Essential Oils, Absolutes & CO2 Extracts:

We are often asked the difference between the numerous fragrant plant extracts we carry at Snowdrift Farm. At this writing, we carry essential oils, absolutes, CO2 extracts and floral waxes.

Essential Oils:

An essential oil is the aromatic and volatile extract of a plant. The essential oil may be liquid, semi-solid or solid, depending upon the product and climatic conditions. Oils are obtained through expression or steam distillation of the plant. We use these oils in soap and lotion making, as well as candles, potpourri, aromatherapy and perfuming. According to Jeanne Rose, “Some essential oils are not in the living tissue, but are formed during the destruction of the living tissue. Certain botanical species have little scent, but they produce a volatile or essential oil when macerated begins a fermentation (destructive) process. The macerate is then distilled the volatile oil comes off.” (1)

Concretes:

Concretes are highly concentrated solid or semi-solid perfuming materials. They are waxy to the touch. Concretes are made by alcohol or ether extraction of the essence of the plant material from an existing source, such as a pomade or enfleurage. We use concretes in perfuming and to make absolutes.

Absolutes:

An absolute is a complex material. To obtain an absolute, you must first have the concrete, as described above. Absolutes are extracted from concretes via alcohol. Most absolutes are liquid, but certain ones are semi-solid or solid. “Absolutes can also be obtained from the water of the distillation process such as Lavender water-absolute or Rose water-absolute…The part of an absolute one can steam distill is called an absolute oil.”(2)

CO2 Extracts:

CO2 extraction or supercritical CO2 extraction is another method of capturing the essence of the plant material. CO2 extracts are usually semi-solid to solid, though there are a few liquid examples. CO2 is vaporized and dissipated into the plant material, leaving only the extracted material behind. Some perfumiers prefer CO2 extracts believing the method is purer (no alcohol or solvents are used) and less heat intensive. Although the cost of CO2 is reasonable, most CO2 extracts tend to be expensive. Most handcrafters use CO2 extracts in fine toiletries and perfuming.

Resinoids:

Used in perfuming, resinoids are obtained from naturally resinous materials, such as fir, pine or balsa trees, via hydrocarbon extraction. Oleoresins: Oleoresins may be obtained naturally, as seepage or exudation, from plants. Most commonly, oleoresins are obtained through the solvent extraction of the plant material. They are used widely in food preparation and cosmetics and toiletries. These concentrated resins are usually colorful, so be prepared for a color shift in your product if you use these materials.

Check Snowdrift Farm’s essential oils, absolutes and CO2 extracts here!

(1) Jeanne Rose, THE AROMATHERAPY BOOK, p. 54, c 1992, North Atlantic Books
(2) Ibid, p. 45

Minding the Mint

peppermint (pep er-mint, -ment) n. 1. a kind of mint grown for its strong, fragrant oil used in medicine, candies, etc. 2. the oil itself 3. a candy flavored with this. (1)


Well that may be what the dictionary says, but happily, and as you probably surmised, I have more to add.

The word “peppermint” itself dates back to the 17th century England. It is a compound word invented to describe the flavor and scent of the herb that is a cultivated hybrid between two wild mints, Mentha viridis (aka spearmint) and Mentha aquatica (aka water mint) now known as Mentha piperita. But the herb has roots in ancient Egypt, and is found extensively in food and medicinal references throughout Greek and Roman histories.

Throughout history, peppermint has been used as an aid to relieve colds, nausea, vomiting and stomach maladies. Maybe it’s the grassy-minty scent, or maybe it’s the effects of menthol on the human system – whatever it is, peppermint seems to work wonders, more often than not.

From Iowa to Italy, peppermint is cultivated worldwide, but thrives in rich, moist, dark soil. The best oils and extracts come from northern regions. Here in the United States, our northern central and northwestern states grow superior quality peppermints, including my favorite, Yakima (Washington, USA) peppermint. I love the Yakima type for its round, sweet note and low menthol count. While menthol is undoubtedly the reason why mint smells so minty, too much of a good thing can be a problem. Yakima peppermint offers a lovely, balanced note, reminiscent of peppermint candy. It’s the only peppermint oil we sell at Snowdrift Farm – and it’s on sale throughout October, along with our peppermint herb.

