A Facebook conversation with a friend about oils and
essential oils prompted some vague memories of a sleep-deprived Easter morning
conversation with my mother on the same topic.
Some random tidbits that came up:
Oils – there are vegetable oils, then there are essential
oils.
Vegetable oils –
Vegetable oils are pressed out of
the plant (typically the fruit but not always) and can be used for cooking,
medicinal purposes, fuel, wood-care and in soap-making.
Olive oil mixed with lye is what
makes “castile soap” although many people refer to any vegetable oil based soap
as castile soap (as compared to using any form of animal fat to mix with the
lye).
If the bottle you are buying says
simply “vegetable oil”, it is probably soybean oil. Use in very light
quantities, if at all.
Other examples: Coconut, olive,
sunflower, safflower, almond, peanut, and so many more. While I prefer not to
link to Wikipedia most of the time, they do have a nice list! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetable_oils
Essential oils –
These are extracted from the other
parts of the plant (generally not the fruit) using water or another solvent,
then distilled to create a very concentrated oil without any of the plant parts
remaining.
EOs go through such an intense process
to get the core (essential) oil, that one drop of a mint essential oil is the
equivalent of 15 pounds of mint, without the constituent plant parts themselves
to balance that power properly. In other words – the benefits between an
essential oil and drinking a tea are rather different. (link to a better
explanation)
Essential oils are heavily scented
and very powerful in tiny amounts.
Aromatherapy is the best way to get
started – have a stuffy nose? Take the bottle of peppermint oil, open it up and
breathe it in gently. Or just make a cup of mint tea. Have a headache coming
on? Breathing in the peppermint oil can help with that too.
Sometimes essential oils are more
potent when used on the skin. Most essential oils should not be used on the
skin “neet” or straight; they should be diluted in a carrier-oil (any other
vegetable oil) usually about 10-12 drops per ounce of carrier oil for most
situations. They can be diluted in water, but should be stirred or shaken
before using since the oil and water will want to separate.
http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2013/08/07/properly-diluting-essential-oils/
Caution should be taken on
ingesting essential oils. Some companies claim that all of their oils can be
taken internally, but considering the effect of 40 cups of mint tea on mucous
membranes, that is a lot of power!
Trust aroma-therapists and others
who are trained with hundreds of study hours, over those who sell the essential
oils.
Soaps –
All it takes is oil and lye
(dissolved in water) to make soap. A chemical reaction occurs to shift the
sub-atomic particles to create soap, a process called “saponification.”
As the soap is thickening up
(“trace”), essential oils can be added for scent and health benefits. Other
items such as milks and creams can be added at the trace stage as well.
Sometimes the glycerin will
naturally separate out; other times it can be easily extracted. This glycerin
is the moisturizing component of the soap. Most soap made in factories has the
glycerin removed and sold for rocket fuel, food, cosmetics, etc. Then other
moisturizers are added back into the soap so it doesn’t dry your skin out when
you use it; although bar soap tends to still be quite drying. Leaving the
glycerin in is the best way to keep the soap moisturizing in a natural,
balanced way.
Glycerin generally wants to remain
in a liquid state but can be hardened with the addition of stearic acid.
Most of the “melt and pour” soaps
you purchase online are JUST the glycerin portion (with stearic acid?), usually
with some alcohol added to make it more “clear” so that what you melt it down
and add your other ingredients, it starts out “clear”. Glycerin is a nice soap on
its own, but it is not full soap with all the benefits of the full soap.
