! I have read so much information on the essential oils and reflexology it is best I think to stay away from them and just use a carrier oil and / or a foot cream.

Trace x

 

[hareswar]

Blending oils means even using one oil in a baseoil or lotionthat you have blended yourself, (as opposed to a pre-blended oil), as Rosie says. All oils have their own therapeutic qualities, but many are also contraindicated for clients with various conditions such as high blood pressure, epilepsy or pregnancy, so if you're not aware of these, it's really not advisable to use essential oils at all.

Having said that, mandarin is probably the most gentle essential oil you can use and is safe to use in pregnancy after the first trimester and for other conditions.

Lesley

 

[Alex Vienneau]

It is better not to use oils if you are not a Aromatherapist. You could used liquid talc or talc free-powder. I am sure I have seen lotions for use with Reflexology on the internet, sorry cannot remember address.

 

[Hesham]

Hi TJG, I have always been advised not to use essential oils unless aromatherapist trained - which I 'm not - but one day will. I use pre-blended oils for massages but with reflexology I don't use any oils atall. I find it easier to work on the feet without anything atall. Yes it is skin on skin but I find that I get a better 'grip' so to speak. I do use a cream or oil at the end for a bit of a foot massage but then I just use grapeseed oil.

 

[Allstar Weekend ?]

I like grapeseed oil too, bexx. I have just converted over to using oil throughout my treatments, thanks to a post on here! I decided to give it a go because I find it can be quite 'draggy' treating skin on skin, especially with a client with dry skin. With an elderly client in particular I don't want to cause discomfort to their fragile skin. I trained using corn starch powder - yuck yuck yuck!! Too drying and my hands didn't enjoy it at all.

During my training they stated that unless you are a trained aromatherapist don't use essential oils with clients, and I think that's pretty sensible as EOs are very powerful. I had heard that Mandarin oil is probably the safest EO to use, Aromababe. Me, I'm happy to use just a plain old carrier oil!

 

[Larrisa]

Tui wax is good too.

[link=http://www.songbirdnaturals.co.uk/]http://www.songbirdnaturals.co.uk/[/link]

There's a plain one and a reflexology blend as well.

 

[CipBerGreelia]

Hi all
Thank you for your advice. It is difficult as there is so much conflicting advice out there. I feel a little uneasy using Essential Oils, but I have bought some (9 different ones) and at the college they stated that I can use them even though I am not aromatherapy trained as I am not blending them with anything! But I am I am mixing with a carrier oil! I agree with you all. I will steer clear of EO's until I decide whether to go down the Aromatherapy route.
Many thanks
Tracey x

 

[peter_unk]

To re-state what many others have said...unless you are qualifiedto use aromatherapy oils, don't.
Should something go wrong your insurance will not protect you.
Some courses have this criteria: 'massage using pre-blended oils'. These are usually beauty courses. I have not come across a reflexology course with this in it. Although it is ok to use ready made specialist products EG lemon scented foot massage cream (until SCCP bans citrus oils - another subject).
Terminology is always a confusion - mixed andblended basically mean the same thing - putting one thing with another.

Don't forget yourself too! Over exposure to one or more oils diltued or not can cause problems.