Flowery Branch Antique Market

You have probably heard of "aromatherapy" candles with essential oils. But the big question is: What are essential oils anyway? Well, basically, essential oils are "oils" or "essence" that have been extracted from various species of flowers, fruits, herbs, leaves, seeds, resin, stems, roots, and bark of botanicals. The oils from these natural sources are pure and natural. They are not мейд from synthetic materials in a laboratory, but extracted from botanical sources by one of four methods:

1. Steam distillation: Which uses heat to draw out essential oils- this is the most common method used today.2. Cold press extraction: This method removes oils from the skins of fruits without the damage from heat.3. Chemical solvent extraction: This method uses solvents such as alcohol to extract harder to get essential oils. 4. Effleurage method: This method involves odorless fats or oils absorbing the perfume of fresh flowers.

Depending on extraction process, one pound of essential oils can take hundreds of pounds of plant matter. For example, it takes roughly 200 lbs of lavender flowers to product 1 lb of lavender oil. So, there is the loss of using 200 lbs of lavender flowers for other purposes such as soap additives, teas and pillows. Just think about this when you are buying 1 lb of lavender essential oils, you are actually purchasing 200 lbs of "extracted" lavender flowers!

Popular Essential Oil Scents for diffusers, candles, soaps, bath and body products are:

1. Lavender2. Chamomile3. Jasmine4. Neroli (Orange Blossoms)5. Peppermint6. Spearmint7. Citronella8. Ecalyptus9. Patchouli10. Ylang Ylang11. Lemon12. Patchouli13. Wintergreen14. Rosemary15. Pine16. Tea Tree17. Niaouli (Australian Evergreen)18. Cinnamon19. Lemongrass20. Cedarwood

I've just listed a few of the scents that are currently popular. There are many more scents & blends that people use to use in their natural or hand-made products. More people are going "green" with natural products in their home because of concern for chemical exposure. Fragrance oils are primarily мейд with synthetic chemicals to achieve scents used in candles, bath and body products. For example: pumpkin spice fragrance oil is not necessarily derived from "pumpkins" and "spices", but synthetic blends of chemicals that are combined to achieve the desired scent. Fragrance oil manufacturers are not necessarily required to disclose the various ingredients, but rather just the Material and Safety Data Sheet listing harmful chemicals.

People love using natural products" because of the freshness of the ingredients and because they want to know exactly what is in their products because of safety concerns. But, just because something is "natural" does not it is entirely without safety precautions.

There a number of safety rules that one should follow when using essential oils:

1. Because of their concentrated nature, they should not be applied directly to the skin in "undiluted" form, but used with "carrier" oils such as jojoba, fractionated coconut oil, or avocado oil.2. If essential oils are accidentally exposed to the skin, wash immediately.3. Some oils should never be used in candles, body products or diffusers. Some can cause severe irritation or provoke an allergic reaction. Please consult with your physician. 4. Pregnant and nursing women should consult their physician when exposed or using essential oils.

Laureen Falco President of Lyrical Concepts, L.L.C., in Houston, Texas.

She has produced a high quality HD 50 minute instructional DVD entitled "The Art of Soy Container Candle Making". The DVD includes segments on the history of candles, soy wax melting methods, different kinds of soy wax, fragrances and essential oils, jars, dyes and additives. It features making 100% soy candles with dyes and fragrance oils, and there's a complete segment on "As Green As It Gets Soy Candles" with 100% recycled glass, 100% essential oils and 100% soy wax. Bonus segments include an interview with Laureen Falco, selling candles at CenterPoint Houston, Healing Expo, and an Outtakes (bloopers) segment. Her DVD is available at . On this website, there is a one minute video trailer of the DVD, and a free e-book on the "History and Benefits of Soy Wax."

Laureen Falco taught soy candle making classes in Houston for several years and was even featured on "Great Day Houston".