In today's day and age, we all have so many decisions to make especially when it comes to products we purchase for our families. Who knew that the source of an item's scent could be a fork in the road for some people? Chances are, if you're reading this, you are either currently at the fork or have already made your decision regarding this topic. My goal today is to share with you some of the reasons VaadaBella has chosen to naturally scent our soaps. Along the way, maybe something I share will help you to make an overarching decision where scented products are concerned. Feel free to drop your perspective on our social media channels for discussion.
When I started down the road of soap making many years ago, I was shocked at how many "natural" products weren't in fact natural, were natural in part or had a very dark harvesting situation surrounding it. For example, mica is one of those items. It is harvested in underground mines by mostly children, many times under the age of five, because they are small enough to get into the small areas. You can probably imagine their pay isn't great and their treatment isn't much better than that. Yes, mica is natural. No, VaadaBella will never use mica in our bars. It just doesn't fit our vision and convictions. I also learned that there was a difference between essential oils that some used for scent purposes and fragrance oils which others used. What's the difference you ask? I'm happy to tell you what I've learned.
I am a bit of a word geek, so let me present you with a few definitions that might help when we start discussing things a little further. All of these definitions were obtained from merriam-webster.com and wikipedia.
Essential oil: Any class of volatile oils that give plans their characteristic odors and are used especially in perfumes and flavorings, and for aromatherapy.
Volatile: Characterized by or subject to rapid change or unexpected change.
Fragrance Oil: Blended synthetic aroma compounds or natural essential oils that are diluted with a carrier oil.
Synthetic: Of, relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis
Synthesis: 1. The composition or combination of parts or elements so as to form a whole. 2.The production of a substance by the union of chemical elements, groups or simpler compounds or by degregation of a complex compound.
When I first saw the definition of an essential oil, I thought, "Goodness gracious! 'Volatile'?" Upon further investigation, I found out that that is due to the tendency of some essential oils to dissipate in the air, or change, rapidly. Shew! Here I thought something was going to explode or something! I also noticed that a fragrance oil could be made with natural essential oils. That surprised me! When I researched the process of making fragrance oils, it seems that a long-lasting scent is created by adding chemical compounds to an oil or other artificial scent to create longevity and to slow the process of dispersion into the air. Without those chemical compounds, a mixture of oils would simply be called a blend. Because of that, fragranced oils ceased to be an option for my soap making.
Now that we have some framework on which to build our discussion, here are the pros and cons I see where each scent is concerned.
Fragrance Oils:
Pros:
- Over 200 options available
- Less expensive than essential oils
- Scent that lingers
- Color and scent of a particular type can be produced more consistently
Cons:
- More likely to trigger an allergic reaction (theflammingcandle.com)
- Most commonly made in a scientific lab
- Synthetic carrier oils are most commonly used
Essential Oils
Pros:
- Distillation process keeps the integrity of the oil
- 100% pure and natural
- Natural blends can be mixed
Cons:
- Fewer options
- more expensive to harvest
- not every desired scent has an plant that an oil can be extracted from (strawberry and vanilla for example)
Honestly, that's a pretty balanced pros and cons list, in terms of number of points per section. If Sally is someone who doesn't care one way or another between natural and synthetic additives, I can absolutely see why she might opt to go with an item scented with a fragrance oil. There are LOTS of options available using those products and blends. At times I'm a little jealous of the selection, I'm not going to lie! Not only that, products such as soap which is produced with fragrance oils tend to be less expensive than pure options, and the scent can last longer. I can absolutely see why a person may appreciate and approve of these options.
Even with all of that information, I still land on pure additives and products for my family. If you have read any of my other blog posts, you know that we are trying very hard to find "simple" in life. What better way to do that than to eliminate some of the choices we have to make? It's not about having to settle, rather being encouraged to pick your favorite out of a selection of options. So many things are being put into our bodies by the foods we eat, and aside from growing our own food from heirloom seeds, we have a very slim selection of healthy foods to pick from. Whether we are talking about food or scent additives, a standard decision has to be made on both: natural or off the shelf. Where it's possible, I personally chose items made from whole/pure/natural ingredients, including those scented with essential oils. Earlier I mentioned that naturally scented soap for example might not be as strongly scented or keep it's scent as long as a fragranced bar. I am ok with that, too. I am ok with buying just what I need, in this case, and enjoying it to the fullest. Really being present in the moment with the product that I enjoy. When I am ready for a fresh bar of soap, I will select it at that time.
I am a firm believer that God gave us everything we need on Earth. When He made the world, He even says that "it is good" after every single creation. That implies that there was nothing missing, everything was as it needed to be. I also believe that He has given us incredible brains to figure out the why and the how to use what He's given us. A very long time ago, for myself and for family, I made the decision to use natural products whenever I could find and afford them. Don't get me wrong, we are not 100% crunchy, but I aspire to be as crunchy as I can possibly be. I would gladly pay more for an item if that means getting a higher quality, natural product.
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