Getting the Best

It’s not difficult to find lovely fragrances in the world around us. Go out on a spring day and breathe in the fresh smell of newly mown grass, walk in a pine forest with its sharp crisp scent, or bend down to a nose-full of Turkish delight from an old fashioned rose in full bloom.

Essential oils capture those aromas in a way that few other products can. This is because they come directly from the plants, herbs, spices and other plant materials that produce them. Baldwins range of essential oils is amongst the highest quality and largest variety that you’ll find anywhere, and prices are excellent because of Baldwins’ ability to buy in bulk. Quality oils are sourced from all over the world, but how do they come to us as an oil when they often start life as a plant?

The answer is that the perfume is extracted through one of three processes: steam distillation, crushing (known as expression), or by solvents. What remains is the pure scent for us to mix and use as we want.

Although it’s great to pick up our favourite perfume from the cosmetics counter, it’s deeply satisfying to create a perfume for yourself because it will be unique to you and you can be sure no one else will be wearing it. Essential oils give us the means to do this. Making perfume is easy and at Baldwins’ prices, which start at just £2.25, it’s very affordable. Simply mix your choice of essential oils with a base oil (don’t use them in undiluted form) and your perfume will be ready.

Drop a line to the Baldwins blog to tell us about your favourite scents. We’d love to hear about any comments you’ve had on your home made perfumes too.

Choosing & Using

I love perfume. If it were up to me the shops would send fragrance through their air vents out on to the pavement and the smell of petrol would be overpowered by jasmine! Seems a bit far fetched? Well, I did recently stay in a hotel where the scent of lilies was omnipresent in the football pitch sized foyer, and there was no way that all that fragrance was coming from a handful of cut flowers. Yes, of course the hotel was in America…silly question!

Essential oils are a great way to fragrance your own world. Baldwins stock a vast variety that can be used for all sorts of things from bath products to home scents, but the problem is…how do you choose? Here’s a short guide, which despite being far from complete might give you some ideas to get you started on the road to perfumed bliss!

Stimulating Scent

Perfume has a very real effect on our moods. Sometimes we need relaxation, other times we crave revitalisation. If the latter is what’s required right now, try the following Baldwins essential oils: lemongrass, black pepper, basil, lime, pepermint or ginger.

Put Your Feet Up Perfumes

If stress is the name of the game then you need fragrances to help you unwind. Baldwins stock many that are well known for their de-stressing properties. Try any, or a mix, of these essential oils: lavender, rosewood, geranium, ylang ylang or sandalwood.

Sensuous Seduction

For something exquisitely feminine and floral, try one or more of these essential oils from Baldwins huge range: rose turkish, jasmine or vetivert. If you’re in generous mood or you’re lottery numbers have come up treat yourself to the deeply lovely, but rather expensive, carnation.

Remember not to put essential oils directly on your skin but dilute them in a base oil first. We’d love to hear about your own favourite oils and how you use them, so why not get in touch?