I know there are aromatherapy diffusers available for cars, I’d like to make my own using the “car fresheners” that you see hanging from rear view mirrors and made from some type of cardboard. I know most of these are chemical scents but would it be possible to infuse aromatherapy into them and have a natural car freshener.
What a great question. Air fresheners of any kind are tricky mainly because their ‘staying power’ comes from the addition of chemical / synthetic stabilizers to their already synthetic fragrance blends. In fact, many so called ‘natural’ air fresheners have been shown to contain harmful levels of a fragrance stretcher called diethyl phthalate. This is a bi-product of the plastic manufacturing industry that is known to cause reproductive organ defects and abnormalities.
A couple things you could try would be to blend the scents that you like together and apply them to your cardboard shape of choice either by spraying the blend or by soaking the cardboard into the blend and letting it soak up the oils. The former seems like it would make for a pretty strong freshener, but if that’s what you’re after, then it may just work. The later seems like the easiest (to me) and you could simply keep the spray in your car and apply it to the cardboard as frequently as needed. Additionally, you could simply spray the blend around your car anytime you wanted to freshen it up, forgoing the cardboard altogether. This is something that I personally do. I have a couple different blends that I like, depending on the driving situation or mood I’m trying to evoke.
Have you ever seen our Aura Cacia Mists? They come in scents such as Lavender, Tangerine Grapefruit, Patchouli Sweet Orange and Ginger Mint. They are simply blends of essential oils in a water base. You could easily make these on your own to suit your own preferred taste.
Diluting the oils would not be necessary unless you were applying them directly to the skin.
October 10th, 2008
I have a question regarding the use of essential oil for acne treatment. At 23 I have acne prone skin. For years I have used treatments with salicylic acid which kept my breakouts at a minimum, but dried out my face. I am also recently learning about all the bad chemicals that are used in many skin care products and now want to stay away from those products. I am working towards a natural skin care regime and am very interested in using essential oils. In what ways can I use Tea Tree Oil, or other essential oils for acne treatment? Are there any moisturizing oils that won’t clog my pores? How can I safely and effectively use essential oils on my face?
Great question. Acne is a tough one because there are so many things that can ‘cause’ acne to occur. So, to treat acne breakouts using essential oils, I would recommend experimenting with the following essential oils that are known to be helpful:
Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia is balancing and normalizing to the skin, is a natural anti-inflammatory, is antibacterial and is usually not drying to the skin. Lavender has a pleasant aroma that most people find relaxing and enjoyable.
Tea tree - Melaleuc alternifolia can be somewhat drying, which can help dry out acne breakouts, it’s anti-microbial and antifungal. It’s pungent aroma can be a little overwhelming but some find it’s clean smelling properties refreshing.
Bergamot - Citrus bergamia (bergaptene free) - is an excellent antiseptic and is helpful for calming oil prone skin. While it is effective in an acne blend, It can be quite effective in ‘spot’ treating remedy for acne, as well.
Most people enjoy lavender safely without a carrier, however, if you’ve never used it ‘neat’ before, you will want to do a patch test first, or combine it with a carrier such as jojoba*. Aura Cacia’s Rose Otto Precious Essential oil is also a wonderful, nourishing oil for the skin, especially the face. Since it is pre-blended in jojoba, it is an excellent carrier to blend with lavender.
Tea tree and Bergamot should definitely be blended with a small amount of carrier before using them directly on the skin. Although some people tolerate them quite well without a carrier, it’s always a good idea to error on the side of caution.
My suggestion would be to blend 1 drop each of lavender, tea tree, and bergamot (optional) to 4 drops of Rose Otto Precious Essentials or jojoba oil into a small glass container. Apply this blend directly to the affected and acne prone areas with a cotton ball, q-tip or the tips of clean fingers.
This blend can be made before each use or in larger quantities and kept in a glass, airtight container away from sunlight and fluctuating temperatures.
Additional options would be to use the above blend with the bergamot and lavender without the tea tree. The tea tree and the bergamot together, or along can also be used ‘spot treat’ stubborn acne.
*The reason we recommend jojoba is because it never goes rancid (doesn’t spoil), will not grow or promote the growth of bacterial and is nearly identical to the structure of the sebum of our skin.
October 10th, 2008
I have used the AuraCacia oils in the past. In trying to learn a little
more about essential oils I was told that I need to buy
Therapeutic Grade oils. What makes an oil “therapeutic grade” and
how do I know if they are or not?
This is a great question and a common misconception about essential oils. Essential oil manufacturers that label their oils as ‘therapeutic grade’ are using their own definition of the term. There is currently no agreed upon standard that defines or determines which companies oils are therapeutic grade and which ones are not. Aura Cacia believes that only essential oils that have been proven to be 100% pure, as ours are, should be considered therapeutic. We guarantee the purity of our oils through our source to the shelf program™. This includes our own ethical and sustainable sourcing program in addition to in-house scientific testing. We use 6 different tests – gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, refractive index, specific gravity, optical rotation, olfactory evaluation – to prove the quality and purity of every single oil that comes into our facility. Every batch of oil much pass each of these tests before it can become an Aura Cacia product.
October 10th, 2008
I am looking for ‘Rosemary CT2 cineole; Rosemarinum officinalis CT2 cineole’. I checked your product of the Latin name, but there’s missing part of ‘cineole’. Would you please check and give me an answer about it? Also, about your “Aura Cacia 100% Pure Essential Oil Lavender, is your lavender ‘Lavender true’?
