Natural Home Fragrance

ancient olive oil lamp

I’ve been beating my head against the wall for months trying to find a solution to scented candles and such to create fragrance in my home.. I think I’ve come up with some very viable solutions.

 

I've tried them all, and by far, the one I am most intrigued with is the olive oil lamp.....  Makes me feel as if I am back in the ancient lands bringing light to my tents with Sharah, Rabaqah, and Marym.

Solution #1- Simmer Pots

Instructions: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the ingredients from your favorite recipe, continue to boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer. Add water as needed, usually every 30 minutes or so.  This helps to humidify the air.  Great for the winter.

If you have a radiator or even a gas fireplace, you can put pans of water and spices on top of the radiators.  You can also try adding a table spoon or two of white vinegar to the pot, along with essential oils like tea tree, lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, or eucalyptus to sanitize the air.  Or just use essential oils if you don’t want to use fruits and spices.

To simmer essential oils, add a few drops to a pot of boiling water. They are very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Use one essential oil by itself or blend them to create a unique scent!

 Solution #2 – Homemade Aroma Melts

Instead of using artificial aroma melts that contain harmful chemicals and fake fragrances, mix a few drops of Essential Oils or Extracts with two tablespoons of coconut oil or melted candelilla wax onto your aroma melts burner.  You can use water, but it evaporates quicker.  Use an unscented natural wax tea light candle made from soy or candelilla wax.

 Solution #3 -  Homemade Reed Diffuser

 Using safflower or sweet almond oil as your base, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil blends to a small necked jar.  Pour the mixture into your receptacle and place one end of the reeds or skewers into the solution, allowing it to saturate the reeds. Then take them out, and place the opposite ends into the bottle, rotating the ends in the scent solution about once a week.  Using rubbing alcohol and water also works, but evaporates quicker.   Make sure you are using bamboo or flax reeds as they absorb the oil and fragrance better than most other reeds.

 

For oil, use 30% essential oil to 70% base oil. You can experiment with the percentages to see what works best for you.

 For alcohol and water you will want to add approximately 12 drops of essential oils with 1/4 cup of water then add a tablespoon of alcohol to help bind the oils to the water.

 Solution #4 – Scented Homemade Olive Oil Candles. 

Our ancestors used olive oil for lighting for centuries.  We’ve grown out of the use of them for lighting with the advent of electricity.  However, these homemade olive oil candles are relatively simple to make, and adding essential oils to the oil, or even steeping fresh herbs in the oil make for a very pleasant aroma to your home.  Just as they did our ancestor’s many years ago. 

 Here’s the how to link: http://www.littlehouseliving.com/olive-oil-candles.html

 

The best place for purchasing essential oils that are crafted with integrity is Mountain Rose Herbs:  http://www.mountainroseherbs.com

 

A few recipes for simmer pots:

Vanilla Citrus

A few drops vanilla extract

Key lime or mandarin peels

 Flowers and Spice

1 cup dried lavender or rose petals or calendula which is my favorite

1 tsp anise
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
1 Cinnamon stick

 Spice Cake

1 cinnamon stick

1 TBS nutmeg
Few Drops vanilla extract
1 Tsp star anise