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Want to smell amazing all day naturally?  Love it when people tell you how fantastic you smell and want to know what you are wearing? And, do you want soft, subtle, and nourished skin? Then you are going to want to hear about this. I am not sure about you, but I can’t walk into a perfume store without getting an instant headache. Or, those other candle and bath and body stores with intense synthetic smells that hit you like a wall and make you a little nauseous.  Maybe it’s because I’ve worked with essential oils for so long that my body can no longer tolerate the potency of fragrances. I know this for sure - I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t appreciate the beautiful scent of pure essential oils. So now, if you marry essential oils that have been synergistically blended with pure botanical carrier oils you have a match made in heaven.  Not only will you smell amazing, but your skin will be nourished and moisturized with essential fatty acids, vitamins, antioxidants, and phytosterols leaving your skin soft subtle and so touchable.  Facts about Perfume: Alcohol evaporates so perfumes are typically initially strong but tend to fade after a few hours Dry or dehydrated skin has a harder time holding onto the scent Depending on your skin type and PH balance, perfumes can smell differently on everyone. Perfume is not always suitable for sensitive skin types Facts about Essential Oils in Botanical Carrier Oils: Holds scent on your skin for 10-12 hours or more Scent holds true  Great for sensitive skin Body oils used after your bath or shower require a few extra minutes of your time, but so worth it.  Calli Essentials Body Oils are rich in nutrients, fast-absorbing, and include 7 non-GMO, organic, and eco-certified plant oils, and is completely vegan. Our unique essential oil blends will leave your senses indulged.  We love when our customers tell us one of our body oils or moisturizers has become their new signature scent. So, which body oil or moisturizer will be your signature scent? Browse all of the different scents on our website. Look at all our body oils here    

Over the last decade more and more of us have learned the importance of putting clean, whole foods in our bodies. We’ve also begun to learn the importance of what we put on our skin, which is our body’s largest organ. Knowing the ingredients in our skin care products is critical so that you choose nutrient rich, all natural products that will heal, protect, rejuvenate, and nourish your largest organ. A single plant or vegetable oil can contain omega fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins A, C and E and flavonoids.  All necessary for healthy skin and hair.  Silicones, while not harmful contain nothing.  What would you rather have as an emollient on your skin? It can be a little trickier to understand skin care ingredients than it is to understand the labels on our food products.  Often products that highlight natural ingredients, can in large part contain anything but. So How Do You Know What is Really Natural? This can be a challenge if we just pay attention to the highlighted ingredients.  Say for example a product says it contains calendula, an amazing ingredient that we love at Calli Essentials.  A closer look at ingredients can show it listed a few of the following ways: Glycerin and water and calendula officinalis extract Propylene glycol and water and calendula officinalis extract Butylene glycol and water and calendula officinalis extract All three contain a solvent that is used to extract the nutrients from the plant and make it soluble in water and all three are humectants (draw moisture to your skin). The difference is glycerin is vegetable derived and the “glycols” are petroleum by products with varying ratings from EWG (Environmental Working Group). Glycols are cheaper and have a longer shelf life than glycerin extracts and therefore tend to be used more. Products often have multiple extracts and if they contain glycols and you are using multiple products; you are exposing yourself to more and more chemicals. How Good is Your Natural? Carrier oils are hugely beneficial in your natural skin care.  There are so many with a multitude of different benefits. So, if for example you have a product that contains rosehip oil, jojoba, grapeseed or evening primrose to name just a few it is pretty simple to figure out right? The challenge here is much more difficult.  If we see a product that contains an “organic oil” that would seem to be good. But for example, organic evening primrose would appear as: Oenothera biennis What is not required to be disclosed is how the oil is produced: Cold pressed, extra virgin Refined Refined and deodorized Organic simply refers to how the plant was grown.  But if it is refined and deodorized, it’s not only been subject to high heats and filtering but also chemicals including bleaching. This allows for much more oil to be produced and for a very long shelf life.  Both of which is advantageous especially to large companies, but the goodness is largely removed. Companies that used cold pressed, extra virgin definitely have a shorter shelf life. But, you are getting all of the amazing benefits that nature intended.  At Calli Essentials we always use extra virgin / cold pressed and we small batch our products, that are meant to be used in a reasonable amount of time; and we sell consumer direct, so shelf life need not be an issue.  Natural Preservatives The last ingredient we often see is the preservative and this too is important to consider.  Well, undoubtedly some preservatives will cause a product to last much longer, these can often be the most toxic ingredient in your skin care.  You want to look for preservatives that are whole foods approved or approved by the EU. Last Word About Safe vs Toxic Well, we can google ingredients to see if they are safe.  Largely you will find sites that state the FDA guidelines and quotes or blogs from North American professionals that in turn quote these guidelines. But think about this; there are 1,328 chemicals that have been banned by most European countries that are deemed safe for use in skin care in the USA.  So take a close look at what’s in your products, do your research, look for ingredients that ideally are EU approved.  You can always choose Calli Essentials where we continue to research and use best in class natural ingredients.

