Why We Use Plant Infusions For Our Skin Care Products Only Earth

Why We Use Plant Infusions For Our Skin Care Products

Many companies today use essential oils, and they can be a wonderful asset to skin and body care. However, at Your Only Earth, we go one step further by using infusing plants into our products. Let me explain.

Essential oils are made through distillation with steam and/or water. Sometimes, they are extracted using mechanical methods, such as cold pressing. There are some who believe essential oils can cure everything and anything. I’m not one of those people, but I do believe essential oils can add plant properties to the products, enhancing them a bit.

Plant Infusions are made by placing the entire plant inside of a carrier oil such as olive, coconut, or sunflower. Using time and heat, the plant and oil become one in this amazing infusion. This is the main way we use plants in our products at Your Only Earth. It’s like eating the whole baked potato, skin and all! This way, you get the full benefits of the plant.

When I first began creating, I didn’t use any essential oils at all. I used only the plants. It’s costly and takes time, so I tried doing what most balm companies do, and decided to skip the infusion of lavender and use only it’s essential oil in one of my very first test-batches of Lavender Balm.

What a mistake!

It wasn’t as thick. The scent was “off.” The product itself didn’t have that rich color that I loved.

At the time, I was still using my 4, 5, and 6 grade students as test subjects, so they all took one of my trial batches home with them. And, if you know kids, you know they’re honest, especially when getting to “grade their teacher.” Their comments went something like this, “Miss Christie, what did you do to this batch?” and “It stinks!” and “It’s not as smooth.” I also used my teacher friends and the school secretary as testers. They agreed with the students.

I agreed with them, too, and vowed I’d never try to cut corners again.

Instead, I infused more and experimented with what lavender to use and what percentage of each type. There are many kinds of lavender: Spanish, English, and French to name a few. Many batches later, I came up with the recipe I use today to make Lavender Balm and inside every tin is lavender from my own island gardens as well a certified organic French variety. You may even find a stray bud or stem inside your product, because I use the entire plant and no essential oil at all, because it’s simply better this way!

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1 comment

I love your bug bar and lavender. Discovered you while on a Lake Erie visit. I tried to order a while ago, but seemed I could only order in large quantity. I’m looking forward to my favorites and maybe try something new, next month .

Sherry

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