Favorite Essential Oils

[Eeluna]

I've fallen in love with essential oils, but they can be expensive. I would like to have a small supply on hand for various things. What are your favorites, the ones you couldn't do without, and why do you love them?

I thought I would limit myself to around a dozen. So far I have chamomile, rose, bergamot and palmarosa. If you don't mind, post a list of your favorites. Thanks.

[Flar's Freyja]

Mine are:

Neroli (extremely expensive, don't have any :T)
Patchouli (moderately priced, can't live without it)
Frankincense (high)
Ylang-Ylang (moderate, can't live without it)
Rose Geranium (moderate, can't live without)
Lavender (cheap, always on hand)

Look for sales. In my area, we have a health food chain that puts one or two on sale each month, and I frequent a small business that often has clearance sales. The health food store chain sells big one ounce bottles that last a long time. I got quite a few at 30% off when the owner of the small store thought she was going to sell it...we now refer to it as The I Thought I Was Going Out of Business Sale.....:T

For magick, perfume oils can be substituted because it's the essence that works.

[Mithrea]

Like Freyja, I substitute for magic when I can. I substitute with good ole cheap Lorann Oils. But as far as essential oils, I keep

Lavender -- I hate the smell, it gives me a headache but it is by far the most useful for everything.

Tea Tree Oil -- because of it's antiseptic properties it's good for tons of stuff and I like the smell.

Lemon -- because I also love the smell and will sometimes use it to cover up smells I don't like in salves, etc. the same goes for

Peppermint -- Love it, love it.

None of thes are super expensive and you will never find me without them.

Also Eeluna, I know of an ebay user that sells all her oils for about the same price and you can get anywhere from 1ml (1-2 bucks a pop) to 8 oz. That's where I get most everything because I never need to keep a whole lot around. I find those oils to be the best quality and the selection to be moderate. I found her early and it helped me get a good starter kit going for myself. PM me if you want me to give you their ID.

[Lavender]

I have 3 that I carry as an essential oil first aid kit....lavender, peppermint, and tea tree. I never leave home without these three. I use them in 10% in jojoba oil & that way, they're ready to use immediately.

But my favourite is a combination of jasmine, orange sweet & patchoulie! Hmmmmm!

[Flar's Freyja]

Wow, Wild ~ I buy a blend of orange, ginger and patchouli that I just love also and wear it as perfume!

Yes, tea tree oil - one that I forgot. It stinks but it's so good medicinally. Last year I had some awful, painful bumps under my arm and it cleared them up almost overnight! And I've also found that for this purpose, very inexpensive oil will do. Wal-Mart actually sells it now and I've heard that you can even get it and eucalyptus oil (good for sinuses) at drugstores.

[Faery-Wings]

It is so tough to just pick a few! ;)
For their scent- I really love bergamot, orange sweet, lavender.

For their use, I love tea tree and lavender and any of the citrus oils.


I'll probably think of more as the day goes on. :)

Chris

[Yvonne Belisle]

I love lyang lyang. :) Also one called blue nile but i can't find it on this coast.

[Flar's Freyja]

Ylang-ylang is one of my favorites!

I recently made some oil from a mix of rose geranium, vanilla and cinnamon and the ladies I gave it to as gifts love it.......the rose geranium was an essential but the vanilla and cinnamon are perfume oils.....cinnamon or cascia bark, both of which I love, can not be placed on the skin as they will burn....cascia bark will not even be safe diluted due to its strength, so perfume oil's the safest thing to use.

I also forgot about clove oil ~ again, very corrosive but can be diluted into a base oil. I use it to make anointing oil for candles. However, clove is the main ingredient in Novocaine! and dentists have been keeping this a secret for years! You can swab it on your gums for a toothache....I had a horrible abscess and it saved my life by reducing the pain incredibly well. Just be very careful not to get it on your lips. It will burn but shouldn't leave abrasions.

[Mithrea]

Clove, Clove! I forgot about Clove! I use it to annoint candles too. :D

[Tenders]

I try to keep my essential oils well stocked. Sandalwood and Neroli are usually the most expensive, especially if you want a good quality. Usually I can find someone selling a good brand on eBay for a decent price. These are my must-haves:

Sandalwood, Amber, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Orange, Bergamot, Neroli, Clove, Rose, Peppermint,
Citronella, Eucalyptus, Patchouli, Cinnamon, Rosemary,
and Tea Tree

There are others that I like to keep around, but those are the ones I can't be without. My absolute favorites are sandalwood, amber, rosemary, and patchouli. But honestly it's hard not to consider all of them favorites because they're all important to me for different purposes. I have a cabinet for all the bottles and droppers and I keep small amounts of each of my oils in glass dram containers for when I travel--even when I go camping I can't be without my oils and teas.

