I think this is quite a silly question. I recently started a thread about what you guys put in your misters. A lot of people said they use some esstential oils to make it smell nice.

What kind of oils? I went into town this morning and bought a very small glass jar of coconut smelling oil and added that to my mister. it now smells absolutely gorgeous, but I then read the jar and it said to be used on a burner.

hum....... Did I buy the wrong thing?

Hmm...I'm not too sure, but I think what you bought may have been a fragrance oil and not an essential oil?

Fragrance oils are usually synthetic, i.e. from chemicals, whereas real essential oils are extracted from plants and natural sources.

That's what I know anyway. I think someone else experienced with essential oils would be able to explain it better.

Essential oils are different from fragrance oils. The quality of the essential oil is what makes the difference between being therapeutic and just smelling nice. There are about 150 different essential oils all with unique chemical compositions.


Essential oils are extracted from the seeds, roots, bark and berry of plants and are carefully refined to preserve the very thing that makes them "essential". They contain the vitamins and nutrients that keep the plant alive - the essential constituents that keep it free from disease and growing strongly. These parts of the plants are highly sensitive and can be damaged if not properly processed.


The effect of the oil also depends on the species of plant used and how it was processed. Different varieties of the same oil can have different qualities and be used for different things. One essentially needs to be a chemist to really understand them all!


Essential oils are usually more expensive. It takes about 30 petals of a rose to make a single drop of rose oil. They are usually processed through steam or water distillation. Oils produced from citrus plants are called essences and are usually made through cold pressing the rinds.
Most candles are often scented with fragrance oils. There really isn't any cranberry essential oil.


Fragrance Oils have usually been mixed with other synthetic oils or substances. Fragrance oils are usually cheaper.



Some oils can have adverse affects such as headaches and dizziness. This is due to them being impure or possibly synthetic.It is important to know the source and quality of your oils for proper usage and application.


source (http://www.thebodyworker.com/aromatherapy_essential_oils.htm).


Another good hint is that fragrence oils are often in clear glass or plastic vials while EOs MUST be stored in blue/brown dark glass containers.

If you ended up with a fragrance oil, like for a burner, I would suggest that you not put it in your hair. Some of those oils contain ingredients that can be highly irritating or harmful to your skin and hair.

Essential oils are available online and at many whole foods and health food stores.

Don't worry, Rachel, I use oil burner oils as perfume sometimes. :oops: And yes, it is deliberate. :oops:

You're not supposed to though- it says on the bottle not to.

I think Boots has a range of some essential oils but I've never bought any.

if you really like a coconut smell in your hair, I'd rather just take a very tiny bit of virgin coconut oil (its solid/creamy at room temperature) rub it in your hands to melt and just run your palms lightly over the canopy of your hair.

I' not sure if there even is such a thing as coconut EO :suspect: so far I've only seen synthetic perfume/fragrance-oil and the virgin coconutoil, which also adds shine, managebility and moisture by the way.

rachel, I'm glad you asked this question because I was wondering the same thing!

So, if fragrance oils can harm the hair - is it bad to get perfume in your hair? I sometimes do the "spray - sachet" where you walk through a spritz of perfume sprayed in the air so some will get in my hair when I do this.

ETA the second s in sometimes!