Essential Oils

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[Mithril]

Where can you find them, and are they very expensive?

[Aisling]

Where can you find them, and are they very expensive?

If you want to buy locally, health food stores, homeopathic pharmacies, and herbal shops are good places to try.  They can get quite expensive.  Are there any particular kinds you're looking for?

[Mithril]

If you want to buy locally, health food stores, homeopathic pharmacies, and herbal shops are good places to try.  They can get quite expensive.  Are there any particular kinds you're looking for?

particular kinds? well, i need lavender, tea-tree, and eucalyptus, if that's what you mean. i wonder if whole foods would have them.

[Star]

particular kinds? well, i need lavender, tea-tree, and eucalyptus, if that's what you mean. i wonder if whole foods would have them.

Those three I've found to not be too bad on price.  It seems to mostly be florals that get really expensive, where you need a LOT of the plant to make even a little bit of oil.  I bet Whole Foods would have them, though since we don't have one in my town, I couldn't say.

[Meritsekhmet]

particular kinds? well, i need lavender, tea-tree, and eucalyptus, if that's what you mean. i wonder if whole foods would have them.

Oh...trust me they do!  They might be a little expensive there though, but it shouldn't be more than 10 bucks a piece.

I get mine a local shops and they only cost 5-7 dollars a piece.

And btw I noticed that you live in Houston, I do too.
If you're anywhere near the north side, there are three small shops in Old Town Spring and one called Essences in Tomball.  If you're closer to Montrose, I'd suggest going to The Magick Cauldron.

[nemesisfirestorm]

Where can you find them, and are they very expensive?

You could also look in any local markets.  We have some stalls that sell them occasionally, but you do need to make sure they say they are 100% pure essential oils, and not just essences (i.e. the stuff you can put in pot pourri), unless you want them just for the scent, in which case they're cheaper (normally the easiest way to tell the difference).

Lavender is brilliant, every house should have some, make sure you stock up on it!  It treats so much!

I also get some of mine in Boots, which is a chain store chemist, they often have tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, ylang ylang and some base oils (for massage), or Holland and Barratt the health food chain used to.  Don't know if you have those in the US though.  My local chemist has some, as well as homeopathic remdies etc.

I believe rose can be very expensive, as Star said, it depends on how many lb's of flowers you need to make a single drop of oil...

[Mithril]

Oh...trust me they do!  They might be a little expensive there though, but it shouldn't be more than 10 bucks a piece.

I get mine a local shops and they only cost 5-7 dollars a piece.

And btw I noticed that you live in Houston, I do too.
If you're anywhere near the north side, there are three small shops in Old Town Spring and one called Essences in Tomball.  If you're closer to Montrose, I'd suggest going to The Magick Cauldron.

Montrose would be much more convenient. I'm just really hoping it's within biking distance because my mom *can't* know I've been there...he.

You could also look in any local markets.  We have some stalls that sell them occasionally
, but you do need to make sure they say they are 100% pure essential oils, and not just essences (i.e. the stuff you can put in pot pourri),

I also get some of mine in Boots, which is a chain store chemist, they often have tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, ylang ylang and some base oils (for massage), or Holland and Barratt the health food chain used to.  Don't know if you have those in the US though.  My local chemist has some, as well as homeopathic remdies etc.

I believe rose can be very expensive, as Star said, it depends on how many lb's of flowers you need to make a single drop of oil...

it's too bad about the rose oil, but i don't *really* need it... i'm using the eucalyptus for sinus problems (to inhale), so does it still have to be 100%, or can it be the essense?

how much do you get in a bottle? i mean, how much does 5-7 dollars buy? 1/4 cup?

[Reona]

Where can you find them, and are they very expensive?

If you have an antique district or some sort of ‘olde town’ arts and craft place then you can probably find several stores that sell oils. Oil burners are popular and most antique stores will sell a selection of odds and ends. It’s just a means of looking around for what best suites you. For people who live near me, Main Street in Old Town Saint Charles is the place to go for bits and bobs and there are even spice shops that sell organic herbs. About 4$ -$6 is the norm depending on the scent. If you resort to buying online then you have to factor in shipping costs.

[nemesisfirestorm]

it's too bad about the rose oil, but i don't *really* need it... i'm using the eucalyptus for sinus problems (to inhale), so does it still have to be 100%, or can it be the essense?

how much do you get in a bottle? i mean, how much does 5-7 dollars buy? 1/4 cup?

If it's just for the scent then rosewood is cheaper and smells good too.  Or you can make a very basic (like kids would) scented water by steeping rose petals in water.

With regards to the eucalyptus I would have thought the scented ones would be as good if you're inhaling and clearing your sinuses.  You could try Albas Oil, or you can buy menthol crystals (a bit like soap crystals) in chemists that you can drop/dissolve in hot water.  The Albas can also be put on a bit of tissue and kept in a pocket for sniffing when you need clearing, or be put under your pillow.  Karvol capsules are what I used to use for my son when he was a baby, I would cut the end, drop it in to a bowl of hot water and keep it on a radiator in his bedroom at night.

