Plain Tiger Spotlight: Rūt Essentials
Aromatherapy, healing with scents - a modern cure in the age of anxiety.
By Greer Krige
Essential Oils are highly concentrated plant extracts used for centuries as a form of alternative medicine to support health and well-being. They can be used topically after dilution, vaporised with a diffuser or inhaled.
When inhaled, Essential Oils can stimulate areas of your limbic system, which is a part of your brain that involves the sense of smell, behaviours, emotions, stress, blood pressure and long-term memory - offering holistic health benefits.
Rut Essentials’ products are ethically sourced and bottled, committed to sustainability, vegan and not tested on animals. They use only the finest, freshly extracted, pure, undiluted essential oils of the highest quality.
Rūt means going back to what's natural/going back to your roots:
Pronunciation
(/ru:t/, root)
Noun
1. to support, convey nourishment
2. family, ethnic, or cultural origins
Verb
Establish deeply and firmly
I asked inspirational cofounders and owners Nour Khodr and Adnan Adada if the name of their brand Rut had a special meaning to them.
“Our name, our brand, and our mantras are inspired by our magnificent city, Beirut. And although 2020 was a very difficult and challenging year for Beirut, we learned from our city and its people how to face challenges with strength and pride no matter how daunting they may seem to be. Beirut has always driven us to uplift, strengthen, and better ourselves. We learn revival from Beirut. We learn fortitude from Beirut. We learn resourcefulness from Beirut. And at Rūt Essentials, we are committed to delivering all these aspects and experiences through our products.”
Popular types of essential oils and their properties:
Peppermint: Stimulating, Energizing, Focus, Decongesting- believed to help treat headaches and migraines.
Lavender: Relaxing, Firming, Anti-inflammatory, Comforting. Lavender aromatherapy is thought to calm anxiety by impacting the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls emotions and treats stress and anxiety and to assist in sleep and treating insomnia.
Sandalwood: Cleansing, Calming, Anti-inflammatory, Hydrating.
Rose: Comforting, Relaxing, Aphrodisiac, Soothing.
Chamomile: Soothing, Relaxing, Antiseptic, Detoxifying.
Ylang Ylang: Restoring, Relaxing, Purifying, Aphrodisiac.
Tea Tree: Purifying, Uplifting, Stimulating, Decongesting.
Jasmine: Regenerating, Calming, Antiseptic, Aphrodisiac, also great for sleep and reducing insomnia.
Lemon: Cleansing, Energizing, Antiseptic, Antioxidant.
Rosemary: Focus, Energizing, Stimulating, Anti-inflammatory.
Select from 28 Rut Essentials essential oil variants here.
It’s always interesting to know what the founders’ favourites are. Nour is “personally in love with floral scents, namely Jasmine and Neroli essential oil, which reminds me of early summer mornings in my grandparent's garden. I have spent a lot of my time in southern Lebanon between fields of Olive and Pine trees - Pine essential oil is yet another aroma from my childhood that sparks a sense of nature to me.”
Essential oils have a broad range of medicinal and therapeutic properties. Their antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties are well known. Essential oils have many different health benefits that are not only to aid in sleep, stress and headaches. But also to support balance, help relieve muscle soreness and fatigue, enhance energy and focus, and encourage a healthy lifestyle and much more, thus making them a valuable product in your medicine cabinet.
A great way to experience essential oils is with the Rut Essentials Earth Ceramic Diffuser. It is an unglazed ceramic plate that diffuses essential oils without fire or electricity. Just apply 8 to 10 drops of essential oil directly onto the plate. The essential oil will evaporate slowly to release a delicate scent. Reapply once you feel like the scent has faded.
Hints:
- Add a few drops of Lavender essential oil to the Earth Diffuser, place it next to your bed and get ready for a blissful good night's sleep.
- Keep your cabinets and clothes smelling fresh; place an Earth Diffuser in your cabinets and cupboards after adding a total of 2-3 drops of Lemon and Ylang Ylang essential oils.
- The black ribbon on the Earth Diffuser makes it easy to hang it in your car to keep it smelling clean and crisp.
- Suitable for placement around your desk, the Earth Diffuser is a great way to scent your space naturally and subtly and aid concentration with a few drops of Lemon or Rosemary essential oil.
I asked Nour what she loves most about her work “I believe that aromatherapy can empower you to become a better version of yourself - it gives people back a connection to nature and to the land, it humbles you, it allows you to slow down and focus on self-care. What I love most about what I do is teaching people and seeing how our products have helped them enhance their daily lives. At Rūt Essentials, we are very community-driven; we want to provide a space where you would feel connected to yourself and to others around you.”
Rut Essentials is an incredible brand, inspired and nurtured by and during challenging times resulting in a selection of high-end essential oils and accessories made with passion and consideration for the environment.