Some Common Questions About Essential Oils Answered. Nearly everyone has heard of essential oils and there is no shortage of places to purchase them. From multi-level marketing companies, specialty stores, online retailers to supermarkets and grocery stores. But there are so many questions about essential oils we thought we would answer some of the more common questions here. Were is the best place to buy essential oils? There are many good places to purchase your essential oils from and some which you should avoid. So how do you know? Specialty and online retailers are usually quite knowledgeable and often specially trained and educated. In addition, they know how to source essential oils from around the world. Multi-level marketing companies are one of the most common places and are often a good source. Remember that there is typically a long chain of people that need to get paid on every transaction so pricing can tend to be higher. Grocery stores, pharmacies and general retailers are less likely that you will be purchasing pure unadulterated essential oils. A good indication of this is price. Rose oil for example can sell for over $100 for just 5ML, so if you are paying much less than this, chances are it is not pure rose essential oil. Are Essential Oils Safe? The short answer to this is yes!  Although this is a very complex subject and there are thousands of essential oils, all with their own unique composition of constituents and compounds. To keep it simple here are some general rules of thumb. Do not ingest essential oils. You will find some very strong opinions about this but we are approaching this with caution. If you want to educate yourself on the subject you can read the many books published by Kurt Schnaubelt or Robert Tisserand both of whom are among the worlds leading experts on essential oils. Topically apply essential oils that are diluted in carrier oils or in creams and lotions. There are many essential oils that can be applied neat but since that is also a complex subject, follow this general rule Pregnancy and Essential oils – Most properly diluted essential oils are safe. Essential oils use should be avoided during the first trimester, however the use of certain properly diluted oils such as lavender and roman chamomile can be used from the onset and are also safe for newborns.  Always do your research on what oils to avoid. Do Essential Oils Expire Once again, the simple answer is yes!  Some essential oils are like fine wine, they only get better with age, however since we are keeping it simple you can in general expect to get 3+ years of shelf life. It is important that you store them properly ideally in amber glass bottles, tightly sealed and stored in a cool dry place. We will be answering more of your essential oil questions in the blogs to come.  In the meantime we will continue to formulate, always rooted in aromatherapy.

We’ve All Heard of Essential Oils But What Exactly Are They What are essential oils? There is a plethora of explanations on the internet to be Found. There is the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), the FDA definition and then there are the full and complex definitions.  We are going to try to keep it simple, so that you really understand. Essential oils are the capture of a plants beneficial compounds that could not be done without the extraction process. Extraction processes includes steam distillation, hydro-distillation and pressing Essential oils are the oil soluble volatile liquid that resulst from this procesws. They can come from the plants leaves, flowers, steams, seeds, wood and resin.  The are named from the plant by which they are derviced. They  are called essential because they caputre the plants essence and contain that essence in every drop. While essential oils have a complex and wide array of scents often used in the perfume industry, they are so much more.  Gattefosse, the 18th century French chemist was the first to write a comprehensive book on the benefits of essential oils to our health, skin and over all well-being.  He gave birth to the term aromatherapy. Aromatherapy - a cure using aromas, aromatics, and scents Of course, the definition of aromatherapy is different depending on who you ask, but since Gattefosse coined the phrase when he wrote his book back in 1937, we will choose his definition. His book was a result of more than 25 years of study. Essential oils have been produced and used for literally thousands of years to cure, heal, boost immune systems, aid in cellular regeneration, calm and soothe us.  When they are used properly and safely the benefits are far too many to name. At Calli Essentials, we are deeply rooted in aromatherapy, and we can’t say enough about these amazing oils.  We always choose high grade oils where attention has been paid to not only the soil and overall growing conditions but sustainability as well.  

