**REVIEW** Tonka Bean Oil from Piping Rock

I am SO disappointed in the Tonka Bean Oil that I just got. It has none of the vanilla scent that it's famous for and it wasn't even very moisturizing.

pay attention, please, to that label

Of course, I contacted Piping Rock immediately because, based on their product details, either I got something different than what was described or I got a bad bottle. This is the site's description of their Tonka Bean fragrance oil:

The rich, creamy aroma of our Tonka Bean Fragrance Oil brings together the warmth of amber, the subtle sweetness of vanilla and sophisticated notes of bergamot and lily.  (my bold/italics)

Uh, no, sir. Not my bottle they are talking about there. And, because I wanted to be sure that it wasn't just my nose being funny from this latest cold, I had a neighbor give the bottle a sniff. Nothing. She then tapped out some oil on the back of her hand and took another deep sniff. Her response? "I think I smell a little something, but not anything like vanilla or amber. Maye a hint of Bergamot." And she didn't sound too sure about that.

Now, I can't be super upset about the oil. For one thing, it's the first time that I have tried Tonka Bean oil, so maybe this is how it's supposed to smell (or not smell) like. I dunno. For another thing, Piping Rock has never disappointed me with the quality of the other products I've received from them. But I sure am upset at the response I received when I contacted them via the site's Chat function.

This is a copy of how I started the Chat:

"I recently ordered the Tonka Bean oil. I've never used any before now, but this one has almost none of the "sweetness of vanilla and sophisticated notes of bergamot and lily". There is actually almost no fragrance. Is that normal? I used perfumes that have Tonka Bean as a base or main note, but I don't know if the oil is so mild. I love everything else I have ordered and plan to be a repeat customer, but since I don't know Tonka Bean oil, was just wondering about this bottle."

His initial response was to parrot the site's description:

The fragrance contains - Rich, sweet, warm fragrance, with notes of vanilla and amber (my underline)

Ohhh-kay.

Notice that he uses that word "fragrance" the same as the product description and the bottle's label. Not just an oil but a fragrance oil...

 He then went on to assure me of the guarantee that's in place for one year from date of purchase (nice) so that I could return the unused portion (huh?)  with a short explanation (wait, what?) for a refund or "recreation" of the product.

Uh, here's the thing. I paid $4.99 for the little bottle. It would probably cost me that much plus a few pennies to ship this back. Also, why should I have to write any kind of an explanation? Maybe that's would be okay because maybe they want to make improvements, but why should I bother doing any of that for a $4.99 refund?

What I wanted was not a refund, but an explanation (short or otherwise) of why I wasn't getting any of the described fragrance from the bottle I purchased. Or maybe for the agent to tell me that the oil is not as strong as I expected.

At any rate, I am not happy with this oil and I'm trying not to let this bottle ruin all Tonka Bean oils for me. Or maybe all Tonka Bean oils smell exactly like this one. I don't know. All I know is that most of my favorite perfumes include Tonka as the base or main note and this is not what I expected. I mean, "fragrance" is all over the description and labeling so ... ~sigh~

I have to tell you all, if I weren't so happy with everything else I've gotten from Piping Rock, I'd be done with them at this point. As a matter of fact, if this had been the first thing I'd ordered, I'd have never ordered from them again.

Right now, I'm hoping to find another brand of Tonka Bean oil to compare with this one. You all know that I'm fair when it comes to writing reviews. I will tell the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to a product or brand. I'm in love with Piping Rock for the prices, the packaging, and (except for this oil) the quality of the products I've ordered.

I would love to hear from anyone who has tried Tonka Bean oil and can tell me if I'm expecting too much or not.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Pure Body Naturals Lemon Oil

Wow. This:

Pure Body Naturals

Lemon Oil

When I applied to try this lemon oil, I was only thinking of using it for skin purposes (I'd heard lemon oil is good for softening calluses and for other body care issues), but then I started checking out some of the other ways it can be used. This is a list of what I've come up with:

• Cleaning household items (stainless steel, counters, etc.)
• Freshening the garbage disposal
• Using with a diffuser to freshen a room
• Adding to water in spray bottle to get rid of smoke & general funky stuff in the air
• As a hair highlighter
• In cooking and flavoring (I like mine in tea and water)
• As a detoxifying drink (when used in water)
• To cleanse the skin (and treat oily skin)
• To freshen stale laundry

The list goes on but these are the ones I just listed caught my interest right off.

The first way I used it was on accident. I was opening the bottle because my sister and I were excited to see what the oil smelled like. As soon as I took off the lid, we could smell the scent without even getting our noses close to the bottle. That gave me the idea to put a few drops in a little glass bowl with some water. I set the bowl high up on a shelf (that my toddler nephew can't reach) and just let that fragrance go to work. Even such a small (diluted) amount immediately freshened the air. This is nice because when we have the windows shut against the winter air, all the cooking and other household odors turn stale. Another thing about the fragrance is that it's supposed to be soothing. What I can tell you for sure is that when I left a drop on a bowl on the windowsill overnight, I loved falling off to sleep with the calming scent in the air.

My next use was as a detoxifier. I added one drop - just one - to a 33.8oz bottle of water. This lemon oil is so concentrated that I ended up using the treated water to treat smaller bottles of water. I`m going to work my way up to drinking the stronger-tasting 33 ounces next. I just wanted to give you an idea of how concentrated (I guess that`s the word I`m looking for) this oil is. 

This much water with a single drop of oil

The reason that I`m so happy with the strength of this oil is because with all the different ways I'm going to be able to use it, this 4oz bottle is going to last a while. I agree with the comment I saw another Amazon user make, saying that usually essential oils come tiny bottles. Not this one. And the quality is apparently not sacrificed for the size.

As far as ingredients, there is only one: Lemon (Citrus Medica Limonum) Peel Oil. That`s it.

Usually, when I do a positive review of a product, I not only have to like the ite,, but I'm also thinking of the company and service. For this one, I think there are a lot of Pros (here comes another bullet list!):

• The all-natural ingredients
• Clear labeling and warnings
• Labeling of Country of Origin
• Bottled in the U.S.
• Good length of after-opening time (PAO of 12 months)
• Quantity and quality
• Cruelty-free
• Outstanding satisifaction guarantee

, this is one of those products I've tried that I will be using from now on. I have a whole list of ways to consider using lemon oil.

Pure Body Naturals is a brand you will want to keep in mind, not just for the quality, but also for the prices. If you have bought essential oils, you know what they can cost. Once you try Pure Body Naturals, I think you are going to be hooked like I am.

If for any reason you aren't happy with the product, then you will still come away happy as a customer because of their "3 months 100% money-back guarantee". And you even get to keep what's left of your bottle. That's my kind of guarantee. There's no way you can lose by trying out the product.

If there was one thing I`d like to see, it is a pamphlet of info for all the suggested uses of each essential oil. Still, this is such a good product that I don`t mind doing the searching for myself. I've just finished trying out Pure Body Naturals Argan Oil, which I will be blogging about shortly, and I only wish they made more products than they do. As a matter of fact, the next oil I`ll be trying from them is Peppermint. I can`t wait.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.