Aromatherapy

In the last couple of years, backflow incense burners have been all the rage. With their unique way of making the smoke flow down like a waterfall instead of up, it creates a serene flowing effect, which resembles slow-motion water.

They are beautiful and calm-inducing and let’s face it, pretty cool. The one problem that people are constantly complaining about is that the incense cones that came with their backflow burner don’t smell good! Now as cool as they look, if it’s filling your space with an aroma you don’t like, it kind of defeats the purpose of using incense in the first place.

Because backflow burners require a special ‘backflow cone’, you can’t use just any old regular incense cone.

Not to worry, though. In this article we will show you how to make regular incense cones backflow, so you can enjoy both looking at your backflow incense burner and smelling it.

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How to make regular incense cones backflowRead More »

In all likelihood, you are probably wondering if essential oils freeze because you’ve either tried or heard about the essential oil “freezer test”. It’s a test that has been promoted all over the Internet to check if your essential oil is pure.

Do essential oils freeze?

According to those promoting this test, pure essential oils don’t freeze.  So the premise is: place your essential oils in the freezer and if they freeze… you have impure oils.

Before we go any further, we want to thank and congratulate you for actually taking the time to investigate and find out more information before you believe everything you read online. The last thing the world needs is people believing something they read and reposting it before they have gathered all the facts, and continuing the cycle of misinformation.

As to the question do essential oils freeze? we’re going to find out. The answer might surprise you!

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Do Essential Oils Freeze?Read More »

The use of essential oil dates back thousands of years. Today, the practice has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s no wonder it’s so profitable when a 15ml bottle of high-quality pure essential oil can cost anywhere from $8 to over $20!

With that in mind, it’s understandable that you’d want to know – do essential oils evaporate? – to make sure that the big bucks you’ve shelled out for your micro-bottle of essential oil are not literally evaporating into thin air.

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Do Essential Oils Evaporate?Read More »

Anyone who lives in or has camped in bear country knows that precautions are necessary.  

Bears have an extremely good sense of smell. According to the National Institute of environmental health, Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. A bloodhound’s sense of smell is 300 times better than a human’s. To compare, a bear’s sense of smell is 7 times better than a bloodhound’s and 2100 times better than a human’s!

The best way to prevent attracting bears is to understand what smells to avoid. This is where we get into essential oils. Can essential oils attract bears?

The fact is, bears are normally shy creatures who try to avoid humans and only act aggressively when they feel threatened. The best way to avoid a bear encounter is to make sure you aren’t doing anything to attract them in the first place. This way you’ll never find yourself between a bear and its cubs or food… or worst-case scenario, making them think you’re food!

After all, essential oils are used specifically to produce concentrated smells. You want to make sure that you are not inadvertently attracting bears to your home or campsite if you are using them.

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What smells are bears attracted to?

Bottom line is that bears are attracted to almost anything that smells. From garbage, empty beverage cans and dirty diapers to perfumes, sweets, fruit and toothpaste. They are not very discerning, but they are extremely inquisitive. If a bear smells something different in its environment, it may want tocome and check it out.

Some of the smells that bears seem to be the most attracted to (but are not limited to) are the following:

• Bacon (who can blame them!)
• Sweets
• Fruits
• Grease
• Licorice
• Vanilla
• Fish
• Raw Meats
• Peanut Butter
• Fermented Food
• Onions and Garlic
• Popcorn 
• Cheese
• Coffee
• Pet Food
• Toothpaste
• Fragranced cosmetics, detergents, lotions, sunscreen, essential oils

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Can Essential Oils Attract Bears?

The short answer is yes, essential oils can attract bears.

If you are camping in bear country, most campsites will provide you with a checklist of things to do and not to do to minimize the chances of attracting bears. That list commonly includes information on how to store food, how to clean up and dispose of garbage after eating, comments about never having food or cosmetics in your tent, etc.

If you are just going camping, it’s probably best to leave the essential oils at home. You will survive a weekend without your essential oils, I promise!

But if you actually live in bear country, you probably already know that you don’t put your garbage out the night before to be picked up the next morning or leave the dog food outside, and you know enough to have a bear-proof compost container.

But what if you want to relax out on your screened-in porch in the evening and enjoy a cup of tea with your essential oil diffuser? Are you unwittingly attracting bears?

Given the fact that bears like almost everything that smells pungent, essential oils can most definitely attract bears. Essential oil wafting out from your house, campsite or from you is in effect telling bears that there is an abundance of whatever scent is present.

