Category: Essential Oils

Maple Perfume Experiment

Why would I experiment making perfume that smells like maple syrup? Back in December I did another experiment with lip balm flavors…one of which was Maple Coffee. (see https://marykisner.com/two-lip-balm-flavors-and-a-cool-new-tool/). Quite a few folks liked it, including my niece in California. In fact, she let me know that it was the first scent she could actually smell since she had had Covid months before. Interesting! Recently, she asked if I would try making a Maple perfume…she didn’t care if she smelled like a pancake breakfast! Kind of yummy if you think about it!

I’ve been brainstorming with a local friend about how to make this perfume (thanks, Becky!). I knew that I needed several scents to make a balanced perfume…but what would complement the maple scent? After much deliberation, we decided that the maple would be the heaviest scent and could be enhanced with vanilla, wild orange and black pepper essential oils. (Sounds like a breakfast buffet!)

The maple flavoring was really meant to be used in cooking and baking, so one look at the ingredients let me know that I would have to use something as an emulsifier. I’ve used Polysorbate20 in the past and glycerin and alcohol can also serve that purpose. Here are the ingredients for the maple flavoring:

This product is definitely not an essential oil!

I tried two formulas, one with sweet almond oil as the base and the other with alcohol and glycerin as the base.

Maple Perfume #1

For the first formula I mixed the ingredients up directly in the roller ball…thinking they would blend and be easily applied with the roller ball. The ingredients included:

Unfortunately, the mixture separated, leaving a huge glob of the maple flavoring floating around. Shaking hard helped but it separated again. Not sure if I used enough Polysorbate20. It was certainly fragrant and lasted on my wrist all day!

Maple Perfume #2

The second recipe started with a 1-cup glass measuring cup and ended up filling 6 10ml spray bottles and two 10ml roller balls. However, it made it much easier to mix the ingredients.

A dropper and tiny funnel were essential to fill these tiny bottles.
I hope my niece likes this perfume…she’ll have enough for quite a while!

The Maple flavoring seemed to stay mixed in this recipe but I’ll still recommend a shake before spraying!

I’ll put these in the mail to California and wait for feedback before I make any more! I must say, my kitchen smells great today! Never be afraid to experiment! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Refreshing the Scent in Melt & Pour Soap Bars

Last week I was asked by my son-in-law and grandson to make some glycerin soap bars with the scents of Lavender and Lemon. I made a double batch and added about 12 drops of Lavender essential oil to one batch and 12 drops of Citrus Bliss essential oil to the other. Citrus Bliss is a blend of oils, including: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin Sweet Orange, Tangerine and Vanilla. A nice blend, but definitely not very “lemony.” I also added just 1 drop of soap tint to each batch (purple for the lavender and yellow for the citrus) to better tell them apart.

When they were cool, I was concerned that they didn’t have a very strong smell, especially of lemon. After letting them sit for a week, I decided that I needed to add more essential oil before I could hand them off.

So, this week I unwrapped the bars, chopped them up and put them back on the stove to melt them down.

These are the lavender bars.
Chopping the soap into small pieces help them melt quickly.
Ready to go into the pan of water on the stove.
Who knew 1 drop of yellow tint would make them so YELLOW!

Bring the pan of water to a boil and turn down to simmer until the soap is melted. A little bit of white vinegar in the water will keep our hard water from leaving sediment on the pan and the outside of the glass measuring cup.
I added an additional 15 drops of essential oil to each batch. I thought Lemongrass would enhance the “lemon” scent.
Let the soap bars cool for about 2 hours before removing the from the molds.

I felt better about these bars. I’ll wrap them individually in plastic wrap so they won’t absorb moisture from the air. Hopefully they’ll be just what my boys were expecting! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

DIY Sunscreen

With all the body care stuff I’ve made I had never thought about making my own sunscreen. Up until two summers ago I had never needed sunscreen. I can think of only one time in my life where I actually had a sunburn so I just didn’t worry about it. Then two years ago I spent several days with burns on my legs just from wearing shorts…and sitting on a shady porch! I was so surprised! Boy did that hurt! Then last summer I was even more sensitive so I tried an assortment of sunscreen lotions. They all felt sticky when they dried and I wanted to wash them off as soon as I came inside.

