Hello and happy sunny Friday. In Hanover Ontario its a beautiful sunny February day which is all we could ask for after many weeks of gloomy clouds. Take in the sunshine!
And on that note, what else can you enjoy now and all year around? A great smelling product, for us that would be handmade soaps and soy candles. There is a lot of controversy on the internet about which is better. Fragrance oils or essential oils. Fairly certain I have touched on this subject in previous posts but I never get bored of talking scents.
Fragrance oils are synthetic compounds made up of natural and synthetic ingredients and are perfectly blended to make wonderful things like strawberry, melon and vanilla that you simply can't get from an essential oil.
Essential oils are made by extracting oils from plants in a way that makes it possible to enjoy nature without the use of synthetic ingredients. Lavender, Patchouli and Orange to name a few that I use in my soaps.
Which do I prefer? That depends on what I am making, for instance I rarely use EO's in candles because they simple don't burn that strongly and some smell just awful when being used in a candle. My Soy Candle collections are fragrance oils that I feel are safe for my own family and yours. They are almost always Phthalate and Paraben free. I say almost always because over the years the fragrance companies have really moved toward all their FO's being Phthalate free however there are a few old ones that I have used since the beginning and finding a suitable replacement is hard.
My handmade soap is made with fragrances and essential oils. There are a handful of EO's that I love using, however some of my soaps need a fragrance oil to achieve that wonderful Blackberry Vanilla scent that you all love so much. If someone is looking for an essential oil soap only, I can help you find your favorite but surprisingly many are looking for that and then opt for some of both FO's and EO's and they come back for more. No judgement here!
Long story short I think there is a place in natural products for both scent selections. Knowing what is involved with rose essential oil for instance, makes fragrance oil a far better choice. It takes so many flowers to make that oil and the cost is insanely high, sub in a high quality fragrance oil and voila! It is my humble opinion that there is a time and place for both FO's and EO's, and I feel like myself and many other soap and candle makers are doing their best to produce a natural handmade product. Whether you choose Fosters Fields scented products or another small business, the FO or EO choice is yours!
Have questions or comments, let me know!
As always, check out my soap and soy candles that arecurrently available on my website
https://fostersfields.ca
Or watch my 'in the making' videos on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@fostersfieldscf
Or follow along on my Facebook for all the details on new and exciting things!
https://www.facebook.com/FostersFields