Here’s an anecdote that might lead you to believe I am 100 years old: When I was a kid, one of my favorite holiday activities was making clove-studded oranges. It was a wholesome activity that combined three favorite things: clove, buying fruit and not eating it, and stabbing. Yes, along with licorice, another divisive flavor and aroma I obsess over is clove. So let’s dive into five ways to enjoy this spicy, goth AF ingredient:
1. Clove Essential Oil Hard Candy
I fell down a rabbit hole trying to track down clove gum and ended up in this Etsy shop where I have now purchased clove candies three times. You can request organic sugar, which I guess makes eating sugar and essential oil more adult? Clove oil has a fun numbing effect on your mouth – not so much that you’ll slur or drool, but just enough to feel weird and good. One piece of advice – I prefer the circle shape as the more angular shapes break more.
2. Clove Toothpaste
I used to love Lush’s clove Toothy Tabs but they discontinued them a while back! While they still make other blends (like Oral Pleasure, which I wish wasn’t pomegranate because I’d love to use a Pulp Fiction toothpaste) I now have to get my clove fix in powder form from their Atomic Tooth Powder. It’s made with a bunch of my favorite spicy-spices but most importantly, clove. You can also try Dabur Herbal Clove Toothpaste if you aren’t quite ready for tooth powder.
3. Vlad Dracvlea Soap
There isn’t one god damn thing I don’t love about this soap. It’s vegan, it’s beautiful, it’s evil, it’s made with coriander, blood orange, cedarwood and most importantly, clove, and it comes from my favorite scent blending wizard, Virginia of Bath sabbath. If you have ever wanted to rub Vlad the Impaler on your butt, this is the product for you.
4. Elusive Clove Lip Balm
Bonus shout out to Lush’s #BeCrueltyFree shampoo bar – mmm clove hair.
Do you even understand how hard it is to find vegan clove lip balm? Not even Crazy Rumors makes it anymore and they make like 500 flavors! Well after clicking on and being disappointed in about 50 different Etsy sellers (beeswax isn’t vegan, people) I finally found a way to make my lips feel nice and smell spooky.
5. Grocery Store Clove Candle
I thought I’d throw one in that you can probably find at Target. An orange clove candle by Mrs. Meyers, maker of Tony’s favorite cleaning products. It’s a good middle ground if you live with people who aren’t prepared for a woodsier, smokier, all-clove candle. Orange keeps it pretty light and bright, with just enough clove to remind you why you bought it.
