Essential Oils

Cranky

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Vodka dries just as fast, "throws" the fragrance very well, and most important to me, does not have an odor. You're not going to get that alcohol after-smell.

I've done the same thing with vodka and vanilla extract. Hadn't thought to try an EO, stupidly. Will have to give it a go. I like it better than Febreeze or similar products, personally. I can adjust the scent to the level I like, and not what someone else decides is right. :D
 

Ari Meermans

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Plus you don't have to be concerned about the synthetic fragrance oils used in commercial products. Synthetic fragrance oils give me the most godawful migraines and I never could wear perfumes or colognes because of it . . . nor be around anyone who did. Now I make my own fragrances using EOs and it's niiice.
 

pkbax

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Plus you don't have to be concerned about the synthetic fragrance oils used in commercial products. Synthetic fragrance oils give me the most godawful migraines and I never could wear perfumes or colognes because of it . . . nor be around anyone who did. Now I make my own fragrances using EOs and it's niiice.


It's amazing how much different the synthetics are. Many people have the same problem, and the scents are not the same. For example, I hate the scent of synthetic lavender, but the real stuff I like.
 

dantefrizzoli

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I know a girl who uses essential oils religiously. She has this foot oil that is made with eucalyptus oil that she uses for migraines. She says it works... I don't know. Also, she uses peppermint oil around her house to get rid of spiders and other bugs. I haven't seen any bugs around, so it must work.
 

Aleiarity

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I don't buy essential oils from MLMs because of the high markup (and sometimes business practices I don't want to support), but I do like essential oils.

I love getting them from Eden Botanicals because they also sell very tiny amounts of the really expensive oils... you can get 5 drops of rose otto for like... $3, I think. I know 5 drops doesn't sound like much, but if you're making perfume, it'll add quite a distinct rose fragrance to it.


Peppermint also repels mice, I've heard.

My best friend ordered me a piece of ambergris a few years ago (shipped from New Zealand - marked "amber" on the customs slip for reasons I'll not explain here), and I used it to make a tincture for some of the perfumes I've made. I can't stand the synthetic fragrances, and Florascent (which doesn't have synthetics) is kinda pricey. I used everclear instead of vodka. Vodka has a lot of water in it, which can make perfumes separate and have a cloudiness I don't like. I refuse to order "perfumer's alcohol" because I'm not selling my perfumes, and I don't like the idea of toxic compounds added to alcohol in my perfume just to make sure nobody drinks the stuff. Sometimes laws are ridiculous.

I also put some of the ambergris in jojoba oil so I could use it in solid perfumes, which seem to have a different scent profile than alcohol ones.

Have any of you tried agarwood? The smell is off putting at first, and you just want to use a tiny tiny tiny amount... but if you let the perfume age, the tiniest hint of agarwood is woody, exotic, and intoxicating - especially if mellowed by ambergris and some sweeter notes like neroli and jasmine.

Yuzu is the most amazing and effervescent citrus smell I've ever encountered.

Champaca is indescribably sensual, like the taste of the warm, clean skin of a lover after a shower together.

Good orris root (without a dusty smell) is beautiful while grounding, and helps round out and blend other flowery scents.

I prefer a touch of oakmoss over violet leaf for a green note in a scent.

Rose de mai is sweeter and fresher than Bulgarian red rose otto, but red rose otto is such a distinctive classic that I can't skip it when I order more samples for another batch of scents.

Carnation is much spicier than I'd imagined. Green and white cognac (made from wine precipitates) actually smell like wine in perfume.
 

Fruitbat

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I tried to make perfume with essential oils. I used orange, cinnamon, and clove oils, with Everclear. It smelled so lovely when I mixed it. But after I aged it for a month, it came out smelling like burned orange juice and bug spray, and left a nasty rash on my wrists. I had bought some tiny adorable perfume bottles for gift-giving and everything, so I was very disappointed. Next time I think I'll try something simpler and just a tiny batch at first. That stuff ain't cheap!
 
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Aleiarity

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Where did you buy the oils, and how much did you use? A strong perfume is often no more than 20% aromatics... so you'd want no more than 1 part oils to 4 parts Everclear - and that's with the oils combined. All three of those oils can be pretty harsh on skin (and can cause contact dermatitis in some cases). It's odd that the scent changed so unfavorably, though, and I'd be suspicious of an EO supplier after an experience like that.

You might want to add some other gentler notes to round things out... maybe a bit of sandalwood and even a very tiny touch of frankincense. Cinnamon and clove are really strong and can end up smelling odd on skin if used without some additions (depending on a person's skin chemistry).
 

Jehhillenberg

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I've recently hopped on board with using Essential Oils. Just Peppermint and Lavender, so far.
 

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I use oils all the time as well. They have made a huge difference in my seasonal allergy symptoms and I love them for when someone is sick from the common cold, or coming down with one. I've also seen them, mixed with coconut oil, get rid of rashes that no other cream could.
 

marinapr9

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I work as a holistic therapist in my day job, and I also make my own soaps and moisturisers, so I use essential oils a lot. The problem with these oils is that they degrade very quickly, in fact from the moment you open the bottle.

My favourites for body massage are basil and peppermint, both excellent for muscles, the soothing of.

Moisturisers are frankincense and patchouli, both powerful skin tissue regenerators. Plus Neroli, carrot tissue oil, and pomegranate oil.

Soaps will take all essential oils but the citrus ones last the least. My peppermint oil soap sells like hot cakes.
 

pkbax

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Peppermint is one of my favorites! It's part of an allergy trio with lemon and lavendar; great for weight managment/loss with lemon and grapefruit; works like a charm on my headaches; gives me an energizing lift when I need it; and as a flavoring in my hot chocolate (or cinnamon bark in my coffee) the anti-imfammatory properties have helped my knee not bother me during the recent cold wet weather. (NOTE: I do use therapeutic grade oils. Never take any internally unless the oil is marked as safe to do so. Most brands are not.)