Ground Rules

The difference between essential oils and fragrances or perfumes is about as vast as the difference between silk and polyester. Or hardwood and laminate flooring.  Or… They both have their uses. I would love, for instance, to dress in nothing but silk, but I would be homeless, carless, and foodless because of my clothing costs. Plus, can you imagine wearing silk jeans? 

Both essential oils and fragrances or perfumes emit aromas, but that is all a fragrance or perfume can offer.  If you’re interested in buying a lavender-scented candle, for instance, you may very much enjoy the synthetic aroma’s likeness. Lavender essential oil, on the other hand, offers healing properties helpful with such symptoms as coughs, insomnia, hyperactivity, arthritis, muscle aches, rheumatism, acne, sunburn, wounds, insect bites, burns and irritability, in addition to the aroma. 

Essential oils are natural oils that contain the “essence” of a plant. They are the liquid or resin that is distilled, pressed or extracted from various parts of the plant. It takes about 200 pounds of lavender to make a pound of lavender essential oil, over 2000 pounds of rose petals to make a pound of rose essential oil. So, if we had no synthetic formulas to fall back on, there would be an awful lot of smelly people around these parts!

In any recipes found here, I’ll be referring to the actual, 100% pure essential oil and not an “essence” or “fragrance” or perfume.  Essential oils can be readily purchased in health food stores or online.  

I would encourage anyone making essential oil purchases to start small. They’re typically purchased in light impervious bottles to protect the contents from sun and heat. Keep the oils in a drawer or a pantry to maintain the desired dark and cool environment. Since oxygen can also degrade the oils, causing some to lose beneficial properties and others to become irritants or sensitizers, it’s important to use the oils within six months to two years from acquiring it.

Essential oils can be used in vaporizers (though they can damage plastic parts), diffusers, the rinse cycle of your washer, or as you dry your clothes in the dryer (by applying to a dryer cloth or separate washcloth).  You may also inhale them, for instance, for respiratory disinfection, decongestion, expectoration as well as psychological effects.

Essential oils can burn. If you apply essential oils to your body (whether as a moisturizer, during a massage, or as a compress), use carrier oils like Sweet Almond, Jojoba, Sunflower, or Coconut Oil. These carrier oils lessen the chance of irritation or sensitization. They also act as moisture barriers, locking moisture in the skin and maintaining the essential oils on the skin surface longer.