Posts filed under 'General'
I have spider veins on my face and have tried all types of preparations with very little success. This week I was told to use Helichrysum and cypress, along with a carrier oil. What do you think of this? Can you suggest the amounts I would use?
Let me begin by stating that we are prohibited from making any recommendations for treatment of medical conditions, thus I am unable to directly answer your question. I can however share with you some general information about essential oils and some recipes for skin preparations.
There are some general properties of essential oils that can be beneficial for certain skin conditions. For instance:
Cypress- astringent, reported vascular toner.
Geranium- astringent.
Lemon- warming, increases blood-flow to the sight of application.
Which Hazel is a natural skin toner and it’s properties can be enhanced by the addition of the above essential oils. Try the following for a wonderful and refreshing skin toner:
1 cup Which Hazel
6 drops Cypress Essential Oil
1 drop Lemon Essential Oil
1 drop Geranium Essential Oil
Combine the above in a container with a tight fitting lid (you can reuse th original container the Which Hazel came in by simply adjusting the recipe to the amount of Which Hazel, and adding the essential oils directly to the bottle). Soak a clean clothe in the mixture and apply it to the face after your morning cleanse. For added benefit, store the mixture in the refridgerator; the coolness will add to the toners anti-infamatory and redness reducing qualities.
Avacado Oil makes a wonderful carrier for a moisturizing massage oil. It’s very thick and penetrating and is naturally high in Vitamins E, D and A which are all essential to healthy skin. Because it’s so thick, it is often mixed in a 1:3 ratio with other carrier oils such as Sweet Almond. Try the following recipe for a deeply moisturizing facial massage:
1/2 oz Avacado Oil
1 1/2 oz Sweet Almond Oil
16 drops Cypress Essential Oil
4 drops Lemon Essential Oil
4 drops Geranium Essential Oil
Combine all of the ingredients and gently massage into the skin in a downward direction 1 to 3 times per week.
February 16th, 2007
I just ordered some of your essential oils and was wondering how to use them with my oil warmer that uses a tea light for a heat source. Do I need to combine the essential oils with a carrier first, or can I just add them directly to the reservoir?
To use your oil warmer, fill the reservoir 1/2 way with water and then add 3-5 drops of essential oil. The water helps to mediate the heat so that the oils don’t “burn” and will also help to diffuse the oils throughout the area.
February 16th, 2007
Is your product Pillow Potion safe to use as a pillow spray for a child? How often can ig be given, if at all? Does it have a sedative effect? Can a child become dependant on this product to induce sleep?
Properly diluted Pillow Potion will be fine for children. A gentle dilution for kids is 1-2 drops of essential oil/blend per 1 teaspoon of carrier oil. 1 to 2 drops on the pillow should give the same effect. Alternatively a pillow mist could be created by mixing 9 drops of essential oil/blend per ounce of pure water in a spray mister bottle. Shake the bottle vigorously before giving the pillow 2-3 spritzes.
There isn’t much study of the potential of becoming dependent on essential oils. It is commonly thought that because essential oils are complex mixtures of many different natural chemical constituents, dependency is far less likely than synthetic drugs which rely on a single patented chemical for their action. Still it’s a good idea to employ aromatherapy when it’s needed. If a child is stressed at bedtime or has had an especially exciting day, then would be a good time for some calming essential oils.
February 16th, 2007
I have been using your skin care oils, and am wondering if they contain any of the following: pthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, ureas, EDTA, fragrances, particles, or artificial colors?
This is an excellent question considering all of the media attention that has been given to these types of ingredients lately. It is also good to hear that you’re just as concerned about what ingredients you put on your body as Aura Cacia is about what we put in our bottles
You can rest assured that our skin care oils are 100% pure and natural. They contain no phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, urea, EDTA, synethetic fragrances, preservatives or colors. In fact Aura Cacia Skin Care Oils are one of the best options for customers who are concerned about the ingredients in question.
February 16th, 2007
How are Aura Cacia oils produced, are they distilled?Â
The vast majority (95%+) of Aura Cacia essential oils are steam distilled which is an age oil process that has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years. Basically, water is heated to boiling and its steam passes through fresh plant material stacked on a rack above the boiling water. This causes the cell walls of the plant material to break down and release the essential oil. The water and essential oil vapor then passes through a cooler that condenses the steam and the oil into a liquid. The liquid is collected and the oil is separated from the water. Most oils are lighter than water and thus collect on the surface of the water where they are siphoned off. Oils heavier than water sink to the bottom of the collector where they are removed. Some stills use direct distillation where the plant material is mixed with the boiling water with the same effect
The next most prominent method for obtaining our essential oils is expression, which is a mechanical method of pressing citrus peels such as lime, lemon, orange and grapefruit to remove the essential oils. Expressed oils contain the essential oils along with a tiny amount of part of the fruit such as colorants and waxes. Although an essential oil without any of these additional components can be created through distillations, citrus oils are especially fragile and the resulting oil does not have the same “fresh fruit� aroma and quality of the expressed oil.
