At the soap conference this weekend, we had a wonderful session on how to make some really beautiful swirls in our soaps. The woman who was conducting the session is a certified aromatherapist. As she was explaining some of the oils in her soap recipe she was demonstrating, she spoke briefly about fragrances. She said that as an aromatherapist, she normally does not use essential oils to fragrance her soap and instead uses fragrance oils. She briefly went on to say the reason she does this is because essential oils are medicinal and using them frequently as fragrance can lead to overexposure. This really struck a chord with me as someone who took aromatherapy during my massage therapy training. Having a background in pharmacy, as a pharmacy technician, I know what overexposure to medications can cause. They can cause various conditions/diseases and allergic reactions. Essential oils should be treated the same as any other medication that you would ingest or put on your body. You can overdose yourself and cause problems within your body and develop allergies if you continually expose yourself to the chemical compounds in essential oils. While essential oils are natural, they are still made of of chemical compounds from the plants they are derived from. That is why any essential oil applied to the skin should always be placed in a carrier oil, such as olive, coconut, grapeseed, or other skin safe oils, before being applied. They should be used in very small amounts (just a drop or two) and should not be ingested unless you are under the supervision of a certified aroma therapist or naturopathic doctor. Essential oils are extremely concentrated forms of the plants they come from. It takes many pounds of plant material to produce a small amount of essential oil.
Fragrance oils are lab created using natural and man-made compounds. They are deemed to be skin safe or non-skin safe. Non-skin safe fragrances can be used in items such as air fresheners and candles along with other non-skin applications. Skin safe is for use in cosmetics and other items that will make contact with skin (such as laundry detergent, soaps, fabric softener, etc). They are extensively tested to ensure their safety. Not all fragrance oils are created equally. Some fragrance oils contain phthalates to create certain scents. Phthalates have been indicated to be endocrine (hormone) disruptors. You can read a little more about that here (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/). I always make sure that when I am purchasing fragrance oils, they come from very reputable companies (not ebay or amazon) and they are phthalate free. I only use fragrances that I am comfortable using on every member of my family, from myself and husband all the way down to my 2 year old. While I always buy the most reputable fragrances possible, people can still have sensitivities to fragrances as well as essential oils and not be able to tolerate any type of fragrance (whether natural or lab created) in their skin care products. We always suggest testing the product on a small section of your skin before using to check for sensitivities. The most important thing, as a consumer, is to do research and ask questions. I am always available to answer questions about my products and even some questions about different oils and their usage. The big thing to remember is essential oils are extremely beneficial to the body and smell wonderful, but they are still medicinal and should be treated as such. You can find out more about the benefits and contraindications of essential oils by researching “essential oil properties” of a specific oil on the internet. The link below gives some info on a few oils. http://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/hyssop-oil.aspx
9 Comments
elisha
5/12/2020 09:58:46 pm
where do you suggest buying the fragrance oils from
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Denise jackson
5/13/2020 01:08:18 pm
I'm looking for a fragrance oil I can wear. For years I used to wear a vanilla musk from Body Shop and loved it. Then for some reason, it doesnt work anymore Any suggestions from your line of oils?
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Theresa
5/14/2020 10:26:59 am
When you wear the same fragrance for many months or years, you will become "nose blind" to that fragrance. While you may no longer smell it, the people around you can still smell it. Perfect example, I don't smell my store because my nose is blind to all the regular fragrances we use, but as soon as I bring in a new scent, that one is the only thing I smell. Try switching it up with another fragrance for a period of time, then go back to your vanilla musk and see if that makes a difference. If you like florals, our Bayou Belle is our best selling scent. It is a beautiful floral without the perfumey notes.
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karen kessler
2/15/2021 05:44:53 am
how do i purchase this bayou belle? I like scents that smell just like the actual flower 7/14/2020 07:25:50 am
This is an explosive idea; this is most probably the best and most successful thing about essential oils vs. fragrance oils. I love this blog and really happy to come across this exceptionally well written content. Thanks for sharing!!
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9/23/2020 02:50:23 am
The wonderful content in this article provide us information regarding essential oils vs fragrance oils.This article is one of the perfect articles which will attract everyone. I enjoyed a lot while reading this article and would suggest others too and get the best options.
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Veronica Pheasant
2/5/2021 07:25:59 am
I accidentally hit some fragrance oil in my mouth that was made only for candles not body products. It was gardenia scent from artminds it was on a tooth pic and I was distracted and put it in my mouth. I made body butter with it. My mouth and throat has been burning for almost 24 hours only think
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5/12/2021 11:59:28 am
Making sure your buy fragrance oils from a reputable place is a great idea. My wife and I want to try some out. But we never have before so we want to sure we get them from someone trustworthy.
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A.J.
9/8/2021 05:47:20 pm
This was a great read! However, I am still very unclear why fragrance oils DO NOT have the capacity for aromatherapy. If my nose smells mint, whether essential or fragrance, it'll trigger a reaction. So...why does essential versus fragrance matter if my mind and body react the same way?
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