Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I Have a Secret

Here in our happy home we endeavor to use as few chemicals as we can get away with.  Lavender essential oil is the scent of choice.  Not  fragrance oil, true essential oil.  I add it to my unscented laundry soap, unscented body lotions, bath salts, etc.  We always have three spray bottles filled with water and essential oil to use as a cat deterrent, a dog deterrent (set to mist, of course), as well as sleeping potion and for simple spills.  Lavender is a disinfectant, you know!  They used it in the trenches in WWI!  I add lavender to shea butter to make my own furniture cream.  Smells good and works extremely well!
I have a separate bottle in the basement, with a few tablespoons of bleach added to keep the litter boxes clean and bacteria free.  I also sprinkle lavender oil directly on the wood stairs to our basement and on the front porch!
Lavender essential oil can be very expensive, though it is worth it, I think.
I found a company that sells the most delightful lavender and other essential oils for way less than you can buy those chemical laden fragrance oils!  Fifteen dollars buys 3.33 oz!  In lavenderspeak that's a lot of oil!  I usually buy mine by the dozen.  Shipping is free on orders over $100!  I also buy my bulk lavender buds, rose petals, bulk sachet pouches, cocoa butter, bath salts and many other essential oils from them.  You absolutely cannot beat their prices! I used to buy my lavender at L'Occitane, but my oh my!  They charge $18 for .33 oz.  That is point three three!


The name of the company I buy from is Bolek Crafts Supply nothing fancy but they are family owned and very friendly!
Because I own seven pets (they actually own me) and my husband has a home gym in the basement I am concerned about the way my home smells.  I would never think to pollute the air with toxic chemical plug-ins or the like.
Every single visitor to my home remarks on how good it smells! (*dramatically wipes brow* phew!)
A few things you need to know in advance.  If you make a spray bottle for your lavender you will need a spray bottle made for industrial cleaners, as the oil degrades the other type and the pump stops working.  You can buy the bottles just about anywhere.  I load mine up with lavender but you can use as little or as much as you like!


Be warned, undiluted lavender oil will remove paint finishes on furniture!  I learned the hard way!  I have used it since then to age paint, though!

9 comments:

  1. We love lavender and grow some in our garden. When you walk thru the fragrance is so nice!
    We wash the windows and mirrors with water and a little vinegar no chemicals in our house!
    A beauty salon I worked in when I was first starting out washed their windows with water and vinegar, wiping it off with wadded up newspaper. They always sparkled!
    Have a nice day!
    Mary

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  2. And you say your blog is not a learning blog. You have shared a lot with us! I look at the youtube video's of Medicinal Aromatherapist, Siddiqa Salter, He talks a lot about essential oil's and there benefits. I have been interested in them but have not bought them because of the high cost. Thanks for sharing this reasonable priced source. I will buy some Lavender essential oil's and imagine I'm in the South of France. Thanks

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  3. I LOVE Essential Oils... my two staples are the Lavender and Nag Champa.

    Speaking of 'remedies' I tried one tonight that I shall not repeat... been having dryness in my sinus and on Dr. Oz yesterday a Yoga Expert suggested salt water (this part was okay) followed by wee bit of Ghee (clarified butter) massaged gently in nostrils. Well, the good news is it works... and the not so good news is that Ghee is a very rich aroma like Orange Blossoms is... and now I can't get that smell out of my nose and I'm only hoping it wears off before morning or I might hurl!? *LOL* I think I'll just risk dry sinus if the salt water alone doesn't do the trick... and save the Ghee for eating! *wink*

    Dawn... The Bohemian

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  4. Andie you're enceinte? Oh girlfriend how WONDERFUL!! Well you might not be thinking so right about now... Getting to the end of the internet and all amongst other things *winks* but that's so exciting!! I'll wait to hear more about that and not pry....But that's asking a lot! Lol!
    As for my mystery piece I've been trying hard to figure out that durn thing too, and I think you were actually right on track with it coming out of a church. It looks most likely to me. Excellent guess my friend! People keep telling me to use it as a vanity tray and such, but it's quite LARGE. I think tabernacle stand is more like it.

    I too love the smell of lavender! I'm going to go full bore with planting it this year. It's one of the few things that does grow in my climate and clay rich soil. Thanks for the heads up on the lavender oil. I'm going to order some. That IS a very good price! And if peeps think your house smells great with your menagerie? SOLD! Good nuff for me *winks* Vanna

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  5. *Merde* I forgot to add....Send me that pic girlfriend! My bed is cryin' for some swagger! Lol! V

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  6. I didn't either know about the gelatin - google is not always a good thing! Now I'm going to give up the wine gums and just drink wine instead!
    x Sharon

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  7. Great informative post! We grow our own herbs and have a small herb business. One of the things we plan to plant this year is lavender. So, this is some great ideas that I can include when talking to customers. I can't wait to try it out. And thanks for the link. I will check them out and probably place an order so, I can experiment.

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  8. Great tips, Andie...what is the ratio of dilution that you use for your lavender oil spray?
    ;-D Kathleen

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  9. Kathleen, a mere 12 drops per spray bottle is more than enough.

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