Yankee candles

[bobbys girl]

Truth be known all these big name air fresheners are horribly toxic to all life. Anyone seen the ad for febreze with the young man spraying it all around him and then breathing it all in? Yuk, all those carcinogenic, endocrine disruptors, cough, splutter, choke, mmm nice!

[MarkB]

I used to own and run a small B&B. At the beginning when I was quite enthusiastic, I found a recipe for pillow spray and used to make it. I used Lavender oil, but you can use any essential oil (obviously check it is safe, as some aren't and also that it is pure) Just some oil (20 drops I think) in a spray bottle of water. You add a small amount of alcohol the make the oil disperse in the water (I sacrificed some Vodka ). I'm sure there are recipes online for the correct ratios.

[bobbys girl]

Yes I make my own! Geranium is nice and we take a birch and peppermint to the sauna. You have to make sure you get pure oils not 'room fresheners'. The cost is a give-away, they should not all cost the same.

I use recipes from Eric Zelinski(?) He also mentions oils for pets. I use a drop of lavender on Bob's neck in between flea/tick treatments. The little **** seem less likely to jump on board a flowery cat! Bob seems fine with it.

[MarkB]

I think I used Tisserand, but there are others. As you say, just be careful what you use 'essential oil' from Poundland isn't going to be pure

[Lilith]

I hate those overpriced candles - I begrudge the money and don't like the smells; plus I'm nervous about leaving a naked flame burning in a house where there are cats. I like to burn essential oils sometimes but I'm not terribly happy about leaving even a well-guarded tealight about with a low-flying Molly at large. I'd considered an electric burner but most of them don't appeal to me and the little saucer for the oil looks precarious.I'd never thought about diffusers until you mentioned them, Bobbys girl, seen them advertised but thought, oh, another gadget, but having done some research I'm going to try one - even the oil's inside the diffuser so it can't be splashed or spilled. I've ordered one via Amazon, on the strength of the reviews; also it's said that it's 'simple' to use (always a good idea in my case.) It looks rather like a wooden onion.

I don't just have cats to consider around smells either; there's Shahi the royal python. Snakes are very vulnerable to scents; for instance they mustn't be bedded on ordinary woodshavings as anything coniferous is toxic, and as for paint and varnish fumes, these can kill a snake. I wouldn't wear scent or cologne while handling him.

It's interesting about lavender and cats; I've read before about lavender being used as a natural flea-repellent (and patchouli became a common scent in Victorian times as all those Indian shawls were imported packed in dried patchouli leaves to repel moth.) I once read about a cat that liked to bury his face in a clump of lavender flowers to get his 'fix' and when I want to sleep i put a couple of drops of lavender essential oil on my neck (sometimes works; sometimes beer is better, not ON my neck, but down inside it ) The cats don't seem to mind the smell of lavender at all, so perhaps it's a personal preference from cat to cat.

Most of my oils are pure essential ones but I do have a few copies, some poor, some very good; obviously they've no therapeutic effect but is it safe to use these in a diffuser? Hopefully the instructions will tell me when I receive mine, but they might not, so I'd be interested to know.

Lol, I used to concoct some mixtures with essential oils and one day I threw in patchouli, vetivert, rose geranium, a little bergamot and I forget what else, or whether I used a carrier oil too. When I opened the bottle later the smell hit me ... I'd managed to make a pretty good copy of Estee Lauder's 'Youth Dew'. Sadly this isn't a scent I'm keen on.

Now if only I could copy 'Quelques Fleurs' or 'Opium' ....

[bobbys girl]

Lilith, as you are going to be inhaling the stuff,I'd only use the purest stuff. I had a go at making my favourite perfume, Ysatis, but it has so many ingredients I'm afraid mine didn't come close. I did make an aftershave for OH, he wore it today, he's very sweet (insane?)

Lavender on the soles of your feet is supposed to help you sleep.

You can get catmint oil - but I don't want a house full of stoned kitties, thank you very much!

I can't grow lavender very well here, but catmint does grow well and I would love to have a border of it. But my little darlings will throw themselves into the one poor plant I do have, so my idea won't be happening any time soon.

[Lilith]

You can get catmint oil

WHAAAT???

PLEASE don't tell Molly - or the little horror will get her thieving paws on my Amazon account the minute my back's turned!

It's quite pricey too. NO, Molly, I'll buy you some Kong spray for your toys, but sorry, catnip oil's OFF. I did used to nick catnip from the local park but they all ignored it, don't know why.

LOL - as a gardener you'll probably know this, but Ysatis or Isatis is the Latin name for ... woad!

Woadicea?

I don't think I'll be trying lavender oil on the soles of my feet as I'm a lousy housekeeper and my sticky feet would end up all hairy and fluffy like a hobbit's ... Hey, it'd save on bedsocks though.

Lavender and sweet marjoram make a gorgeous bath oil. I think Adrian (ex) and I used to use 3 drops of each and it's really relaxing and sleep-making. The only oil we couldn't agree on was ylang-ylang; he loves it whereas to me it smells like burned plastic.

Congrats on your OH's aftershave - nothing nicer than a sweet guy

[bobbys girl]

A hairy-footed Woadicea, the mind boggles!

[Lilith]

Lol my ex used to make pointed remarks about my armpits, such as 'call in the Forestry Commission' but when my snakes were small enough they liked to climb into my sleeves and ... ready-made nest. A novel experience, a snake roosting in your armpit, though not one generally shared by the average human, I suppose ...

My diffuser has arrived today and it's really good. It's large - more the size of a swede than an onion, and I wasn't prepared for the steam coming out of the top, but properly positioned I'd say it's safe even with cats about and the scent (lavender at the moment with a bit of residual patchouli and geranium) is pleasant without being overpowering. It's quiet, and much less worrying than tealights or joss sticks and no chemicals involved; can recommend; thanks for the heads-up about this