100% Essential Oils

What are essential oils? Essential oils are concentrated oils that contain the aroma and properties of a fruit, herb, or flower. Aromatherapy has used plant extracts as a form of alternative medicine for hundreds of years, as the fragrance of many plants have been known to alter mood and mitigate ailments… soothing, lifting, and calming the body and mind.

Today, essential oils have become readily available, popping up on shelves in local grocery stores and pharmacies in their pure forms. Not to mention that essential oils are infused in all kinds of beauty and health products for scent and pharmaceutical properties as well.

How do we use essential oils, though, you ask? Great question. Essential oils are found in every single one of our signature scents, occasionally mixed in with high-grade perfumes made with plant-based as well as man-made hypo-allergenic ingredients. 

Because the process of distillation requires time and lots of materials for meager returns, making essential oils can be very expensive. Especially depending on the exoticism or priciness of the chosen plant! We do, however, have two fragrances made with pure essential oils. The fragrances we carry that are essential-oil-only are Lemongrass and Spa.

The first mention of Lemongrass essential oil was in a 17th century text from the Philippines. It was introduced to Jamaica in 1799 and eventually made its way to Haiti and the United States in 1917. Cultivation and distillation of lemongrass oil began during the late 1800s in Kevala, India, but commercial cultivation of the oil in the U.S. did not begin until 1947. Lemongrass grows very quickly and can be harvested three to four times a year!

To distill lemongrass, it is best to chop into small pieces in order to have a higher surface area and expose more oil glands. The total steam distillation process of Lemongrass takes about four hours, which is relatively short!

Our Lemongrass fragrance  is a bold, strong, 100% Lemongrass essential oil. This makes for a blossom-like citrusy scent that’s still got a little bit of grassy spice to it.

The history of the Eucalyptus tree is quite a long one. Its oils were first distilled in 1788 and used to treat respiratory problems. Since then it has been used to clean urinary catheters in 19th century England, to fight meningitis outbreaks during WWI and the flu in 1919, and as an insecticide in the US since 1948.  

Now, it’s in Spa! There are over 1000 species of eucalyptus trees, but only about 10 varieties produce enough oil for extraction -- we use The Blue Mallee variety, extracting oils from its stems and leaves through steam distillation. Spa also contains Cornmint, also known as Wild Mint. Cornmint is also steam distilled from the leaves and usually is dementholized because it has such high levels of menthol it would otherwise be solid at room temperature. In history, it has been known to be used to treat things from earaches and skin conditions to tumors.

Spa is a bit milder than Lemongrass, though still provides that refreshing and re-invigorating feeling that its components are known for. You know, like when you take a deep breath after eating a strong mint? Or the memory of someone rubbing VapoRub on your chest as a little kid? That’s love.

All our essential oils are vegan and cruelty-free (never tested on animals!) and free from BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) as well as TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy). None of our essential oils are genetically modified nor irradiated or treated with sewage sludge. They’re hypoallergenic and certifiably free from cross-contaminations with allergens such as peanuts, milk, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, eggs, or shellfish. So they’re safe for everyone to enjoy!

Are you a fan of our classic fragrances? We encourage you to give something a little different a try! Bundle up on our 100% Essential Oil fragrances and get $10 off your purchase. Mix and match any two.
(Feb 16th-24th 2019) only.