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How to Use Essential Oils As Perfume

Written By Laura McCann - July 11 2020

From the earliest times, rubbing fragrant substances onto our skin has been a powerful ritual. Using plants in healing and medicine, religious ceremony, bathing and seducing or even when preparing for battle, is part of our human journey. Plants and herbs provide a timeless and universal energetic and sensory force helping us to heal, pray, love and conquer. "To inspire is literally “to breathe in”" says Mandy Aftel, Author of Essence & Alchemy: A Book of Perfume.

As natural perfumery declined we have lost out, not only materially but spiritually. Natural perfumes are made to evolve on the skin, change with time and respond to our unique chemistry. They interact with us, become part of our signature, part of our story. They imprint with our very being. Using essential oils as the basis for perfume is an extension of aromatherapy. How it differs is in the artistry and subtleties of blending and building a scent with top, middle and base notes but also in the basic building blocks of perfume: Chemistry.

Aromatherapy, by definition is more therapeutic, as essential oils have a wide range of medicinal and therapeutic properties. Their antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties make them a useful product in your wellness arsenal. Shown to promote healthy sleep, relieve headaches, and alleviate pain, essential oils are used to support many health conditions.

In perfumery, essential oils provide a wide range of scent profiles from citrus to woodsy, herbal to floral. But more important, the mood lifting benefits of specific ingredient blends, or synergies, can create lasting and impactful moments of contentment, grace, ease, uplifting and joy. Both aromatherapy and essential oil perfumery share an ingredient library worthy of the gods and mother earth herself: plants, herbs and resins.

Essential oils are highly concentrated natural extracts from the leaves, flowers, and stems of plants. In aromatherapy the most common way to use essential oils is to inhale them, because of their amazing scent but also because of the promise of their therapeutic properties. But today, with man’s ingenuity, aromatherapy can be used in many delivery methods: Diffusers, reeds, incense, inhalation, skin absorption and of course as perfume and body and room sprays.

Take Precautions With Single Note Oils

Most aromatherapy users prefer single note oils and a DIY approach. But beware. The potency and potential risks of essential oils require that they be used with care. Never apply single note essential oils directly to your skin as they have the potential to aggravate the skin. Avoid using essential oils near sensitive areas such as the eyes, ears, and mouth. Do not apply them to broken, inflamed, or irritated skin. Certain citrus oils can cause photosensitivity when skin is exposed to sunlight after use. Avoid using on any areas of skin that will be exposed to the sun within 12 hours. They are potent enough that it is prescribed that older adults, children under the age of 12 and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and pet owners should avoid them. It is recommended that you talk to a doctor before using essential oils if you have pre-existing conditions, or speak with a certified aromatherapist if you are considering using essential oils therapeutically.

Should You Use Essential Oils With a Diffuser?

Diffusers are an easy way to introduce essential oils into your home and self-care practice. Diffusers break essential oils down into smaller molecules, dispersing them into the air for a pleasant or calming effect. But not all diffusers work the same way in breaking down the essential oil molecules. Nebulizing Diffusers use pressurized air and diffuse a mist of oil without requiring water or heat. Ultrasonic or Humidifying Diffusers break up oil molecules to create a fine mist and require dilution of the essential oil with water in order for the diffuser’s electronic frequencies to release the oil into a mist. Evaporative Diffusers use a small fan that turns the oil into a gas, making oil evaporate into the air. Heat or Electric Diffusers use heat, most commonly, electric, which might change an oils chemical properties.

The same safety issues apply when you use single notes in a diffuser: beware of what you are diffusing. Consider the oils and their unique challenges. Consider your audience, pets, kids and the environment. Not to mention that diffusers require cleaning to avoid bacteria and microbes. They also require energy and need to be plugged in. The materials they are made with can include plastics and many parts and electronics. Did nature intend us to diffuse this way? Clearly steaming rocks and burning plants is not an option, so why not? Here is our take on diffusers. Can you imagine pouring your Chanel Number 5 into water and diffusing it? Not going to happen right? How about this image: you take a plant based healing gift and put it in a man made machine to receive the benefit. Just saying.

Why Not Simply Inhale?

It is always necessary to mix essential oils with a carrier. If you are in the practice of inhaling oils straight from the bottle reconsider. If the oil should not touch your skin then what do you think these powerful undiluted molecules are doing to the lining of your nose?

If you use the steam method, where you put your oils in water and inhale the steam, that is lovely, but time consuming.

Dry evaporation? When you apply single note oils to fabric or beads and breathe directly from these is that safer? It all depends, because, remember, some essential oils can be dangerous, so every time you breathe them in straight (not stirred) you may be doing more bad than good.

Blended Synergies: Aroma-perfume Versus Aromatherapy

Why not try pre-blended oils? They are safe and ready to use. At Adoratherapy we focus on pre-blended synergies specifically curated around mood. Blended oils offer all the benefits of aromatherapy safely and with no fuss. No diffusers, burning candles, or DIY blending. Ready to go, prêt a porter aromatherapy with the added benefit of scents built like perfume not medicine.

For roll ons we use a therapeutic-grade carrier oil. We avoid any oils derived from tree nuts because of the preponderance of nut allergies. We also avoid coconut and certain seeds, which can clog pores and become rancid.

At Adoratherapy we use a domestic organic Jojoba. Jojoba is unlike any oil, because it’s actually not an oil. It’s the only plant to store liquid wax in its seeds. It shares the same molecular structure as the natural oils found in healthy human skin, making it more receptive to receive vital nutrients and antioxidants, restoring balance, and helping your skin behave as it was always designed to do. Our kind of carrier.

Our water-based sprays are also safe and ready to use. Water based essential oil blends require more chemistry then oil-based blends. Water and oil don’t mix well so if you purchase these kinds of blends or make them yourself you will see the oil at the bottom and the water at the top. You will need to shake vigorously and even then the oil molecules won’t mix all the way making it harder to receive the right mix of oils and water safely. The other issue is mold and bacteria. Water based synergies can attract microbes over time. At Adoratherapy we use clean chemistry to keep water-based perfumes safe, perfectly blended and bacteria free.

Perfume with Purpose

The benefit of a pre-blended synergy in a roller ball is you can use it like perfume on necks, palms and pulse points. But you can also use it as is for pressure point massage and focus on areas of muscular pain, tightness, and tension, even your feet.

Add a few drops of your blended synergy to your bath, or rub on your body before entering the shower and create goddess like moments.
You can safely apply the synergy on your third eye and around your nose.
Before using on your face make sure you have no sensitivities, either to the essential oils or the carrier its self. Avoid near sensitive areas such as the eyes, ears, and mouth. Do not use on broken, inflamed, or irritated skin.

And what about water based spays? These are a perfect replacement for your alcohol based perfume or body spray. The cleanest of the perfumes, water based sprays will not dehydrate your skin, and when blended with essential oils and water, and aerosolized are safe to breathe in. Use on you’re your body, hair, and in your rooms.

Why Choose a Mood Boosting Perfume?

Essential oils have a wealth of proven health benefits. They are an affordable, versatile, and convenient way to improve your health and quality of life. They can stimulate and calm you. They can boost your mood.

We have created seven unique blend families to make every part of your day breathtaking.