I really wanted to spend time in the garden cheering on my green beans!

I found it was just easier to not wear shorts and managed to find a few of those “sun shirts” for my arms. That was really ridiculous heading out to the garden all covered up. Needless to say, I didn’t stay outside for long! I really feel like I missed most of the summer weather because I stayed inside.

I hated not being able to enjoy the flowers on a beautiful summer day.

This year, I decided to see if I could come up with a natural sunscreen lotion that I could stand with the fewest chemicals. I use essential oils in everything else…why not sunscreen?

I started with research. I had questions about whether certain essential oils have natural sun protection. I wondered if zinc oxide had to be used in a product to be protective. What’s the difference between nano- and non-nano zinc oxide? What other chemicals are in sunscreens that could be bothering me?

Other people online have done extensive research into all the necessary and unnecessary chemicals found in commercial sunscreens. Here is one article that I’d like to refer you to that explores many of my questions:

https://modernhippiehw.com/homemade-moisturizing-sunblock-with-zinc-oxide/

Many homemade sunscreens start with a mixture of shea butter, oil, essential oils and non-nano zinc oxide powder. It appears that several essential oils are naturally high in SPF, including raspberry seed oil (SPF 28-50) and carrot seed oil (SPF 38-40). Several carrier oils, including coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil have an SPF range from 4-1 5. Adding zinc oxide can boost the SPF to 20 or higher depending on how much you use.

About Zinc Oxide Nano-Particles

There has been some concern that nano-particles (very tiny ones) could be absorbed into the skin, although there is little research proving that is a problem. However, just case a non-nano zinc oxide is offered for sale too…meaning the particle size is larger and would not be absorbed by the skin…important for use on children. Since I’m trying to stay as simple as possible, I decided to go with the non-nano zinc oxide. If it leaves a white coating, I may have to get the other kind so it soaks in better.

This can be purchased on Amazon.
Of course, disclaimers about it’s use is important, but the recommendation to use a mask sounded like a good precaution.

I’d like to share two recipes for sunscreen that I have made. First is a sunscreen spray that stays a liquid. It includes fractionated coconut oil, which means the fats have been reduced so it stays a liquid; essential oils; and non-nano zinc oxide. It’s pretty to quick mix up but the zinc oxide tends to separate out and settle on the bottom of the spray bottle. Giving it a good shake before spraying is necessary. I will have to research how to keep the particles in suspension for the next batch.

(Recipe #1) Sunscreen Spray

Ingredients:

The ingredients I used along with a mask ready for when I scoop out the zinc oxide.

Directions:

Step 1: Combine the oils in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly.

Step 2: Whisk in Zinc Oxide powder. (Wear a mask so you don’t breathe in any dust)

Step 3: Pour into a 4 oz. spray bottle.

Step 4: Shake well before each use.

Sediment of zinc oxide left behind after pouring.
Ready to test!

(Recipe #2) Sunscreen

This recipe is a firmer lotion and can be made more waterproof with the addition of a little beeswax. I did not add it for my first try. I will also choose some essential oils for a better fragrance…this did smell just like shea butter!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Step 1: Combine all ingredients except zinc oxide in a heat-safe glass container. Adding the optional beeswax will make it more waterproof.

Step 2: Heat over boiling water until melted.

Step 3: Wear a mask to measure and whisk in zinc oxide.

Step 4: Pour into containers, stir frequently while pouring and again after containers are filled.

Step 5: Set containers into the refrigerator to set up…the quicker it sets up the more the zinc oxide stays suspended.

This recipe filled 5 tins half way. I wanted to be able to share it for testing.
This recipe made a soft lotion that I can scoop out with my finger and apply to my skin.

This sunscreen went on very smoothly. Hopefully by summer I’ll have a solution to my sun sensitivity with a less irritating sunscreen! We’ll see! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Make a Simple Car Air Freshener

I recently bought an air freshener for my car at the drug store counter. It clipped onto the vent on the dash. I lasted about 3 minutes before I threw it out…the scent was so strong and sickening I couldn’t stand it. It seemed like a good idea at the time!

