Scent is powerful! It can shift your mood, change your energy and transform a space in a matter of seconds. It warns us of danger, it attracts us to some and repels us from others. It can bring up memories that instantly take us back to times in our lives that we think of fondly. Every summer when the honeysuckle blooms, I transform into that little girl at her grandparent’s farm. When I smell anything in a crockpot, I am that teenager walking into to my house after school. And no matter what beach I am on, smelling the ocean, always brings memories of me and my friends on the beach at Tybee. You know the feeling! So, let’s talk about scent.
When you look at the ingredients listed on products you buy, you’ll likely find the words Essential Oil or Fragrance/Perfume. In very basic terms:
- Essential oils are derived from real plants and are about experience and wellness as well as the scent made from nature.
- Fragrance is often created in a lab to mimic a scent and are about the smell only.
Neither is right or wrong, but knowing the difference helps you choose what’s best for your home and body. If you are focused on a healthier lifestyle in what you eat, you might want to think about what you are putting on your body, too.
Essential Oils:
Pure essential oils begin in nature and are extracted directly from plants through processes such as steam distillation or cold pressing. This means:
- The plant’s natural compounds are carefully captured
- Nothing synthetic is added to create the scent
The result is a highly concentrated, complex, natural aroma that reflects the plant itself.
Why so expensive?
Because they are highly concentrated it can take a large amount of plant material to produce just a small bottle of oil. Example: It can take hundreds of pounds of lavender flowers to produce up to 33 ML bottle (small). And precious oils like Rose, imagine a 10×14 room stuffed floor to ceiling, wall to wall with rose petals. That will only make a small bottle of oil, too! Also, the extraction process is complicated and very time consuming.
Essential oils are used in aromatherapy and wellness practices because their natural compounds can influence mood and create a calming, uplifting environment. Plants are the original medicine. Hypocrates, often called the Father of Medicine, said “the way to health is to have an aromatic bath and a scented massage every day”! Wouldn’t that be nice!
These days, due to FDA laws, those of us working with essential oils and other natural ingredients can not make claims of these oils curing or healing any disease or medical condition. You’ll see us use words like “enhance”, “known to” and you’ll find historic uses of the plants when reading descriptions about plants and their uses. I recommend you try for yourself and see what benefits you discover.
That being said, plant extracts are used in many medications including aspirin (for pain) which contains Willow bark, morphine (for pain) from the opium Poppy, taxol (for cancer) from the Pacific Yew tree, and in over the counter products you find menthol from Peppermint, Eucalyptus from the leaves and twigs of the Eucalyptus tree and Capsaicin from chili peppers, just to name a few.
It is important to understand two things: 1) Natural does not mean safe. If you are allergic to a plant you will be allergic to essential oils from that plant and if you are pregnant or have medical conditions it is wise to talk with your doctor before use. 2) essential oils are not FDA approved so medical and treatment claims are illegal to make.
My products are described for emotionaI comfort, stress relief, anxiety and aging skin needs. Think of essential oils as nature in a bottle.
Fragrance:
Formulated in a lab using man made chemicals designed to create a specific scent. They are more consistent and longer lasting than essential oils. Because they are engineered rather than extracted, fragrance oils are not limited to what exists in nature. Hence, you see scent names like “fresh rain”, “birthday cake”, “ocean breeze”. Fragrant oils are used in candle making and soap making as it is very difficult to work with essential oils due to the heat required during the creating process. It can be done with some essential oils but it is very hard. I suggest you use a diffuser if you want an all natural scent for your home. I use candles for the ambience that only a candle can provide. If you have unpleasant reactions, like headaches, when you come in contact with fragrant oils, it is due to the synthetics used in the product, not the plant it mimics. When it comes to scent, even fragrant oils can bring to mind certain feelings with the memories that scent stirs up.
Neither Essential oils or Fragrance oils are good or bad. It is about what you want for your lifestyle and fits in your budget. Both have a place but they are not the same experience. Why does it matter? It’s good to know what you are putting on your body. Your skin, our largest organ, works hard to keep the bad out and let the good in. In your home and car, when you take in a scent it goes directly to the brain as the olfactory nerve connects the external environment directly to the brain, bypassing the blood-brain barrier. If you are trying to be more intentional with wellness and environment, understanding “Nature vs Lab” is the place to start!
Scentsations by Julie products are all natural. Check out the menu on the website to learn more about the individual oils I use (and will soon be carrying for individual sale!). Be sure to sign up for this blog to get notified of my new blog posts. I will be posting every 3-4 weeks with tips on creating a more healthy environment, essential oil properties and descriptions and updates on the products we offer. If you have a specific topic you’d like to learn more about, pop me an email right from my site (in footer).
Thanks for reading!
Oh, and Mother’s Day is right around the corner, May 10th. Nothing better than the gift of Relaxation!