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Introduction to Using Essential Oils
NOTE: To read about sourcing, classification and origin of essential oils click here.
Essential Oils are a source of great pleasure and give a sense of well being both to body and soul. An essential oil is a concentrated, aromatic, volatile liquid composed of small oil-like molecules. They consist of a complicated combination of naturally occurring chemicals which the plant itself produces through photosynthesis. They are called essential oils but in fact contain no fatty substances in the same way that, e.g. sweet almond oil does. Because they are volatile they do not create oil stains.
Essential oils are created in small cavities in the cellular structure of plants, either in the roots, petals, seeds or peel (as in the case of citrus oils). The essential oils are extracted either by distillation or cold pressing. Essential oils occur at different levels in different plants, with some plants producing more than others. For instance, 100kg of petals are required to produce 20ml of rose oil, while 100kg of leaves will yield 1-1.5 litres of peppermint oil. This means that the cost of essential oils will vary but that doesn't make peppermint oil less effective than rose oil. This article is a brief introduction to the most commonly used ones.
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Uses of Essential Oils:
- To make essential oil perfume blends
- To add fragrance to skin, hair and body care products, toiletries, cosmetics, etc
- As drops to add to a vapouriser or in a spraying flask to create a certain atmosphere, to prevent a cold or simply to freshen the air
- In baths, foot baths, or hand baths, e.g. to warm or relax cold limbs or, when slightly colder water is used, to create a stimulating effect
- In compresses e.g. to cool sunburn
- In massage oils and other skin care oils e.g. to increase blood circulation
- To inhale directly from the bottle or from a vapouriser e.g. to aid relaxation or to clear congested air passages
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Using essential oils to freshen up rooms
This is an excellent and pleasant way of enhancing everyday life as well as creating atmosphere for festive or special occasions. Fragrances and blends of fragrances can be used to create a special effect: romantic, for that sacred time with your partner; or festive, to make that party of yours unforgettable. Or use the essential oils you feel intuitively drawn to use at that particular time e.g. lavender for serenity and bergamot for self-confidence. To freshen up your home or room, you can use an essential oil fragrance burner, a spraying flask or an aroma stone.
Essential Oil Fragrance Burner
Used for larger spaces where the effect needs to last for a while. The bigger the space, the more oil will be required. Because essential oils evaporate spreading their aroma around the room, you may want to add more oil after a time to maintain the effect. Top note oils such as citrus and peppermint evaporate more quickly than the middle and base note oils.
Spraying Flask
Used to create a short-term, immediate effect in a room or other space. Can be used in the car to invigorate you or to tone down the smell inside the car. When there are colds around you can spray with e.g. lemon or after vacuuming you can use your favourite oil or blend of oils. Another tip is to spray covers, mattresses and pillows during airing with e.g. lemon and lavender to give them a clean, fresh smell.
Aroma Stones (Sand Stones)
Used to emit fragrance over a longer period of time in smaller spaces such as cupboards, toilets, halls or chests of drawers. In the car, use peppermint to help you concentrate and at the same time counteract car-sickness. In the home or at work, an aroma stone can be displayed as part of the decor.
Drops Used Directly
In your rubbish bin or compost bucket to counteract bad odours, or put a few drops on your vacuum cleaner filter so the air being blown out is filled with the cleansing, antiseptic smell of lemon, or apply something uplifting and stabilising like geranium. If you don't want to blend the oils yourself you can purchase our ready-made blends.
Fragrance Notes
Essential oils can also be classified according to how they smell, e.g. rosy or minty. This method of classification has nothing to do with which part of the plant the Oil comes from but rather with how the oil smells. Sometimes the difference between woody and herbaceous or spicy and herbaceous smells can be hard to define. You may also have your own ideas which differ from what we are suggesting here. It is naturally up to you and what you think, as the creator of your own perfume, is what is most important.
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Woody Notes:
Cedarwood, Cypress, Sandalwood, Tea Tree
Root Notes:
Benzoin, Patchouli, Vetivert
Citrus Notes:
Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange
Spicy Notes:
Bay Leaf, Cloves
Rosy Notes:
Geranium, Rose de Mai (Absolute), Rosewood
Orange Notes:
Neroli, Petitgrain
Herbaceous Notes:
Lavender, Rosemary
Floral Notes:
Jasmine (Absolute), Ylang Ylang
Minty Notes:
Peppermint
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Safety & Storage Information
Warning!
Safety Guidelines
Essential oils contain the active ingredients of a plant in a highly concentrated form i.e. small amounts of essential oils are capable of huge effects. To obtain best results, it is important to use them correctly and sensibly. When using essential oils it is very important to adhere to the recommended dosage to achieve the desired effect. Overdosing can cause injuries! The wrong dosage (which is often the temptation to use too much) can result in skin damage, headache, nausea or similar. Some essential oils are not suitable for use during pregnancy or in conjunction with high blood pressure, while some should be used sparingly on the skin. (See directions for individual oils).
They MUST NOT come into direct contact with mucous membranes or, of course, with the eyes. Do not use essential oils undiluted directly on the skin and do not take internally unless advised by a professional.
We highly recommend that you learn about the uses and effects/possible side effects of essential oils before using them yourself.
Certain oils should be used with extra care. These are marked with the following numbers printed in brackets on the left side of the name of an essential oil in our product listings. When you see one of these numbers, we recommend that you take the time to study that oil's full range of properties and effects, particularly taking into account the following:
- Use with care; this oil may irritate the skin or mucous membrane.
- This oil is photo-sensitive; do not use before exposure to sunlight.
- When adding this oil to bath products, add only the equivalent of 1-2 drops per bath.
- This oil may not be suitable for use during pregnancy.
- This oil may not be suitable for people with epilepsy.
Please note that opinions vary on the effects of certain oils on people with various medical conditions as do individuals' responses to oils. Please seek advice from a health professional if you are unsure.
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Essential Oil Dropper Conversion Tables
Smaller Droppers
Most essential oils are thin and require a smaller dropper where percentage dosing is as follows:
| 0.1% |
= 2 drops / 100ml |
| 0.2% |
= 4 drops / 100ml |
| 0.25% |
= 6 drops / 100ml |
| 0.5% |
= 18 drops / 100ml |
| 0.75% |
= 12 drops / 100ml |
| 1% |
= 25 drops / 100ml |
| 1.5% |
= 32 drops / 100ml |
| 2% |
= 50 drops / 100ml |
| 2.5% |
= 62 drops / 100ml |
| 3% |
= 75 drops / 100ml |
| 4% |
= 100 drops / 100ml |
Larger Droppers
Vetivert, Sandalwood and Benzoin are thicker essential oils and require a larger dropper, which releases larger drops. Percentage dosing for these essential oils will be:
| 1% |
= 20 drops / 100ml |
| 2% |
= 40 drops / 100ml |
| 2.5% |
= 50 drops / 100ml |
| 3% |
= 60 drops / 100ml |
| 4% |
= 80 drops / 100ml |
Storage Guidelines
Essential oils should be kept in a dark, cool place, out of reach of children and away from medicines.
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