Bergamot Oil

About Bergamot Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus bergamia

Usually produced through expression (cold pressing) of the bergamot orange peel, bergamot essential oil has a pleasant citrus aroma.

Aromatherapy applications for bergamot essenital oil include acne, depression, viral and fungal infections, and anxiety.

In natural essential oil perfumes, bergamot essential oil has a pleasing scent that combines well with most other essential oils. It combines well with floral, woody, and other citrus essential oils; try blends with lavender, cedarwood, or mandarin orange essential oils.

If used topically, any exposure to sunlight must be avoided, as bergamot may a phototoxic essential oil. Use furo-coumarin free bergamot essential oil to reduce these risks. Please thoroughly familiarize yourself with safety information before using any essential oil.

Bergamot Essential Oil Resources
Bergamot Essential Oil Profile
Wikipedia: Bergamot

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Black Pepper Oil

About Black Pepper Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Piper nigrum

Black pepper essential oil is derived from steam distillation of the fruit and stems. It has a warm, spicy aroma that is distinct but not unpleasant.

Because of its warming properties, black pepper essential oil is used to alleviate muscle aches and cramps. It also may be useful for improving circulation, especially to the skin when used topically.

In natural perfume blends, black pepper essential oil lends a warm, masculine, spicy note. It blends well with woody, warm, or herbaceous oils, such as cedarwood, ginger, or rosemary essential oils. Used in small quantities, it adds a spicy hint to floral or fruity blends.

Please thoroughly familiarize yourself with safety information before using any essential oil.

Black Pepper Essential Oil Resources ~
Black Pepper Essential Oil Profile
Black Pepper May Help You Stop Smoking
Essential Oil Blend with Black Pepper

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Essential Oil Encyclopedia

Learn About Essential Oils:
Black Pepper Oil
Bergamot Oil


Essential oil entries will be added above, one at a time....
In the meantime, here are some great resources:
Take a look at Essential Oil Profiles and Properties and Uses for Essential Oils at
Wavelengths Natural Health Aromatherapy.

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Can I use essential oils as preservatives?

Ask the Aromatherapist:

I am going to try making some body products at home (such as lotions). I want to avoid using chemical based preservatives in my products because I want them to be all natural. I've read that essential oils kill bacteria and molds etc so can I use them instead of regular preservatives since I want to put essential oils in them anyway? How do I use them this way?

You are correct, essential oils do have germ killing properties: they may be antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, or all three, depending on the oil. However, essential oils do not make good preservatives in body/skin care products. Some essential oils are strongly antimicrobial when used in their fully-concentrated forms (i.e. when used undiluted), but when diluted to the extent that would be appropriate in a body lotion, for example, the essential oil would not be concentrated enough in the lotion to act as a preservative.

If you plan to sell or give away the body care products that you make, you should include appropriate preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Any body care product with water or water-based ingredients in it has the potential for microbial growth. Only very small amounts of parabens, such as methyl paraben and propyl paraben, are needed for preserving your body lotion.

If you are just making body care products for yourself and don't want to include preservatives, try packaging them in small containers, so that you will use up the quantities in a shorter time and therefor reduce the chance of contamination and microbial growth, and keep them refrigerated to discourage microbial growth.

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What Are Some Good Beginner Essential Oils?

Ask the Aromatherapist:

I recently became interested in Aromatherapy, and I wanted to know what are some good essential oils for a beginner to buy. I want to buy maybe 5 or 10 to start with, and see how I do with them.

It depends on what you plan to use the essential oils for, but since you didn't specify whether you want them for health applications, for skin care, or simply for their natural aromatic properties, I'll suggest some oils that may fall into all three of these categories.

Please make sure that in addition to buying some essential oils, you buy one or two aromatherapy books with good safety guidelines, and that you thoroughly research the oils you want to use before you use them.

Don't forget to dilute essential oils well if you plan to do any topical applications. Remember that in almost all cases, "less is more" when you're using essential oils. When you buy essential oils, also buy at least one carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, and use it for dilutions. Add only 1-5 drops of essential oil(s) total per ounce of carrier oil, body lotion, bath/shower gel, etc.

10 Essential Oils to Start Your Aromatherapy Collection:

1. Lavender (Lavendula augustifolia)
2. Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
3. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
4. Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
5. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), be sure to buy furo-coumarin free
6. Lemon (Citrus lemon)
   
7. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)
8. Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)
9. Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
10. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

A few more that you might want to try, if you decide to invest in more than 10: Atlas Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), Frankincense (Boswellia carteri), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Marjoram (Origanum majorana), and Black Pepper (Piper nigrum). Have fun exploring essential oils! :-)

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