Pure oils as perfumes?

[*Princesse*]

I was just reading in the sexiest perfume thread about using pure oils as perfume? I was wondering if someone wouldn't mind telling me a little more about that? Like are those the same as essential oils? Do you apply them directly to the skin? Thanks so much.

 

[fashionista-ta]

You have to dilute them first in a carrier oil like almond ... I bet Google will tell you proportions

 

[Hanne]

From http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/faq.html

What is the difference between a perfume and a perfume oil?
[size=-2]The following is a rough guide to the differences between the strength categories of scents --
Eau fraiche: 3% or less perfume oil.
Eau de cologne: 2 - 5% perfume oil.
Eau de toilette: 4 - 10% perfume oil.
Eau de parfum: 8 - 15% perfume oil.
Perfume: 15 - 25% perfume oil.
Perfume oil: 15 - 30% perfume oil.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Perfume oil: 85 - 100% perfume oil.[/size]

 

[Orchide]

I don't dilute mine- I wear them directly. I feel the oils are too precious and I like them best pure and alone. I do sometimes make my own sprays using a perfumer's base and a spray bottle and I do have apricot oil which I have done little experiments with but my personal experience is that I like my oils to remain pure. I would use a carrier oil if say certain oils are too strong on my skin like peppery ones or clovey ones or put them into a spray form but usually I have no problems. I love oils

 

[Melisande]

I love working with aromatherapy oils too. However a word of caution: generally the only two oils experts say are safe enough to put directly on skin are lavender and teatree...and even those, with caution. All others are to be diluted in a carrier oil, or can very easily irritate the skin. I often read that some of the peppery ones are not to be applied on the skin even when diluted. Essential oils are wonderful and very very potent substances...just be careful, and read books on it before you proceed. Here are some tips from www.aromaweb.com. It's a good website w/lots of info.

***Essential Oil Safety Information***


Essential oils are highly concentrated liquids that can be harmful if not used carefully. Implementing aromatherapy into your lifestyle shouldn't cause paranoia or undue worry. By treating essential oils as medicines and following the steps outlined below, you will be well on your way to safely enjoying the many benefits that aromatherapy can offer.

These safety guidelines are not a complete safety reference for the proper use of essential oils. When in doubt, consult your physician and/or a qualified and trained aromatherapy practitioner.

**ESSSENTIAL OILS SHOULD NEVER BE USED UNDILUTED ON THE SKIN. There are instances when experienced aromatherapy users and practitioners make exceptions to this precaution, but only once significant essential oil knowledge is gained should you ever attempt to apply an undiluted oil on the skin. Lavender and tea tree are listed by a large number of aromatherapy sources as being oils that can be used undiluted. Undiluted use of lavender and tea tree, however, should only be done on rare occurances as severe sensitivity still could occur in some individuals. Again, the safest rule of thumb is to never use any essential oil undiluted.

**Some oils can cause sensitization or allergic reactions in some individuals. When using a new oil for the first time, do a skin patch on a small area of skin. Place a small amount of the diluted essential oil (never use essential oils undiluted on the skin) on the inside of your elbow and apply a bandage. Wait 24 hours to see if there is any form of reaction. Even if a particular essential oil is not known to cause irritation, this step should not be ignored. Even if an oil does not irritate you, it still can irritate someone else. It is important that you always keep that in mind.

**Some essential oils should be avoided during pregnancy or by those with asthma, epilepsy, or with other health conditions.

**Less IS More. When using essential oils, use the smallest amount of essential oils that will get the job done. If one drop will get the job done, for example, don't use two drops.

**Not all essential oils are suitable for use in aromatherapy. Wormood, pennyroyal, onion, camphor, horseradish, wintergreen, rue, bitter almond and sassafras are some of the essential oils that should only be used by qualified aromatherapy practitioners, if ever at all.

**Never let children use essential oils without the presence of an adult knowledgeable about their use. Most essential oils smell wonderful and many essential oils such as citrus oils can smell like they are safe to drink. Keep your essential oils away from children. Treat the oils like medicines that are poison in unknowing hands.

