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Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:32 am  |
i hope this is the right place to post.
wildflower, would you please share your tips on the various methods of scenting our rooms temporary with essential oils? i would love to have my bedroom smell like a calming spa once in a while!
thanks! |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:56 am |
I second the request. Have recently read & followed W's advice re skin treatments using Jojoba & Rosehip oils and am delighted with results.
So anything this lovely 'snob'  has to offer re oils, I'm ready to listen.
Arya |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:55 am |
So glad you asked! There are lots of great ways to use essential oils to scent your home. Here are some of the most common ways:
Potpourri
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to scent your home is by making your own potpourri. Gather some twigs and pinecones, dried rose petals, fresh cloves, orange rinds, dried moss, etc and drop in a few drops of your favourite EOs. You can arrange them in pretty glass bowls or dishes or anything you have lying around the house. I have these great little wooden bowls I picked up in Africa that go perfectly with my woodsy themed potpourri. Just place and forget until it's time to refresh with a few additional drops.
Lamp Ring
Another cheap way to scent a room, (but not really my favourite), is by using a clay or ceramic lamp ring. The inexpensive lamp rings are placed on top of a lamp bulb and are heated up. Depending on the type of lamp ring, oil is placed directly on the ring or added to a bit of water you pour into the crevice. Be careful as they get VERY HOT and are prone to burning quite easily. The scent doesn't last long either as the oils are overheated so you don't really get the full therapeutic value but for those who want something cheap and quick they will work just fine for a short time (5-10 mins after ring has been heated).
Glass/Clay/Ceramic Candle Diffuser
A quick and effective way to scent any room is through a diffuser. Candle diffusers are one of my favourite ways to scent a room as they are attractive pieces themselves, are inexpenisve and work quickly. There are many table top diffusers on the market now from glass to clay. I have a cute clay one I got in Taiwan with pretty Asian artwork and Chinese characters which on its own creates a pretty zen look. Just fill the centre with some water, and a few drops of EOs. Light a candle below and presto - instant bliss! Be sure to keep an eye on this type of diffuser as the water can evaporate quickly and may cause the candle to burn the diffuser. Also you want to keep a watchful eye on open flames to prevent starting a fire.
Reed Diffuser/Fragrance Lamp
I'm putting these in the same categroy as the concept is similar. Add essential oils in a carrier oil to the glass bottle and light the "wick". and then extinguish the flame of the stone burner or bamboo or rattan reed. Reeds are replacebale and last quite a while but can overheat the oils causing the scent to be a little smokey and untrue.
Electric Diffuser
I have been eyeing a few of these but have yet to buy one as they can be pretty pricey. There are many varieties on the market from steam ones to scent pads and even cartridges. If you want to replace the cartridge and pad then this is yet another expense. The great thing about them is that they don't overheat the oil so the scent's integrity is maintained and they also scent a large area in a very short time.
Nebulizer
Safe, clean and quiet. Just add water and your favourite essentials and you have a very nice pure scent throughout the room. This type is another of my top picks. There are many of styles of these on the market as well from plain glass to modern plastics. Another nice quality is that, like the electric diffuser, the EOs are not altered so you get the full therapeutic benefits. Digital controls on some models also monitor the water level and have auto shut off so you can walk away and forget all about it.
Stone Diffuser
A pretty table top accent. Just add a few drops of your fav EO and voila! Easy peasy. Only downside is the fragrance doesn't last too long. At least the stones themselves are decorative so they at least have that added bonus.
Fountain Diffuser
This is just what it sounds like, a pretty water fountain that diffuses essential oils as well. Can be used on its own as a soothing fountain or can include essential oils for an added bonus. These can be very expensive but are very attractive home objects as well.
Think I have covered the most popular ones. If I think of any others I'll update the list.
Happy scenting everyone!  |
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Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:06 am |
Wildflower:
My gosh that was fast!! Thanks so much.
Yes, I know, you've got all this wonderful info just sitting in your computer, waiting to send it off & share it with all of us.
So I'd be delighted to receive anything else you have to say re oils. They just leave me feeling...well, so connected to the life force. The best way I can describe it.
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:19 am |
| arya2 wrote: |
Wildflower:
My gosh that was fast!! Thanks so much.
Yes, I know, you've got all this wonderful info just sitting in your computer, waiting to send it off & share it with all of us.
So I'd be delighted to receive anything else you have to say re oils. They just leave me feeling...well, so connected to the life force. The best way I can describe it.
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LOL Sitting in my computer? Well if you mean my brain, you're right! I have lots of other useless info muttling up my mind as well so it's nice to share some useful stuff with others once in a while. LOL  |
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Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:56 am |
wildflower, thanks for such a wonderful summary. you're a walking dictionary!
would you have any rec for an online price to purchase EOs and any tips for things we should look out for?
also, for scenting the room, is it important to use skin care grades of EOs? some people say no, cos we are not applying it to the skin. others say yes cos we are inhaling the EOs |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:57 am |
oops, forgot to add.
would you have any idea what are the EO scents spas normally use? to my untrained nose, they all smell the same - calming!
it's more than just lavender though |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:16 pm |
Just to add a couple of things to Wildflower's great post.
