WHERE ESSENTIAL OILS COME FROM SOURCING THE SWEET-SMELLING STUFF
Call it a pseudoscientific fad or a medical revolution; either way, essential oils are more popular today than they have ever been. Though research on the efficacy of lavender, ginger, and the dozens of other sweet-smelling oils is conflicting at best, people are using them at an astonishing rate. In fact, according to Stratistics MRC, essential oils were a $5.91 billion industry in 2016 and are expected to reach $12.85 billion by 2023. Whether you’re an essential oil acolyte or fly into a rage at the faintest hint of bergamot, your mind is probably already made up about aromatherapy. The question remains, though: Where does all this delicious-smelling stuff come from? Most essential oils are derived from a process called steam distillation. Soon after harvest, the plants are placed on a mesh inside a sealed still, into which steam is injected. As the steam rises and envelops the plant, it breaks it down and lifts its constituent components up through a tube and into a condenser. The condenser cools the resulting vapor and collects it in liquid form at the bottom. Since essential oils do not mix with water, they float on the surface, where they’re siphoned off, bottled, and shipped off to a distributor. There are other methods, such as expression (aka cold pressing), but because steam distillation is so easy to do, most essential oils you see on the shelf will have gone through this process.
Lavender essential oil is harvested from sheaves of lavandula angustifolia, that purple herb you see all over gardens across the United States. There are lavender farms all over the world, from California to Japan to Brazil, but the biggest world producer of lavender is, interestingly, Bulgaria. Tea Tree oil comes from the leaves of melaleuca alternifolia, commonly known as narrow-leaved paperbark, a short, bushy tree that produces white, fluffy flowers in the spring. The trees are endemic to Australia, but today are usually farmed in New SouthWales or Queensland. Bergamot is distilled from the peels of lime-green bergamot oranges, or citrus bergamia. Most of it comes from coastal areas around the Ionian Sea. Whatever you do with it, use it sparingly on your skin — it can amplify skin damage from the sun!
that this will be your year. But then that motivation begins to dwindle, and you find yourself slipping up again and again. How can you rekindle it? Someone’s GotYour Back Finding someone to keep you accountable can be one of the best ways to stay motivated. Heading to the gym by yourself can become boring, and staying away from junk food is difficult when your friends aren’t in the same boat. In situations like this, it’s important to surround yourself with a supportive group of people. Building relationships with people in a workout class, having a friend or two tag along with you to the gym, or hiring a health coach can all be effective ways to boost your motivation. FindYour Flow Not every diet or exercise programwill work for every person. Finding what works for you and then sticking with it can help increase your motivation, and it can keep you interested. Seek out a class, program, or routine that clicks with you and you thoroughly enjoy doing. Whatever you choose, be sure that it feels natural and flows with your schedule easily — don’t force it! Pick something that becomes second nature to you so you can follow through without worrying or quitting.
Positive Reinforcements
Another great way to boost your motivation is to set goals and establish a reward system for yourself. It’s also equally important not to set yourself up for any disappointments; goals you set for yourself should be practical. Don’t immediately jump into a workout expecting perfection from yourself. Set small goals and, once you reach them, reward yourself with something that doesn’t go against your “stay-fit” focus. By working for what you want to achieve and surrounding yourself with positivity, both inward and outward, you can set yourself up for success by maintaining your motivation.
–Adrian Shier
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