HERB - Two Qvestions

[lilinah@earthlink.net]

Lynette LaFontaine <lklc at prodigy.net> wrote:
>Warren & Meredith Harmon wrote:
>  >Gots two questions about EOs: 1) I only have so many eyedroppers - how do
>  >I clean them between uses, especially if I'm dipping into another EO?
>  >(Remember, I'm allergic to alcohol.)

I use glass droppers. I pour a bit of alcohol into a baby food jar, 
then I squish alcohol through the droppers a couple times. Your skin 
shouldn't have to come in contact with the alcohol. If the vapors 
effect you, do this in a well ventilated place (in front of an open 
window?). If this is too much contact, skip the alcohol step.

Then I wash them in warm water and soap. I remove the bulbs while 
washing, and wash the bulbs as well, as oils can get into the bulb. 
This should remove any trace of oil and of alcohol. While washing the 
glass tube, I allow soapy water to stay inside, and close the ends 
with a thumb and finger and shake the tube a bit, as running water 
through it doesn't always get all the oil off.

I dry the bulb with paper towels as allowing them to sit around can 
sometimes cause some deterioration. I allow the tube to air dry, but, 
because of the narrowness of the end of a dropper, I find that after 
air drying, there sometimes is still water in the narrow end. I tear 
off a bit of paper towel, twist it into a narrow "wick" and run it 
into the dropper, turning it to absorb as much water as possible. If 
this doesn't dry it adequately, I repeat the process until i'm 
satisfied.

>  >2) I've seen peach, cherry, and
>  >other fruit oils - why haven't I seen blueberry, without being
>>aldulterated (like, "blueberry cobbler" or "blueberry pie" or some
>>such)??
>
>These would not be essential oils.  These are fragarant oils.

Yes, in fact, they are essential oils. They would just not be natural 
essential oils. There is nothing in the term "essential oil" that 
specifies whether it is from a natural source or synthetic. Folks are 
sometimes misled by this.

Additionally, fragrance oils are not necessarily synthetic. Sometimes 
a particular fragrance cannot be derived from its natural source, so 
in some cases other natural essential oils can be combined to 
simulate it.

If you are concerned about what kind of essential oils you're buying, 
then you must specify that they be from a natural source, as the term 
"essential oil" does not guarantee this. And i have to add that with 
the popularity of Aromatherapy, some extremely commercial companies 
are selling synthetics as aromatherapeutic, even though this goes 
against the tenets of Aromatherapy. Hey, they're in it for the bucks, 
so, again, even if it says "aromatherapy oil" that doesn't guarantee 
it's from a natural source.

Anahita
who also blends her own and generally buys from reputable 
aromatherapy and natural oil vendors
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