To Whom It May Concern: I bought the peppermint essential oil to put into water for a refreshing change. Can you suggest how many drops per gallon of water I should use? Please get back to me when you get a moment. Thanks!
Assuming you are making a spritzer to spray on your body to cool off, then you can use a 1-2% blend to start with. A 1% blend is 8 drops of peppermint oil per ounce of water. A 2% would be 16 drops per ounce of water.
Whenever blending oils in water, remember that they totally separate so you have to shake it thoroughly and then spray within 10 seconds or so.
The peppermint will cool you off on a hot day, as it takes blood away from the surface. Keep the spray away from your eyes and enjoy.
July 6th, 2009
I am 7 weeks pregnant and constantly nauseated, smells even to think of some smells. Is there an essential oil that I can utilize that will help alleviate this feeling, that is also safe for my baby?
Rose Precious (all of our Precious oils are preblended in Jojoba and ready to apply directly to the skin), Jasmine Precious, Lavender, Neroli Precious, and Vanilla Precious are all relaxing oils with nice scents.
Diffusing citrus oils is also a sure fire way to make life smell better. Peppermint, when diffused, might also appeal to you.
Any diffuser will work but don’t overwhelm yourself. Use small amounts of the oils you enjoy the most.
July 6th, 2009
I love your Energize mineral bath, but wonder what amount to use. The 2.5 oz package recommends “desired amount.” What amount is therapeutic for tired muscles? The whole packet for one bath? Please let me know what you recommend.
There is no set amount– so you can use whatever seems right to you.
I use a half packet for most normal size baths, but if I’m traveling and get upgraded into a room with a big fancy tub, I use a whole packet.
July 6th, 2009
Greetings! I am exhausted from the reserch of a quality sandalwood essential oil for my regenerative skin care line without breaking the bank. What would you recommend? Is there a good substitute suitable for skin care? There is just too much unhelpful information “out there!”
Sandalwood has been a very popular plant for thousands of years. There are 17 species growing in such places as Hawaii, across the Pacific to Indonesia, Australia and India. It has been overharvested in every region it grows. Of the 17 species, only two are commonly sold today: Santalum album and Santalum spicatum.
The part of the Sandalwood tree used for oil is the heartwood of the tree. Because the oil is only found in the heartwood it takes a mature tree to produce any oil. Sandalwood is a slow growing tree. It can easily take up to 30 years before it can be harvested. Each tree can be worth over a thousand dollars, thus the overharvesting. Until recently, no country had developed a sustainable yield policy, nor done any significant replanting.
There is no doubt that India has had problems managing their Sandalwood supply. The supply has diminished over the years and at this point, from personal experience, I don’t believe their harvest is sustainable in the long term.
Australia was the leading supplier of Sandalwood from around 1830 up to World War II. They terribly mismanaged their supply also but in recent years they have formed the Forest Product Commission to oversea Sandalwood harvest, determine a sustainable yield, and find a way to increase the supply. The future of Sandalwood lies with the cultivation and conservation efforts of the Australians.
Due to the sustainability issue, we only sell Australian Sandalwood. It is slightly different oil from Indian Sandalwood, since it has a slightly lower concentration of santalols and a few more middle to top notes.
It’s benefits appear similar and I believe most aromatherapists in N. America are now turning to Australian Sandalwood. It is steam distilled, taking longer than any other oil to distill, and due to the time it takes to reach maturity and its rarity, the price is high and will continue to remain high.
July 6th, 2009
I grow roses in my backyard which seem to have rust/mold spots on them. Someone mentioned to me that neem oil (which aura cacia doesn’t carry) might help get rid of the disease. Would some other evergreen oil work? would it also get rid of aphids as well?
Neem oil is a known to be an effective antifungal for use in the garden. It is surely worth a try.
Aphids are fairly easy to deal with and Safer’s Soap is a well known deterrent for them.
Most of the success stories we’ve heard thus far are about the use of Clove Oil as a natural and potentially organic herbicide. There are several brands of garden products now using Clove Oil for this purpose, so you might give it a try.
July 6th, 2009
Is there an oil that would keep dogs away from a certain area either outside or inside the house? Would the oil be as potent as say front line?? For ticks and other bites?
Dogs, in general, do not like essential oils. You can use them in a couple of ways to keep dogs out of particular areas of the house.
You can try putting an oil on a cloth and placing it in the off limits area.
Peppermint oil works well, but you can experiment a bit.
It is always good to add a base oil to any ‘formula’ to hold the scent longer. You can try some Patchouli, Vetiver or Myrrh to go with the formula as the base.
This formula is not a flea or tick repellent, and though there are many essential oil based flea collars I don’t know how they compare to ‘Frontline’.
July 6th, 2009
I heard that Sweet Orange oil, when applied directly, can repel fleas? Should I try this approach on my cat? If yes, how do I go about it? I know that the cat will immediately proceed to lick the oil off. I have other cats and experience has shown that one of the other ones will lick the treated areas as well. Can this product harm the cat? I bought the oil today, but am not opening it until I hear from you.