**Essential oils should not be taken internally. Essential oils should only be taken internally after receiving a detailed consultation and prescription from a trained and qualified aromatherapy practitioner.

**Essential oils are flammable. Please keep them out of the way of fire hazards.

 

[Melisande]

From the same site:

**Aromatherapy Tips for Beginners**


Aromatherapy blending items including disposable pipettes and droppers.

Many of these suggestions are mentioned throughout AromaWeb, but they are also included below as a quick-reference:

DON'T: Don't buy perfume oils thinking they are the same thing as essential oils. Perfume oils do not offer the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Even if you only intend on using aromatherapy in your lifestyle for the sheer enjoyment of the aroma, essential oils that are breathed in can offer therapeutic benefits. These benefits do not occur with the use of perfume oils.

DON'T: Don't buy essential oils with rubber glass dropper tops. Essential oils are very concentrated and will turn the rubber to a gum thus ruining the oil.

DO: Read as much as you can on Aromatherapy. It is very easy to get started with Aromatherapy, but there are safety issues that you need to be aware of. AromaWeb does offer safety tips and information to help you on your way, but you are wise to read even further on the important subject of essential oil safety. Visit the Book Shelf for book descriptions on over 12 popular aromatherapy books.

DO: Be selective of where you purchase your essential oils. The quality of essential oils varies widely from company to company. Additionally, some companies may falsely claim that their oils are undiluted or pure when they aren't.

DO: Learn to compare apples to apples when shopping for oils. Anise, Lavender, Bay, Cedarwood, and Eucalyptus are examples of the common names of plants used to create essential oils. There, however, are different varieties of each of these plants. To differential these varieties, the botanical name (also referred to as the Latin name) is used to tell them apart. For instance, two different oils are referred to as "Bay essential oil," yet they come from two different plants. The properties and aroma of each oil do differ as does the general cost between the two. It, therefore, is important to pay attention to the botanical name. In the case of Bay, the common botanical names for the two oils used in this example are Pimenta racemosa and Laurus nobilis.

DO: It is also helpful to note the country of origin for the oil. Most good essential oil sellers will readily supply the botanical names and country of origin for the oils that they sell. When comparing one company's oils with another's, also pay attention to if either company's oils are organic, wild-crafted or ethically farmed.

DON'T: It is wise not to purchase oils from vendors at street fairs, craft shows, or other limited-time events. Some vendors know beginners have no recourse against them later. This is not to say that there are not highly reputable sellers at such events, but this is a caution for beginners who are not able to reliably judge quality.

DO: Purchasing oils from reputable mail-order companies may result in obtaining higher quality oils at less expense than purchasing oils from a generic local health food establishment. Again, there is a wide variance in the quality of oils from company to company and store to store. Although AromaWeb does not make an endorsement of any establishment, the Business Plaza's Vendor Pavilion lists a variety of companies that sell essential oils and aromatherapy products.

DO: Store your oils in dark glass (amber or cobalt blue) and in a cool, dark place. I have two wooden hinged boxes that I store some of my oils in. Unfinished wooden boxes may be purchased at craft stores. These boxes allow me to move my oils from different areas of the house easily. Wooden floppy disk holders can also serve this purpose well.

DO: Pay special attention to all safety information on all essential oils that you use. This is even more important if you have any medical condition or are pregnant.

DO: Last but not least, do enjoy introducing aromatherapy into your lifestyle!

 

[Orchide]

With due respect, I believe that reference material refers to blending of essential oils yourself at home and for that, i would agree.
With Bpal oil blends, they are already blended by a skilled trained alchemist/practitioner already and if you go to their forums, you will see that most everyone- probably 75% or more of the customers- don't dilute the oil blends. I just use a few drops and it is more than enough. If someone prefers to use a carrier oil, that is their perogative of course but most do not cut the Bpal blends generally speaking.
There was even a big stink recently I read about on their forums where someone got a bottle that was cut with a carrier oil through an Ebay resale deal and this is not desirable because it makes it weak- nobody wants a weak oil. Bpal's blends tend to be just right to wear directly
But, yes, in blending your own oils at home, use care.

