| You have probably heard of "aromatherapy" candles | | | | 13. Wintergreen |
| with essential oils. But the big question is: What are | | | | 14. Rosemary |
| essential oils anyway? Well, basically, essential oils are | | | | 15. Pine |
| "oils" or "essence" that have been extracted from | | | | 16. Tea Tree |
| various species of flowers, fruits, herbs, leaves, seeds, | | | | 17. Niaouli (Australian Evergreen) |
| resin, stems, roots, and bark of botanicals. The oils | | | | 18. Cinnamon |
| from these natural sources are pure and natural. They | | | | 19. Lemongrass |
| are not made from synthetic materials in a laboratory, | | | | 20. Cedarwood |
| but extracted from botanical sources by one of four | | | | I've just listed a few of the scents that are currently |
| methods: | | | | popular. There are many more scents & blends |
| 1. Steam distillation: Which uses heat to draw out | | | | that people use to use in their natural or hand-made |
| essential oils; this is the most common method used | | | | products. More people are going "green" with natural |
| today. | | | | products in their home because of concern for |
| 2. Cold press extraction: This method removes oils | | | | chemical exposure. Fragrance oils are primarily made |
| from the skins of fruits without the damage from heat. | | | | with synthetic chemicals to achieve scents used in |
| 3. Chemical solvent extraction: This method uses | | | | candles, bath and body products. For example: |
| solvents such as alcohol to extract harder to get | | | | pumpkin spice fragrance oil is not necessarily derived |
| essential oils. | | | | from "pumpkins" and "spices", but synthetic blends of |
| 4. Effleurage method: This method involves odorless | | | | chemicals that are combined to achieve the desired |
| fats or oils absorbing the perfume of fresh flowers. | | | | scent. Fragrance oil manufacturers are not necessarily |
| Depending on extraction process, one pound of | | | | required to disclose the various ingredients, but rather |
| essential oils can take hundreds of pounds of plant | | | | just the Material and Safety Data Sheet listing harmful |
| matter. For example, it takes roughly 200 lbs of | | | | chemicals. |
| lavender flowers to product 1 lb of lavender oil. So, | | | | People love using natural products" because of the |
| there is the loss of using 200 lbs of lavender flowers | | | | freshness of the ingredients and because they want |
| for other purposes such as soap additives, teas and | | | | to know exactly what is in their products because of |
| pillows. Just think about this when you are buying 1 lb | | | | safety concerns. But, just because something is |
| of lavender essential oils, you are actually purchasing | | | | "natural" does not it is entirely without safety |
| 200 lbs of "extracted" lavender flowers! | | | | precautions. |
| Popular Essential Oil Scents for diffusers, candles, | | | | There a number of safety rules that one should follow |
| soaps, bath and body products are: | | | | when using essential oils: |
| 1. Lavender | | | | 1. Because of their concentrated nature, they should |
| 2. Chamomile | | | | not be applied directly to the skin in "undiluted" form, but |
| 3. Jasmine | | | | used with "carrier" oils such as jojoba, fractionated |
| 4. Neroli (Orange Blossoms) | | | | coconut oil, or avocado oil. |
| 5. Peppermint | | | | 2. If essential oils are accidentally exposed to the skin, |
| 6. Spearmint | | | | wash immediately. |
| 7. Citronella | | | | 3. Some oils should never be used in candles, body |
| 8. Ecalyptus | | | | products or diffusers. Some can cause severe irritation |
| 9. Patchouli | | | | or provoke an allergic reaction. Please consult with |
| 10. Ylang Ylang | | | | your physician. |
| 11. Lemon | | | | 4. Pregnant and nursing women should consult their |
| 12. Patchouli | | | | physician when exposed or using essential oils. |