Essential U Blog

Aromatherapy Q&A

I've been in the aromatherapy industry for the past 12 years.  During that time I've been asked some interesting questions.  This is your chance to ask aromatherapy questions you have always wanted to know.  If I don't know the answer, I will find it out.  Here are a few I was recently asked.  What would you like to know?

      

Which aromatherapy scents are most multitasking?
The number one multitasking essential oil is lavender.  Lavender can be used for everything from burns, blemishes, and sleeplessness to tantrums.  In my opinion there is no other essential oil with as many aromatherapy applications as lavender. 

Limited Time :: Get a Free 16 oz Product with $200 Orders

For a limited time any order at Essential Wholesale over $200 will receive a FREE 16 oz bonus product with your order. 

      

Eligible orders must total $200 before shipping.  The 16 ounce product will be chosen at random by Essential Wholesale. 

NEW Chocolate Bath Salts :: A New Bath-erapy Favorite

In celebration of National Chocolate Day we are releasing the ultimate chocolate experience.  If you have ever read the quote, “Forget love-- I'd rather fall in chocolate!!!” and agreed then we have the perfect new products for you.  Our new Chocolate Bath Salt Soaks are like bathing in chocolate with the added benefits of the minerals found in solar salt.  These bath salt creates pure bliss.  

      

Bath-erapy has reached a whole new level with the release of our new Chocolate Bath Salt Soak, Mint Chocolate Bath Salt Soak, Orange Chocolate Bath Salt Soak, Lavender Chocolate Bath Salt Soak and Coffee Chocolate Bath Salt Soak. 

NEW Nature Certified Lotion and Creme

We are very excited to announce the release of our Nature Certified Lotion and Nature Certified Creme. You are going to love these new products. 

      

These new products use a brand new emulsifying system (Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetyl Palmitate and Palm Stearic Acid) that is accepted and approved as natural.  The emulsifying and the organic preservative system conforms with the Whole Food Premium list, are across all databases and the CIR panel rated as safe, and are approved for use in products certified by the on the Natural Products Association (NPA) and NSF made with organic standard. 

Ecocert has declared that the emulsifiers conform according to ecological and organic cosmetic standards.  The emulsifiers are Ecocert certified as natural due to their natural origin and minimally invasive processing.  The emulsifiers of vegetable origin and certified BSE-free and solvent free. 

Don't Give Up Before You Reach the Finish Line

Have you ever turned back in your business due to fear of the unknown in front of you?  I recently saw an example of how this turns out this week when I went on a field trip with Selah and Caiden’s classes to The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island.  The annual field trip is always full of mud, laughter, rain and an expedition through the challenging corn field maze known as the Maize. 

      

I’ve lead groups of kids through the Maize at The Pumpkin Patch over the past nine years.  I have found that being experienced at it helps even though the Maize and questions used to guide you through it change annually. 

Kitchen Chemistry :: YouTube DIY Lip Balms

Lip Balm M&P Base Recipe
14.5 fl ounces Essential Wholesale M&P Lip Balm Base

3 Minutes in the Microwave and then add

4 teaspoons Spearmint Essential Oil (about 2%)

And for those who like to make things from scratch you can use the following recipe. 

Lip Balm from Scratch Recipe
¾ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2.85 ounces by weight)
3 tablespoons of Meadowfoam Oil (1.25 ounces by weight)
8 tablespoons Beeswax Prills (2.85 ounces by weight)
.05 ounces (weight) Mango Butter

Microwave for 3 minutes and then add

1 teaspoon of Vitamin E (2.85 ounces by weight)
1 tablespoon Grapefruit Essential Oil (about 3%)

Pour, clean up and label!  It is that easy! 

Rebatching Soap :: Guest Post by Michelle Gilbert-Hoskin

Michelle Gilbert-Hoskin is the owner and creative director of Sarva Natural Artisan Soaps.  Michelle is well known for making beautiful soap at Sarva Soaps.  Michelle did a wonderful tutorial on how to rebatch soap and gave me permission to use it here on Essential U. 

Rebatching Soap :: Guest Post by Michelle Gilbert-Hoskin

       

I’m often asked, “what do you do with all of your soap scraps?”   Sometimes the result can be very, very beautiful.  However, the most correct answer is, “it depends.”  Some soap scraps are beautiful additions to new soaps.  Others, however, have a different fate.

A Closer Look at International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) Label Laws

All cosmetic ingredient lists must use INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names for all cosmetic ingredients. The use of trade or common names is not allowed on cosmetic ingredient lists.  INCI names are uniform scientific names.  INCI names are mandated on the ingredient statement of every consumer personal care product.

      

INCI is an international designation for the declaration of the ingredients on the packaging of cosmetics. The use of INCI minimizes the language barriers that often hinder consumer understanding and international trade. The INCI names are allocated by the American Cosmetic Association, Personal Care Products Council and are used internationally. The adoption of INCI terminology ensures that cosmetic ingredients are consistently listed using the same ingredient name from product to product.

A Closer Look at Distillate Waters :: Making Distillate Based Perfumes

Distillates are commonly sold under the terms distillate waters, hydrosols, hydrolates, hydrolats, plant waters and floral waters.  Distillates are the aromatic by-product created during the steam distillation of plant material in the manufacturing of essential oils.  The distillates are the condensed water collected in the process of steam distillation.

        

Many distillates are being made only for the distillate now and are no longer simply a by-product.  A distillate contains all of the plant material including the water-soluble components and the essential oil molecules in solution. 

The Story of Soap :: Elin Criswell's Story

Elin Criswell recently self-published her book Creative Soap Making.  I am thrilled to be one of the six successful soap makers that she featured in her book. I recently finished reading it and loved every page.  Elin is a teacher at heart and loves soap, which was obvious as I read her book.  There is something for every soap maker at any level in her book. 

    

How did you get into the soap business? 
My story is the same as so many others in that I got interested in soapmaking and then was bit by that ‘business bug’ to go into the soap business.  I am a 4th generation Texas soapmaker of Swedish descent, so the whole idea of handcrafted soap wasn’t new to me.   My mom was a very creative woman, I real do-it-yourselfer… and she passed that on to me.