When witches are perusing the Treasure Palace, there’s one display that tends to cause a bit of confusion...our potions! In person, we get a chance to explain--online, we’re not there to notice your look of confusion and jump in, so this is a VERY basic primer on POTIONS for the online shoppers!
In shop, when people come upon the shelves of colorful dropper bottles, their first question is usually “Are these essential oils?”. The answer is some are essential oils, some are tinctures, and some are essences!
Ok, ok, ok...now what’s the difference and how do you use ‘em?
ESSENTIAL OILS
You can diffuse essential oils into your space with a mist-diffuser or oil warmer! Or you can add a few drops of some of your faves to a spray bottle, top off with water, and you’ve got your own plant-powered magical mist!
You can also dilute them in a “carrier oil” like Almond or Jojoba oil to create an aromatherapy oil to apply to temples, wrists, feet, wherever! Just make sure you do your research on what oils are skin-safe! (And dilute, dilute, dilute!) The Flowers and Stars Oil blends Magnetism, Relief, and Focus Pocus are perfect for this, and Grace has already diluted her magical blends with luxurious Apricot Kernel oil, so no guess-work for those new to oils!
We DON’T recommend ingesting any essential oils!
ESSENCES
They don’t contain any physical plant or crystal matter, which means you don’t have to worry about interactions with medications (which is a factor when taking some tinctures), or taking too large (or small) a dose. It also allows us to safely bottle up the energy of environmentally scarce crystals like Moldavite (a single crystal can make infinite essences!), and uningestible things like a Full Moon over Salem, coral, or the Northern lights!
I have to admit, even I was skeptical at first...but then I took my first dose of Pleasure Activist on a particularly bad day and within an hour I had seen a double rainbow and a friend took me to get ice cream. If that didn’t make me a believer I don’t know what would have. Now, essences have become a part of my daily routine and I really do feel their energetic support.
The other great thing about the water-based nature of essences is that it makes them incredibly versatile to use. All the essences we carry in the shop have directions for use on the label, and we have 99 suggestions for working with our single-note gem essences here, but feel free to work with essences intuitively! You can put a few drops under your tongue, add a dropper to your morning coffee or bedtime tea...you could even make enchanted cocktails! You can add a bit to your bath water, anoint your altar space or Tarot decks, or place a few drops on your pillow...the magical world is your oyster!
TINCTURES
Tinctures are made by infusing physical plant matter in alcohol, glycerine, or vinegar. They’re not as concentrated as essential oils, but they ARE powerful both energetically and physically. When working with tinctures it’s important to read labels, follow dosing instructions, and be aware of what’s inside! I don’t say any of this to scare you off...plenty of tinctures are made with gentle, nourishing herbs that are safe for almost all folks at almost any dose...just read labels and do your basic research!
Their powerful nature is also why we love them. Since these are made with physical plant matter, you’ll experience the physical effects of the plants inside! If this all sounds really confusing, it might be helpful to think of a tincture like a SUPER strong herbal tea...like, you only need a few drops strong. You might drink a cup of relaxing herbal tea before bed...you could take a few drops of a calming tincture to achieve the same effect! Or instead of reaching for a cup of coffee to clear morning fog, you might take a tincture for sharpening your senses.
You can take tinctures directly under the tongue, drop them into coffee, tea, or smoothies, or add one to a spoonful of honey to sweeten the deal (if they've been extracted in alcohol).
Hopefully this cleared up any confusion about what all those teeny-tiny bottles on the site are, and exactly how to use them! We love tinctures, essences, and oils because they make having a daily magical ritual oh-so-simple. Most of us have time in the day to add a few drops of Carnelian to our coffee in the morning or rub some Focus Pocus on our temples before we get to the day’s tasks! You don’t need a lot of extra time or pomp and circumstance to make magic every day!
