Ida's Soap Box

Essential oils, nature’s botanical essences, can work wonders on your hair and scalp. They can be used to cleanse the scalp, strengthen hair, control irritation and dandruff, stimulate hair follicles, improve circulation and even promote hair growth. Some essential oils improve the condition of the scalp whiles others improve the condition of the hair.

Fragrance oils are made from synthetic compounds. they are cheaper, offer greater variety, and retain their scent for a longer period of time. Many people have grown accustomed to the fruity scents available from stores like Bath and Body Works. It is often impossible to obtain certain scent blends with pure essential oils. There is a much greater variety of blends available with fragrance oils.

Essential oils are natural aromatic extracts from plant material including grasses, leaves, flowers, needles, twigs, peels of fruit, seeds, bark, and roots. The aromatic essential oil compounds are stored in tiny pockets in plant material and must be released. The type of plant material being used determines which method of extraction will produce the best results.

I love reading labels! I began reading product labels with the word “vanilla” in their title. What surprised me was how many products claimed to be made with “vanilla essential oil.”  Because there is no such thing as "vanilla essential oil.”  There are vanilla extracts, vanilla infusions, vanilla absolutes and vanilla fragrance oils—but no vanilla essential oil!