Essentially Yours is a privately owned and operated business in Upstate NY. We specialize in handmade, natural, and vegan friendly bath and body products. We also make home fragrance items and natural pet care products.  We use natural ingredients because we believe what you put on your body should be as important as what goes into it.

The purpose of this page is to provide you with random information related to natural, organic, and synthetic practices.  We do not hold any accountability for the information contained in the links provided on this page. This page is strictly a page of links to websites and articles that we feel our readers may have interest in.

Medical disclaimer: We do not claim therapeutic benefits from our products. We do not claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. The use of essential oils in our products is for aroma pleasure only. Please, always consult your doctor or health care specialist if you are in any way concerned about your physical or mental well being.

What is an Essential Oil?

An essential oil is a concentrated liquid, containing aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the “oil of” the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is “essential” in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant.

Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in their properties. This is a physical process, not a chemical reaction. Essential oils are distilled from plant leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, bark, resins, or the rinds of citrus fruits. It takes at least 50 pounds of plant material to make one pound of essential oil.

What is a Fragrance Oil?

A Fragrance oil, also known as an aroma oil or flavor oil, is a blended synthetic aroma compound that is created in a lab, made to smell like the actual oil. Some people feel that synthetic fragrance oils are less desirable than plant-derived oils because they generally do not have the same aroma properties.

Allergies and Essential Oils

An allergy is caused by exposure to an antigen (allergen) that results in an increased reactivity to that antigen upon subsequent exposure. An allergic response is your body’s immune system’s reaction to certain antigens, for example, to plants (pollens, molds, oils, nuts…etc.).

Essential oils should never be applied directly to the skin, nor should they be directly inhaled. The exceptions to this are Lavender and Tea Tree Oils; there are few people who will find that their skin reacts to them. Our products are made with a .5% essential oil usage rate, except for Lavender which is 1%. If you have allergies, highly sensitive skin, or suffer from any medically diagnosed conditions, it is recommended that you use caution when using essential oils.

Safety Precautions

Children - You should take special care when using essential oils on children. We recommend if you are purchasing our products for a child, it is best to have it scented with a fragrance oil.

Pregnant Women - Many oils are potentially dangerous to pregnant women, and could even cause premature labor. The following should not be used if you are pregnant: Anise, Basil, Bay, Cedar wood, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Geranium, Hyssop, Marjoram, Myrrh, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Tagetes, Thyme, and Wintergreen.

Epilepsy - If you suffer from epilepsy it is not recommended that you use: Cedar Leaf, Hyssop, Sage, or Rosemary.

High Blood Pressure - People with high blood pressure should avoid hyssop, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

Citrus and Sun Exposure - After applying citrus oils to the skin, you should avoid direct sunlight exposure for six (6) hours.

Nut Allergies - Many of our products contain a nut oil as a carrier oil, either Sweet Almond, Hazelnut, or Coconut. If you have an allergy to any of these, please let us know before ordering so we may use a different carrier oil in your products.

Pet Safety - Essential Oils can be not only dangerous to cats, but lethal! We do not recommend using Essential Oil products on or around your cat..

Medical disclaimer: We do not claim therapeutic benefits from our products. We do not claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. The use of essential oils in our products is for aroma pleasure only. Please, always consult your doctor or health care specialist if you are in any way concerned about your physical or mental well being.