If it’s a scent they find particularly intriguing — which is most of them — you are essentially ringing a dinner bell.

Though there are some scents that bears don’t like (we will get to those in a minute), any essential oils that smell sweet, fruity, flowery, minty, and like vanilla or licorice could attract bears. These are among the scents they find most appealing.

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Do any smells deter bears?

Now among the smells that deter bears, like bleach, ammonia, and cider vinegar, pine oil or anything pine-scented can also help as a bear deterrent. It doesn’t necessarily have to be essential pine oil.

Bears don’t like the smell of anything that has a pine scent, like a pine cleaner.

DO NOT mix any of the above ingredients in an attempt to make a super-strong bear repellent! Mixing ammonia and bleach will produce fumes so toxic that they can kill you.

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How to make and use a bear deterrent

Mix 6 to 8 drops of essential pine oil to every cup of water.

A mix of 1 cup water and 1 cup Pinesol in a spray bottle will also do the trick. Just make sure that if you are using a pine cleaner, it does not also have a lemony or “fresh” scent added, otherwise it may actually attract bears.

At home, spray the prepared pine oil solution inside your garbage container, around your composter and porch areas. Not only does it smell nice and bears don’t like it, it can also be used as a weed killer. Just be careful not to spray plants.

If you are going camping, you can spray your pine solution on a cloth and tie it on your backpack. Take another cloth with the pine solution and place it near your food storage area (use the cloth – do not spray it around food!). You can also spray the solution around your campsite area.

Important note: Just because you made a ‘bear deterrent’ does not mean you can have food in your tent or burn essential oils to your heart’s content. The pine solution is meant as an extra precaution, not as an alternative.

Bears may not like the scent of pine, but if you have something that smells even stronger (or better) than your pine solution, the bear’s keen sense of smell will pick it up and he may come looking for it, despite your pine deterrent.

Just a note on bear pepper spray: although bear spray is a great tool to have in case of emergency, it’s not the scent that deters bears – it’s spraying it in their face. Hopefully, you never have to be that close to a bear to have to use it.

Bear pepper spray should not be used to try to keep bears away from a campsite by spraying around the area. The scent, if it’s left to dry, may actually attract bears.

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Take Away

If you are camping in a campground, follow the ‘bear country’ guidelines. If you are camping in the middle of nowhere in the woods, keep all food and toiletries in sealed containers and away from your tent. With the possible exception of pine oil, leave the rest of the essential oils at home.

If you live in bear country, the smell of essential oils wafting from your house could attract bears. Avoid any essential oils that have a sweet, fruity, flowery, minty, vanilla, or licorice smell.

Being bear-smart and avoiding the things that attract bears in the first place is the best way to avoid encounters.

See also:

• Top 20 Essential Oils: The Essential Essential Oil List!
• Best Oil Diffuser for Large Room
• How to Clean an Essential Oil Diffuser Without Vinegar

Whether you want to increase your spirituality, improve focus, practice mindfulness, or simply freshen up your space using unique fragrances, you need to buy pure and high-quality incense. Unfortunately, finding the right kind of incense is not always easy.

The local and online market is flooded with low-quality incense that neither smells good nor provides the spiritual and stress-busting benefits of incense. But don’t worry. We have compiled a detailed guide on where to buy incense locally and online. Read on to check out some of the best places you can purchase incense.   

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Where to Buy Incense Locally and OnlineRead More »

Our sense of smell influences us far more than we may realize. 

Scents from our past conjure up vivid memories. Delicious food makes our mouths water in anticipation. Offensive odors warn us when something’s a little off. Colognes and perfumes heighten our ability to attract attention and romance. Incense is thought to bring the divine closer to mere mortals – and keep evil spirits at bay.

Does incense make you relax? Or is it just part of the show that sucks us in? Is it merely a trick of the mind or money-making hype? We’re going to dig up the truth and deliver the facts about using incense.   

For thousands of years, incense has been tied to cultural and religious rituals in every corner of the Earth. From Buddhism to Catholicism to indigenous faiths – people continue to recognize the important role that incense can play in our various worship styles. New-age and natural remedy gurus swear by its de-stressing relaxation capabilities.

Let’s learn all about that below! 

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Does Incense Make You Relax?Read More »

Using a charcoal censer  to burn raw aromatic ingredients is a fun and easy incense-burning technique. Users love it for its customizable, personal quality, and the way it lets them be more involved in scent selection. 

This involvement requires a few more items and steps than simply burning an incense stick would, but many consider this extra effort worth it. 