The third and final method is extraction, and is reserved for only the most delicate and low volume oil botanicals for which the conditions of distillation, and the massive amounts of plant material necessary to produce a tiny bit of oil make this method the only option. For this, the essential oil is extracted from the plant with a solvent. The resulting oil is called a concrete which can further be processed to create an absolute by washing with alcohol to separate the essential oil from the solvent. This process is often used for delicate flower petals such as Rose and Jasmine. A relatively new and highly efficient variation of this method is carbon dioxide extraction, which uses CO2 under high pressure to remove the essential oils. Because of the low temperatures used, the aromas of the oils produced under this method are exceptionally true to those of the plant. However, the high cost of the equipment and complexity of the process makes the cost of these oils prohibitive in most cases. The Vanilla in our Precious Essentials line, and the Hops used in the Essential Solution blend Pillow Potion are both CO2 Extracted essential oils.
February 16th, 2007
I would like to make my own cleaning products, free of all the chemicals from the store brands. I would like to use lemon or orange oils to enhance the aroma. Is it safe to combine these with vinegar and water?
The acidic nature of vinegar helps dissolve hard water spots, cut through mildew and dissolves grime. The addition of Orange and/or Lemon oil boosts vinegar’s germ-fighting power and adds a terrific fresh aroma. Simply add up to 10 drops of essential oil to each ounce of equal parts vinegar and water. Another indispensable natural cleanser is baking soda. Add up to 10 drops essential oils to each quarter cup baking soda to create a good nontoxic scouring powder. Follow up with your vinegar/citrus rinse to give surfaces a double whammy. Most essential oils by their very chemical nature are effective germicides. Some, like Tea Tree, Eucalyptus and Spike Lavender are even more so. You may want to include a few drops of these along with the citrus oils to really help zap bacteria, mold and viral agents.
February 12th, 2007
Is the almond oil good for hair moisturizing? I was going to buy your jojoba oil for my hair and wanted to know if mixing that with the almond oil would work for dull dry hair.
Any of the vegetable oils will offer some moisturizing benefits for your hair, however the thicker, richer oils will offer the most benefit. Jojoba is by far the best oil for this application because of its extraordinary conditioning and moisturizing properties. Avocado would be my next choice being a thick, luscious, penetrating oil, that’s also rich in vitamins. Sweet Almond, Apricot Kernel and Sesame are all on the thinner side and will offer far less benefit, with Grapeseed being the thinnest and least beneficial for this application. A hot oil treatment of Jojoba infused with some key essential oils known for their hair care benefits will lend the best results. Some oils to consider might be:
| Essential Oil |
Benefit |
| Carrot Seed |
Nourishing, Replenishing |
| Geranium |
Balancing, Normalizing |
| Rosemary |
Stimulating, Revitalizing |
| Sandalwood |
Soothing, Moisturizing |
Try the following recipe:
  1 oz Jojoba Oil
  3 drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil
  3 drops Geranium Essential Oil
  3 drops Sandalwood Essential OilÂ
Combine all of the above in a glass jar and promptly fasten the lid to prevent the essential oils from evaporating out. Prepare a hot water bath by pouring hot water into a shallow bowl placing your jar of oils in the center and allowing the mixture to heat to approximately 105-110 degrees. Massage the treatment into your scalp and then distribute through your hair with a wide tooth comb. Place a shower cap or plastic bag over your hair and cover with a thick winter hat. The hat will serve as an insulator, while the plastic cover will trap the moisture and heat providing the perfect conditioning environment. Leave the treatment on for at least an hour then shampoo as usual.
February 2nd, 2007
I’m wondering if I can use the precious essentials and/or essential solutions in making my own oil based perfume.
I plan to use jojoba oil as the carrier and will dab some on pulse points as perfume. So if, for example, I want to blend sandalwood precious essentials, lavender essential oil, and neroli precious essentials how would I go about the dilution? Since the precious essentials are already diluted how much would I use in 1oz of jojoba to blend the perfume? Or should I dilute the lavender to the same percentage the precious essentials are diluted and then blend in equal amounts? I guess I’m just not sure how diluted the precious essentials are and I don’t want to dilute them too much.
Also, could the essential solutions be used in perfume?
