Cinnamon: A Spice for All Seasons
Copyright 2008-2013
Back in June 2008, I received an order for four bars of Cinnamon Glycerin soap. I was so happy about this because that individual proved to be another fan of spicy scents and obviously wasn’t looking at a calendar when he ordered. I happily made up a half dozen of these bars because I wanted some for myself. June or not, I loved the cinnamon scent that was so warm, inviting and always pleased my nose. Cinnamon is a real positive mood picker upper!
When I first got into aromatherapy, I had an opportunity to sniff anything I wanted before buying it. So, upon being presented with a clear glass bottle half full of the brownish colored liquid, I was surprised to smell a watered down version of one of my favorite aromas. On second sniff, it smelled like clove oil and I commented on that. The clerk explained that while it did resemble the smell of clove it was cinnamon leaf, not cinnamon bark. Cinnamon leaf oil was all they sold and no further recommendations about where the bark oil could be found were presented to me.
A few years later, I was in the throes of my moringa seed oil craze and when I got a list of essential oils the India-based company sold, I was delighted to see that cinnamon bark EO was on it. The price was reasonable and an ounce of the stuff wasn’t going to increase my shipping costs. So I ordered it and when it arrived, I immediately removed the protective wrapping and smelled the inside of the lid. There it was, my beloved scent! A cinnamon bun in a bottle! Christmas cheer in the middle of a Los Angeles heat wave!
Adding pure cinnamon bark EO wasn’t the best idea for the soap as it might be too strong for most people. I discovered a very realistic cinnamon fragrance that was as joyful to smell and was considered skin safe. It wasn’t recommended to use for a facial soap or for a leave on product like my whipped shea butter, but it wasn’t as “harsh” as real cinnamon bark essential oil.
To keep things real, I added a tiny amount of cinnamon bark EO to my soap and even more to my lip balm. When using the lip balm for the first time I felt a warming sensation on my lips and they felt fuller. They weren’t as it was just a temporary sensation. But I naturally wanted to apply more.
Cinnamon is a healthy additive to main courses as well as desserts. You can buy it in capsule form and ingest it that way. Or you can have cinnamon on toast, sprinkled on doughnuts, in cake, indulge in a cinnamon bun, and put a fresh stick of cinnamon in a mug of hot apple cider. And that’s just for starters as there are so many more ways of consuming cinnamon.
No matter what the media says about cinnamon, I know that it’s an aroma I’ve always loved and I will always keep on loving—even in the summer!