A few scents’ worth

Q. I would like to know more about scented oils and candles. - Lourdes C. Santos

Q. Hello! I read your article regarding scented oils. My name is Joy and I’m based in Baguio City. I have my website,http://www. fullmoon.com.ph, which is an online lifestyle showroom. Anyway, I’m manufacturing pure scented oils.Right now I have 14 scents: tea tree, bergamot, cedar wood, pine forest, hazelnut, almond, fresh ground coffee, lemon, apple, cinnamon, cherry, balsam fir, peach and blackberry. Should you wish to sample my products, please visit Fabricare at Araneta Avenue, Quezon City or call 716-05-90 and ask for Gloria.You can also call me on my cell phone at 0917-506-1968.

The oils are sold per vial and one vial will give you 150 -180 drops. Each vial is priced from P85 to P100! Scented oils have many uses. Place some oil in a ceramic lamp ring that sits on a light bulb or in a simmering pot to fill a room with scent.

The scented oils are also used for candlemaking, soapmaking and other toiletries. The oils can be used in vacuum cleaners. Put some oil on a cotton ball and stick it into the vacuum cleaner bag and it will give off scent when you vacuum. On a cotton ball, put several drops of oil on a small mesh bag and throw it into the clothes dryer with a load of sheets or other laundry. The sheets or laundry will smell wonderful. If you would like to know more about these oils and their uses, e-mail me anytime. Thank you and have a great weekend!

JOY N. YU, Baguio City

Q. I was aghast when I read one of your columns endorsing that your readers use essential oils at home. There are different types of oils available out there. Diluted oils which are relatively safe to use, and then there are the 100 percent essential oils which your reader spoke about. Essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from various aromatic plants and trees. They are widely used for aromatherapy, a form of healing. If they are misused, they can be potentially hazardous. Therefore, it is important for a person to understand the property and characteristics of essential oils, and also be able to read about safety guidelines in using these oils before using them.

There are oils that are stimulating or relaxing, oils that are expectorant or antiseptic, or balsamic and detoxifying. Some are photo-toxic like orange or have high toxicity levels like camphor. For example, there only a few 100 percent essential oils that are safe for babies and children like lavender and rose. Or when one has high blood pressure, you should use ylang-ylang and for low blood pressure, you should use rosemary as it is a stimulating oil. The list goes on and on. The point is that 100 percent essential oils are safe for the home. However, one should be aware that not all of the oils work for everyone, especially if one does not know the properties of an essential oil and its effect on the human body, particularly children.

How can you publish such/an article without informing readers about safety guidelines? That, I think, is irresponsible! What was published gives the impression that essential oils are good ways to scent the house, but essential oils go beyond the scent factor. Don’t follow blindly. Be alert, research on the subject, and be safe.

ALOHA FROM SAM

A. Hello, dear readers! A health precaution was plainly proffered in our previous response to our reader’s illustration of how she helped make her home a more livable one. Owing to space constraints, our dear reader’s letter had much more "research" in her letter that was not published. To reiterate our concern to all our readers once again: precautions must always be taken. As with ALL food, drinks, home-cleaning implements, medical applications, essential oils, scented oils – inhaled or ingested, natural or synthetic, self-administered or doctor-prescribed – safety precautions should never be taken for granted. Nevertheless, thank you for the alarming vitriol, which may more effectively warn our readers to take protective measures when using concentrated oils inside the home.

* * * Kids Love Toys-In-A-Soap

Q. Hi, Bon! Have you ever seen those soaps for kids that have toys lodged inside, at the center of the bar? Do you know how I can make them? I’d like to try my hand at making them at home, but don’t know what and where to get the necessary materials. Any ideas on how to go about this project? Thanks.

EMIL TOMAS

A. Scour your children’s toy box for all the small (about only an inch high!) plastic toy animals, soldiers, dinosaurs, dolls, balls, or other shapes that you can find! Make a few purchases at your friendly craft store or supermarket: clear, unscented glycerin soap, food coloring, double boiler (preferably Pyrex to see through as you melt the glycerin), and a rectangular or oval heat-resistant container with a flat bottom. Cut up the glycerin block and estimate a certain amount to fit into each container mold. Figure out what toys are going where and fit each into a container. Put pieces of glycerin into the double boiler (water into the lower level) and stir until completely melted. Add two to three drops of your kid’s favorite food color (perhaps, green for animals, red for soldiers, yellow for a dolls, blue for dinosaurs) and stir until coloring is completely blended. Now, do the next step quickly, but carefully: pour the mold half full, slip toy into the center, then pour melted glycerin into mold completely over the toy. Glycerin hardens quickly and if you don’t top it off quickly enough, the bottom may harden and your Soap may end up coming apart. Cool the mold for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, turn it over and give it a little push on the bottom and it should just pop out.

* * * First Birthday Giveaways

Q. Hi, Bon! I’m writing to ask you for another favor: my son will be turning one year old this July. Do you have ideas on what we can give away to our visitors and his ninongs and ninangs? More power! We’ll be waiting for your reply.

PAUL ENCARNACION
San Miguel Corporation

A. That’s very thoughtful and generous of you to consider giving away souvenirs during your firstborn’s upcoming birthday celebration! I suppose that the range of keepsakes is unlimited, but we can narrow it down to something that you consider both affordable and practical to give to all your guests. A silver spoon, bootie, or rattle nestled in a string pouch made of velvet or a satin ribbon box can make a memorable souvenir when engraved with your son’s name and birthday. A less expensive memento could be a collection of prettily wrapped candies, tin cross and ring pendants, and bronze coins (the process of bronzing baby shoes is a tradition some parents still practice today) ensconced in a tulle sachet and tied with curled, bright blue or pink ribbons. A computer-generated thank you note on eggshell-colored vellum paper with your baby’s photograph scanned into a framed portion will also make a nice and simple gift. You can make it three-fold, so that when a thick, ribbon running across the front is untied, its leaves open up on both sides. Good luck!

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