Essential Oils in Central London

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Posted on January 21, 2012 by admin

Essential oils in the heart of London’s Piccadilly. Widest range in central London. Reputable suppliers. Reasonable prices. Immediately available four days a week (Wednesday to Saturday inclusive) at:

Little Swift Ltd
Piccadilly Market
St James’s Church
197 Piccadilly
London W1J 9LL

Tel: 07588 964 422

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Also available: natural soaps, resins (e.g. frankincense, myrrh, benzoin) pure shea butter based body creams with natural absolutes (e.g. jasmine, frangipani, gardenia) aromatherapy candles, bath milks, fizzes and scrubs with essential oils, herbs bags, and a wide range of lavender essential oil varieties.

Piccadilly Market St James's Church Piccadilly London

Piccadilly Market, St James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL

Galbanum Essential Oil

Posted on May 18, 2012 by admin

We are proud to supply Galbanum essential oil, steam distilled in England from resin of the ferula galbaniflua plant imported from Iran.

Galbanum, a green, fruity-floral odour reminiscent of green apples, sometimes referred to as the sacred “mother oil” goes deep into human history.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; [these] sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like [weight]:

And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure [and] holy… Exodus 30:35-6

Often used as a “green” note in perfumery, it is the ingredient which gives the distinctive odour to “Must” by Cartier, “Vent Vert” by Balmain, “Chanel No. 19″ and “Vol De Nuit” by Guerlain.

Initial notes are bitter, acrid, peculiar, followed by a complex green, spicy, woody, apple-like balsamic odour: reminiscent of crushed foliage at the height of summer.

Supplied in 5 ml bottles only. Best to telephone before visiting as stocks are low. A tester is available.

Union Jacks go up at Piccadilly Market

Posted on May 12, 2012 by admin

Flags are going up all over London in preparation for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations (60 years on the throne). Events will centre round an extended weekend on 2, 3, 4 and 5 June 2012.

Piccadilly Market is about 750 yards from Buckingham Palace and havenessence will be open on Saturday 2 June.

It is unknown, precisely, which perfume the Queen prefers. Like all successful monarchs she has maintained an air of mystery… for 60 years.

But mention has been made of Joy, Fleurissimo and Penhaligons. Rose is the common factor in these scents and havenessence stocks high quality rose absolutes, steam distilled rose essential oils, rose soaps and rose perfume sprays.

Visit us as part of the celebrations and leave smelling like a queen!

Rose Maroc - centifolia foliacea

Prickly Pear Seed Oil

Posted on May 7, 2012 by admin

Prickly Pear Seed Oil

Coming soon to havenessence at Piccadilly Market: Prickly Pear Seed Oil, aka Barbary Fig Seed Oil, Opuntia Oil, Opuntia Ficus Indica Seed Oil, Cactus Oil.

As reported by the BBC in 2009, this is a wonder skin and hair oil, relatively new to the western cosmetics industry, from the women’s co-operatives of Morocco. It takes approximately a ton of the tiny seeds to produce one litre of oil. It is rare, expensive, and hard to source as a genuine, virgin, cold-pressed, organic, fair trade product.

Watch this space!

Prickly Pear Seed Oil

Goats in an Argan Tree

Posted on April 30, 2012 by admin

For anyone interested in Argan Oil… The goats need to be carefully managed or they do a lot of damage!

Goats in Argan Tree 0

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Goats in Argan Tree 3

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Here’s what all the fuss is about:

Argan Fruit

Argan Oil London – Try before you buy!

Posted on April 28, 2012 by admin

Rich, gloopy, a beautiful golden colour, packed with tocopherols (high in vitamin E), squalene and fatty acids, excellent for both skin and hair, our new Argan oil range is flying off the shelves. Visit us at Piccadilly Market and try before you buy. Or obtain direct from our online shop.

We use only top quality, cold pressed, cosmetic grade Argan oil, obtained from a women’s co-op in Morocco.

Argan Oil 30 percent - 100ml

Argan Oil 100 percent - 50ml

Argan Oil Lemon & Jasmine - 30ml

Argan Oil Production - Morocco

Goats in Argan Tree

Big Bike Ride – London 28th April

Posted on April 28, 2012 by admin

Cyclists on Piccadilly, near our stall at St James’s Church, protesting the slaughter of bike riders on London’s streets. So much sweaty lycra! But in a good cause. Plus it was pouring with rain….

Essential Oils London – Try Before you Buy

Posted on March 21, 2012 by admin

Essential Oils London

Essential oils should be smelt. They can also be mixed with a good carrier — say Argon Oil — and used as scent or for massage. They can be dripped in the bath. Or used in the manufacture of high quality soaps, creams and perfumes. Or vaporised in an oil burner.

But most of all they should be smelt, especially before purchase. Which is an advantage of obtaining your oils from Havenessence at Piccadilly Market in central London. Nearly all our oils can be smelt before purchase. Some customers stay half an hour, working their way through our range — the largest collection of essential oils in central London.

Essential Oils London

Magnolia Tree, St James’s Church Piccadilly

Posted on March 17, 2012 by admin

There are many reasons for visiting St James’s Church on London’s Piccadilly, but one is to see the magnificent magnolia tree which has just bloomed in the churchyard.

Magnolia is an ancient genus which evolved before bees appeared, so the flowers are pollinated by beetles. They produce no nectar but plenty of pollen. The pollen is high in protein and the beetles use it for food.

The flowers are great, vigorous, rubbery things of a delicate pink. The tree towers over Piccadilly on that desolate, de-natured, stretch between Piccadilly Circus and Green Park. As tourists, office workers, hedge fund managers and their armies of servants, rush about, the magnolia nods gently over their heads, beetles busy in the flowers.

I took these pictures yesterday evening on a camera-phone without a flash.

Specialist Essential Oils

Posted on March 17, 2012 by admin

The following specialist essential oils are now available from us in central London:

Chamomile Matricaria Absolute
Frangipani Absolute
Gardenia Absolute
Honeysuckle Absolute
Hyacinth Absolute
Jasmine Absolute
Marigold Absolute
Neroli Absolute
Rose Maroc Absolute
Rose Otto Steam Distilled
Sandalwood Indian Steam Distilled
Vanilla Absolute

We keep a limited stock so best to phone before visiting. You can smell the oils before purchase. We open four days a week, Wed-Sat incl, 10am – 6pm at:

Havenessence
Piccadilly Market
St James’s Church
197 Piccadilly
London W1J 9LL

Tel: 07588 964 422

Honeysuckle

Hyacinth & Apollo

Posted on February 23, 2012 by admin

The Death of Hyacinthos by Jean Broc (1801)

Hyacinth, a beautiful youth, son of the King of Sparta, was loved by the God Apollo, who would visit him for manly pleasures. One day they took turns throwing the discus and Apollo made a mighty throw. Hyacinth, running to catch it, was struck on the head.

One version of the myth posits a homosexual love triangle, claiming that Zephyrus, God of the West Wind, also loved Hyacinth and in a fit of jealousy blew the discus off course, so it hit the youth.

Hyacinth by François Joseph Bosio (1817)

Hyacinth died in Apollo’s arms, his blood flowing onto the earth. Apollo, finding it intolerable that Hyacinth should be dead, made a hyacinth grow from the bloody soil.

Mozart: Apollo et Hyacinthus (1767)

Mozart, age 11, wrote an opera Apollo et Hyacinthus based on the myth. But the librettist Rufinus Widl (a priest) modified Ovid’s story, changing the sexually desired character from Ovid’s Hyacinth to Melia, his sister.

Hyacinth absolute is available from us at Piccadilly Market.

Hyacinth, Piccadilly Market