Essential Oil 101: Everything You Need to Know

 

Well, how many of you go to yoga classes and use essential oil on your skin? Do you know many essential oils can penetrate to the deepest layer of your skin and contains sensitizer? Fragrance and essential oil inside cosmetics are very controversial topic, many beauty bloggers and experts shy away from it. So here we want to talk about essential oils 101. We just want you to know everything before you decide.

Certain cosmetics regulations, such as those in the EU, will expect you to comply with the guidelines set by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA). The IFRA represents the collective interest of the fragrance industry and has created voluntary standards for usage of fragrance materials. These standards are updated every few years. 

Our goal is to provide sustainable, transparent, and affordable skincare products using natural ingredients. That’s why, we also follow IFRA regulations which gives us clear path in terms of how much essential oils inside our beauty products, we should be using which is safe for our customers.

Ultimately essential oils are regulated in this way because they contain chemical compounds to which people can experience a skin reaction. There are three type of skin reaction you can get, if essential oils are not used in proper amount:

 

• Irritation
• Sensitization
• Phototoxicity

 

Another important point to consider when we researched essential oils usage inside our beauty products. And that is the conservation status of the plant from which they’re obtained. Many trees, in particular, are coming under increased ecological threat from the cosmetics industry (and others) and this is leading to an unsustainable industry. As a sustainable brand, it is important for us to identify that.

 For example, our turmeric soap doesn’t use sandalwood essential oil, instead we use natural fragrance oil. Sandalwood species is threatened by over-exploitation and is now regulated in its native India. The Indian Government has even placed a ban on the export of the timber. We wanted to get essential oil from India but it was hard to procure that’s why we took a route to use natural fragrance oil for now.  

 

Besides, natural sandalwood fragrance oil, here are few essential oils we used in our products:

Sweet Orange Essential Oil:

Probably the most happy essential oil used in the formulation is our founder’s favorite Sweet Orange essential oil. It consists wonderful uplifting and calming scent. That’s why we call it a “happy” oil!

 When diffused, it can help with nervous tension, sadness, and can also improve the aroma of your bathroom. Sweet Orange oil is also antibacterial and antiviral. It is a natural detoxifier and digestive aid, cleaning out toxins and blocks in your digestive tract. It also stimulates your immune system, making it an extremely helpful oil to have in winter.

Effect: Helps to treat acne, and provide freshness to the body.

Uses: Use a diffuser for an uplifting scent, apply on your skin (make sure to dilute with a carrier oil such as coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and avocado oil), use it as a hand sanitizer (check out our Instagram for DIY recipe),  Check out our Loved Bath Soak, which utilizes the antibacterial properties of sweet orange essential oil and provided much needed relaxation.

Main Constitutents: Limonene

Aromatic Description: Juicy-fresh, light citrus scent

Plant part: Fruit peel

Check out Orange Peel Essential Oil in our Loved Soak 

Lavender Essential Oil

If you are feeling down, stressed and anxious, or looking for ways to brighten up your day, try Lavender essential  oil. Its fragrance is uplifting, and helps you to be more positive!

Lavender oil has been used and cherished for centuries for its unmistakable aroma and myriad benefits. In ancient times, the Egyptians and Romans used Lavender for bathing, relaxation, cooking, and as a perfume. Its calming and relaxing qualities, when taken internally, continue to be Lavender’s most notable attributes. Lavender oil is frequently used to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections. Add to bath water to soak away stress or apply to the temples and the back of the neck. Add a few drops of Lavender oil to pillows, bedding, or bottoms of feet to relax and prepare for a restful night’s sleep. Due to Lavender’s versatile properties, it is considered the must-have oil to have on hand at all times.

Effect: Helps to ease anger/sadness and boost your self-esteem. If you are having a hard time sleeping at night, this will help you as well. It can also be used for lowering high blood pressure, boosting the nervous system, and works great when you add it in air diffuser

Uses: Add a few drops to your next bath, mix 1-2 drops of lavender essential with fractionated coconut oil  and use as natural perfumed and use it. Not recommended for internal use.

Main Constituents: Linalool, Linalyl acetate, Ocimene

Aromatic Description: Powdery, floral, light

Plant part: Flower

Check out our Lavender Body Soap 

Rose Absolute 

Rose absolute is very high in a constituent called phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) which separates from the oil when steam distilled. We don’t use this ingredient directly inside our beauty products but we like to massage our herb with only 2 drops of rose absolute before we do formulation for our hero product: Silk & Shine body oil. Absolutes are actually different than essential oil. The difference between absolutes and essential oils is the method of obtaining the oil. Absolutes are obtained through solvent extraction. A solvent can be a chemical or alcohol. In solvent extraction, a solvent is combined with plant material. The solvent attracts the oil from the plant material, and the solvent and oil are then separated

Effect: Balances hormones, relieves stress, improves circulation

Uses: Add a drop of absolute to your rinse-off products to minimize wrinkles, mix rose absolute  and olive oil to improve skin suppleness, add a few 1-2 drops to your shampoo or hair conditioner for a delicious scent, or try making DIY potpourri (recipe) for a pleasant aroma.

Main Constituents: Linalool, Li D-Limonene, Benzaldehyde

Aromatic Description: Rich, sweet, and flowery, such as a true Rose aroma

Plant part: Flower petals

We used this awesome rose absolute in our Hydrating Oil Serum