If you’re like most nature lovers, chances are you have at least one bottle of essential oil lying around your house. And while essential oils are best known for their role in aromatherapy, it’s important to note that their benefits go way beyond their pleasant smell. In fact, reflexologists even recommend using certain oils under your feet to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Here’s how it works. How Your Feet Absorb Oils? The soles of your feet have five layers of skin and no hair follicles. The pores found in this area are particularly absorbent and can quickly pull the essential oil into the bloodstream. When applied to the entire foot, traces of essential oil can be found throughout the body in less than 20 minutes.
This is because your soles and palms are the only sites on your body without sebaceous glands. Sebum, which is produced by sebaceous glands all over the skin, is an oily substance that functions as a protective shield and weakens the skin’s ability to absorb foreign materials. Because the palms of your hands and soles of your feet do not have sebaceous glands, these areas have no barrier between the essential oils and your pores.
Your feet have around 72,000 nerve endings each. In fact, they contain more sensitive nerve endings per square centimeter than any other part of your body. That’s why, for centuries, East Asian medicine has treated various illnesses and symptoms by simply accessing the right nerves with the feet. They believed that every organ and system in your body is connected through meridians of energy that end in your feet, hands, ears and face.
This healing tradition is referred to as reflexology. According to reflexology, applying essential oil to your feet allows the oil’s benefits to reach multiple organs and systems and bring about full-body healing. Other advantages Some essential oils are considered too concentrated for most parts of the body, and it’s recommended to dilute them with water or coconut oil before applying to the skin. This is done to reduce the possibility of irritation or swelling. Fortunately, the skin on your feet is one of the least sensitive areas throughout your body, so oils of all strengths can be safely applied directly to your soles Also, since you’re applying the oil topically and not ingesting it, the active compounds go straight into your bloodstream instead of going through the lengthy digestive process and making your liver do the work.
