Tag Archives: daily ritual

Hydrosols vs Floral Waters – What’s the Diff?

Posted on by
13

Please check out my new book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Amazon USA      Amazon AU      Amazon UK

Hydrosols vs Floral Waters – What’s the Diff?

A lovely selection of rosewater

A lovely selection of rosewater

Recently one of my wholesale suppliers sent an email lamenting about the short shelf life of hydrosols and how difficult it is to maintain great standards for their customers.

I would have to agree. I absolutely love hydrosols but their scent doesn’t last long and it’s always disappointing when you open up a bulk container to find it has “turned”. The scent goes a bit dull and brownish and it simply isn’t right. So what’s the difference between hydrosols and floral waters?

Hydrosols

Hydrosols are the water left over from the steam and water distillation of a plant or flower. They contain many water-soluble constituents from the plant and therefore have a different make-up to the essential oil they come from. Hydrosols also have the beautiful scent of the plant, but at a more softer, rounder level. They contain minerals, cellulose and aromatic compounds. According to Wikipedia they “contain essential oil compounds as well as organic acids..…. and will include many of the water-soluble plant pigments and flavonoids.”

Hydrosols will be harder to find in a retail environment, mostly everything will be a floral water- either the essential oil infused into the water, or the plant boiled or infused in water. If you can buy a true hydrosol its definitely worth a try.

Hydrosols can be used in skin care and as a therapuetic treatment. I remember taking a weekend class with an Indian Ayurvedic doctor and rosewater was used for an eye bath to soothe the infection and used when any kind of heat or inflammation was present. Rose water has been used in Ayurveda as a treatment for centuries and is also used by woman in their skin care regimes.

If it’s a real hydrosol it can be amazing when its fresh. If it’s not a real hydrosol it could be a floral water.

Floral Waters

The most well-known would be rose-water, orange blossom (neroli) water and pine (kewra) water. Check out this article for some fabulous Oregon scented alcohols.

Pine water (essence)

Pine water (essence)

A simple hand made rose water sneakily holistichealthherbalist.com

A simple hand made rose water – pic sneakily holistichealthherbalist.com

Hydrosols could be called floral waters (because they are), but this usually refers to a water that has been scented with essential oils. The best floral waters use a process that breaks essential oils into tiny droplets and forces them into de-ionised water. In this process no extra chemicals are used and the scent is true to the essential oil. The scent will also last longer and floral waters can still be used for everything that a hydrosol is used for.

If you go into a middle eastern or Indian shop and find a bottle of rose-water, for example, it probably wont be a hydrosol. It will be a floral water made in another way. That’s not to say they aren’t fabulous but always check the label to find if there are any chemical preservatives or nasty ingredients.

You can use your stunning floral water in these ways:

  • Misting your face before moisturising to soften and hydrate
  • Misting your body after the sun
  • Use in place of a facial toner for a more gentle clarifying and cooling treatment
  • particularly lovely for misting kids to help cool them down
  • add to a cocktail for a delicious scented drink
  • add a splash to a glass of water
  • use in cooking with sweets and salad dressings

I’m sure you can think of many more so don’t hesitate to use hydrosols and floral waters in your daily regime.

copyright suzanne

Electrifying Essential Oil Body Blends – for the Ladies

Posted on by
Reply

Please check out my new book REVELATION! – Reveal Your Destiny with Essential Oils

Barnes & Noble      Booktopia AU      Amazon UK

and many other stores worldwide as a Kindle and Paperback

 

Electrifying Essential Oil Body Blends – for the Ladies

The classic bottle for aromatherapy "Boston Round Amber"

The classic bottle for aromatherapy “Boston Round Amber”

Get Ready!

What you will need:

1. Oils! Hehehehe.

You will need some carrier oils which could be any of the following – almond, grapeseed, sunflower, jojoba, apricot, avocado (this is a bit thick and dark so it’s good to mix with another lighter oil), coconut, camelia, olive and maybe some macadamia (good to mix this with another oil too).

All your essential oils.

2. Bottles (see pic above) or a glass dish to mix enough for one moisturising treatment.

3. A good intention – this will play an important part in how the oil blend will come together in the end. It could mean the difference between an absolutely beautiful formula or an ordinary one.

4. A clear space around you – simplify your area,  and make sure it’s clean.

Let’s go!

