You’ve probably heard of “aromatherapy” candles with essential oils. But the big question is: What are essential oils anyway? Well, basically, essential oils are “oils” or “essences” that have been extracted from various species of flowers, fruits, herbs, leaves, seeds, resin, stems, roots, and bark of botanicals. The oils from these natural sources are pure and natural. They are not made from synthetic materials in a laboratory, but rather are extracted from botanical sources using one of four methods:
1. Steam distillation: which uses heat to extract the essential oils; this is the most common method used today.
2. Cold Pressed Extraction: This method removes oils from the skin of fruits without damaging them from heat.
3. Chemical Solvent Extraction: This method uses solvents such as alcohol to more strongly extract the essential oils.
4. Effleurage method: This method involves odorless fats or oils that absorb the perfume of fresh flowers.
Depending on the extraction process, one pound of essential oils can take hundreds of pounds of plant matter. For example, it takes approximately 200 pounds of lavender flowers to produce 1 pound of lavender oil. So there is a loss in using 200 pounds of lavender flowers for other purposes, such as additives to soaps, teas, and pillows. Just think about this when you buy 1 pound of lavender essential oils, you are actually buying 200 pounds of “extracted” lavender flowers!
Popular essential oil scents for diffusers, candles, soaps, bath and body products include:
1. Lavender
2. chamomile
3. jasmine
4. Neroli (Orange Blossom)
5. Mint
6. Peppermint
7. Citronella
8. Ecalyptus
9. Patchouli
10.Ylang-Ylang
11. lemon
12. Patchouli
13. winter green
14.Rosemary
15. Pine
16. tea tree
17. Niaouli (Australian Evergreen)
18. cinnamon
19. lemongrass
20. cedar wood
I have just listed some of the scents that are currently popular. There are many more scents and blends that people use in their natural or handmade products. More people are going “green” with natural products in their home due to concerns about chemical exposure. Fragrance oils are made primarily from synthetic chemicals to achieve scents used in candles, bath and body products. For example: Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil is not necessarily derived from “pumpkins” and “spices,” but from synthetic blends of chemicals that are combined to achieve the desired aroma. Fragrance oil manufacturers are not necessarily required to disclose the various ingredients, but only the Material and Safety Data Sheet that lists the harmful chemicals.
People love to use natural products” because of the freshness of the ingredients and because they want to know exactly what is in their products for safety reasons. But just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it doesn’t have safety precautions. .
There are a number of safety rules that must be followed when using essential oils:
1. Due to their concentrated nature, they should not be applied directly to the skin in a “undiluted” form, but should be used with “carrier” oils such as Jojoba, Fractionated Coconut Oil, or Avocado Oil.
2. If essential oils are accidentally exposed to the skin, please wash it off immediately.
3. Some oils should never be used in candles, body products, or diffusers. Some can cause severe irritation or cause an allergic reaction. Please consult with your doctor.
4. Pregnant and lactating women should consult their doctor when exposed to or using essential oils.