‘Rosemarinum officinalis CT2 cineole’ refers to rosemary oil that is distilled from rosemary plants grown in Tunisia and possibly Morrocco. The ‘CT’ refers to ‘chemotype’ and the number ‘2’ refers to the high level of 1,8 cineole content of the oil. You may have noticed that the side panel of the labels of our essential oils lists the country or countries of origin for that oil. We source our rosemary from Tunisia and, is therefore, CT2 cineole. The reason we don’t list the oil as ‘CT2’ is because we do not currently do not label our oils as to their chemotype. Aura Cacia offers 3 different species of lavender, each labled with the common name that corresponds to a specific Latin name. The lavender you refer to, Lavendula Angustifolia is sometimes labeled as ‘True Lavender’ although the proper common name for this botanical is, simply, Lavender.
October 10th, 2008
I have used the Aura Cacia oils in the past. In trying to learn a little
more about essential oils I was told that I need to buy
Therapeutic Grade oils. What makes an oil “therapeutic grade” and
how do I know if they are or not?
This is a great question and a common misconception about essential oils. Essential oil manufacturers that label their oils as ‘therapeutic grade’ are using their own definition of the term. There is currently no agreed upon standard that defines or determines which companies oils are therapeutic grade and which ones are not. Aura Cacia believes that only essential oils that have been proven to be 100% pure, as ours are, should be considered therapeutic.
October 10th, 2008
I just noticed that your peppermint says not for internal use.
but i see it’s 100% essential oil. I understand that you likely can’t
say its okay for internal use because of regulations and stuff, but is
there anything in your peppermint oil that is bad for me to eat?
You are absolutely right. Because of ‘regulations and stuff’ we cannot prescribe or recommend to anyone that they use essential oils, including peppermint, internally. You may know, but it bears repeating, that because the FDA regulates essential oils as body care products, therefore, no company, including those that manufacture 100% pure essential oils as we do, can legally recommend them for internal use.
If you choose to use essential oils internally or in a cooking recipe, please be certain that you are using 100% pure essential oils and that you are following the advice of an expert practitioner or a trusted recipe.
October 10th, 2008
Can you tell me what would be a good essential oil product to use on a spider bite? I watched the video on lavender but would like to know which oil is more beneficial for a spider bite. I would prefer to use an essential oil opposed to an OTC product.
Lavender is definitely a good oil for spider bites. It is soothing and calming to many types of bites, including some of the really difficult spider bites. You might also consider tea tree or tea tree and lavender combined.
October 10th, 2008
I’ve been doing some research on making candles, and I have found that while you can use essential oils in candles, you have to make sure that the oils are heat safe. Are the Aura Cacia oils safe to use with heat?
While all essential oils are potentially flammable, Aura Cacia oils are known to be the oil of choice for many candle makers, both professional and novice. Aura Cacia essential oils are tested to be free and pure of adulterants, fixatives and other un-marked ingredients that could be potentially harmful when exposed to heat sources.
October 10th, 2008
Over time I have collect many essential oils. Some are 5 years old, but most were stored in the garage (mistake) and temps. were over 120 degrees. Some have “odd” smells, but I do not know what to measure from (Go to a store and ask to smell the new oils?) I really could not do that.
With a few simple precautions, it is possible to keep essential oils ‘well’ and smelling good for many years, possibly, even decades. Oils that are considered ‘bottom’ and ‘middle’ note oils will last the longest. Heavier smelling oils like patchouli, sandalwood, myrrh are considered ‘bottom’ notes. These oils hold their scents longer and ‘fix’ other lighter oils when blended together. Top note essential oils are much the opposite of bottom note oils. They are lighter, perhaps fresher smelling and volatize more quickly than bottom note oils. These oils would include oils like citrus oils, frankincense, and pine. Finally, middle note oils are the ones that aren’t too heavy, they’re not too light and tend to bring a certain balance to blend.
The best protocol to follow is: keep the lids on tight and put them back on tightly and securely immediately after using; keep them in a dark space away from fluctuating temperatures, bright lights and steam. Another tip to keep them around longer: If your blending with carrier oils or other products such as a massage base, sugar or salt scrubs, etc, blend them just before using. Essential oils don’t’ go rancid, but carrier oils and other product bases can. The one exception to this is jojoba oil. Unlike other carrier products, jojoba is a wax that contains properties that keep it from turning rancid.
From what you’ve described about the oils having ‘odd’ smells and the fluctuating temperatures in your garage, I would not use them. If they don’t smell as good as they did before storing them, or, if you’re just not sure, I would suggest replacing them.
October 10th, 2008
I am unable locally to find the Liquid castile soap mentioned on your site!
Can you make a suggestion ?
Thank you so much for your question.I am very surprised, and very sorry for castile lovers in your locale, that there is not a local supplier of castile soap somewhere near you. If you are a member of Frontier Natural Products Cooperative, you can purchase Dr. Bronners castile soap from the wholesale catalog, wholesale website or through our customer service department. If you’re not a member, it’s quite easy to join and requires just a one time $10 lifetime membership fee. If you’re not interested in joining at this time, and you would like to purchase castile soaps on-line, may I recommend www.herbtrader.com.
July 29th, 2008
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