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5 Great Ways to Use Scented Oils and Incense To Keep Your

Your Own Mood.

One of the easiest ways to scent your home is with a good quality incense. Stick incense usually last
longer than cone incense and it provides an atmosphere of being laid back or relaxed. You can choose your scents to promote a stress relieving atmosphere with Lavender, probably the most widely recognized stress reliever for years. The mood can be picked up by introducing Cinnamon, Orange or Frankincense. An evening of romance can be aided by smells such as Rose or Jasmine. Ylang Ylang, Vanillas and some of the more Oriental scents have proved to have aphrosidisacal properties.

The ritual of burning incense is as old as man himself, starting with the recognition that if one threw
different woods or grasses or weeds into the fire one would get different smells. Soon, almost all
cultures created artistic little devices to burn incense in - clay pots, ceramic bowls, brass braziers.
Now Crystal Mountain Oils and Incenses has created a smoking bottle, a burner that hangs up away from children and pets (and drunk friends) and also keeps all the ashes and fires away from furniture and floor coverings ( www.crystalmountain-aromatics.com/incense/burners/hangingbottles.htm).

Oils have been used for centuries by most cultures. The knowledge was for the most part lost to
some of the western Europeans with the advent of Christendom. But thanks to the Arabic and
Oriental people the secrets were saved and are now are enjoyed world wide.

The benefits of the oils run from pure olfactory enjoyment to the treatment of a vast majority of
maladies to repelling of many noxious insects to a variety of other uses. Cedar, Citronella, Clove, Bud and Catnip are just a few of the insect repellants. Peppermint, Tea Tree, Lavender, Rosemary and Eucalyptus are just a few of the more well known therapeutics oils.

The art of Perfumery, or blending fragrances to create smells for various purposes, is also an
ancient part. It didn’t just start with “Chanel #5″ or “Love Potion #9″. I believe I read somewhere
that Louis the Fourteenth of France preferred the scent of Jasmine. Indeed, once a persons interest
is captured in olfactory bliss, the normal reaction is to immediately search for other pleasurable
scents. Often at our shoppe customers will search through the 130 or so oils looking for just the right
one, until sometimes their nose fails them and they have to step back until there sense of smell clears.

There are many ways to enjoy the oils. Most of them can be worn as a personal fragrance. Some you
may need to cut with a carrier oil. You can take this to the next step, and turn them into a massage
oil by mixing a few drops with a heavier oil such as grapeseed or sweet almond oil that is used as a massage oil base.

You may drop a few drops of oil on a hot surface - light bulb ring or a stovetop, for those that heat with wood. One of my favorite ways is to use a potpourri pot, either one heated with a candle or by
electricity, put a little water in the container and add a few drops of your favorite oil or favorite oils.
Apply heat, and set back and enjoy the pure unadulterated scent from the oil. I say favorites,
because I have found in the past 16 years that I have been involved with oils, that the more compatible oils you mix the better the scent gets.

On a hot day, a neat way to beat the heat is to take a spray bottle, fill it with water, add a refreshing
oil such as Peppermint or Orange, then spray it around the room. This same technique can be used to
refresh you bed. Simply turn back the covers, and spray your linens. You can broaden this buy adding other scents that you like.

You can keep your automobile fresh by adding a few drops of oil to a piece of leather and placing it on your dash in the sun. Oils are volatile, so heat activates them and amplifies their aroma.

Crystal Mountain Oils and Incense manufactures decorative aroma bottles that can be worn as a necklace or you can hang them in your auto, and make for some enjoyable crusin’. You can see them at www.crystalmountain-aromatics.com/jewelry/index.htm.

Ok, if this is more than 5 ways, please excuse me, and just try them all anyway. And, oh yeah, we hope you get addicted. We did. And as far as we know there is no 12 step program, at least we hope not.

“Help us make the world a better smelling Place”

Larry Murley has been blending oils and making incense for almost 20 years. He loves his trade and spends a great deal of time trying to create new scents and making the world smell better. He and his wife Kerry sell thier creations at Arts & Crafts shows and online at http://www.crystalmountain-aromatics.com.

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On a trip to Dubai I had the opportunity to visit the spectacular Burj Al Arab hotel, a luxuriously modern and decadent retreat for the rich and famous, often touted as the world’s finest hotel. With its unique sail-shape architecture cutting a stunning profile against a backdrop of deep blue sea, it has become the signature of cosmopolitan Dubai. The lobby greeted me with dazzling bold colors, vivid gold accents, a cascading fountain, and a stunning floor to ceiling aquarium. But, what initially captivated me, and remains etched in my memory, was the memorizing aroma of frankincense. It was an ethereal waft of incense smoke that spun through the revolving door and transported me inside the hotel.

In the growing world of home fragrances we are frequently confronted with new and innovative products - better plug-ins, the next generation in candles, fragrant cleaning supplies - and we overlook the original source of aromatic appreciation: incense. Incense is fragrance in its oldest and purest form. Some thousands of years ago man learned that adding certain woods, resins, herbs, and spices to fire created a pleasing aroma and from there the appreciation grew. Coveted ingredients became common offerings in spiritual practice. Today, incense is still associated with worship throughout the world but you do not have to be in touch with your inner Buddha to become a connoisseur. Evolution has brought us various forms of incense, from traditional to contemporary fragrances, which are well suited to personal use. Burning incense can add a uniquely rich and warm aromatic atmosphere to your home. Experiment with the different styles and forms to find one that you enjoy.

Incense Forms & Use

The most common form of incense sold today is in the form of sticks, either with a bamboo rod in the center or in the form of joss sticks, spaghetti-shaped sticks of pure incense material. Joss sticks are generally of better quality and tend to burn with less smoke because they lack the bamboo interior. Stick incense come in various lengths, making them suitable for many uses, inside or outside. A 3″ joss stick will burn for about 15 - 20 minutes and can fragrance a standard sized living room. For a larger space or one with high ceilings you can burn several short sticks, use longer sticks, or try coils.

Incense coils are a variation on joss sticks. Since longer joss sticks are fragile and more prone to break the coil shape was developed. Coils vary in size but a two-inch diameter coil will burn for approximately 120 minutes. They are ideal for larger spaces and active spaces, like at a party or an event. Incense coils are also popular for their appearance. Displayed in an attractive holder they make beautiful home accents.

Cones are another well-known form of incense. Like joss sticks and coils, incense cones are made from pure incense material but their sturdy shape makes them the easiest form to pack around with you. A typical incense cone will burn for about ten minutes.

The oldest form of incense is loose incense, blends of raw ingredients that are burned directly over charcoal. Ingredients can include resins, woodchips, spices, herbs, and dried flowers. This form of incense appreciation takes more preparation and requires some experience but can be a very rewarding and creates a dramatic effect. Burning the raw materials causes more smoke so it must be done in a well ventilated space or outside.

A variation on the traditional loose incense is the Japanese methods of soradaki and mon-koh, the latter of which is used in the Japanese incense ceremony. These methods are suitable for warming fragrant wood chips. They involve the use of white ash and charcoal to just warm the wood so it releases its fragrance. Both require some patience and practice but are quite elegant and nice for a small space. If done properly there is virtually no smoke. Or, a simpler alternative is to use a portable wood chip heater that requires no ash, or an electric heater.

Your Choice of Holders

Once you have made a choice about which incense form to use, you can select an appropriate holder. The holder can be a home d

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