Aromatherapy is meant to improve one’s well-being through the use of essential oils. There is no doubt that essential oils are beneficial; for example, eucalyptus is a decongestant which helps clear the nose and sinus. However, I wondered if they actually could improve my emotional health, so I decided to give aromatherapy a try for myself.

I decided to used tea tree oil because I liked the scent. As directed by a WikiHow page, I put some oil on my pillow before I went to bed, and added in some hot water as a scent diffuser. My initial reaction was that it smelled sweet and was relaxing to some degree. But I couldn’t firmly say whether or not it improved my emotional well being.

The next day I used it I experienced the same effects; it was just mildly relaxing. So, on the third day, I decided to use regular candles and perfume to see how they compared. The candle worked just as well as the essential oil in the diffuser did. However, the perfume did not. Unlike the oil, the smell was too overwhelming and made it harder for me to fall asleep. For the next two days, I used tea tree oil on my pillow and the non-essential oil candles I had.

When the week ended, I concluded that aromatherapy did work to some extent. I liked the oils because they were subtle and not overpowering. However, you do not need essential oils to feel slightly relaxed, like I did. Any candle can do the trick.