Human Heart Nature Heritage Oils Collection

I've always been curious about essential oils, since online health gurus keep going on about which oil can treat what kind of illness or help with anything from mosquitoes to migraines. So I was pretty excited when I found out that one of my favorite homegrown brands introduced their own line of essential oils which claim to do a lot, from improving concentration, to keeping away stray dogs and cats. Don't worry about having to memorize the benefits and uses for each, as each box contains a little cheat sheet on how to use the oil (I mostly use them for aromatherapy and as linen scents).

The best part is that these come with actual droppers, and not that little plastic nipple you usually find on teeny little bottles of aromatherapy oil, except for the orange oil, which has a roller ball.

Ingredients are caprylic/capric triglyceride + the essential oil. It's not 100% essential oil, which affects the longevity of the scent -- it's more of "scent of the moment" rather than "ambient room scent"

Scent-wise, my two favorites are Lavender and Orange; they're my "all is well, now, let's kick butt" scents. 

Lavender Oil (1.25%)

Lavender Oil 
Price: P245 for 10mL

Here's an example of one of the usage Cheat sheets: (text from HumanHeartNature.com)

Sweet Slumber
Before bedtime, rub a few drops of Lavender Oil over your temples and pulse points to help calm your senses before going to sleep.

Pillow Pampering
Roll some Lavender Oil on your pillowcase or on a handkerchief and position it near your head when you go to bed. Breathe in and relax.

Classic Closet Fragrance
Put a few drops of Lavender Oil on cotton pads and place them inside your closet for that lingering herbal scent on your clothes. Refresh as needed.

Scald Soother
Cool the area by running cold water over it for 5 minutes, then gently rub Lavender Oil on it. Lavender Oil is known to help relieve the pain. NOTE: For severe burns, see a doctor immediately.

Nausea Remedy
To help alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness, dab some Lavender Oil behind the ears or around the navel. Repeat until the queasiness subsides.

BUT, as I mentioned, the scent from this line doesn't last more than an hour on my skin/hair. The scent also fades overnight in the closet, compared with pure essential oil, which has been going strong for almost two weeks now.

To get the most use out of this, I've incorporated  a few drops into H<3N sunflower oil, which I use for removing my my makeup, so it can 1. make me feel like I'm massaging the day's stress off my face, 2. relieve redness and irritation as an added benefit.

Orange Oil (20%)

Orange Oil 
Price: P245 for 10mL

Liquid Sushine is right. I roll some of this onto my wrists as a little pick me up on miserable after-lunch Mondays. The scent is more orange drink powder than fresh orange juice, unlike other orange oils that usually smell like orange slices with a hint of peel

I also use it as a hair scent by adding some into my hair oil, or by rolling some onto my palm before dispensing hair cream. The scent lasts a little under an hour on the skin, and around 15 minutes longer on the hair.

The insert actually suggests this as a rub for tummy aches, but it didn't do much aside from distracting me from the pain for a minute or two - that roller ball does not cover a lot of real estate.
Note: The little plastic head with the roller ball is a bit difficult to dislodge, the ball actually popped out when I gave up and used a pair of pliers in the attempt (the ball popped right back in afterwards).



 Tea Tree Oil (15%)

Tea Tree Oil 
Price: P295 for 30mL

To the uninitiated: Beware. This smells like wood varnish. Really.

Although not my favorite scent, this is actually the one I use the most, as I add it to the following:
1. shampoo - as a dry scalp remedy
2. facial cleansing oil  - to help with breakouts (be careful around the eyes, though, as this can BURN) The sweet spot is at 5% concentration, when it supposedly works as well as 5% benzoyl peroxide
3. at-home breakout regimen - a little dot on a zit can help dry it out quicker. It can cause some redness, dryness, or flaking when you first use it though, so better to start off with minimal amounts.








Rosemary Oil (15%)

Rosemary Oil 
Price: P295 for 10mL

One of the pricier oils on this list claims to be great for hair and scalp. Most of the tips on the insert have to do with adding a few drops to shampoo or massaging some into the hair. I'm pretty content with using this purely for aromatherapy, as it's supposed to aid memory and concentration (if you like the scent, that is). Not to say that the hair/scalp thing doesn't have any merit; some of my other scalp serums list rosemary as one of the main ingredients.














Eucalyptus Oil (15%)

Eucalyptus Oil 
Price: P295 for 30mL

Who hasn't heard of this one? Yes, it's the eucalyptus of chewing gum and Vicks VapoRub fame (don't eat it). The insert recommends mixing this with some sunflower oil to make a comforting rub.

You have to cringe at the insert/website's suggestion to use this as a cooling compress, though. Fine, use it to cool down on a hot day, but do not expect this to work for injuries, fevers, and the like. 












Citronella Oil (15%)

Ah, citronella: the anti-mosquito potion. This ingredient is often found in all-natural bug repellents because mosquitoes can't stand the smell of citronella. (And, well, neither can I). It's a sharp, cloying citrus with earthy undertones that assaults your sense of smell, which is why I choose to smear this under the tables instead, so it doesn't offend and so it can keep the bugs from biting where I can't see them.

It's also supposed to keep moths away from your closet -- that's only a slight improvement over the smell of moth balls, but there's the satisfaction of also making the bloodsuckers uncomfortable.

As for shooing away stray animals, well, the puppy dog eyes under the table still stare intently at me every dinner time, so that's a "that's not very effective" mark right there.

You thought I was kidding?

Overall Performance Rating: 3.75/5

Longevity: 2/5

Scent: 4.5/5

Packaging: 4.5/5

Price: 4/5

Rebuy: Lavender, orange, and tea tree. I already have three bottles of orange oil scattered amongst my usual haunts. Aside from a few labeling issues: 1. orange oil is the only one with an expiry date (not really a problem for this girl, who never throws things away, but some people might take issue), and 2. the percentage of pure essential oil not being printed at all  (the ones listed above were actually lifted from their social media person's facebook reply); I'm pretty satisfied with this collection overall. The little cheat sheets are immensely helpful -- and maybe the H<3N website, should the paper be eventually misplaced -- lending this collection the feel of being an introduction to essential oils.

So, any one of these look smell good to you?