B & Me Botanicals - Infused Oils by Michaela Bickish
What's the difference and why do I prioritize infused oils in our products?
The use of essential oils has become very common- not just in our everyday lives and our homes, but in products we buy. It's very likely that at least one person you know (or maybe you) uses essential oils for diffusing, cleaning, homeopathic remedies, or in some other creative kind of way.
So what's the issue? Essential oils are shelf stable, smell great, cover odors from other ingredients in a product, a small amount is needed, and are an easy ingredient to add. That sounds pretty convenient, especially when you think about starting to make batches of product.
As I began to study herbalism, I ran into divided opinions between the uses of infused vs essential oils. After more research and consideration for what I'd choose to put on my own skin and my child's skin, my mind was already made up. It happens to be the same choice for the products I formulate and sell for B & Me Botanicals since I wouldn't formulate or sell something I wouldn't use myself.
Why We Use And Love Infused Oils
To begin, B & Me is obviously very small-scale. I won’t completely write off essential oil use. I approach EO use synergistically rather than a black & white approach. But you may find pretty limited essential oils in individual B & Me product ingredient lists.
So what's an infused oil and why do I prefer them? Herbal infused oils are made by filling a sealable container with fresh or dried herbs and then simply covering it with a carrier oil, like olive seed oil or sunflower seed oil. This infusion is usually left to meld together for the next 2-4 weeks or so. The oil extracts the oil-soluble plant elements including traces of essential oil but also importantly, including components of the plant that AREN'T found in the essential oil.
Infused oil is a milder herbal application than an essential oil, utilizes more of the plant's components and takes less plant material to make.
Why We Prioritize Infused Oils Over Essential Oils
I respect everyone's own perspective and use on essential oils for themselves! I obviously have a few bottles lying around my medicine cabinet that I use here and there. Here are the specific reasons why to prioritize infused oils in B & Me Botanicals products and my own personal products.
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First of all, You can find essential oils in so many products now (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, cleaning products, etc). EO's were originally introduced for their use in aromatherapy and were applied with informed instruction. Even properly diluted, those concentrated oils add up. Perhaps too much of a good thing... may add to the toxin overload our bodies are most likely already experiencing from our external environments? This is an important distinction for me, personally, since I already struggle with sluggish detox pathways.
As I consider my own health and that of my family, I don't think I'd choose to contribute to any more of a workload on our bodies. So I wouldn't for B & Me, either. If I'm crafting a product for daily topical use, this isn't something I want to introduce as an ingredient. EO's are so concentrated that some people might find they develop sensitivities to them (this can even happen with the oils that are generally considered "mild" or "safe").
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Second, essential oils only capture about a third of the plant's properties whereas infused oils capture elements not found in essential oils, giving them a broader use of application. Some plants also don't have an essential oil in them, like Calendula, but can provide incredible skin benefits. Infused oils can utilize these kinds of herbs for skincare applications.
The essential oil is known as "the essence" of the plant. In its chemical makeup, its job is to attract the pollinators and deter pests, which is why their smell, taste and color relate so strongly to the plant itself. It's also why they are antimicrobial, carrying the ability to kill precious bacteria in your gut microbiome (if ingested) which is a balance strongly valued as a part of good health. There have even been studies that establish EO's as alternatives to antibiotics.
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Third, a large amount of plant materials are required to make a very small amount of essential oil. When it doesn't capture two-thirds of the plant's beneficial components and can be a cause for sensitivity reactions, I started to feel opposed to using them for everyday application. I considered that I'm not just making 4 ounces of body butter with a few drops of EO for myself that would normally last me a whole month. I could be making hundreds of ounces of body butter in a month and contributing to a much larger waste of plant material than my one little personal oil (that probably lasts me a couple years). So to me, it feels wasteful.
Here's The Rub
So to summarize it all up, I’m not against using essential oils personally or in B & Me products but I feel the use of infused oils is more beneficial for the reasons I’ve explained above. Heavy EO use would definitely be the more convenient way to make a large amount of product with nice fragrance and some aromatherapy benefits. That’s just simply not the vision for B & Me products.
I love opening up my cabinet to see all my jars of herbal oils in the process of infusing. It’s simply a special handcrafted process of love that you rarely find in other products.
Herbal infusions simply aren’t as strongly scented as an essential oil. Hopefully the non-overwhelming scents of our products will be appreciated- they usually adopt the more natural and truly lovely earthy scents of our product's natural ingredients. It's not abnormal to be so used to products highly saturated in artificial fragrances or essential oils that it can feel like an adjustment using something more neutral.
At the end of the day, the goal and vision for B & Me is to provide the most nourishing botanical skincare products, made very thoughtfully and with love! We safeguard your health to the extent we safeguard our own, carefully formulating the most non-toxic options for daily and long-term use.
❤️ B & Me
