Tourmaline
Member
Hi, fellow EO fans! I just received an order from Eden Botanicals, I'm bored, and I can't start making my bath & body Christmas gifts because a bunch of my materials are still in transit. So you get EO reviews.
First, the company. I've ordered from them twice now and had a good experience both times. The website is easy to navigate, prices are pretty reasonable for the oils I was buying (the cheaper ones, lol), my order was shipped promptly and packed to survive the box being used as a soccer ball. Shipping isn't cheap, but when is it ever with EOs? I feel I got what I paid for there with secure eco-friendly packaging. That's another aspect I like, Eden is committed to supporting sustainable farming and wild-gathering practices. They also list the country of origin and lot number of every product.
Now the oils! Between the two orders I bought bottles of balsam fir absolute 10%, organic palmarosa, copaiba balsam, and spearmint. They sell samples and give you a free sample of your choice for every $20 you spend, which is pretty awesome. I got their patchouli sample pack (four different kinds of patchouli!), ylang ylang complete, frankincense CO2 extract, organic Hawaiian sandalwood 10%, balsam of Peru, and Eden's house blend Amber Essence Oil. What can I say, I love samples.
Balsam Fir Absolute 10% (Abies balsamea), Canada
Wow, it really does smell like jam! Like fir too, but there's a definite jammy undertone. I like it. I used it as a fixative in my eucalyptus-mint-rosemary blend, and it really helped smooth out the harsh camphoraceous notes I had in there. Very nice. I'm fine with it being a 10% dilution, it's pretty strong even so.
Organic Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii), Sri Lanka
Fresh rose with a distinct woody undertone. I prefer rose geranium for solo use, but this palmarosa will do nicely in a blend with lavender. I think the woodiness will harmonize well. And the price is definitely right.
Copaiba Balsam (Copaifera officinalis), Brazil
This is so weird. Even taking a big whiff with my nose right above the open bottle, I can barely smell it! What I can smell is kind of like balsamic vinegar without the tartness. So weird. Normally my nose is pretty sensitive. Hopefully it will make a nice fixative in my lavender palmarosa blend, since benzoin refused to cooperate in my lotion bars. Curse you benzoin, why must you taunt me with your luscious vanilla scent?
Spearmint (Mentha spicata), USA
Yummy, spearmint gum! Seriously smells just like it. Sweet and mildly minty. I bought this to go in coconut milk bath salts, if Dr. Teal's can get away with eucalyptus and spearmint in bath salts then so can I.
Patchouli Dark, Light, Organic, Double Distilled (Pogostemon cablin), Indonesia for Dark, Light, and Double Distilled, Sri Lanka or India for Organic
Mmm, patchouli. To be honest I found the differences to be marginal, except for Double Distilled. That one smelled rather weak to me. Overly refined. Patchouli is supposed to be dark and powerful! But if you're making a patchouli blend for people who don't like patch, Double Distilled would be a good bet. I think my favorite is Dark.
Ylang Ylang Complete (Cananga odorata), Comoros
Mmm. Oh my! Normally white florals aren't my thing, but this ylang ylang is positively luscious. It doesn't give me a headache the way jasmine sometimes can, and it doesn't have that indolic note that people either love or hate. Smooth, sweet, complex, tropical. I love it.
Frankincense CO2 (Boswellia serrata), India
I was curious about CO2 extracts, so I decided to try one. It's definitely frankincense! Resinous and earthy with a slightly medicinal topnote. I bet it'll smell fantastic with the ylang ylang.
Organic Sandalwood 10% (Santalum paniculatum), Hawaii
This is an interesting scent. It's not quite like Indian sandalwood, but pleasant in its own right. Rich and woody, slightly sweet but doesn't have the smooth sweetness of Santalum album. It's nice and I'll find something to put it in, but next time I'll try a synthetic and see if that comes closer.
Balsam of Peru (Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae), El Salvador
Smoky vanilla, too smoky for my taste. Bummer. Not really what I was hoping for.
Amber Essence Oil, 12% essential oil blend in a sunflower oil base
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...
Oh. My. Goodness. This is THE amber of my dreams. Intense, resinous, woody, spicy, not too sweet or powdery. Come January I'm ordering a full size bottle. I bet this would go well with ylang ylang too. It might even go well with the balsam of Peru, help camouflage that smoky note.