I will give you quantities for a 50ml oil blend which is 25 drops of essential oil in 50mls of carrier oil.

For a quick coat of your body you can use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil and 8 drops of essential oil.

one drop of oil at a time

one drop of oil at a time

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

1. Look Out Here I Come

Black pepper    5 drops

Orange           15 drops

Geranium         5 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

2. Red Hot Mamma

Ylang Ylang      5 drops

Mandarin        15 drops

Cardamom       2 drops

Patchouli          3 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

3. Sugar and Spice

Cinnamon          8 drops

Rose Geranium  8 drops

Rosewood         9 drops

Wonder Woman IS Cool

Wonder Woman IS Cool

4. Wonder Woman is COOL

Cedarwood Atlas  5 drops

Bergamot            12 drops

Fennel                   2 drops

Lime                      6 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

5. Chillax-arama

Marjoram              6 drops

Petitgrain            12 drops

Lavender              7 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

6. Brilliant Idea

Basil                    5 drops

Rosemary           8  drops

Lemon               12 drops

——————————————————————————————————————————————

7. Pink Bubble of Love

Peru balsam       8 drops

Orange             10 drops

Frankincense      6 drops

aaahhhh the beautiful rose

aaahhhh the beautiful rose

8. Rosey Posey

Rose in jojoba     30 drops (this is an oil that usually comes diluted in jojoba because of the cost)

Rosewood           5 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

9. Oh Happy Day!

Spearmint           8 drops

Rose geranium   8 drops

Lemongrass       9 drops

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

10. I’m Willing to Be Flexible on That

Palmarosa          8  drops

Grapefruit          17 drops

I hope this gives you some ideas for blending and moisturising. Have fun, and ask me a question if you aren’t sure. You an also refer to my previous articles for further information “Ratios for Blending Essential Oils – A Reminder of the Basics” and “Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 1 2 3”

Happy mixing and remember to use your intention when you are blending.
See my article about intention.

copryright SR Banks

Green and Herbaceous – Tomato Leaf and Violet Leaf Oils

Posted on by
8
Image

Solanum lycopersicum

Tomato leaf essential oil actually exists! I don’t keep it in my library of oils because I’m not really sure that about its therapeutic properties. I was chatting with someone recently and we got talking about ‘fresh scents” and her ultimate smell for representing freshness and green essence was tomato leaf. She couldn’t believe it when I told her there was as essential oil.

In fact I think there is only an absolute of tomato leaf. Absolutes are still included under the essential oil banner but they different because of the extraction process. Often absolutes are from precious or delicate flowers and other medium. Solvents are used in the extraction process and unfortunately because of little or no industry standards, the solvent used can be hazardous or toxic and traces of the chemicals used can be present in the final product. Sometime natural chemicals are used and the process requires a type of change to occur to produce a mass of oily and water soluble parts of the flower or plant. This is called a concrete and it is then mixed with ethanol to extract the fragrant compounds. Filtration helps clean the absolute to create a scent that is very concentrated and close to the plant in its natural form.

So anyway, tomato leaf. Believe it or not, it smells exactly like tomato leaf. It smells green, peppery, and herbaceous. I wouldn’t use this oil in a treatment with a client but I may consider using it with an intention to amplify a scent in a perfume.

Viola odorata

Viola odorata

Violet leaf has a similar story. It’s an absolute. It has an herbaceous, green scent. There isn’t much information the breakdown of the chemical constituents so it is hard to determine what therapeutic properties this oil will have. Once again I wouldn’t be very excited to use this with a client in a body massage but I’m thinking that both these oils could work well on a spiritual and energetic level. The violet flower is an intense purple colour, with a sweet intoxicating yet subtle scent. This colour draws you in when you see it and it relates to the crown chakra, to opening and connecting with universal intelligence. Perhaps the role of the leaf for the pretty little violet flower is to give it support and protection. Could this oil be good for nourishing spiritual growth and giving someone the courage to expose their psychic powers to the world?

oh so pretty

oh so pretty

What do you think?

And what could you use tomato leaf for?

I love the idea of these leaves supporting the fruit and flower and giving us unusual scents to play with. Aromatherapy is an art and I encourage you to explore the infinite possibilities of our scented world.

I’ve Got a New Attitude

Posted on by
2
New!

NEW!