Then I saw an Ad online that showed some air fresheners made of a simple chunk of wood with a clip attached. You were supposed to add drops of your own preferred essential or fragrance oil. At least I could choose the scent!

I found some samples online by just typing in “wood air freshener for the car.” There were interesting shapes like flowers with a clip on the back, or slices of a tree branch meant to hang on the mirror.

I wasn’t sure the oils would soak in properly and then provide a nice smell in the car without being overpowering.

With Bert’s help, and a bag full of wood scraps that he uses for all kinds of little projects, we gave it a try.

First, I ordered the clips from Amazon…they were called “Square Head Car Air Vent Clips.” A bag of 20 clips were $6.99.

They were a very tight clip. Next challenge…finding some chunks of wood. Bert came in with some round, fairly flat, disks to see if they might work. The groove around the center could capture the oil until it soaked in.

He experimented with how to attach the clip to the back. Plain glue would not work because of the kind of stress it would be under to pull it from the vent. He found a way to put a screw on each side of the base, with the edge of the screw overlapping the base. It worked great for now. He had some other ideas for the next batch.

Now that the base was secured, I needed to add drops of scented oil…I chose Lavender fragrance oil…mostly because I had a big bottle of it, and I could stand the scent.

First, I had to figure out a way to keep the whole thing vertical so the oil wouldn’t drip off before it soaked into the wood. I had this small box that held the roller balls in shipping. The clip just fit over the center divider and kept it upright while I added the oil.

Using the dropper, I filled the center ring and let it soak in. I did that several times over the next few days. Then I put it in the car vent. It helped to be driving around with the heated air coming through the vent. The first day it was quite noticeable, but by the second day it was very pleasant. Not sure how long it will last, but when I can’t smell it anymore, I’ll pull it out of the vent, bring it into the house, add more oil and put it back in the car.

Bert did make me five of these so I could switch up the scents. I’ll store them in labeled zip bags so I know which one had which scent. Pretty slick!

Try it yourself! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

DIY Perfume

If you have purchased any perfumes recently, you’ll know even a small bottle can sometimes be expensive. With all the essential oils I have around, it seems I could create a simple perfume that would satisfy me. Of course, it would be too easy to just look up the perfume I use, and like, and find a list of the scents or ingredients involved! I don’t think so. I guess those ingredients are classified as “trade secrets.”

Even trying to recognize the scents in my favorite perfume is beyond the talents of my nose! I bought a few books about how perfumes are developed and did discover quite a lot of discussion about top notes, middle notes and base notes. I can smell my essential oils one at a time and sort of see how they got classified, but in a mixture I’m at a loss.

Luckily, there are many simplified explanations and recipes online that demonstrate how certain scents work together. Recipes I can follow! One online site had recipes for three ways to make perfumes…an oil mixture in a roller ball; a solid mixture with scents added to an oil/beeswax combination; and a spray with an alcohol base with scents added.

This site can be found at https://simplepurebeauty.com/. You can find many more recipes by just searching for “make your own perfume.”

So today, I thought I’d try to make a roll-on perfume and a solid perfume. I’ll leave the spray for another time.

DIY Roll-on Perfume

I started with this recipe:

First, I got out an empty roller ball bottle. It came with a tool that’s pretty slick to get the ball out of the bottle and a tiny funnel.

That little half-circle slides right under the base of the ball and with a twist the ball comes right out. The tool came in the box with the roller balls.

This is the recipe I used:

First, I added the drops of essential oil to the bottle.
These are the three essential oils I used.

Once the essential oils are in the bottle, I just filled it the rest of the way with grapeseed oil (you could use almond oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil).

The best part about this recipe…it made just one bottle! If I don’t like it, I can wash it out and use the bottle again.

DIY Solid Perfume

Here’s the recipe I started with.

I adjusted the recipe to make a little more…big mistake! I now have enough perfume to last me quite a while. This is my adjusted recipe:

This process was much more familiar to me, since many of my lotion bars and salves are made the same way.

I started with the grapeseed oil and beeswax:

I melted them in a glass measuring cup in a pan of boiling water.