The bulk items sections of healthfood stores/Whole Foods sell rosebuds, rose petals, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, sandalwood bark, etc. that you can use to make your potpourri base. Lacking a yard, collecting materials for me would involve either stealing from someone else's yard or violating some law of a local, regional or state park. So the $10 or so that it has cost me to fill a bowl has been worth it to keep me out of jail .
I have a Scentball aromatherapy diffuser. The model I have is selling now on Amazon for $9.95. This is the type that involves putting a few drops of EO on a felt pad, sliding the pad into the diffuser where it rests on a small ceramic??? (some kind of nonflammable material, at any rate) plate, then plugging the diffuser into an electrical outlet. The felt pad refills are now $1.90 on Amazon. Nothing has burned down yet with my use of this device .
My local health food store also had at one point some round cardboard disks that have a  heartwarming saying on the front, an absorbable material on the back, and a string to hang the disk from. I put a few drops of EO on the back, then hang the disk from my rear view mirror in my car.
Several companies make nonaerosol room sprays that are based on EOs. I have Zum sandalwood citrus, AirScense (CitraSolv) lavender and vanilla, and Trader Joe's bergamot and coriander sprays.
I also drop a bit of lavender EO on my pillow at night, or add a few drops to the cotton pads used for removing nail polish, and put them under the pillow case. The nail polish pads with EO can go into garbage containers to scent them, or anywhere else you want. |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:39 pm |
Gread addition MAC8. The dried flowers, spices, bark and other extracts also make for a great tea too! I love making my own for a nice soothing tea. The scentball diffuser you mentioned would fall into the electric diffuser category. There are many varieties of these, some using fans, others using steam or heat etc. The cheaper ones are good for a small area or room while the larger more expensive ones usually can scent up a large space and linger into other rooms for many hours.
I forgot to mention room sprays so thanks MAC for reminding me. I had talked about them in another thread but forgot to post it here. They are really easy to make as well. Fill a bottle with one part of your favourite hydrosol or hydrosol blend, then 2 parts water. Drop in a few of your favourite essenital oils and shake before spritzing. Ahhhhhh.
As for what types of EOs you should use, I feel that you should use the same excellent quality whether you are putting them on your skin or just inhaling them. Where to find them? From a good Aromatherapy distributor. My favs so far have been Primavera, Acqua Vita, and The Aromatherapist, but there are many other great organic lines out there as well. You just have to do your research and find a company and distributor you can trust. For bulk herbs and such, I've checked out Mountain Rose Herbs a few years ago and was relly impressed. Richters in Ontario sells some dried herbs and flowers as well but they are more directed towards growing your own. Or try your local healthfood store like MAC suggested. Depending on the area that you live in you may be able to find a few really nice natural materials. Or go for a walk in a park and enjoy nature while collecting some twigs, pine cones, berries etc. Make a day of it. Being out in nature will be therapy in itself. |
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Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:45 pm |
| Oops forgot to answer your spa question. Unfortunately I would have no idea what spas are using as there are so many different types of essential oils out there (hundreds) as well as synergies. The more trained your nose becomes, the better you'll be at identifying individual scents. But don't analyze them too much, just enjoy. LOL |
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Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:20 pm |
Wildflower,
I've seen a number of reed diffusers that don't use heat. Do you think they are effective? Thanks for all the info! |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:35 pm |
| Oakview wrote: |
Wildflower,
I've seen a number of reed diffusers that don't use heat. Do you think they are effective? Thanks for all the info! |
I don't have any personal experience with reed diffusers so don't exactly know how well they would work or not. I'm assuming that if you are just scenting the reed and not using a heat source to evaporate the fragrance, that the scent may not be as powerful or that it would not last very long. I find that the electric diffusers, nebulizers and candle diffusers seem to work best in terms of being able to scent an entire room or more for a good period of time. Maybe someone who has used them before could comment? |
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Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:16 pm |
| thanks! how i wish i live in the USA. will try to look around singapore |
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Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:21 pm |
| Well actually, I live in Canada but I'm sure you can find these things in Singapore. When I lived in Taiwan for a few months I was able to find all of the above. Especially the dried flowers and bark, etc. They sold them at many shops that sold tea supplies. As for the diffusers I am positive you can find them in Singapore and if not, you can find them online! |
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Global Butterfly & Certified Aromatherapist/Holisitc Therapist with a passion for travel and natural health. |
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Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:25 pm |
I've been using some of the reed diffusers. Some smell wonderful. Most are either too powerful or it's hard to distinguish any scent. I've one in the sunroom now, that is powerful enough to mask cig. odors.  I accidently got some of the oil on my skin(while flipping the reeds)& my skin felt "burned" for some time. Be careful. Also you can control the amnt of scent by the # of reeds. |
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