Cats are very sensitive to essential oils and other chemicals. Their bodies metabolize things differently than dogs and certain chemicals breakdown and are excreted very slowly from the body. This means that there can be a toxic build-up of substances a cat is exposed to and manifestation of symptoms can occur weeks or even years later. One must be very careful in giving or using chemical substances with cats – even substances that are really safe for humans or dogs.
In recent years, more data has been collected on cats and essential oils due to well-meaning pet owners treating their cats with oils or second hand exposure through diffusion of essential oils and cleaning products made from essential oils. We know now for instance, that essential oils high in monoterpene hydrocarbons are toxic to cats. These include the citrus oils (bergamot, orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit and lime) and evergreen tree oils (pine, spruce and fir). We also know that oils high in phenols are also toxic to cats, which include oregano, thyme, clove, summer and winter savory and cinnamon (cassia) oils.
Cats exposed to toxic oils exhibit symptoms of poisoning and need to be taken to a vet. Many people still use oils on or around their cats and claim they have no problems. If using oils, they need to be very well-diluted and should never be applied directly to the animal (cats can lick them off) and the oils listed above should never be used. However, even with no apparent negative affects, you could be causing a build-up in the cats system that will manifest later. Even using essential oils not listed above could be risky because there simply isn’t enough data to know all of the oils that may be problematic. For instance, tea tree oil which is one of the most benign oils for people has caused severe reactions in some cats when applied to the skin.
July 6th, 2009
I’ve got a question concerning the use of essential oils in lip balms. I noticed that it is listed on the labels that essential oils may irritate skin and they’re not for internal use. I do understand that they must be diluted, and that is done when adding the oils to create a lip balm mixture, however, is it safe to ingest in small quantities (since they are being applied to the lips)? If so, what essential oils are basically safe to be used in the lip balm industry? I understand that citrus oils contain coumarins (chemicals that produce sensitivity), but can they (citrus oils) also be used in small quantities for lip balm making? The only essential oil that I really feel confident in using specifically for lip balms is peppermint, however, I’d really like to know what else would be considered safe. Can you help?
Oils can safely be used in lip balms. Even though in the process of licking your lips, you might ingest some essential oil, the amount is very small. It is also important to note that many essential oils are on the FDA’s GRAS(Generally Recognized As Safe) list and are also commonly used in food. Oils commonly used for lip balms are generally those that taste good: Peppermint, Spearmint, Anise, Cinnamon leaf, Vanilla and even Lavender. Some more unusual lip balms can include Jasmine, Rose, Ginger and Cardamom.
You are correct in questioning the use of citrus oils– as some have high levels of photosensitizing coumarins in them. The highest are regular Bergamot, Lemon and Grapefruit. You can use ‘Bergaptene Free’ Bergamot, which we sell. Sweet Orange has very low levels of Bergaptene in it, and if used in percentages less than 2%, it is safe to use topically.
June 10th, 2009
There are testimonies suggesting that frankincense can provide some relief from a variety of illnesses, including seizure disorders. People recommend applying it to soles of feet and at base of skull or on temples. What do you think?
Though I can’t respond specifically to its therapeutic benefits, Frankincense does have a long history of use as both an oil and an herb. When diluted, with any carrier oil, it is safe to use and is often applied under the nose, on the temples or behind the ears. It is a wonderful oil to breathe in. We sell it both as a pure oil and as a Precious Oil (diluted in Jojoba).
June 8th, 2009
How are the oils by Aura Cacia extracted? I’ve read about cold pressing as an extraction technique and chemical extraction as well. Any information you could share with me on this topic would be very much appreciated.
By definition, an essential oil is steam distilled, but there are several oils that aren’t steam distilled. Those oils include the citrus oils, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tangerine, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange, they are all cold pressed. It’s really a simple process, I was visiting our distiller recently, whereby they run the fruit over a prickly roller before separating the rind from the fruit, then the rind is cold pressed.
There are 3 oils that are solvent extracted, Vanilla Precious, Rose Absolute Precious and Jasmine Absolute Precious. Vanilla will not steam distill and it’s extracted with Carbon Dioxide. Absolutes are extracted using a solvent and then the solvent is vaporized and vacuumed off. Rose oil can either be Rose Otto, which is steam distilled, or the Rose Absolute which is solvent extracted. Rose doesn’t steam distill well which is why it has been made into an absolute for nearly 2000 years. I’ve been visiting our Rose suppliers this week in Bulgaria and the smell of several stills making Rose Otto is absolutely intoxicating.
Other than these listed above, all other oils are steam distilled. There are many types of stills in the world, but they all work the same, you run steam through the herb and the oil gasses and is later condensed and then collected in a Florentine separator.
June 8th, 2009
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