Introducing Essentials North West
Dare I say it? This is all about me. OK, maybe not all about me, but mostly. What I like, what I want to use, or wear or smell like. What I want around me and how I want to feel. And why I don’t think I should have to have a headache just because I want something to smell nice. And I figured, why not share while I’m at it.
Located in the beautiful Pacific North West, Essentials North West came about because I’m picky. No, seriously picky. About food, about clothes, textures and scents, colors in everything from the cleaning products in my house, to what goes on my skin, and most especially about how things smell that are around me. I like candles. I appreciate a good face cream, a softly scented lotion or soap. and I’m a big, big fan of a glass of wine and a good soak, along with a little soft lighting. For a long time I had to resort to ‘no scent’ because that’s what my options seem to be; stinky scent that gave me a headache or nothing.
I can’t stand ‘fake’ smells. I hold my nose when I walk by those stores in the mall that sell severely scented products. Combine it with paraffin wax and I’m out. It’s not that they’re not nice smells. Some of them are, but most of them just give me a headache. So, several years ago I started this informal quest to change out everything around me that just didn’t work for me. (I did say it was all about me.) From candles to face creams, and to soaps and shampoo. I didn’t want to smell like someone else’ interpretation of cinnamon or flowers or whatever.
I started learning how to make my own products, and how to add what I wanted to them, and more importantly what I didn’t want. I’ve also learned there are some things that while I can make them, really aren’t what I want to put my time into. For me that comes down to a few things that make me happy. A few things for the tub, a few things to make the place smell nice and a couple more to make me smell nice.
I started learning about essential oils, and how they work, and where they can be used. EO’s are great stuff. I like them a lot. I’ve been learning about them for more than twenty years now, and I, personally, have seem them used in some very beneficial ways. I’ve learned there are good quality ones and bad ones, just like everything else. But I also learned that they aren’t always the best choice for the things I like to make, when I want something to smell good. While you can use them in candles, they are volatile compounds and most of the beneficial scent evaporates before you can really enjoy it. And they’re expensive. I haven’t given up yet, but I admit making strongly scented candles with essential oils is a challenge.
So, I started learning about other options for scents. Did you know there’s a whole world to fragrances out there that are carefully crafted, and maybe more importantly, are phthalate-free? Do I know scientifically that this is the difference between scents that give me headaches and those that don’t? Nope. But I’ve now worked with over one hundred essential oils and almost as many fragrance oils, carefully selected, tested on yours truly, and enjoyed. Does that mean this will be the same experience for everyone? Nope again. I can’t tell you what will work for you, or what smells good to you. Remember, I said this was about me. But I can encourage you to explore, and find scents that work for you, and make you happy.
As it turns out, what I like, and the things that make me happy, also make others happy. Huh. So, I figured, why not. It’s fun, I like to make this stuff and I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years. Maybe it’s time to have a go at this small business thing. And Essentials North West finally came to be.
Located in the Pacific North West, we are surrounded by all things green. We try and bring that ‘green’ to our products. Simple design, no synthetic colors, minimal packaging, and just enough shipping material to get my favorites safely to you. We’re even working on some straight up eco-friendly packaging to implement (our peanuts are biodegradable and recyclable!), but we also want to keep our costs as reasonable as we can. Stay tuned for more on that and watch for our seasonal scents to happen soon!