There’s a seemingly unending number of posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok from friends and companies touting the benefits of natural oils. Yes, essential oils are having a moment right now. While controversy exists over whether or not essential oils provide the medicinal effects that manufacturers brag about, the science of smell does play a vital role in your everyday life. You probably don’t even realize it.
You are always smelling something
Your olfactory system works around the clock. Even when you don’t know it, this sensory system experiences smell all of the time. At any moment, scent molecules enter your nasal cavity and tickle your olfactory nerves. The odor then triggers a response in your brain. For instance, if you smell someone cooking your favorite meal, your brain flushes with feelings of happiness and joy.
Since smell is a sensory experience, certain memories may also trigger olfactory responses. For instance, remembering your beloved grandmother may be linked to the scent of the gorgeous roses she grew in her garden every year. Much like how when we see something we adore or dislike, and our brain responds, the same thing happens when we catch the scent of something in the air.
Since this system functions all day, every day, aromatherapy may be an effective method for treating certain conditions in conjunction with other remedies. However, essential oils are a billion-dollar industry. You could inadvertently waste precious time and money on aromatherapy products that do not yield results.
Why essential oils are trending
Aromatherapy is an easy way to address wellness concerns without the hassle of a doctor’s appointment, health insurance or prescriptions. As this method of self-care becomes more popular, researchers and individuals have started to look more closely into the uses for essential oils beyond aromatherapy applications.
Be advised that some companies make outlandish claims about their essential oil products. Since this market is currently unregulated, there is no oversight about how these oils are advertised or sold.
Make your nose work for you
We’ve mentioned that deep connection between your olfactory system and your memories. The goal of aromatherapy is to trigger an appropriate emotional response from you. This can be tricky if you have negative associations with specific odors.
By and large, research and data indicate that certain scents consistently create a variety of emotional responses. Lavender calms the mind, while neroli increases heart rate. Therefore, an essential oil diffuser filled with lavender and neroli oils might make it easier for you to focus on work because you are not anxious, but rather wide awake and ready to work.
When shopping for aromatherapy or essential oil products, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You do not want to purchase something that may hurt rather than help you.
If you have questions about essential oils in bath products or candles, stop by our El Cajon, CA store today. Soaps & Scents stocks a wide selection of handmade, small-batch soaps, room sprays, bath bombs, soy wax candles and body lotions, all infused with essential oils. Our staff is happy to work with you to find the right product for your needs.
The Basics of Making Hand Soap
If there’s one substance that can be found in every home in the country, it’s soap. This magical substance is used every day for various purposes, from washing your hair to washing your dishes. Of course, the most common purpose of soap is to clean the hands. Now more than ever, it’s critical for every family to promote regular, extensive hand washing before meals and before and after leaving the house.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with focusing more on hygiene. That said, washing your hands over and over can have some pretty damaging effects on your skin. Repeated hand washing can cause your hands to dry out. Painful cracks form. Itchiness becomes prevalent. Of course, there are hand soap options that will preserve your delicate skin, but they tend to be pricy. When you’re washing your hands 10 or 15 times a day, you can hardly afford to break the bank on hand soap.
Perhaps it’s time to think about making your own soap. If you’d like to know how to make hand soap, we’ve got you covered.
Gathering the ingredients
Making your own soap can take as little as a few minutes or as long as six weeks. It all depends on the soap you use. You can start with a pre-made fragrance-free soap, like Castile soap, or you can make your soap from scratch. Traditionally, handmade soap was made from a combination of water, lye and animal lard. If you are concerned about using animal lard, it can be swapped for a blend of natural oils like avocado oil, almond oil, shea butter, coconut oil and others.
Be careful
If you’re going full DIY with your hand soap, be aware that, when mixed with water, lye can be very caustic. When working with lye, be sure to wear gloves and exercise caution during the mixing process. It’s also important to use the correct amount of lye in your recipe. To help with that, there are several free lye calculators online.
The mixing process
Once you’ve collected the correct amount of water, lye and natural ingredients, it’s time to mix the soap. Carefully pour the lye into your water solution (NEVER pour the water into the lye). Stir until the lye is dissolved. Remember, do not touch this liquid. Allow your lye to cool down under a vent while you melt your oils in a slow cooker on low heat. Once they’re adequately melted, add the lye-water mixture to your slow cooker and stir.