Looking for vegan and/or cruelty-free skincare products can be a challenge as ingredients can be hard to detect.  Larger companies will have paid for the time and money it takes to obtain certifications, but that doesn't necessarily mean the ingredients are good for your skin. It is possible to have nutrient-dense natural skincare products that are indeed vegan and cruelty-free, without silicones, petroleum by-products or harsh chemical solvents. You can find many published lists of ingredients to avoid however it is not always a fully accurate depiction. Raw material supplies have come a long way and many ingredients that were once only animal-derived are available in a plant-based form. At Calli, we have spent years finding trusted raw material suppliers that are both vegan*, cruelty-free and from sustainable sources  This is a list of the ingredients we are most asked about. Animal Derived Skin Care Ingredients Calli Essentials Vegan Alternative Skincare Ingredients Amino Acids – Dairy products, eggs Plant oils of all kinds including some of our favorites Avocado, Blackberry, borage, evening primrose, grapeseed, rice bran and more. Caprylic acid / triglycerides – cow and goat milk Triglycerides derived from RSPO certified palm oil (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) Eco-Certified coconut oil Cetyl Alcohol - spermaceti from sperm whales or dolphins Cetyl Alcohol derived from RSPO certified palm oil Collagen – Typically from bovines (cows) Collagen - Soy protein or lupin seeds Glycerin or Glycerides – Animal Fat Pure vegetable glycerin, non-GMO and derived from palm or coconut Hyaluronic Acid - proteins derived from animal fluids found in joints or umbilical cords Derived from bacterial fermentation of plant matter typically corn glucose soy and yeast Lactic Acid – Dairy or meat products Natural fermentation of plant sugars including non-GMO corn Vitamin A or Retinol - Dairy, eggs, and animal organs such as the liver Retinyl palmitate - synthesized from beta-carotene. Elastin – Protein extracted from muscles mostly bovine MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) - naturally occurring organic sulfur compound  derived from fruits, leafy greens and grains Squalene / Squalane – Derived from Shark Livers. Squalane – Non-GMO sugar based, eco-certified and ecology green,   You can always feel free to ask us any questions about our ingredients.  Feed your skin, naturally. *Please Note: Our salt scrub, milk & honey bath (coconut milk), and cold sore balm contain beeswax or honey powder.

We love our line of Essential Oil Diffuser Blends, nothing makes a room smell better! But did you know there is so much more you can do with these concentrates than just simply using in a diffuser?In the mask-wearing reality we currently live in, what better way to make the experience more pleasant than putting a dab of your favorite diffuser blend (the Relax blend is wonderful!) in your mask or mask filter.  Essential oils have natural anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-septic, and anti-viral effects so aside from making for a more pleasant experience, you will also get these added benefits. Here are some great ways to use these concentrates:  Put a few drops in each of your floor vents and your whole house will smell fantastic Add a drop or two to a dryer ball or a clean mesh body sponge and throw in the dryer with your load. Put a few drops your humidifier Use a few drops on the floor mats in your car. And, one of our favorites..: Add a few drops in the corners of your shower to enjoy a spa-like experience Stay safe and stay well

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One of the best, most effective ways to cleanse your face, remove makeup, soothe sensitive skin, and tame unrelenting breakouts? 

Vitamins B5 and B3 are essential for healthy skin and hair but did you know these vitamins could do all this? 

Everyone is familiar with the peppermint plant. It grows in abundance throughout the world and most of us have it in our gardens or our herb pots. The therapeutic properties of peppermint essential oil and peppermint hydrosols are dependent on its menthol content, which is dependent on where in the world it is cultivated.  While much peppermint is produced in North America, peppermint with the highest menthol content comes from Japan.  It is for this reason that Calli Essential uses oils and hydrosol that originate from this region. Like so many herbs and oils, peppermint has been used since Ancient Egyptian times as a remedy for upset stomachs and indigestion. In the 17th century, it became widely used by doctors and apothecaries as a treatment for colds, respiratory infections, vomiting, morning sickness, and colic.  Today it is now also used as an anti-inflammatory and to treat minor aches, pains, and arthritis. Peppermint Hydrosol is particularly good as a mental stimulant to perk up a tired mind and as a treatment for hot flashes, tired achy feet, bug bites and rashes.  You can find peppermint essential oils and hydrosols in these products. Peppermint Hydrosol Pain Relief Spray Sports Spray Cold & Sinus Diffuser Blend Peppermint Foot Cream