Wondering how to use peppermint in your daily routine? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Create a Foot Fetish! Add several drops of peppermint oil and ¼ - ½ teaspoon to 2 ounces of moisturizer. Massage into feet and ankles. Rinse. Follow with peppermint foot spray: mix 8 oz. distilled water with 40 drops of peppermint essential oil and .1 oz. of potassium sorbate (as a preservative). Dispense from a pretty spray bottle.

2) Have a cup of peppermint tea to relax and soothe you

3) Make your own toothpaste by mixing one tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide and 5-7 drops peppermint essential oil

or, consider these formulas from Snowdrift Farm:

Lavender (& Peppermint) Linen Spray

Whipped Shaving Cream Soap

Doggie Dry Bath & Deodorant

Gently Moisturizing Self-Heating Mask

Restorative Herbal Mineral Soak

Cooling Aftershave

Thick Gel Hand Sanitizer

The Original Beach Time Foot Scrub

Herbal Astringent


Footnotes:

(1) Oxford-American Dictionary

Back to Central

I love the scent of freshly made soap, especially if it contains essential oils -- or fragrance oils. The right fragrance oils. Even though I am committed to making a batch of soap with each new fragrance oil we bring on at Snowdrift Farm, I am partial to essential oils in cold process soap.

We've had a slew of new fragrance oils lately, so I have to admit that my production of cold process soaps containing essential oils has been wanting. I was reminded this week just how much I miss the essential oils while making private label batches for a local customer I'll call "V".

V's company provides "green housecleaning" services, but she loves the soap, and peddles it at every chance. She just doesn't want to make the soap. That's where I come in. V and I have spent many hours determine exactly what she wants in her soaps, and she wants everything to be natural. The first two batches contain Sencha and Gemaicha Teas, amongst a litany of other yummy ingredients, and have decidedly citrusy essential oil blends in them.

When I formulated these soaps with V, I kind of turned my nose up at her essential oil blend suggestions. After all, they were not the Oriental/Floriental blends of which I am enamored. In the end, V won out. They are her soaps. I just had it in my head that I would not like the smell of them. Boy, was I wrong.

Batch no. 1 contains a preponderance of lemongrass topped off with a splash of Roman Chamomile. Batch No. 2 is scented with a citrus accord of tangerine, pink grapefruit and bergamot with an inference of Chinese ginger in the background. Paired with the teas and a few other natural texturizing and coloring ingredients, they are beautiful. They smell beautifully, too.

This experience has brought me back to central. I like FO's, but I love EO's. And that's just the way it is for me.

Harvesting Lavender

At one point in the past 10 years, I noted to my business coach that if I had to rename Snowdrift Farm, I'd probably choose The Lavender and Shea Butter Company. Lavender essential oil outsells almost every other essential oil, absolute and CO2 extract that we sell, nearly 2:1. There's a reason for that.

Of course, I'd love to boast that Snowdrift Farm sells an oil apart from others that are available on the market today, but the truth is that our best-selling lavender essential oil, our French lavender 40/42, is a standardized material. This means that the lavender 40/42 you purchase from Snowdrift Farm should be of the same quality as any lavender 40/42 in the world. The numbers 40/42 refer to the linalyl acetate/linalool count -- that odor which makes lavender oil smell like, well -- lavender. Essential oils of citronella and eucalyptus are similarly categorized.

What makes Snowdrift Farm's 40/42 different from others out there is our consistency. We have been purchasing from the same source for over 10 years. From distillery to distillery, oils differ, even if ever so slightly. There's a lot to be said for consistency. The same with our Bulgarian lavender essential oil. It's a beautiful oil, with a rounder, sweeter note than the 40/42. Our Bulgarian lavender has a camphor count of about 2%. That's pretty low and its relative absence adds to the sweetness. By contrast, the 40/42 is in the 6-8% range. I use the 40/42 for soapmaking and reserve the Bulgarian for perfumes, lotions and other such goodies.

Lavender grows all over the world in the temperate zone. They say the 'best' lavender is cultivated in the Mediterranean, where the soils are rocky or sandy and drainage is optimal. Hot weather encourages the plants to flower and bloom. Harvest and distillation take place quickly during the summer months, June through September. Here in the USA, plenty of good lavender is cultivated and celebrated. There seem to be an awful lot of lavender farmers located in Washington and Oregon, though. Our friends at Pelindaba Lavender and Sequim Lavender celebrate lavender yearly with festivals and fairs. Now, that would be a fun road trip.