Guest guest Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Just a quick comment on Butch's very excellent discourse on absolutes. As with essential oils, there are good quality and poor quality absolutes. Hexane is the most frequently used solvent for the initial stage of the extraction process, but sometimes other petroleum byproducts are used. A poorly extracted absolute can contain up to 17-18% petroleum byproduct residue, even after alcohol extraction of the concrete (Just sample a few cheap Indian jasmines... you can smell the solvent!). If you've been using budget absolutes, you may want to reconsider your topical use of them. Katharine Koeppen Aromaceuticals Essential Oils from Artisan Distillers www.aromaceuticals.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Thank you for your additional information, Katharine. I've attempted to stay high end with my purchases - at least to the best of my knowledge. It's a big, confusing aromatherapy world out there! I've bookmarked your site for future reference. I am still hoping that some of the list members will kick in with some ideas on the best uses of eo's versus hydrosols versus absolutes. Butch gave me a wealth of information regarding their compositional differences - but now to figure out when each type of product is used for. Thanks any & all for your help. - Kath Koeppen Monday, November 15, 2004 10:23 PM Absolutes Just a quick comment on Butch's very excellent discourse on absolutes. As with essential oils, there are good quality and poor quality absolutes. Hexane is the most frequently used solvent for the initial stage of the extraction process, but sometimes other petroleum byproducts are used. A poorly extracted absolute can contain up to 17-18% petroleum byproduct residue, even after alcohol extraction of the concrete (Just sample a few cheap Indian jasmines... you can smell the solvent!). If you've been using budget absolutes, you may want to reconsider your topical use of them. Katharine Koeppen Aromaceuticals Essential Oils from Artisan Distillers www.aromaceuticals.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 In a nutshell, here's one aromatherapist's current viewpoint (I say current because I'm learning all the time!) ... I don't use absolutes in therapy - they're for perfumery. It's a shame about Jasmine, but I get by without it. The quality can be so dubious anyway. Hydrosols (or lats) are really skin-friendly and great to use on those for whom EOs may be too strong/powerful ... kids, pets, etc. I even sip them (very diluted) occasionally but I'm not recommending that anyone else do that. As for what does what, as I've said recently - experiment (safely!) and go by what you personally experience/observe or what others recommend. Intention plays a huge part ... as does massage/touch. Best wishes Jane - Pandemonia Tuesday, November 16, 2004 11:35 AM Re: Absolutes Thank you for your additional information, Katharine. I've attempted to stay high end with my purchases - at least to the best of my knowledge. It's a big, confusing aromatherapy world out there! I've bookmarked your site for future reference. I am still hoping that some of the list members will kick in with some ideas on the best uses of eo's versus hydrosols versus absolutes. Butch gave me a wealth of information regarding their compositional differences - but now to figure out when each type of product is used for. Thanks any & all for your help. - Kath Koeppen Monday, November 15, 2004 10:23 PM Absolutes Just a quick comment on Butch's very excellent discourse on absolutes. As with essential oils, there are good quality and poor quality absolutes. Hexane is the most frequently used solvent for the initial stage of the extraction process, but sometimes other petroleum byproducts are used. A poorly extracted absolute can contain up to 17-18% petroleum byproduct residue, even after alcohol extraction of the concrete (Just sample a few cheap Indian jasmines... you can smell the solvent!). If you've been using budget absolutes, you may want to reconsider your topical use of them. Katharine Koeppen Aromaceuticals Essential Oils from Artisan Distillers www.aromaceuticals.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Thank you so much for your info, Jane! Perfumery is my interest at this point, so I may find a use for the absolutes & hydrosols. As far as experimenting, I'm so new to this that experimenting sounds like surefire disaster! That and the thought of the expense for failed experiments! ; ) I guess my best bet is to collect recipes for assorted products and hope for the best. I'm fairly well-stocked on eo's at this point and the other fragrant incarnations are of less expense, so I'll pick those up as I go. Thank you again for your response! Pan - jane Tuesday, November 16, 2004 9:15 AM Re: Absolutes In a nutshell, here's one aromatherapist's current viewpoint (I say current because I'm learning all the time!) ... I don't use absolutes in therapy - they're for perfumery. It's a shame about Jasmine, but I get by without it. The quality can be so dubious anyway. Hydrosols (or lats) are really skin-friendly and great to use on those for whom EOs may be too strong/powerful ... kids, pets, etc. I even sip them (very diluted) occasionally but I'm not recommending that anyone else do that. As for what does what, as I've said recently - experiment (safely!) and go by what you personally experience/observe or what others recommend. Intention plays a huge part ... as does massage/touch. Best wishes Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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