For buying them, if you don't want your mum to know you've been to any "hippy" shops try somewhere like this (hope it's ok to put this link in??) http://www.byregion.net/cgibin/users/profiles.pl?username=bodymindmechanics  It looks like a treatment spa type place but at the bottom of the page they do say they sell the oils.  Might be a bit expensive though, and of course I don't know the place at all.

My oils are in 10ml bottles, but you really only need a tiny bit, about 3 or 4 drops usually for anything.  If it's inhaling it would be a couple of drops in a pint of water probably.  For massage it's just a couple of drops added to a base oil (which can even be olive oil, doesn't have to be anything fancy).  Mine cost me about £6 for 10ml, depending on the plant.  My lavender I buy in 30ml, the biggest I can ever afford/justify in one go!

Just out of interest, why do you not want your mum to know you've been?  You don't have to be a pagan of any sorts just to buy nice smelling oils   And there is nothing wrong with saying you don't want to put too many man made chemicals in your body if you can help it.

Lavender and tea tree are fabby for treating zits too!  (Lavender is gentle enough to be used neat and not sting).  Also, a couple of drops of lavender in a spritzing bottle with some water and sprayed on your pillow helps you to sleep.

EDIT Also, essential oils need to be kept in dark bottles and out of direct sunlight and heat etc, so if you do get them it's a good idea to get a little wooden box to keep them in.

[Mithril]

Just out of interest, why do you not want your mum to know you've been?  You don't have to be a pagan of any sorts just to buy nice smelling oils   And there is nothing wrong with saying you don't want to put too many man made chemicals in your body if you can help it.

yeah, i know, but if i tell her i need her to drive me to the Magick Cauldron, she'll be even *more* suspicious of me than she already is. she knows i'm interestd in natural healing, but i don't think a pagan supply store would be very appreciated by her, but it looks like that's going to be the best place for me to get these things.

[yewberry]

how much do you get in a bottle? i mean, how much does 5-7 dollars buy? 1/4 cup?

Generally?  Retail?  Not much.  Check out Glory Bee's selection of EOs.

A few of the oils fall into your stated range, but most are pricier.  If you can afford to buy in bulk, you can save a lot of money.

If you can find a source of organic, fragrant rose petals, distilled rose water is really easy to make.  Here's a how-to:  Distilled rose water.  The article doesn't mention it, but I'd suggest you keep a turkey baster handy to remove the water from the lid and add more ice continually.  The colder you keep the lid, the more water you'll distill.

I preserve rosewater by keeping it in the fridge, and adding a little vodka.  Even then, you shouldn't keep it around more than a week.

Brina

[nemesisfirestorm]

yeah, i know, but if i tell her i need her to drive me to the Magick Cauldron, she'll be even *more* suspicious of me than she already is. she knows i'm interestd in natural healing, but i don't think a pagan supply store would be very appreciated by her, but it looks like that's going to be the best place for me to get these things.

That's fair enough

I was just lucky with my mum I guess!

Keep an eye open in local chemists (drug stores, sorry, I never think of the word differences!) and see if there is anything like that in them.  At least if you can get them in a "normal" shop she won't be so wary

My last post was pretty long, so in case you missed it, you wouldn't get a 1/4 cup of oils, we're talking very minimal amounts here, purely because you really don't need to use much at a time

[Mithril]

Generally?  Retail?  Not much.  Check out Glory Bee's selection of EOs.

A few of the oils fall into your stated range, but most are pricier.  If you can afford to buy in bulk, you can save a lot of money.

If you can find a source of organic, fragrant rose petals, distilled rose water is really easy to make.  Here's a how-to:  Distilled rose water.  The article doesn't mention it, but I'd suggest you keep a turkey baster handy to remove the water from the lid and add more ice continually.  The colder you keep the lid, the more water you'll distill.

I preserve rosewater by keeping it in the fridge, and adding a little vodka.  Even then, you shouldn't keep it around more than a week.

Brina

thanks for the article. would dried rose petals work if you use more of them? i have a *ton* of them...

[yewberry]

would dried rose petals work if you use more of them? i have a *ton* of them...

Nope.  The reason dried rose petals don't smell strongly of rose is because their essential oils (which are very volatile) have evaporated.

Gotta be fresh, gotta be fragrant.  A lot of modern cultivars don't have much scent at all--you'll want to avoid these.

Brina

[Mithril]

Nope.  The reason dried rose petals don't smell strongly of rose is because their essential oils (which are very volatile) have evaporated.

Gotta be fresh, gotta be fragrant.  A lot of modern cultivars don't have much scent at all--you'll want to avoid these.

Brina

oh, ok. we have a rosebush...except it never makes flowers. we really need to work on that.

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