Many wonder how to use a charcoal incense burner. It’s definitely more complicated than igniting a stick, but it’s not hard.

This article will go over the steps necessary to successfully use a charcoal incense burner, and what items users will need to do so. Finally, this overview will answer some of the questions related to using charcoal incense burners. 

After reading this overview of the procedure, any incense-lover should know how to use a charcoal incense burner. 

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How To Use A Charcoal Incense BurnerRead More »

Burning incense and enjoying the soothing aromas they produce can be extremely rewarding. Incense provides demonstrated aromatherapeutic benefits. Extinguishing burning incense, on the other hand, is not as much fun!

And not all incense users know how to put it out at all. 

In this article, we’re going to look at how to put out incense.

Being able to do this is helpful since some people don’t burn entire incense sticks or cones at once. Snuffing one out and saving partially used incense sticks and cones for later is an excellent money-saving technique. 

This article will lead readers through the necessary steps of safely putting out both incense cones and sticks. It will also discuss common questions related to putting out incense.

Extinguishing incense cones and sticks should be easy after reading this article. 

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How To Put Out Incense SafelyRead More »

Many consumers of aromatherapy products find themselves asking: how do backflow incense burners work? 

The answer, of course, is magic. Or maybe it’s technology.

Either way, backflow incense burners are amazing.

These products can be very easy to use and enjoyable when operated skilfully. They are often artfully crafted and create backflow incense smoke by burning incense cones with holes drilled down their centers. 

The smoke from the burning incense travels down the small hollow core of the vertically aligned cone and is ‘pushed down’ by the smoke behind it, creating viscous, waterfall-like effects. 

So while incense sticks are convenient and smell great, backflow burners are more a permanent, decorative type of incense-burning product. 

This how-to article will go over the basic steps of operating this form of incense burner, as well as how they work and common questions about them. 

These products are overall fairly simple and easy to use, so any consumer should find using them easy after reading this guide. 

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How Do Backflow Incense Burners Work?Read More »

We’ve all been in a house or shop where the incense smell permeates everything. It can feel oppressive and intense, musty, and unpleasant.

Does incense smell go away? How long does incense smell last? This article will look at how long the incense smell lasts, and It will also describe some of the products that are relevant to this topic. 

Since scents contribute to the creation of an atmosphere, they may also not always feel appropriate.

After reading this article, anyone who likes to burn incense should have a good understanding of what to expect from burning incense, as well as whether and how long incense aromas last.

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Does Incense Smell Go Away? How Long Does it Take?Read More »

Burning incense can be a stress-reducing and enjoyable experience, while the aromas produced are enjoyable in themselves. Many consumers include in their relaxation routine burning incense sticks or cones, or raw resin aromatics. 

But while the benefits of burning incense now and then for humans are well established, many consumers wonder if incense smoke or ash is bad for houseplants. 

This article will answer question of ‘does incense hurt plants?’, and will provide all the important information related to houseplant care for people who burn incense. 

This is an important issue to anyone wanting to create a comfortable atmosphere in their homes through the use of foliage as well as scents. 

After reading this article, anyone who wants to take care of their plants while creating an aromatic space in their home should have a good idea of how to proceed. 

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Does Incense Hurt Plants?Read More »

Essential oil diffusers are a popular and attractive addition to any room. Brightening the mood through a pleasant look and calming aroma, a diffuser is a sought-after home décor piece. They’re everywhere now!

But are there hidden dangers lurking under the diffuser’s simplicity? At the very least, will your home’s smoke detector be triggered by the stream emitted by the diffuser? Do essential oil diffusers set off fire alarms?

Is there an inherent fire safety risk in using a diffuser?

In this article, we’ll look at oil diffusers and fire alarms.

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Do Essential Oil Diffusers Set Off Fire Alarms?Read More »

You’ve burned through a healthy, refreshing stick of incense. Whether you used it to do yoga or really concentrate on work, it certainly served its purpose. The only issue is, now you’re done, you’re left with some unsightly debris. 

So what to do with incense ashes, anyway?

A little dustpan and a brush should make short work of it, of course. You can just throw it away (assuming it’s not hot!) But are there any other ways you can use incense ashes?

There’s no shortage of good reasons to burn incense in your home — the stress relief it provides alone is reason enough. But failure to get rid of incense ashes properly could lead to major problems. It’s not just a little uncleanliness — it’s more the potential housefire you could start. 

This blog will go over what to do with your ashes, and how to make sure you’ve properly extinguished your incense. 

