Soy Candles

Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and the spearmint plants.  It is a perennial plant that flowers from mid to late summer.  Its flowers are purple in color.  It is regarded by some as the world’s oldest medicine.  Archaeological evidence places it in use as far back as ten thousand years ago in the Greek and Roman empires.  They used it to freshen the breath and aid digestion.  It is even featured in the Bible, being used in crowns and bouquets in an attempt to ward off drunkenness.  The ancient world used peppermint in its raw form, leaves or flowers. 

Today it is used in commercial products as gum or mints.  Also it is used in health promoting products such as skin treatments, toothpaste, mouthwashes and essential oils.  It’s high concentration of menthol is the reason it is used in health products.  Menthol is an organic compound that possess a powerful counter-irritant and has local anesthetic qualities. 

Today we use peppermint in a refined or processed form, peppermint essential oil being the most common.  It can be used to treat headaches, toothaches and nausea, heartburn, vomiting and indigestion.  Aromatherapy uses peppermint essential oil to comfort and refresh the skin from its cooling and soothing properties, in a lotion to soothe irritated and painful skin due to chicken pox and shingles and when added to water can treat sunburned skin and refresh tired feet. 

For a refreshing peppermint aroma try the scent of Cool Breeze in gourmet body massage soy candles or aromatherapy soy candles.  Soy candles are a healthy choice to make and environmentally friendly to use.

Ylang-ylang is a tropical tree.   Its flowers, when processed by steam distillation, produce an essential oil used in aromatherapy and in making perfumes.  It has a heavy, sweet scent similar to jasmine.  It is often associated with weddings and honeymoons.  The essential oil comes in four grades: ylang extra, ylang I, ylang II and ylang III.  The variance in grades is based on when the oil is removed in the steam distillation process.  The process can take 24 hours and the lengthier it is the lighter the scent of the oil.  Ylang extra has the strongest scent and ylang III has the weakest scent.  All grades have a heavy scent, so be sure to add carefully to any blend you are making.  It can easily overpower other scents.  You can use ylang-ylang essential oil in recipes that call for jasmine.  Jasmine is more costly and many budgets can’t afford it. 

Ylang-ylang fragrance is considered an aphrodisiac.  It is also used in aromatherapy and is considered to have stress relieving properties.  Try a few drops in a hot bath to melt the cares of the day away.  It is believed to reduce anxiety and even relieve depression.  In people sensitive to heavy floral scents the aroma of ylang-ylang can be overpowering and may cause headaches.

If you don’t have time for that hot bath to unwind the day with, try instead a scented soy candle with the fragrance of ylang-ylang.  You can find this fragrance in the soy scents of Ylang-Ylang, Enchanted Journey and Sensual Moments.  A gourmet body massage soy candle with this fragrance is great for that romantic honeymoon getaway.

Patchouli was around in the sixties.  It was a symbol of peace and love.    It was a scent used in perfume oils and incense that was used to help cover up other burning odors.  It is actually a plant, originally grown in the East Indies.  It was used in flavoring as a herb for foods and was believed to repel moths.  The Asian silk and cashmere manufacturers would sprinkle it into their packages before sending them to marketplaces, to repel the moths.  The scent had done a process of permentation on the cloth and thus gained the reputation of an exotic fragrance.  It brought to Westerners the idea of romance of far-off places.  Today, patchouli is grown in hot southern climates for commercial reasons.

The essential oil from patchouli is derived from distillation of the leaves of the plant.  It is used today in perfumery.  The fragrance is rich, woody, heady,  earthy with a blend of floral sweetness and has a musky scent that reminds you of fresh-turned soil.  It is an acquired fragrance of like, either you do adore its powerful aroma or you don’t.

Patchouli is associated with love and money.  It is known for its sensual aroma.  It is an aphrodisiac and has an up-lifting effect.  It may help with cracked skin, sores, depression, fluid retention, scalp problems and apprehension.  It is used in magi-ck for passion and love.  The herb is burned in clairvoyance and divination incenses.  You can make your own perfume oil by following these steps:

1. Add 10-15 drops of patchouli oil, some cinnamon oil and vetiver to a 15 milliliter bottle.
2. Then fill the bottle with a scentless blending oil as grape-seed or apricot kernel oil.
3. Don’t apply these essential oils directly to your skin.  Some are very strong and can burn.

Or for a light perfume spray:

1. Put handfuls of the dried herb patchouli into vodka and allow it to steep for several weeks.
2. Next strain off the alcohol from the herb.
3. You now have a patchouli tincture that you can dilute with water to make a cologne spray.
4. You can blend it with other tinctures to create your own personal aroma.

Please be sure and consult a qualified aromatherapist before using internally and avoid use during pregnancy.  Don’t apply undiluted oils on the skin.  Be extremely cautious in using oils with children.  It is always best to do a skin patch test first before using an oil you are unfamiliar with.

For the easiest way to enjoy the aroma of patchouli, try burning soy candles in your home.  No mess, no fuss.  You can find this scent in the following fragrances of scented soy candles, gourmet body massage soy candles , parfum oils and fragrance oils: Egyptian Musk, Angel, Sensual Moments and of course just plain Patchouli.

Jojoba is a plant that provides forage for the wild animals in arid regions.  The plant is a shrub with oval shaped leathery leaves and small yellow flowers.  It is very water efficient and can store energy for dry periods.  The jojoba wax is its way of storing lipids which is then used for energy.

Animals like to eat the leaves, twigs and bark of the scruffy, scraggly looking plant.  The seeds are more difficult to digest and have a poor taste, also acts as a laxative.  However the jojoba seeds are edible. 

It is used commercially for the wax produced and stored in its seeds.  The wax, known as jojoba oil, is used in cosmetics to industrial lubricants.  It is similar to sperm whale oil in composition, which is very difficult to obtain.  The wax is odorless and clear.  It is used in moisturizers and cosmetic products, and as a carrier oil for fragrances.  Jojoba oil is less apt to go rancid in storage, making it an appealing substance for massage oils and body creams.  It is also used as a makeup remover and in cold creams.  It is popular in the industrial arena for all of the above qualities as a lubricant, source for alternative fuel, and as a potential fungicide.  It can be refined into other products as esters and alcohols as well. 

Jojoba is cultivated in many arid regions of the world, United States, Mexico, the Middle East.  It has a rising commercial value, being a very hardy and reliable crop.  Where the soil is poor and very dry, Jojoba thrives.  Due to its high demand, it has become a profitable crop for those who desire to manage it well.