Composition
Orange oil, peppermint oil, myrtle oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, ho leaf oil.
The plants and the oils
Orange oil comes from the peel of the sweet orange; it is pressed from the peel by hand or machine, or steam-distilled.[2]
Peppermint oil is steam-distilled from the partly dried, flowering herb of peppermint (Mentha × piperita), a cultivated hybrid.[2] It contains menthol;[3] its taste is strong and cooling, and even its scent gives an impression of coolness.[2]
Myrtle oil is distilled in the same way from the leaves and twigs of common myrtle (Myrtus communis).[2] Green myrtle, generally from Corsica, contains much more alpha-pinene, and red myrtle much more 1,8-cineole.[4]
Eucalyptus oil is obtained by passing steam through the fresh leaves or branch tips of eucalyptus species rich in 1,8-cineole.[5]
Lavender oil comes from lavender: its freshly cut flowering tops are distilled with steam.[2]
Ho leaf oil comes from the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), from which several oils of different chemistry are distilled, so the chemotype matters.[6] The ho leaf oil of perfumery is steam-distilled from the leaves of the Ho-Sho variety.[2]
Scent
- Orange: pressed oil smells sweet, light, fresh and fruity, like a scratched orange peel.[2]
- Peppermint: natural peppermint oil smells fresh, strong and somewhat grassy-minty, with a balsamic-sweet undertone.[2]
- Myrtle: sweet, fresh, green and slightly camphorous.[4]
- Lavender: floral, fresh, sweet and herbal.[7]
- Ho leaf: clean, sweet, floral-woody and delicate.[2]
How to use
Scent a room or use the blend in the Vivasan car diffuser.
Massage. Add 3 to 5 drops to a massage oil.
Bath. Add 8 to 10 drops to a little milk and stir it into the bath water.
Storage. Store at room temperature (15-25 °C) and close the bottle after use. Oils rich in linalool can become sensitising when they oxidise (change through contact with air).[6]
Precautions
- do not swallow the oil;[8]
- keep it away from the eyes;[9]
- keep the bottle out of the reach of children.[9]
- Menthol, which is in peppermint oil, should not be inhaled by an infant or small child or put on their face, because it may affect their breathing.[3]
- Eucalyptus oil medicines must not be given to children under 30 months of age, because of the risk of a spasm of the larynx (voice box).[5]
- Myrtle oil contains estragole and methyleugenol, so at most 1.9% of myrtle oil is recommended on the skin.[4]
- People with asthma should try the scent carefully at first: fragrances, natural ones included, can make the condition worse.[10]
- The oil burns easily: keep it away from candles and flames.[9]
Sources
- ↑ Vivasan, product packaging of Get Up!, oil mixture “Wind” (E 131).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Ho Leaf Oil; Lavender Oil; Myrtle Oil; Orange Oil, Sweet, distilled; Orange Oil, Sweet, expressed; Peppermint Oil.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Peppermint Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 AromaWeb, Myrtle Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 European Medicines Agency, Eucalypti aetheroleum: herbal medicinal product. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 AromaWeb, Ho Wood Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ AromaWeb, Lavender Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Statement on Internal and Undiluted Use of Essential Oils. November 2019.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), Safety. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Robert Tisserand, Proof of Safety: Challenges Facing Essential Oil Therapy. AIA Conference 2007.