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What To Do With Incense Ashes?Read More »

If you’ve ever been inside of a friend’s home and were suddenly entranced by a gentle yet powerful scent, you’ve been in a room where incense is burning. For centuries, humans have burned incense to produce fascinating, powerful and mood-altering aromas. The word itself comes from the Latin, “To burn.”

But what is incense made of? What combination of herbs and other ingredients blend so perfectly to create scents strong enough to refocus our energy? That’s a more complicated question than you may think. 

Incense has been a part of human rituals since the days of Ancient Egypt, and it’s still used today for many of the same purposes, including:

• Religious purposes
• To fight unwanted odors
• Pleasant fragrances
• Meditation and yoga

Given that you’re lighting things on fire and breathing in the smoke, it’s probably a good idea to know what it is you’re breathing! This blog will go over common ingredients used in incense and the health benefits and risks associated with using them.

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What is Incense Made Of?Read More »

Oil diffusers have been a popular home device ever since they were first invented, but you may have heard that some people are a little nervous about using one. 

The primary concern with leaving an oil diffuser on while you sleep is that you may become overexposed to the essential oils used. As you may be aware, essential oils are dangerous to consume, and inhaling too much can lead to irritation of the eyes and skin. 

So the question, can you leave an oil diffuser on while you sleep, can be answered with a hard no. But if you still want to get the most out of your diffuser, there are precautions you can take to ensure you won’t risk overexposure.

In this blog, we’ll go over safe ways to use a diffuser at night. You won’t be able to keep it on at all times, but it will still provide all the essential oils you need. 

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Can You Leave an Oil Diffuser on While You Sleep?

The easiest way to avoid getting overexposed to essential oils is to get a diffuser that has an auto shut-off feature that turns the machine off if it’s been running for a long period of time. 

Fortunately, most oil diffusers these days come with this feature built-in because the dangers of overexposure were too great. No one wants to buy a product that could wind up leaving them with horribly irritated eyes and skin. 

But many people are still using diffusers that are a few years old.  If your oil diffuser does not have such an option, one way of avoiding this issue is simply to use the diffuser 30 minutes prior to your bedtime. This will ensure you’re getting the most out of the essential oils without any of the risks. 

With this second option, it’s recommended that you only use high-quality essential oils. These should last through the entire night and provide restful sleep. 

So can you leave an oil diffuser on while you sleep? It simply depends on how modern your particular model is.

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Can an Oil Diffuser Catch Fire?

Beyond the dangers that overexposure to essential oils brings, people also are often worried that their device can overheat and present a fire hazard. This really is only a concern if you’re using a heat-powered electric machine.  

Other people opt for oil burners, which can even be riskier due to using an open flame. Leaving an oil burner on all night is even more dangerous than a diffuser, as it could easily fall if not properly situated. 

Getting a cold air nebulizing diffuser is also a great way to avoid this hazard. Cold air machines go around the safety concerns that come with heat diffusers. They’re also notably better at producing high-quality scents. 

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Top Essential Oils To Help You Sleep

Now that you know how to safely use the oils in your diffuser to help you sleep, it’s time to look at some of the best natural sleep aids on the market. Each essential oil is carefully assembled, particularly if they’re high-quality, to produce the best and richest beneficial scents for your overall health.

But knowing which are best for certain times of day can be a little difficult. We recommend doing a little experimenting to find out what scents you like the most and which actually help you throughout the day and even as you drift off into sleep. 

Lavender

Known as the Swiss Army Knife of essential oils because of its one-size-fits-all ability, studies have shown lavender is proven to relieve stress and anxiety as well as help with those pesky sleep-related problems. Even those with light cases of insomnia speak highly of its abilities. 

Quiet Blend

To be perfectly honest, the names of some of the ingredients of the quiet blend are not well known in the West outside of Geranium. Ylang Ylang, Amyris, and Clary Sage combine with the Geranium in ways that may be hard to explain, but they certainly are relaxing. 

Clary Sage, in particular, is one that is known to help fight insomnia by helping to clear your head. Like any other sage that you burn in your home to purify the air, Clary Sage purifies the mind.

Bergamot 

Bergamot, for those unfamiliar, is a citrus fruit. The oil comes from the rind of the fruit. So much like an orange, it’s both refreshing and relaxing at the same time. Though there’s no scientific data, people have reported anecdotally that it is excellent for bringing your emotions in harmony. 

