Why We Use Essential Oils in Our Candles
Essential oils are natural chemicals that are extracted from the leaves, flowers, stems, roots or bark of plants. They are not true oils, but are the aromatic and volatile essences derived from botanicals. Fragrance oils (also called perfume oils) are usually synthetic; chemists analyze the plants’ components and reproduce their chemical compositions. Although essential oil blends (combinations of essential oils) are not synthetic, some suppliers call them fragrance or perfume oils.
Aromatherapists not only use the essential oil of certain herbs in physical applications, as herbalists do, but also for the psychological effects applied through our sense of smell. However, synthetic fragrance oils are not effective therapeutically because even though they are copies of essential oils, these synthetic versions have different structures and, the body does not absorb them like natural molecules. Whilst scientists can duplicate the fragrance of essential oils, they have so far been unable to duplicate the benefits.
Take lavender for example, there are many Lavender fragrance oils on the market. They all smell like lavender, consistently smell the same and are long lasting. They are great for adding fragrance to soaps, perfumes, cosmetics and candles but they have no other benefit.
Lavender essential oil, on the other hand, offers the fresh aroma of Lavender plus a great deal of healing properties that may help with symptoms such as coughs, insomnia, hyperactivity, arthritis, muscle aches, rheumatism, acne, sunburn, wounds, insect bites, burns and irritability.