[Bryony]

I have a recipe, but it only works on some.... when i find it, I'll post it for you! :)

[Pan]

My absolute favourite is Lotus. It's VERY pricey.. but it is my favourite. My husband used it to dress his katana in a dedication ceremony.. so it has its uses.

[Ravensnest]

If I had to limit myself to 12 essential oils I'd have the following:
Patchouli
Sweet Orange
Clary Sage
Mugwort
Cypress
Lavender
Tea Tree
Peppermint
Palmarosa
Bergamot
Clove
Ylang Ylang
It's hard to limit yourself to only 12! Top 5 would have to be:
Patchouli
Tea Tree
Lavender
Clary Sage
Sweet Orange
No home should be without Lavender or Tea Tree! And I use patchouli in lots of things so it's a MUST have. You'll also find there are lots you will only use very small amounts of. Another thing to keep in mind ... "burp" your bottles periodically. Just go by every now and then and loosen the caps on them, you'll hear this "shoosh" sound sometimes. It's pressure that's built up in the bottle and can cause the bottle to explode after a period of time. I know several people who have gone in and found full pounds of oil all over the place! Not fun. Enjoy picking your favorite oils!
Dottie
Ravens Nest Incense & Oils
http://ravensnestincense.com

[Faery-Wings]

Another thing to keep in mind ... "burp" your bottles periodically. Just go by every now and then and loosen the caps on them, you'll hear this "shoosh" sound sometimes. It's pressure that's built up in the bottle and can cause the bottle to explode after a period of time. I know several people who have gone in and found full pounds of oil all over the place! Not fun.

Wow, I had never heard that before. Thanks for the warning. Is there one type of oil more susceptible to that? Like the top notes (more volitile) than the base?

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Mithrea
Clove, Clove! I forgot about Clove! I use it to annoint candles too. :D

;) Yes, good for prosperity and money!

Also forgot to mention that it is NOT corrosive to the gums for some reason, just the skin and lips :huh:

[Melysande]

Jasmine and Orchid are my faves, but lavender comes in handy for cleansing rituals and for blessing candles.

[WandererInGray]

I love cinnamon because I've had such good luck using it in prosperity spells.

Relaxing ones include: Lavender, vanilla, sandlewood

Others: Bergamot, peppermint, neroli, and I've got a Taurus mix that has rose in it among other things that I really love.

[Kalena]

Jasmine
Neroli
Frankincense
Sandalwood
Patchouli
Benzoin
Black Pepper
Chamomile (roman)
Lemongrass
Basil
Juniper
Petitgrain

Very hard for me to just name 12 as I have 35 which I use for aromatherapy treatments. This gives me plenty of choice but I still find I have to substitute a lot, usually because I have just used the last drop and not had chance to replace it yet. However I do keep bottles of Jasmin, Patchouli and Valerian (smells of sweaty socks) for personal use.

I am not keen on Lavender but always keep some around. It can be used neat (as can Tea Tree, but all others must be diluted) and is very good for burns + bites.
Most oils keep for up to two years if kept in dark glass bottles but citrus oils only keep for aprox 9 months. This is for theraputic use, the scent lasts longer.

[Cats' mother]

My all-time fav has to be neroli - but there is a blend that I use as a stable for burning - neroli, lavender, rose, orage sweet and peppermint - a heavenly smell!

I also use lavender (and sometimes a little neroli) in shoes to stave off the pong - great - and can't tell you the number of people who have stopped me on these occassions and asked what perfume I am wearing. Then what can I say - "Um, actually me shoes pong and it's essential oils secreted in them!" ????

There is also a vast difference between cheaper oils and oils bought from more reputable stores - in SA in any case! Just bought a new batch - and wow! Reminded all over again of the importance of quality!

[Flaire-FireStar]

I'll have to say Cinnamon & Rose.. I use those most often. ;) (besides, I love the smell of cinnamon!)