 

[Orchide]

I just wanted to clarify in case anyone read my very first post and thought I meant essential oils I bought somewhere and was mixing myself- I was referring to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oils- which are non-synthetic and are made fresh upon ordering but are blends of the proportions that Hanne posted above .
Here is a blurb from the lab:
"The oils that we use are all steam distilled or cold-pressed directly from their organic origin. Some fragrances cannot be obtained purely through natural extraction processes, therefore some of the scents that we use are 'bouquets' - essentially a combination of natural scents created to imitate a fragrance that is irreproducible by other means. We never skimp on quality, and it shows through in the excellence of our creations. "

Anyway, the forum for Bpal has many threads on carrier oils and dilution etc. so if anyone has any concerns, you should go and check it out. I have been using their perfume oil blends for almost 2 years now and have helped over Christmas with pouring and I can certainly vouch for their knowledge and care that goes into each oil

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

^ Agree with that.... from places that do perfume oils its pretty safe unless youre allergic to something.

I blend oils at home and even though its pretty safe since I know the properties of what I am using....I still use some caution...specially with ingredients like dragons blood...I'm weary to put that resin on me even though I've spilled the ink version on me many of times playing around with a quill

 

[Orchide]

^ Agree with that.... from places that do perfume oils its pretty safe unless youre allergic to something.

I blend oils at home and even though its pretty safe since I know the properties of what I am using....I still use some caution...specially with ingredients like dragons blood...I'm weary to put that resin on me even though I've spilled the ink version on me many of times playing around with a quill

The more I learn about you, SS, the more I like Both of us are up quite late too- wheeee-
Ps- luv your avie

 

[Melisande]

Ah, that's great Orchide, if they are pre-blended oils specifically formulated for direct topical application, no worries!

I just put in that info for first-time users who may not be aware of the nature of essential oils.

Cheers!

 

[Orchide]

Ah, that's great Orchide, if they are pre-blended oils specifically formulated for direct topical application, no worries!

I just put in that info for first-time users who may not be aware of the nature of essential oils.

Cheers!

Oh yeah thank you for that I forgot that we were continuing our conversation from the sexy perfume thread and anyone new to it, might think I meant pouring straight EO's onto your arm so thanks for posting that

 

[*Princesse*]

Thanks so much! I'm still confused about one thing, though. What (if any) are the differences between perfume oils, and essential oils?

 

[Melisande]

Orchide, you did have me alarmed for a little bit!!

Oooky dooky, yet another article from the same site...focuses more on aromatherapy and not on perfume oils, but does offer some info.

WHAT ARE FRAGRANCE OILS?

Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant it was derived from. Essential oils are not the same as perfume oils or fragrance oils. Where essential oils are derived from the true plants, perfume and fragrance oils are artificially created fragrances, contain artificial substances or are diluted with carrier oils and do not offer the caliber of therapeutic benefits that essential oils offer.

(...) some companies are selling fragrance oil and perfume oils with the word aromatherapy on the label or promoting these oils as being used in aromatherapy. Since the use of the word aromatherapy isn't regulated by the U.S. Government, companies can and do get away with this.
Unfortunately, a lot of beauty products, skin-care products, candles, and other products are improperly labeled with the term aromatherapy. This is especially common in products not purchased from a knowledgeable and reputable aromatherapy vendor. Some products labeled with the word aromatherapy contain fragrance or perfume oils or other synthetic ingredients. Always check the ingredients listed on the item you wish to buy.(...)

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

The more I learn about you, SS, the more I like Both of us are up quite late too- wheeee-
Ps- luv your avie

Awww...
All I have to say is ditto. You're interesting indeed.
Waaa no more staying up late...Need to be good and adjust for classes.

Back on topic....

Found out the dragonsblood is only poisonous if injected into the blood or ingested...so maybe I should be more scared of me dropping the quill and poking myself then So off I go to play with it and a few oils.

I know that usually oils generally have a shelf life of a year and they seem to mellow off or change.... I'm utterly confused on why my two year old Moon oil has gotten stronger that it's taken over my closet. Do certain oils get better with age?....or maybe the moon oil just got jealous of my perfumes