New Year.

New vibe.

New attitude.

Just listen to Patti LaBelle she’ll give you a buzz …….

So how can we create a feeling of newness and inspiration at the beginning of the New Year and the new world age? Use essential oils of course!

The easiest way, is to have a steam with a few drops of essential oil in the shower. You can refer to my previous blog “Meet Me in the Shower”  for some tips on how to treat yourself holistically with essential oils.

Here a few oils to use to entice a feeling of newness, inspiration and rejuvenation:

petitgrain (citrus aurantium v amara)

petitgrain (citrus aurantium v amara)

Petitgrain

This is one of my favourite oils with it’s green slightly spicy, citrus scent. Unlike lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime and mandarin, the essential oil of petitgrain is distilled from the twigs, buds and leaves from the plant. The other citrus oils come from the rind of the fruit. It is a beautiful oil to use to freshen your senses and open your mind to possibilities. Use a few drops of petitgrain in your morning shower to allow the wonder of the universe to enfold you. An oil of the “bigger picture”, it will also help relieve stress and tension.

lemon

lemon (citrus limonum)

Lemon

You can’t deny the loveliness of lemons! Well you can if you want to but it’s difficult because they are so versatile. See my article “The Loveliness of Lemons”  for more info.

Lemons are light, sparkly and colourful. If you like those attributes try a few drops in your shower or make a mist with lemon essential oil to carry with you for an instantaneous burst of sunshine and newness. Lemons are all about cleansing your aura or space with happiness and feeling of clearing the slate and starting again. Give your kitchen benches the once over with some lemon rind if you don’t have any oil. You can always squeeze the rind into a bath to bathe in the fragrance of lemons too!

palmarosa - Cymbopogon martinii

palmarosa – Cymbopogon martinii

Palmarosa

This oil is under-rated and under-used. It does have flora,l rosey undertones but is mostly quite a green scent – even a little peppery and tangy. It is used in perfumery and aromatherapy to boost a rose scent without the expense. As you can see it’s a grass and when I employ palmarosa in my practice with a client, I’m often drawn to it because of its flexible nature. Flexibilty is a great quality to have when you wish to create a new attitude, a new thing, a new job or even a new thought process.

Go ahead and create your new attitude with the scent of nature.

Remember to treat yourself first, and everyone will benefit.

Remember to use your intention when you use your essential oils. This is just holding a thought and energy about what you want to create as you are scenting your space, doing an energetic cleanse or steaming in the shower

Happy New Year!

Fir and Pine – Fresh and Clean

Posted on by
3
Pine

Pine

PINE

Pine is most associated with this time of year, if you celebrate Christmas. There are many types of Pine but the one most used for the essential oil is Pinus sylvestrus – often referred to as Scots Pine. From what I can gather, yes it is actually found in Scotland and is native to parts of Europe and Asia.

I do love this oil but rarely use it in a body oil blend for a treatment. It can be a bit harsh to use all over the body and is more effective used an inhalation to help with breathing and upper respiratory tract infections. The scent is bushy and fresh and is fantastic used for scenting a space and doing an energetic cleanse. You can have an aromatherapy treatment, clean and disinfect your house, and create a clean slate for new beginnings, all with a few drops of pine oil.

When you are doing a ritual or energetic cleanse of a space, your intention is as important as the oils you use. Always go with your positive intention and emotions rather than trying to clear negativity (even though this may be your goal). So instead of thinking/chanting/saying something like this;

“I’m purging all the toxic energy of my past relationship…”

try saying

“I love living in my beautiful, happy and creative space”.

As you clean, just have this thought in your mind. You can do this with any essential oil but Pine is one that lends itself to clarification. The oil comes from a steam distillation of the twigs, buds and needles and has a spicy green scent, perfect for inviting the energy of nature into your home

FIR

a fir forest in Finland borrowed from cartinafinland.fi

a fir forest in Finland borrowed from cartinafinland.fi

I’ve got a beautiful Siberian Fir essential oil – Abies sibirica. It is a part of the Pinacae family, but firs differ to pines in that their leaves are flat. “Flat, friendly fir” I remember a Park Ranger telling me in Arizona somewhere. Pine needles are cylindrical.