[Eeluna]

I love hearing about all your favorites. I just went shopping and bought geranium, lavender, tea tree and I had to get neroli even though it's been the most expensive. I'll buy more in the future, but I don't know whether I'll be able to limit myself to a dozen or not. I'm fascinated by the scents and their properties. This is definitely addictive!

[Flaire-FireStar]

:lol: I just have a few cuz I don't have that much money... :o Oh to be rich. :lol:

[Ravensnest]

Originally posted by chryssi1


Wow, I had never heard that before. Thanks for the warning. Is there one type of oil more susceptible to that? Like the top notes (more volitile) than the base?

They're all susceptible. I make the rounds weekly with mine and just "burp" them each. Some of them do make more of a "swoosh" sound than others but, almost always they all make some sound of air release. I have mainly large pound sized bottles but, even in my ounce sized bottles I still hear the air release if I burp them. I'm just not as concerned with those sizes as I am the more expensive pound size. Try it, I'll bet you'll be surprised how many of your bottles make a release sound. That pressure can just build up and *boom* you've got a broken bottle and oil all wasted everywhere. Obviously, a bigger problem with the more volitale oils like camphor but, happens even to the seemingly benign lavender so just check em all! lol
Dottie
Ravens Nest Incense & Oils
http://ravensnestincense.com

[Cats' mother]

I am facinated by the various comments re the "burping" of the oils - I have never had that hassle - unless I use mine too often - don't know. The other comment that interests me is the one made re the cost of neroli. In South Africa I paid R30,00 for 22ml this week - translate that with the exchange rate to US $ and you are looking at about $3 - that seems daft - it's one of the reasons I can really enjoy it - and now I am starting to feel a little decadent at the way in which I almost wallow in it - sound like you guys need to import some from SA!

[Ravensnest]

Originally posted by Cats' mother
I am facinated by the various comments re the "burping" of the oils - I have never had that hassle - unless I use mine too often - don't know. The other comment that interests me is the one made re the cost of neroli. In South Africa I paid R30,00 for 22ml this week - translate that with the exchange rate to US $ and you are looking at about $3 - that seems daft - it's one of the reasons I can really enjoy it - and now I am starting to feel a little decadent at the way in which I almost wallow in it - sound like you guys need to import some from SA!

The burping thing is mainly going to be a problem for those who have large bottles of oils. If you're dealing in 22ml sizes you're talking about less than an ounce of oil so you probably would have less of a problem with gasses building up inside the bottle due to the lack of space. Though I have had small bottles release air before which if it builds up will burst. If you use them frequently ie; open them often then you probably will never have a problem because you are burping them even though you don't realize it.


As to the price of Neroli.. I buy my oils wholesale and in bulk usually only when I'm running a sale or co-op on soapmaking lists. I have a $150 minimum I must meet and on Neroli for 15ml (1/2an ounce) here's the breakdown in price.. remember this is at wholesale:
Neroli-Egypt $44.01 (16oz $1,047.78)
Neroli-India $7.77 (16oz 114.03 at 25# ordered $92.90/#)
Neroli-Tunisian $58.85 (16oz $1,441.00)
So you can see it is quite expensive. Even for the least expensive type it's still pretty pricey. And these are wholesale prices not retail. And the prices fluctuate all the time so I have to keep up with the new pricing constantly. On top of that the mark up on essential oils is insane. I know what the wholesale pricing is on these oils and when I see what people are charging it makes me crazy. Like Tea Tree for instance.. I keep finding it listed at over $50 for a pound (16oz) on most sites.. I sold Tea Tree at the beginning of the year in a sale for $12.50 a pound because the company I got it from had gotten a good deal and I passed that on to those who bought from me. I made enough to have a little profit and felt good about it.

At $3 for 22ml you were probably looking at about $5.50 per oz (30ml) which would come out to about $88 per pound. That is pretty expensive. Not as expensive as the Egyptian or Tunisian Neroli's but, still expensive.

You also have to watch for people selling niaouli as neroli. They're similar but, come from different parts of the plant and have different properties. Niaouli however, is much less expensive. Kind of like the difference between Clove Bud and Clove Leaf... smell similar but, come from different parts of the plant and have different properties with much different prices.

Dottie
Ravens Nest Incense & Oils
http://ravensnestincense.com

[Sora]

Hmm. I carry a bottle of Peppermint in my purse, a bit of the diluted stuff on yer temples is a life saver when stressed. I also like Frankensence, I add a drop or two to my baths :) Its an all around good thing.