That's all, folks! I hope you found this post helpful or at least entertaining.
First, the company. I've ordered from them twice now and had a good experience both times. The website is easy to navigate, prices are pretty reasonable for the oils I was buying (the cheaper ones, lol), my order was shipped promptly and packed to survive the box being used as a soccer ball. Shipping isn't cheap, but when is it ever with EOs? I feel I got what I paid for there with secure eco-friendly packaging. That's another aspect I like, Eden is committed to supporting sustainable farming and wild-gathering practices. They also list the country of origin and lot number of every product.
Now the oils! Between the two orders I bought bottles of balsam fir absolute 10%, organic palmarosa, copaiba balsam, and spearmint. They sell samples and give you a free sample of your choice for every $20 you spend, which is pretty awesome. I got their patchouli sample pack (four different kinds of patchouli!), ylang ylang complete, frankincense CO2 extract, organic Hawaiian sandalwood 10%, balsam of Peru, and Eden's house blend Amber Essence Oil. What can I say, I love samples.
Balsam Fir Absolute 10% (Abies balsamea), Canada
Wow, it really does smell like jam! Like fir too, but there's a definite jammy undertone. I like it. I used it as a fixative in my eucalyptus-mint-rosemary blend, and it really helped smooth out the harsh camphoraceous notes I had in there. Very nice. I'm fine with it being a 10% dilution, it's pretty strong even so.
Organic Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii), Sri Lanka
Fresh rose with a distinct woody undertone. I prefer rose geranium for solo use, but this palmarosa will do nicely in a blend with lavender. I think the woodiness will harmonize well. And the price is definitely right.
Copaiba Balsam (Copaifera officinalis), Brazil
This is so weird. Even taking a big whiff with my nose right above the open bottle, I can barely smell it! What I can smell is kind of like balsamic vinegar without the tartness. So weird. Normally my nose is pretty sensitive. Hopefully it will make a nice fixative in my lavender palmarosa blend, since benzoin refused to cooperate in my lotion bars. Curse you benzoin, why must you taunt me with your luscious vanilla scent?
Spearmint (Mentha spicata), USA
Yummy, spearmint gum! Seriously smells just like it. Sweet and mildly minty. I bought this to go in coconut milk bath salts, if Dr. Teal's can get away with eucalyptus and spearmint in bath salts then so can I.
Patchouli Dark, Light, Organic, Double Distilled (Pogostemon cablin), Indonesia for Dark, Light, and Double Distilled, Sri Lanka or India for Organic
Mmm, patchouli. To be honest I found the differences to be marginal, except for Double Distilled. That one smelled rather weak to me. Overly refined. Patchouli is supposed to be dark and powerful! But if you're making a patchouli blend for people who don't like patch, Double Distilled would be a good bet. I think my favorite is Dark.
Ylang Ylang Complete (Cananga odorata), Comoros
Mmm. Oh my! Normally white florals aren't my thing, but this ylang ylang is positively luscious. It doesn't give me a headache the way jasmine sometimes can, and it doesn't have that indolic note that people either love or hate. Smooth, sweet, complex, tropical. I love it.
Frankincense CO2 (Boswellia serrata), India
I was curious about CO2 extracts, so I decided to try one. It's definitely frankincense! Resinous and earthy with a slightly medicinal topnote. I bet it'll smell fantastic with the ylang ylang.
Organic Sandalwood 10% (Santalum paniculatum), Hawaii
This is an interesting scent. It's not quite like Indian sandalwood, but pleasant in its own right. Rich and woody, slightly sweet but doesn't have the smooth sweetness of Santalum album. It's nice and I'll find something to put it in, but next time I'll try a synthetic and see if that comes closer.
Balsam of Peru (Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae), El Salvador
Smoky vanilla, too smoky for my taste. Bummer. Not really what I was hoping for.
Amber Essence Oil, 12% essential oil blend in a sunflower oil base
404 Brain Not Found
...
Oh. My. Goodness. This is THE amber of my dreams. Intense, resinous, woody, spicy, not too sweet or powdery. Come January I'm ordering a full size bottle. I bet this would go well with ylang ylang too. It might even go well with the balsam of Peru, help camouflage that smoky note.
That's all, folks! I hope you found this post helpful or at least entertaining.
and the Ylang Ylang complete without the indolic note has been one of my holy grails
