The majority of highly scented candles use fragrance oils, which means the intention is to scent the air of a room. However, you can also have highly scented candles that use essential oils. This type of candle has many therapeutic uses as aromatherapy candles. If you research the various aromatherapy scents, you will find one that will have the healing properties you need, whether you just need to relax, cure an illness or help soothe your spirit. Highly scented candles are widely available, but if there is a specific scent that you want you can have your candles custom made.

Although beeswax candles are supposed to be the best candles, soy candles come in a close second. In addition, beeswax candles are rarely scented whereas highly scented soy candles will hold the scent until the candle is completely burned out. Like beeswax candles, these highly scented candles are cleaner when burning and do not give off black soot as do paraffin candles. Soy candles are made of all natural ingredients and do not contain any petroleum by-products, such as oil.

Highly scented candles give off the scent even when they are not lit. For this reason, many people have highly scented soy candles simply for the decorative effect they provide. Whether you choose pillar, taper or votive soy candles, you can choose from a wide variety of scents and combination of scents. If you are not sure whether the scented candles use fragrance oils or essential oils, a quick look at the name of the scent will give you the answer. Names such as hot fudge sundae or cinnamon pie are likely to be fragrance oils. Essential oils come from plants and bear the name of the plant, such as eucalyptus, marjoram, chamomile, or ginger, for example.

If you want highly scented aromatherapy candles, you need to choose candles with the plant names for the scents. Knowing a little about the healing properties of such highly scented candles will also help you choose the right ones. The color has little to do with aromatherapy, but it is likely that the color of the candle will be closely linked to the scent. Lavender is one oil that is known for its soothing and relaxing properties and most highly scented soy candles of this nature are some shade of purple or lilac. Similarly, soy candles highly scented in pine are likely to be a shade of green.

Highly scented candles can mask the odor of cooking or of pet odors. When you use soy candles to do this job for you, you also have a healthier home. By using highly scented soy candles, you have the sweet scents in the air without having to use any harsh spray chemicals. Highly scented candles have many more uses than just setting the scene for romance.

Find out more about Candles at Peter’s Website Your Hot Candles at http://www.yourhotcandles.com/ as well as Scented Candles and more, including Custom Candles, Floating Candles and Soy Candles

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Scenting your handmade soaps is a matter of personal preference. If you are are making soaps for your own use, then you can decide to use either fragrance oils or essential oils based on what you like. If you are selling your soaps, consider your market.

Essential oils are all natural plant essences. They can be derived from the plant material by several methods such as: steam distillation, CO2 extraction or cold pressing.

Steam distillation is done with a still. Pressurized steam is forced through the plant matter. The steam then passes through to a cooling chamber, where the steam is converted back to water. The essential oils from the plant are then skimmed off the surface of the water.

CO2 extraction is where liquid carbon dioxide is used to extract the oils. It is similar to the steam distillation in that pressure is used to extract the oils. When the carbon dioxide is allowed to return to its gas state, the essential oil is separated out and collected.

Cold pressed is the process by which the plant material is physically pressed until the essential oil is extracted. Citrus essential oils are commonly processed this way, as the peels are full of essential oils.

There are some scents where there is no essential oil available (such as banana) or the essential oil is much too costly or environmentally irresponsible to use (such as sandalwood or rosewood). This is where fragrance oils come in. Fragrance oils are a mixture of aroma chemicals. The mix can either be part artificial and part synthetic, or all synthetic. It just depends on the type of fragrance oil. Fragrance oils are not perfume oils, they are aroma chemicals which are not diluted, and like essential oils, should not be placed directly on the skin. They need to be diluted into your final product.

Fragrance oils are usually very complex, and can contain hundreds of aroma chemicals. When using fragrance oils for your soap, make sure that you are purchasing from a company that sells oils specifically for soap making. Reputable suppliers will have scents that are formulated according to the RIFM (Research Institute for Fragrant Materials) standards. This means that the scents are safe for use in bath and body products. You do not want to use fragrances that are meant for candles or potpourri in your soaps, as they could be irritating to the skin.

If you plan on selling your soaps, you want to think about the market you are targeting before deciding which to scent your soap with. If you are going for the natural crowd, then essential oils are your best bet. If you are trying to please a broad audience, then offer both. Some people buy soap for the scent, and don’t necessarily prefer an essential oil over a fragrance oil. Which ever you choose, get the best quality you can for your products!

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Author: Lori Kimble

The Scent Shack has been providing quality essential oils and fragrance oils via the internet since 2000. We also offer a wide selection of other soap making supplies such as colorants, molds, books and more.

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This article may be reprinted and distributed freely as long as the active links and resource box are included.

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Each ingredient varies in its smell as well as in its “staying power” on the skin. Fragrance gets absorbed into the skin faster when the skin is dry and flaky. To make the scent last longer, you might look into body lotions in the same scent. You can even use unscented body lotion, but the scented ones obviously will give you more lasting power.

For the greatest lasting power, start in the shower. Use a buffing cream to buff away dry, dead skin. Use a cleansing gel, in a complimentary scent. Very often spa scents are produced with a variety of products-cleansing gel, sugar scrubs, lotions and a body mist sprays.

Next, apply the lotion to the areas where you generally apply your body spray to prevent the fragrance from being totally absorbed into the skin. This absorption is normal and in fact, perfumers distinguish between the various stages of the fragrance in the following way:

Top Note – is the first impression of the fragrance, the initial impact right from the bottle.

Middle Note – develops over a period of a few minutes after the perfume is applied to the skin.

Base Note – is the final impression of the fragrance. This is the stage in which we refer to as the “lasting power” of the fragrance.

Perfume (sometimes spelled parfum) is the longest lasting and strongest form of fragrance containing the highest concentration of essential oil. It is the fragrant oils that give a perfume a particular scent.

Eau de Parfum is the next in line according to the strength or the concentration of essential oils.

Eau de Toilette is a lighter version of a fragrance with less concentrated essential oils. Hence the reason it is generally more affordable.

Lastly, scented bath and body products have a hint of the fragrant essential oils. Layering the fragrance will make it last longer. Bath yourself in head to toe fragrance for a totally spa like experience.

Have a great day!

Dawn Hull
Professional Skin Care Consultant
http://www.MaryKay.com/ShopOnline

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