Anyway, the scent of the fir essential oil is much softer than that of pine but I really don’t use this essential oil all over the body either. This family of trees can be slightly sensitising to skin and tends to be more powerful used as a tonic for the emotions and energy. It’s main constituents on a typical breakdown are bornyl acetate, alpha and beta pinene and camphene and the oil can be seen as warming as is often claimed to be a great analgesic to rheumatism.

I would choose fir over pine for the scent. With pine, it can tend to be a bit more medicinal smelling. Fir is warmer and softer and a little bit more special and lovely to use in a perfume. Fir can be used in the same way as pine for cleaning and cleansing so why not give it a go?

Remember to use your intention when employing essential oils for health and well being and treat yourself first, so everyone can benefit.

3 Simple Oily Beauty Tips

Posted on by
8
sneakily borrowed from botani.com

oilve & oil – sneakily borrowed from botani.com

1. The Best Makeup Remover in the World

Oil. Olive oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, camelia oil, safflower oil, macadamia oil. You get the picture. Any medium or heavy oil will do the job perfectly. Nothing takes off waterproof mascara like good ol’ cold pressed oil. My system is to wet a makeup remover pad with some water, add a squirt of oil, remove makeup. Clean face with warm, wet washcloth. The end.

sneakily borrowed from wellnesswa.com.au

rosehips – sneakily borrowed from wellnesswa.com.au

2. The Best Face Moisturiser in the World

Rosehip oil. You can also try borage oil and apricot oil but I find rosehip is the best. It is dark and slightly scented, but once you start using it it’s hard to give up. I rarely even make creams for my face anymore because rosehip oil is so good. I put makeup on straight away after moisturising with rosehip and don’t encounter any problems. Rosehips are high in Vitamin C and also have anti-inflammatory properties. Rosehip extracts are now being used in herbal medicine for both the above properties – in joint formulas as well as immune stimulating formulas. It works best if you smooth the oil on a damp face, this also helps trap some extra moisture in too. I use a floral water in a mist bottle to make the process even more stunning.

You can definitely add essential oils to your rosehip and the best for the face are:

Geranium

Lavender

Rose

Neroli

Frankincense

Refer to my blog for the correct quantities to use –  Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 123

This lists essential oil ratios for making a body oil – for the face use half the quantity. For example if you use 1 teaspoon of oil for your body add 3 drops of essential oil. For the face use 1 drop of essential oil.

jojoba - it look a lot like an olive doesn't it?

jojoba – it looks a lot like an olive doesn’t it?

3. The Best Body Moisturiser in the World

Oil. Jojoba oil, almond oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, macadamia oil, olive oil, camelia oil, sunflower oil ……….

Add a few drops of essential oil and you have a natural, preservatice free, paraben free, beautifully scented, quick aromatherapy treatment.

Use any essential oils for the body but it’s best to stay away from the following in large quantities

All the spice oils – use them but be conservative

Thyme

Peppermint

and any other strongly scented oil you can think of. Refer to my article Aromatherapy It’s Easy As 1 2 3 for the correct quantities to use.

Go for it. Using cold pressed oils is a start to simplifying your life by cutting out chemicals and toxic ingredients in personal care products. It does take a bit longer but if you valuse yourself and the world around you, it’s easy to make the effort.

Look after yourself first. Treat yourself first and everyone will benefit.

It’s the END of the WORLD and it’s CRAZY out there!

Posted on by
Reply
I know Oprah, it's crazy out there

I know Oprah, it’s crazy out there

Yep it’s the end of the world soon. In less than a month actually. What a relief.

It’s the planetary alignment in the centre of our galaxy that’s causing all the issues. According to science – and brilliantly explained by scientist and philosopher Gregg Braden, the earth moves in 26,000 year cycles. These are called ages and are related to the zodiac and stars (obviously). The 26,000 year cycle is broken down into 5 smaller 5,000 (and something) year ages. We are finally coming out of Pisces an into Aquarius. This means we are not only at the end of a small world age, but at the end of a 26,000 year old age. This means there is great adjustment. The planets have been moving into the alignment for the past thirty years so actually the worst of it is over. December 21, 2012 represents the turning point. This is where the Mayan Calendar ends, but our life fortunately does not.

This is a time to allow old paradigms to be dissolved.

This is a time to ask yourself why you are here, at this place and at this time.

This is a time to ask yourself how you can help the human race evolve.

This is a time to care for others.