When it was all melted, I stirred in the 5 essential oils (see the recipe above) and poured it into small containers. I labeled the small containers:

At the end of all this, I had two similar smelling perfumes. Now we’ll see if I like applying the perfume with a roller ball or my finger…and which scent lasts longer. Then we’ll see if I’m ready to try a spray! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

The Unscented Choice

Over the last few months, I have encountered a few folks that have commented that they prefer unscented products, or had a preference for certain scents in the things I’ve made. Since I’m usually not selling my products, it hasn’t been an issue…my feelings aren’t hurt when my gifts have been turned down. When I think about it, I’ve added scents to a few of my products that could have been left unscented. Curious!

When I look back over the last 10 months of web posting, many of my body products either start with an organic olive oil that has been infused with either calendula flowers or lavender buds; or they begin with beeswax and shea butter that also have their own subtle scents. To those products, I add a scent or two…not just for the smell but for the healing properties of the essential oils.

Dried calendula flowers add a scent to olive oil, along with healing properties.
Lavender buds add a subtle scent to olive oil along with healing properties.

My soaps all start with a melt-and-pour soap base of some kind…my favorite is an aloe vera base. I also use goat’s milk, shea butter and a clear glycerine base. Each of these has a mild scent, with probably the glycerine soap base as the least scented.

Just a few of the soap base choices out there.

My specific interest has been in the various healing properties of the essential oils that I add to all these products. The natural bug spray used 5 different scents of essential oils! (https://marykisner.com/natural-bug-repellent-for-dogs/)

The natural bug spray used 5 different essential oils…all disliked by bugs!

My latest product was the travel soap tin that had an insert to allow a small bar of soap to dry better between uses. Since the focus of the product was the tin with insert, the kind of soap included really didn’t matter. I first used my aloe vera soap:

So, while I was thinking about unscented products, I grabbed a 1-pound chunk of clear organic glycerine soap from my stash and melted it down in two glass containers.

The first container I left absolutely plain. Hopefully, the mild scent of the glycerine soap would be OK for folks that preferred unscented. The second container I added a yellow soap tint and citrus blend essential oil just for variety. I now have a way to offer the travel soap tin to someone who prefers unscented. That felt good!

I will try to pay attention to where I use scents in my products, or at least mention ways to leave them unscented if possible. I also make a point to include a card with each item that tells exactly what is in each product. For example, when I made the eye pillows for headaches or toothaches, I added lavender buds to the flax seeds so when they were heated in the microwave they smelled good. It would be just as easy to leave the lavender buds out…the flax seeds are what held the heat/cold. (https://marykisner.com/making-a-hot-or-cold-eye-pillow-for-headaches-or-toothaches/)

As time goes on, I’m sure I’ll find other ways to reconfigure my products without scents. At the moment, I will continue to identify all the ingredients in my stuff so folks can make their own choices. Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Difference Between Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils

Essential Oils

Many of the projects I’m working with now include at least one essential oil. These oils impart a subtle scent to the products I’m making with added benefits like being soothing to the skin, or especially healing to damaged skin. Many essentials oils can be taken internally or can be used in aromatherapy.

Essential oils are extracted from different parts of a plant, such as flowers, stems or roots, usually through the process of steam distillation and are not cut with a type of carrier oil. Essential oils are difficult to reproduce synthetically since they can be made up of 50-500 different naturally occurring chemicals found in the plant. Many of these chemicals have not even been identified.

Most of the oils I use are essential oils. With a few exceptions, my products are meant to be soothing or healing to the skin…whether human or canine! For example, my lotion bars and soaps often include Lavender and Manuka Essential oils.

The Flea and Tick repellent includes Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Rose Geranium and Lavender essential oils. This mixture needs to be safe for the dog’s skin.

Oils used in the flea and tick repellent.

Fragrance oils

Fragrance oils are created in a laboratory. One of the main benefits of using these oils is that they are are non-volatile and the scent generally lasts longer than essential oils. However, they don’t provide the same health benefits as essential oils. They are designed purely for the purpose of mimicking a scent. Fragrance oils are problematic because these synthetic compounds are drying and irritating to the skin and can cause many other health problems. These compounds are hard to get away from as they’re found in most commercially offered cleaning products, room fresheners, personal care products, laundry soap, baby diapers, toilet paper, food, drinks, candy, toys and so on! If you have allergies, you have already learned how to read the fine print on products you buy.

