ESSENTIAL OIL, NATURE'S PERFUME
Distilled from large quantities of plants and flowers, natural essential oils are enormously fragrant - and that's not all. Whether inhaled, used topically in body care products, or ingested, each essential oil has its own healing profile.
Eucalyptus: Eucalyptus is one of the workhorses of the essential oil world, possessing unique medicinal properties. Its scent clears stuffed nasal passages and aids in breathing, whether the issue is a cold, flu, allergies or respiratory problems. Eucalyptus is also a good wound healer and an excellent natural cleanser. Find it in: Mama I'm Sick, Smells Like Team Spirit, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Geranium: Known as the 'poor man's rose', geranium essential oil is used to treat skin conditions such as acne. Its rather strong fragrance also uplifts the mood and staves off stress, anxiety and depression; other benefits include improved circulation and balanced hormones. Find it in: These Feet Were Made for Soaking, Grateful Dead Sea Mud Mask, Kiss by a Rose Creamy Bath Bar
Lavender: Used as a perfume and preservative since ancient times, even appearing in the Bible, lavender essential oil is today the most popular essential oil. In addition to the pleasant perfume, lavender reduces anxiety and improves sleep. It also relieves headaches and contains powerful antioxidants that can help undo skin damage. Find it in: Laving Me, Laving You; Lavender Fields Forever; Sleep Tight; Pug Life; Purify Me, Kerr, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Lemon: Lemon essential oil rejuvenates energy, cleanses toxins and purifies skin. While it's often used internally for such things as a digestive aid and cough relief, it's great for the skin as well. Find it in: Happiness Power Up, Mello Yello, Smells Like Team Spirit, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Lemongrass: With a refreshing lemony scent. that's both stimulating and relaxing, lemongrass essential oil has many uses, from easing muscle aches to aromatherapy to killing bacteria and reducing inflammation. These properties make lemongrass useful as an astringent and antiseptic. Find it in: Sea of Green, Green Day, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Neroli: From the flowers of an orange tree, Neroli essential oil is exceptionally soothing to jangled nerves, lowers blood pressure and increases feelings of well-being. It also reduces inflammation and pain and improves skin condition. Find it in: (Said I'd Like to Know Where) You Got Mimosa, Sleep Tight
Orange: High in antioxidants which fight inflammation and free radical damage, orange essential oil is great for killing bacteria, easing anxiety and depression, and fighting fatigue. The incredibly sweet, cheery smelling-oil has been used in a wide variety of applications by many cultures around the world. Find it in: Happiness Power Up, Mello Yello, I Kissed a Boy Lip Balm
Patchouli: A sultry member of the lavender family, patchouli essential oil has more to offer than just a strong fragrance; the scent fights depression and enhances mood as well as stimulating hormones. It's good for the skin and provides some immune support as well. Find it in: Karma Koma, Nag Champa Soap, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Peppermint: Ancient cultures around the world appreciated the benefits of this fragrant, versatile herb, and it's used today in a wide variety of internal and external applications. Peppermint essential oil has antimicrobial properties and respiratory benefits, improves mental focus and boosts energy. It releases tight muscles and is helpful in improving the condition of skin and hair. Find it in: Mama I'm Sick, These Feet Were Made for Soaking, I Kissed a Boy Lip Balm
Rose: There could be a scientific reason rose essential oil is said to be so romantic: it contains compounds that are said to increase libido! Rose oil has antimicrobial, antiseptic properties and its sweet fragrance is useful in relieving depression, particularly when combined with a carrier oil for a sensual massage. Find it in: Grateful Dead Sea Mud Mask, Kiss by a Rose Bathing Salts & Soap
Tea tree: Australian tea tree oil has been used as a wound healer for hundreds of years, and its anti-viral, anti-fungal, antibacterial properties have made it a mainstay in natural cosmetic and bath products. It's good for skin conditions ranging from acne to dry scalp to psoriasis to athlete's foot. Find it in: Pug Life, These Feet Were Made for Soaking, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Vanilla: Not to be confused with the vanilla extract which is used for baking, vanilla essential oil (concentrated vanilla absolute) is used in aromatherapy for its relaxing, aphrodisiac effect. It can also help with depression and grief, as it balances emotions as well as the female hormonal system. Vanilla is known to promote serenity and relieve sadness, while also calming the nerves. Find it in: Soaps (for colorant), No Scrubs
Grapefruit: Many of the medicinal properties of grapefruit essential oils are similar to those of the essential oils of other citrus fruits like lemon and orange. It is rich in antioxidants and makes a good disinfectant. It protects the body from new infections and helps eliminate existing ones, particularly in the colon, stomach, intestines, urinary system, excretory system and kidneys. Furthermore, it is an excellent tonic and boosts the functioning of the lymphatic system, which detoxifies the body. Find it in: Mello Yello, No Scrubs, A Picture of Nectar
Citronella: Citronella essential oil is a natural insect repellent, killing mosquitoes, lice, fleas and ticks, and it also fights bacteria and fungi. In addition, it has antiseptic properties similar to lemon oil and its scent is used in aromatherapy to relax the mind. Its sharp citrus-y aroma is often used in household cleaning products. Find it in: Pug Life Dog Shampoo Bar, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Mimosa: Mimosa Absolute is a sweet, floral essential oil with woody undertones. This rare oil nourishes and softens the skin and helps to soothe inflamed or sensitive areas, especially for people with oily skin. In aromatherapy, mimosa is used for calming, relaxation, lifting the spirits, and letting go of daily stresses, worries and fears. Find it in: (Said I'd Like to Know Where) You Got Mimosa