This is a time to acknowledge we are the same as our brothers and sisters all over the world.

This is a time to release to controls of religion, and blossom into spirituality.

Hey, have you noticed it’s CA-RAY-ZEE out there? It’s like time is speeding up as the universe demands we look at ourselves, and allow the archaic way we operate to fall away.

EVOLVE OR DIE!

My way of attuning into the energy of the new world, is to use essential oils. Essential oils give a moment of relief and bliss where there is stress and unhappiness. It does seem simplistic, but you KNOW the only way to change the world is to change what YOU do and how you infuse your ethics and morals into your life.

Let the financial structures crumble. They only serve the few anyway.

Let the people take to the streets and topple governments. They only represent the minority anyway.

Let technology take us to the next level. It’s an exciting time to be alive. Using the internet as an example, you can see how communication has been changed dramatically in only a few short years. It seems completely stupid to me that we still use money to live by, and that we don’t use solar power. Come on! I feel like we are in the dark ages.

EVOLVE OR DIE!

aaahhhhh essential oils

aaahhhhh essential oils

So I’ll just keep using my essential oils to make people feel good, and look forward to the future – the future is NOW!

Buzz Off – The Tribe has Spoken!

Posted on by
1

It looks serene but….

It looks serene but it’s a jungle out there! It’s like being in the TV show “Survivor” 24/7!

I live less than 10 minutes from the city of Sydney, but I may as well be living in the swamp. In fact I feel a bit like Tammy Tyree who lived in the Mississippi swamps. Just call me Tammy. I am a bit cut-off from civilisation as I can’t talk on my mobile phone inside the house  – so it’s freeze out the back in winter when making a call or fend off the mosies in summer! A few years ago a neighbour told me my suburb was actually reclaimed swamp/wetlands and that there is a huge water table underneath us. Sydney actually has lots of underground water which would explain all the insect, especially mosquitoes and cockroaches. My other neighbour has frogs but I’ve unsuccessfully tried for years to get tadpoles. I gave up with my pond but I’m serenaded all summer with the croaking from next door.

So anyway……. for years my friends have baulked at sitting outside in the beautiful garden  because the mosquitoes are vicious. They are so big a friend once said “the mosie that followed me down the hall needs its own bedroom”. I have always made my own insect repellent in a mist bottle, but it has never been enough. Last year I got a few torches to burn citronella oil and that really helped. It’s the flame and smoke that keeps those little biters at bay. Add the topical application of some essential oils and a little bit of peace can be found in my backyard.

torch with a flame keeps those biters at bay

I now have a mosquito net over my bed because they are so bad at night it’s like a form of torture.

aaahhhhh peace at last

I have given up on the mist and gone for pure essential oils. After much trial and error I have found the best oils to keep away the insects are (in any combination):

Lemongrass

Citronella

Basil

Peppermint

Lavender

Clove

Thyme

and any oil that has a pungent aroma. No sweet pretty oils can be used, it will only attract them! Lavish these oils all over you especially around the ankles, neck and ears and anywhere where your flesh is exposed!

Of course having a gin and tonic will help as the quinine is supposed to be a malaria preventative, in case you get bitten by a mosie with the virus.  Ok, well it’s probably not strong enough in the tonic we now drink, but my when my father was in the British Army, serving in Africa, they were given salt and quinine tablets. Salt for replenishing minerals and quinine against malaria. Interesting eh?

Essential oils, a G & T, a mosquito net and a Survivor-like torch is my recipe for getting through summer in Sydney. When I quench the flame at the end of the evening I silently say “the tribe has spoken”, and retire inside.

Oils for Meditation

Posted on by
4

aaahhh meditation!

Meditation is a wonderful thing, and doesn’t really need any added help. It’s about being, not doing. It’s about connecting and detaching. So do we need essential oils to help our meditation practice? Probably not, but sometimes it adds anchoring to the ritual and helps some relax into the process. When you vapourise oils in a classic “oil burner” with a candle, the flame acts as an agent of transformation.

I love this oil burner from pagethirtythree.com

My choices for meditation oils are:

Lavender – I use lavender for everything! It is as warming as it is cooling, It is calming and nurturing, It is centering and grounding, and brings together your energy. It is a well-known oil for relaxation due to its high ‘linalool” content. A few deep breaths of lavender at the start of your meditation will help you zone in to yourself quite quickly. My motto is “If in doubt, use lavender”.