A benefit of fragrance oils is their cost! They cost about half as much as the essential oils. Taking advantage of their long-lasting scent, I use fragrance oils in a few products. In my air-dry clay air freshener, I’ve found the essential oil lasts about a day. The fragrance oil will last for several weeks. In an air freshener, the scent is what matters to me.

Before I realized the cost difference, I used Citronella essential oil in my beeswax candles. I could have saved some money with the fragrance oil…although I don’t know if that scent would still repel mosquitos or if it’s something in the components of the oil that is given off when the candle is burned. We’ll see this summer!

Read Labels Carefully!

I can see it would have been very tempting to use a Lavender Fragrance Oil instead of Lavender Essential Oil in my products, since I use so much of it, but I think I would not have been able to say my products are good for your skin. However, they might have had a nice strong scent of Lavender for a longer time.

Read labels carefully on the products you buy. If it is supposed to be soothing to your skin, make sure it says Essential Oil! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly if you have questions, at marykisner@comcast.net.

Natural Bug Repellent for Dogs

All my work with essential oils has been geared for human use. I’ve been asked if this salve or that lotion can be used on their dogs and cats for their skin issues. (At the end of this post is an article from a veterinarian about which essential oils are safe for dogs and cats. This helped me a lot in choosing which oils would be safe in my spray.)

Today was my “chemistry experiment” day…where I experimented with making a Flea and Tick Repellent for dogs (but not cats). Here are two books I just got that have lots of recipe ideas.

The recipe I’m using today came from a website on the internet. Most of the recipes are pretty similar, with water, essential oils and something that serves as an emulsifier to disperse the oils in water.

Forgot to add the 1/4 teaspoon of Polysorbate 20 to the recipe. It was the emulsifier.

Last week I prepared to make this spray by ordering the 8 oz. spray bottles, the Lavender Hydrosol (basically lavender-infused water) and Rose Geranium essential oil. I already had the other oils. Then it was recommended I include an “emulsifier” to help the various essential oils disperse in the water. So, I ordered the Polysorbate 20.

I chose 8 oz. spray bottles because I was planning to give these to several folks that would test it for me.

I did not have enough Lavender Hydrosol to use only that instead of plain water, so I portioned it out so each spray bottle had 2 ounces. It smells really good!

Since the total amount of drops of essential oils measured to about 1/4 teaspoon, I added 1/4 teaspoon of the Polysorbate 20 that would help disperse the oils in water.

Then I filled the bottle the rest of the way with filtered tap water, screwed on the spray top and shook it up. Looks like the oil is dispersed just fine!

This spray is just for dogs. My research into which essential oils are safe showed that this will work for dogs, but NOT for cats. See the information below:

What Veterinarians Say About Essential Oils

I’d like to share what various veterinarians have recommended for which essential oils are safe for dogs and cats. There are many long lists of essential oils that are BAD for your pets. It’s easier to show you the list of oils that are SAFE for your dogs and cats.

This list came from Dr. Maranda Elswick, who is a licensed Veterinarian in Florida and Virginia:

Essential Oils Safe for Dogs include:

Cedarwood oil, Chamomile oil, Citrus oils (including lemon oil and orange oil), Eucalyptus oil, Fennel oil, Frankincense oil, Helichrysum oil, Lavender oil, Lemongrass oil, Certain mint oils (peppermint, spearmint), and Rose oil.

Essential Oils Safe for Cats include:

Chamomile oil, Jasmine oil, Lavender oil, and Rose oil.

So you can see, it matters what your pets are exposed to.

If you find your dogs or cats are experiencing mild respiratory irritation after inhaling an essential oil, move them to an area with fresh air.

If an essential oil causes irritations after contact with your pet’s skin or fur, wash the area with a pet-safe dishwashing liquid, such as Dawn.

