Essential Oils, Essential to Inspiri

Many of you have probably heard of essential oils.  These are derived directly from a plant/herb/fruit etc. So when you smell lavender essential oil, it is coming directly from a lavender plant (well, probably many lavender plants).  Fragrance oils are usually created in a lab and can cover almost any scent you want.

As my regular customers may know, I don't have a ton of products with essential oils. Being that they are natural, they do have some things that need to be considered. For example, did you know that there are certain essential oils you shouldn't use during pregnancy or if you have high blood pressure?  Others are photo-synthesizers so they can make you burn quicker if you have them on your skin if you go out into the sun.  It's for these reasons that I have been slowly working them into my line.  You can expect to see a lot more being used in the next year.  However, I do have a few favorite essential oils that I want to tell you about.

Lavender - This is a very common oil.  The reason I love this is for its calming properties.  Add a few drops to your bath water for a wonderful way to wind down after a rough day

Orange -  This is another favorite of mine.  It has energizing properties and is awesome when you need a pick me up in the morning.  I am actually formulating a soap that mixes orange and my next favorite oil

Rosemary - Such an awesome essential oil, but it must be used sparingly.  Not only is it energizing, its great for soothing nasal passages.  Think Vick's Vapo products.  Another that I like that's a bit similar is eucalyptus.

Peppermint and Spearmint - These two are technically different but I like to group them together since they are both in the mint family.  Peppermint and spearmint both have cooling properties which is why we use peppermint in out foot products.  Spearmint is a little sweeter but still great, I especially love it in lip balm.  We use it in small quantities and leaves just the coolest tingle on your lips.

As I continue to experiment more, I am sure that my list of favorites will grow and I can't wait to test more.  There's a bottle of basil essential oil that I cant wait to test out!