Three Differences between Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils

Distinguishing the differences between an essential oil and a fragrance oil may be confusing for beginners. So to make things a little easier, we’ve a post about three differences between these two different types of oils!

A row of essential oils we have in store!

1. Sources and Reproducibility

Essential Oils are extracted from plants, which make them products of natural sources. To have a precise reproduction of a certain batch is impossible as plants have a ‘bouquet’ of components that are synthetically difficult to reproduce.(1) Moreover, the grades of essential oils vary according to seasons and growing conditions as well.

Fragrance oils, on the other hand, are synthetic. They do not possess the natural healing properties and therapeutic benefits you can get from essential oils. Though, unlike essential oils, fragrance oils last longer and there is a wider range for you to choose from since they can be easily made in a laboratory.

Fragrance Oils being sold at our store.

2. Uses

Both oils can be used in the making of soaps, candles, cosmetics and such, but only essential oils are aromatherapeutic.

*According to Jane Buckle in Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare, ‘aromatherapy’ is divided into three types: aesthetics aromatherapy, clinical aromatherapy and holistic aromatherapy. However, they are all essentially the practice of using oils extracted from plants to enhance psychological, spiritual and physical well-being of a person.(2)

3. Price Difference

The price of essential oils varies depending on season, type, availability and the way it was extracted. In general, fragrance oils are cheaper than essential oils.

Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

If you found this post useful, please join us on our Facebook or Instagram for more updates and demos!

---

References:

1. Christian Valnet, Essential Oils And Aromatherapy(Edizioni R.E.I, 2015).
2. Jane Buckle, Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare, 3rd edn (London: Churchill Livingstone, 2016).

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

We Got Featured on the Vulcan Post!

A few months back, the founders of Craftiviti got featured on the Vulcan Post so we thought to share the news here!

To read the entire article, click here!

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

HOW TO MAKE SLIME

It's officially the school holidays and we were so excited to experiment (once again) making slime.

There are tons of tutorials out there and our first experience making slime wasn't all too successful. This time however, we made sure we watched as many videos as possible to determine which type of slime we were after.

Here's what you need:

• Glue (you can use white craft glue, or even regular clear school glue)
• Borax
• Soap Dye / Food Coloring
• Hot water
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Gloves
• Stirrer / Spatula

First, prepare your work station:

Wear your gloves as you won't want any colouring to stain your skin.

Then pour out the glue into the mixing bowl.

Add equal amount of hot water to the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

Measure out 2 teaspoons of borax and mix it into a cup of hot water (we used 40 ml).

Add dye into the borax mixture.

Pour the borax and dye mixture into the glue mixture and stir.

Stir until glue mixture turns into a blob of slime.

Remove from mixing bowl and knead lightly.

There you have it, your own handmade slime!

To make it more slimey, leave the slime in a bowl of hot water for about 15 minutes for it to absorb more water.