Peppermint and Eucalyptus

These oils, strangely, are considered to be stimulant scents; fragrances that get you active and ready to work. But they’re also recommended for sleep as well, especially for those suffering from congestion that prevents a good night’s rest. Both peppermint and eucalyptus clear the nasal passages, so that also means you’ll cut back on snoring. 

Frankincense

It’s as old-fashioned an oil as they come, dating back to Biblical times. The significance of Frankincense in the Bible carries a lot of weight, but it’s proven it’s right to a place in history. Frankincense is loaded with sleep-aid properties and nutrients. 

For the most part, it’s safe to leave a diffuser on and fall asleep. It may happen by accident every once in a while – the scent of the oils just overtakes you and you drift off into sleep. While older machines do run the risk of causing skin and eye irritation, the newer models are mostly prepared for such risks. 

If, however, you’re using an older machine or have one without an auto shut-off feature, then you can safely run it for a half-hour before you go to bed and still get what you need out of the machine for the evening. 

But if you are using an oil burner, it’s vital that you extinguish it prior to going to bed. Leaving an oil burner on all night is as dangerous as falling asleep smoking a cigarette. 

Otherwise, diffuse away, so long as it’s done responsibly.

Whether it’s the hot season or the cold season, some parts of the world just get incredibly dry during part of the year. That dryness can lead to sickness, discomfort, and unhappiness.

Sometimes you just need to get a humidifier going.

But managing multiple humidifiers in multiple rooms can be annoying. So the question often comes up: “Can an oil diffuser be used as a humidifier?” At this point, you’ll use anything!

In this blog, we’ll discuss whether or not you can use your diffuser as a humidifier. We’ll also look at just what a diffuser does to the air inside your home. 

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Can an Oil Diffuser Be Used as A Humidifier? Key Differences

Oil diffusers and humidifiers are quite similar, but only in one specific way. Both devices increase the amount of moisture in the air. The similarities end there, but that means that if you’re wondering, can an oil diffuser be used as a humidifier, the answer is a resounding yes. 

But you do need to understand how both machines operate. 

Diffusers:

• Small machines that hold a tiny amount of water. 
• Give off a mist of essential oils that fill the room. 
• Among the most popular models are ultrasonic diffusers, which turn the oil and water into vapor using a vibrating plate.
• Easy to clean, as there is no area for the water inside to collect. 

Humidifiers:

• Large machines that can hold up to a gallon of water.
• Exist to control the amount of moisture in the area.
• Essential oils can not be put inside.
• Harder to clean, as the water inside pools. 

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Do Diffusers Increase Moisture?

Essential oil diffusers will indeed increase the humidity inside a room.  But the moisture it adds is not enough to be considered significant. This is because increasing humidity is just a side effect of an oil diffuser, not its sole purpose. A diffuser exists to emit vapors with essential oils. 

To actually get all the benefits of humidity inside your home on a dry afternoon, you’re going to need to buy a proper humidifier. 

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Can Essential Oils Be Used in a Cool Mist Humidifier?

You should never put essential oils inside a humidifier, even if you think only a few drops wouldn’t hurt. There are two reasons why this is a mistake. 

First, it just won’t do what you think it will.

Essential oils are meant to be used in diffusers because diffusers are made with them in mind. A humidifier is too strong a machine for essential oils, and they will deteriorate very fast. 

Secondly, cool mist humidifiers pull water out of their tanks before letting off vapor.

You won’t get any of the benefits of the oils after it cycles through water in such a fashion. 

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How a Diffuser Decontaminates The Air

You may have noticed that your home smells fresher and you find it easier to breathe after using a diffuser. This is because essential oils have anti-oxidant, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties that will keep you healthier. 

When these properties are put into the air through the vapor being emitted, they also have the ability to make one feel more relaxed. They can also help with sinus and allergy issues. 

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How a Humidifier Moisturizes The Air

You may notice you have an easier time breathing with a humidifier as well, but this is actually for a different reason. Humidifiers relieve dry skin, but they also have the ability to fight off cold symptoms. 

This is due to a humidifier’s ability to reduce irritation in the skin, throat, and eyes. While a humidifier does not have any anti-fungal benefits, the moisture it emits can fight off viruses. 

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It’s All About What You Want

When it comes down to choice, you have to ask yourself what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to feel more relaxed, both a humidifier and a diffuser can help relieve anxiety and stress.

A diffuser does this by emitting essential oils that have calming benefits, while a humidifier makes people feel less anxious simply because the room is easier to breathe in and viruses are kept at bay. 

Of course, you can always split the difference and use both, but the decision will depend on what you want, and maybe a little where you live.