Blend the mixture until it resembles a pudding. Then, add your fragrance ingredients (whatever you want!) and let the mixture cook on low heat for an hour. Finally, pour the mixture into a mold and let it sit for 24 hours to harden.
The finest quality soap
Even though you now know how to make hand soap, you just might not have the time to wait several weeks for your new, nourishing soap to take effect. Or perhaps all of this sounds like an awful lot of work. That’s when it’s time to visit Soaps & Scents. For more than 25 years, we have provided high-quality bar and liquid soaps in a variety of fragrances that you’re bound to love. Stop by and see us today!
Benefits of Foaming Soap
Foaming soap is more than just a cool trick—it actually has some additional benefits over liquid or bar soaps. In the age of COVID-19, any handwashing is better than none, but washing with foaming soap might be the best option of all. Here’s why foam soap is a smart choice for your bathroom, kitchen and other settings.
How foaming soap works
Foaming soap is slightly diluted liquid soap in a special pressurized dispenser. When you pump the dispenser, the soap is infused with air, which creates a pleasant foam. Some foaming dispensers are refillable, while others are disposable—attempting to refill the latter type of dispenser will not create the same foaming effect.
The dispenser has two chambers: one delivers soap, while the other combines the soap with air to create the foam. Depending on what kind of dispenser you have, you may need to replace refillable containers with special pressurized soap pods.
Here’s a closer look at the advantages of using foaming soap:
Foaming soap is an easy and smart choice when you want to keep your hands clean, save money and reduce your impact on the environment—and when you buy from a small, independent company like Soaps & Scents, you’ll also get superior quality and hypoallergenic products. Shop our foaming soap collection or stop by our store during business hours. We’d be glad to help you find your new favorite products.
The Science of Smell
There’s a seemingly unending number of posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok from friends and companies touting the benefits of natural oils. Yes, essential oils are having a moment right now. While controversy exists over whether or not essential oils provide the medicinal effects that manufacturers brag about, the science of smell does play a vital role in your everyday life. You probably don’t even realize it.
You are always smelling something
Your olfactory system works around the clock. Even when you don’t know it, this sensory system experiences smell all of the time. At any moment, scent molecules enter your nasal cavity and tickle your olfactory nerves. The odor then triggers a response in your brain. For instance, if you smell someone cooking your favorite meal, your brain flushes with feelings of happiness and joy.
Since smell is a sensory experience, certain memories may also trigger olfactory responses. For instance, remembering your beloved grandmother may be linked to the scent of the gorgeous roses she grew in her garden every year. Much like how when we see something we adore or dislike, and our brain responds, the same thing happens when we catch the scent of something in the air.
Since this system functions all day, every day, aromatherapy may be an effective method for treating certain conditions in conjunction with other remedies. However, essential oils are a billion-dollar industry. You could inadvertently waste precious time and money on aromatherapy products that do not yield results.
Why essential oils are trending
Aromatherapy is an easy way to address wellness concerns without the hassle of a doctor’s appointment, health insurance or prescriptions. As this method of self-care becomes more popular, researchers and individuals have started to look more closely into the uses for essential oils beyond aromatherapy applications.
Be advised that some companies make outlandish claims about their essential oil products. Since this market is currently unregulated, there is no oversight about how these oils are advertised or sold.
Make your nose work for you
We’ve mentioned that deep connection between your olfactory system and your memories. The goal of aromatherapy is to trigger an appropriate emotional response from you. This can be tricky if you have negative associations with specific odors.
By and large, research and data indicate that certain scents consistently create a variety of emotional responses. Lavender calms the mind, while neroli increases heart rate. Therefore, an essential oil diffuser filled with lavender and neroli oils might make it easier for you to focus on work because you are not anxious, but rather wide awake and ready to work.
When shopping for aromatherapy or essential oil products, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You do not want to purchase something that may hurt rather than help you.
If you have questions about essential oils in bath products or candles, stop by our El Cajon, CA store today. Soaps & Scents stocks a wide selection of handmade, small-batch soaps, room sprays, bath bombs, soy wax candles and body lotions, all infused with essential oils. Our staff is happy to work with you to find the right product for your needs.