Ylang-Ylang: Ylang ylang essential oil does more than just make hair thicker and glossier in shampoo; this 'flower of flowers' is also good for heart conditions because of its ability to regulate heartbeat! Its sweet, strong floral scent is considered an effective antidepressant, sedative and aphrodisiac; the huge yellow flowers can often be found decorating wedding beds in Asian countries. Find it in: Herbs n Spices Cedarwood Soap
Cedarwood: Cedar wood has been prized for thousands of years for its properties. The essential oil smells very woody, and it has many healing benefits, from stimulating hair growth to strengthening the gums, stimulating the metabolism and clearing up the skin, to relieving spasms and coughs. Cedarwood essential oil is also said to improve mental focus. Find it in: Herbs n Spices Cedarwood Soap, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Bergamot: Bergamot is the ultimate multi-purpose essential oil! Known to enhance mood, bergamot oil is a citrus oil that is antibacterial, anti-infectious, and helps heal marks and scars on the skin. Bergamot oil is the famous ingredient behind Earl Grey tea and its perfume balances and harmonizes other scents, so it's a wonderful oil to blend with others for aromatherapy purposes. In addition to these properties, bergamot essential oil is also used to reduce physical and emotional pain and stimulate hormonal and digestive juices. Find it in: Herbs n Spices Soap
Clove: Grown in Indonesia and Madagascar, cloves are good for a lot more than flavouring soups and stews! They are extremely high in essential nutrients like manganese, potassium and magnesium, and their oil has been used for thousands of years to condition skin and eliminate acne, kill parasites, microbes, molds and fungus, soothe toothache and strengthen the gums. More recently, clove oil was 'rediscovered' in naturopathic medicine for its extraordinary anti-inflammatory properties, which can protect the liver.
Find it in: Purify Me, Kerr Natural Hand Sanitizer, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Cinnamon: Cinnamon oil was used by the ancient Egyptians long before Cleopatra took the world by storm! Far more potent than ground cinnamon powder, the essential oil, derived from either the bark or the leaves, is highly concentrated with antioxidants, which makes it a natural digestive aid, blood sugar stabilizer and circulation booster. Cinnamon oil is the heart-healthy essential oil that's also anti-parasitic, anti-infection, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. Bonus: cinnamon oil is said to increase libido so...swipe some (very diluted!) onto your lips and pucker up. Find it in: Purify Me, Kerr Natural Hand Sanitizer, I Kissed a Boy Lip Balm, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Fir Balsam: Fir needle smells just like Christmas to many, but the essential oil is worth more than any holiday decoration: it fights 'winter ailments' like sore throat, coughs, colds and flus, respiratory infections, fatigue, muscle aches and rheumatism, and arthritis. Fir needle essential oil is a popular ingredient in perfumes, bath oils, air fresheners and incense because of its pungent, heady fresh fragrance, but it's also a great natural pain reliever. Find it in: Everybody Hurts Athletic Relief Bath Salts
Basil: Basil may be a delicious herb used in Italian cooking, but the powerful essential oil has many uses: healing wounds and infections, reducing fatigue, and treating a whole host of conditions from migraines to warts to cardiovascular conditions to diarrhea and viruses. The sweet, warm, spicy herbal smell fights odours, while the powerful antioxidants reduce inflammation and quench damaging free radicals. Find it in: Herbs an Spices Soap
Rosemary: Rosemary is considered one of the top most useful essential oils. Like the oils derived from many herbs and trees (as opposed to flowers), rosemary essential oil is a strongly scented herbal packed with natural healing chemicals. While its antiseptic properties have been used for centuries to repel insects and relieve muscle aches, we are now discovering that it can support the healing of neurological tissue and brain function. Rosemary essential oil improves memory, stimulates hair growth, fights free radical damage and even has anti-cancer properties due to its extraordinary ability to balance hormones in the body and combat inflammation. Find it in: Herbs an Spices Soap, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Fennel: Fennel essential oil smells like black licorice (or anise, or Sambuca, or Ouzo, depending on your mood!) Besides its sweet smell, fennel essential oil is best known as a powerful ingredient for good digestive health. It can help with gas, bloating, intestinal cramping, and even weight loss. Nursing mothers may also find this oil useful for increasing the flow of breast milk. Its purifying and detoxifying effects make for a great additive to cleansers and soaps. Find it in: Herbs an Spices Soap, All My Friends are Insects Repellent Lotion Bar
Other essential oils are used in SaltZ&Co body & bath products - this is just a sampling of our most commonly used aromatic and medicinal essential oils. You can purchase essential oils for home use in our online store.
Carrier oils are used to dilute our essential oils and to add skin-loving moisture to our products such as bath fizzes, bath salts and soaps. We are currently using sweet almond, ricebran, avocado, hemp, jojoba, extra-virgin olive and coconut oils as our carrier oils of choice.
We use herbs and petals in many of our formulations, whether infused into oil-based products, blended with bath salts or colloidal oatmeal for soothing baths, or used as decoration in soaps, bath bombs and bath salts. Some of our favourites include dried lavender buds, rose petals, calendula petals, chamomile buds, peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass, and healing herbs like plantain, marshmallow and witch hazel.
Please note that essential oils health claims have not been verified by Health Canada and that essential oils are NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional. Information on the benefits of essential oils is not intended as medical advice, nor are all essential oils safe for all people at all times. For reputable information on the safety and uses of essential oils, please consult a trusted resource such as a Naturopathic Doctor (ND).
What we can say with complete confidence is that the essential oils used in all of our products are naturally sourced from reputable Canadian suppliers, and safely diluted in our products.