In short, the answer is yes, oils from both the Precious Essentialsâ„¢ and Essential Solutions lines can be used in creating a custom blended perfume. However, successfully creating a custom blend requires a bit more than just combining your favorite oils in a 1:1 ratio. One key element to understand before you begin is oil volatility (evaporation rate). Essential oils evaporate at different rates depending on their chemical components. The lighter oils evaporate quickly, while the heavier oils evaporate more slowly. A good blend of oils will use a combination of high, medium and low volatility oils in order to create a balanced fragrance from start to finish. The really slow evaporating oils can also be used as bridges or fixatives—that means they help fix, or hold, the scent (slow the evaporation) of the other oils in the blend and keep the fragrance from changing too much as it evaporates.  Sandalwood is one of the best fixatives because it blends well with so many other scents. Other good fixative oils are Patchouli, Vetiver, Myrrh and Cedarwood. Low volatility oils are also known as “Base Note” oils, medium as “Middle Note” and highly volatile oils as “Top Note” oils. As a beginner to blending start by using the following ratio–1-2 drops base note oil: 2-4 drops middle note oil:5-6 drops top note oil. The following table features examples of oils from each of these categories.Â
| Base Note Oils |
Middle Note Oils |
Top Note Oils |
| Cinnamon |
Clove Bud |
Coriander |
| Frankincense |
Geranium |
Cumin |
| Myrhh |
Ginger |
Juniper Berry |
| Patchouli |
Jasmine |
Lavender |
| Sandalwood |
Lemongrass |
Lime |
| Vanilla |
Neroli |
Lemon |
| Vetiver |
Ylang Ylang |
Mandarin Orange |
Â
Of the oils you mentioned, Sandalwood would be your base, Neroli your middle and Lavender your top. To take into account the pre-dilution of the Precious Essential oil, use 2x as many drops of those oils as you would the others. For your blend, try starting with the following recipe and then adjust to your personal taste.
½ oz Jojoba oil
10 drops Sandalwood (in jojoba)
6 drops Neroli (in jojoba)
1 drop Lavender
The Essential Solutions blends are already in the appropriate ratio of base, middle and top notes, making them well suited for use as perfumes. However, they will still need to be diluted in a carrier (10 drops per ½ oz of carrier) before direct skin application.
If all of this seems too daunting, Aura Cacia offers several products that can be used as personal fragrances with no blending or diluting required. The most obvious is our new line of Natural Perfumes that come in a convenient tube with a roll top applicator. We also have Aromatherapy Spritzes and Mists that work well as a room or body spray, and the entire Precious Essentials line of oils can be safely applied directly out of the bottle.
January 30th, 2007
Can you tell me why it is generally not recommended to ingest an essential oil? I live in the US and am told that the US does not permit the selling/purchasing of essential oils to be used for ingesting. Do you know whether this is true? A local naturopath recommended a certain brand of oils for ingesting because of their being of a therapeutic grade. Do you have any thoughts on this statement?
The United States does not prohibit the sale of essential oils for internal consumption. In fact, a number of essential oils appear on the FDA’s GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list, and many of those are used in the manufacture of products such as baking flavors and extracts. The complete list of GRAS essential oils, oleoresins and natural extractives  is available in Section 21CFR182.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Aura Cacia and Aura Cacia Organics essential oils are 100% pure and natural, the highest quality available. But they are also highly concentrated. For safety and legal reasons—we’ve chosen to market our products as cosmetics and are therefore required to adhere to that set of label regulations—we do not recommend them for internal use unless under the direct supervision of a licensed health care practitioner. The complexity of essential oils and the constituents that make them up leaves open the potential of individual sensitivities or interactions with nutritional supplements or medications. In our opinion, it isn’t responsible to advocate the internal use of essential oils without ensuring the particular user has a full understanding of the situation and the potential harm of misuse.
The term “therapeutic-grade” is completely arbitrary and simply tossed about by companies in an attempt to portray their product as being superior to others. There is no official definition of therapeutic grade essential oil, no set standards for it, and no agencies in charge of regulating such a term. It’s simply a feel-good marketing term.
We believe that the best way to maximize the therapeutic benefits offered by essential oils is to use only oils that are tested and proven to be absolutely free of adulteration. Aura Cacia leads the industry in setting standards for essential oil purity. Every shipment of essential oil we receive is subject to rigorous testing by our in-house expert, Dr. Denys Charles—giving us the confidence to unequivocally guarantee that our oils are 100% pure and unadulterated.
January 23rd, 2007
Can you tell me whether this product is rectified, unrectified or partially?
Aura Cacia’s Eucalyptus globulus is a 100% pure, unrectified oil containing all of the constituents of this botanical in their natural proportions.
January 22nd, 2007
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