The term fragrance oil normally applies to the oils which are used to provide aroma for our sensual pleasure. Essential oils will do the same in many circumstances but this is not their primary intended purpose. Essential oils do provide fragrance but their greatest benefit to us lies in their healing properties. Fragrance oils may be perfumes or cologne oils, or they may be potpourri oils. They can be either natural or synthetically produced. They will more often than not have some synthetic ingredients added to them to enhance their natural essence. Modern science as it applies to perfume and scented oil has lept forward in recent years.Sometimes compounds are added which will greatly enhance the aroma. These chemical compounds often work wonders for the product itself and greatly increase its marketability.

Fragrance oils may have colorants or thickeners added to them to give them customer appeal also. They may even have a small amount of solvent such as alcohol added to magnify the natural essence. Because of all of the things which are done to fragrance oils to enhance their aroma there is a much wider range of different aromas available for the customers use. Allow me to add here that we don't do anything to alter the natural oils that we provide here at all. We guarantee that they will be pure and natural. We also guarantee their freshness. 

Essential oils are naturally produced by extracting the essential material from plants by pressure or distillation. When you smell an essential oil you are getting the true essence of the natural fragrance. Essential oils can be used to provide fragrance but they are better known for their healing properties. The type of oil that you choose depends on the way that you intend to use it. When essential oils are used for their fragrance it is normally because the fragrance has an intended effect such as calming, or clearing the airways. Their use is medicinal ninety percent of the time.

The term ‘Essential” refers to the fact that the fragrance is the essence of the actual substance itself. So when you smell the fragrance you are actually ingesting molecules of the scent. These molecules enter the bloodstream where they can provide their healing properties.

 There are various methods of extracting fragrance or essence from natural materials. The first is known as Cold Press Extraction. In this method the essence is pressed from the skin, stems, or leaves of the material. This method is preferred because it does not alter the natural essence of the material at all.

Steam Distillation is used to pull the essence out of the material. This is the most widely used method and I am sure that you can see the advantages of using it. However the heat of the steam can destroy or alter the natural essence of the product.

When Chemical Solvent Extraction is used a solvent is used to leech the aroma from the material. This method works fine but it is least preferred because of the fact that the solvent which is totally foreign is introduced and may change the aroma of the substance used. Sometines the solvent will add to the fragrance. This is the case when alcohol is used. The alcohol changes the fragrance composition of the material by adding its own signature. The alcohol seems to enhance the fragrance but it destroys the integrity of the fragrance.

The last method used to extract fragrance is called Effleurage. In this technique odorless fats or oils absorb the fragrance from the material in question. This is the way that I extract the essence from healing plants when I want to use it for my personal health. When you use this method a very small amount of heat is acceptable to help speed up the process but it still takes time. I like to use this technique to extract the fragrance from the healing plants that I own except that I don't use any other heat than what occurs naturally.

Both essential oils and body oils are excellent and they should be used the way that they are created to be used, which is in their natural condition or as close to it as possible.