Frankincense – oh ye olde magic of frankincense! It starts out as a resin from the tree and is then steam distilled to make the oil. It is the oil of breathing deeply and has its roots in spiritual and religious practices. By breathing deeply and expanding your lungs, more oxygen can flow into your body. The combination of increased oxygen and the natural feeling of relaxation when you take a deep breath, adds up to a very peaceful vibration. It is in this state we can connect with our higher selves, and essentially “God”. It is almost used in churches as a scent to induce a type of hypnotic trance.
For a quite peaceful meditation use frankincense oil.

Rose – the ‘queen’ of oils, it is an oil of self nurturing and self-love. Rose can be used for everything from heat exhaustion to cuts and wounds. The scent is divine and when you are in the presence of pure rose oil you wont be able to escape is enveloping nature. I think of rose crystal quartz when I use this oil too, the love crystal. Shakti Gawain talks about “pink bubbles of love” in her revolutionary book from 1978 “Creative Visualization”. Pink, oil of rose, and rose quartz go hand in hand – I often surround myself with the energy of rose quartz, and rose oil, when I feel I need a bit of help and kindness. Use rose oil in your meditation to give yourself a feeling of security, softness and love so you can open to the messages of the universe.

unpolished rose quartz borrowed from angelreikihealing.com

So many oils can be used for the practice of meditation just be guided by your intuition and your personal fragrance preferences. You don’t even need to vapourise the oils you could just put a drop on your upper lip (patch test for sensitivity first).

Some more relaxing oils for meditation are:

orange, bergamot, petitgrain, lemon balm, neroli,

Some expansive oils:

pine, cypress, fir, tea tree, basil

The most important thing is to set some time aside to meditate – and that can be so hard in our busy daily lives! The oil is the icing on the cake.

Meditate, and the whole world will benefit.

Coconut – The Truth About the Scent

Posted on by
2

sneakily borrowed from africanhairblog.com HINT: the oil is good for hair

So do you love your coconut soap? Your coconut body moisturiser? Do you love your coconut sunscreen? How about your coconut lip balm?

There’s no doubt about it, coconut is a magic fruit. Is it a fruit? No, apparently it’s a drupe! Find out more about the drupe.

Anyway, it’s amazing. The world of nutrition and natural therapies is quickly spreading the word about coconut. The western world is a bit behind the times as Harry Belafonte, in the sixties, sang;

‘Coco got a lot of iron

make you strong like a lion”

sneakily borrowed from last.fm where you can listen to the smooth sound of Harry

“Coconut Woman” was written in 1957 by Harry Belafonte and Irving Burgle. Some say it’s not about coconut, but about cocoa (chocolate). I’m not sure about that because the song talks about “coconut water” with “rum”. I digress. Let’s get back to coconut.

Coconut water and coconut oil are the two buzz products of the drupe. I eat coconut oil by the teaspoon and it’s oily and delicious. Even though it’s classified as a saturated fat it has so many health benefits which can include;

– Helping to lower cholesterol

– Converting easily and quickly to energy so it’s not stored as fat

– Helping to  boost metabolism and immunity

– Softening hair and skin when used as a moisturiser

– Helping to lower resistance to insulin – great for type 2 diabetes

– Good for cooking as it has a high flash point so it maintains its goodness in the cooking process for longer than other oils

And now the scent! Pure coconut oil is fantastic for nurturing your hair and skin, and it has a soft, natural scent that we automatically connect to tropical islands with coconut palms waving in the wind. Unfortunately a lot of coconut scented products use an artificial fragrance to intensify the scent. Even if your product has coconut oil in it, it could also have “fragrance”. For those on the natural path, beware. I remember using Reef Oil in the 80’s as a sun tan lotion. It has a long list of ingredients, the last being fragrance, artificial of course. And this is what a lot of people think that real coconut smells like in a personal care product.

NEWSFLASH

It doesn’t.

If you are serious about simplifying your life and using as many natural items as possible then always check your “coconut” soap, or lip balm, or moisturiser to see what is listed. Chances are if it says “fragrance” it’s synthetic.

If you don’t care whether your product is natural or not then it doesn’t really matter. “Fragrance” away until your heart’s content.

Long live the coconut!