Balance Massage and Bath Oil is my favorite product from Essence of Vali, a small, New York-based company created by trained aromatherapist Valerie Bennis. Bennis has been offering her botanical formulas since 2000, and her thoughtfully focused product line includes various concentrations of a blend called Sleep, for a “Bedtime Ritual,” and a citrusy, uplifting Eau de Parfum simply named E.O.V., as well as a range of nine Massage and Bath Oils. These multi-use oils, composed of various plant essences, are intended to evoke different moods and responses, including Calm, Detox, and Passion.
Balance, my choice from this spectrum of Massage and Bath Oils, is scented with a mix of lavender flowers, grapefruit peel, clary sage and geranium leaves. The grapefruit is most evident as a top note, and it is sweet enough to remind me more of a blood orange. It is followed by a clean, soft lavender essence, with a healthy dose of earthy clary sage woven into the base. These cheery citrus notes and more soothing herbal notes complement each other well, achieving an equilibrium — a balance — that does indeed seem to induce a similar emotional state…