If your dog or cat ingests an essential oil, consult with your veterinarian or poison control center immediately. Do NOT induce vomiting.

Good advice from Dr. Elswick!

I will make sure that the label on the final spray bottle will say NOT FOR CATS! I may also print out the list of safety warnings above on how to help your dog or cat if they have a reaction to this spray.

That was my chemistry experiment of the day! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly if you have questions at marykisner@comcast.net.

Healing Lotion Bars with Manuka Essential Oil

A lotion bar is a convenient way to have hand lotion nearby. They are easy to make, easy to carry in your purse or briefcase and safe to put in your carry-on luggage without worry about restrictions on liquids.

I’ve been making lotion bars for several years and I was interested in making them not only convenient but also healing for your hands. I tried to incorporate Manuka honey into the mix, but it doesn’t incorporate easily and I couldn’t add enough to make a difference. I tried using Aloe Vera gel, but that posed a similar problem. The heavy gel would sink to the bottom of my mix and the last bar I poured was big glop of Aloe Vera gel! Very frustrating!

I often start with Calendula-infused olive oil (see my post from April 7, 2021) and calendula has healing properties of its own, but I have a few folks that can’t use that herb. Lavender also has healing properties so I decided to use that.

About Manuka Essential Oil

Then I discovered Manuka Essential Oil was on the market. This essential oil has been found to have many of the same healing benefits of Manuka honey, and does not have the issue of being a bee product. The oil is made through steam distillation of the leaves, branches and other parts of the tree…no bees involved! That’s good, because folks who are very allergic to bee stings could also be triggered by honey and other bee products.

Manuka essential oil, like Tea Tree oil, possesses antifungal and anti bacterial properties. Unlike Tea Tree oil, Manuka oil is non-toxic and non-irritating. It is 20-30 times more active that Tea Tree oil against certain bacteria and more effective against strains of fungi and viruses. It is safe and soothes symptoms of itching skin, rashes and exzema.

Essential oils also do well when added to hot oil/wax mixtures. A small amount can make a difference. Now I had a better way to enhance the healing properties of my lotion bars.

(Please note: Do not use Manuka Essential Oil directly on your skin…always mix it with a little carrier oil like almond or olive oil.)

First Make Lavender-infused Olive Oil

Most lotion bars start with a good olive oil infused with herbs. Instead of using dried calendula flowers, I decided to use dried lavender buds. This would be better for some folks.

Infusing olive oil with lavender is the same process I used to infuse calendula (see the recipe below). I basically did the quicker method.

I started with a 1-quart canning jar and used about 2 cups of lavender flower buds. I simmered the oil/flower mixture for about 6 hours. Once I strained the flower buds out of the oil, I had about 2 cups of oil. I stored this oil in the refrigerator until I was ready to make these lotion bars.

Making the Lotion Bars

Now that I had the oil prepared, I was ready to make the lotion bars. Here’s the recipe:

You can see, the recipe is the same whether you are making Calendula-or Lavender-infused oil. The rest of the ingredients are shown below.

I measured and/or weighed out the ingredients into a glass heat-proof measuring cup, set the cup into a saucepan with water and slowly brought the water just to a boil. Then I reduced the heat until everything melted.

After removing it from the heat, I mixed in the Vitamin E (which acts as a preservative), the Lavender essential oil and the Manuka essential oil.

I poured the now clear, hot mixture into molds. This time I chose the paw print mold.

Your choice of mold will depend on what you plan to put them in and how many you want to make…the smaller the mold, the more you make. These bars do need a container of some kind. To take up less space they could be dropped into a zip lock bag, but the tins really are easier. I used 2 oz. tins with a clear window in the lid. I put a sticker/label on the back so folks know what it is (you may laugh, but I also make small soaps like this and it pays to label everything). When the bars are cool, I like to wrap them individually in clear plastic wrap so they look nice until I give them away!

When I package them, I include a card with the ingredients. On the back I’ve pasted a paragraph describing how to use them. The card says they will melt at temperatures above 75 degrees, but while they may soften, I haven’t found that to be a problem.

Now I’m ready to have lunch with some high school friends! Maybe they’ll agree to test these lotion bars! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.