Skip to main content

The Power of Sandalwood

Diversing from my story of romance for the moment...yesterday I made a batch of foot lotion bars, using natural aromatherapy essential oils of peppermint, tea tree and lavender. Aromatherapy is very different from the art of perfumery, I just put equal amounts of each essential oil, and I was generous, the oils will do what they are supposed to do and they smell fresh and clean like they are meant to.
I then started on a batch of Sensual massage bars, now these are perfumed with my first simple perfume. It has top notes of orange and mandarin, cinnamon and ginger, a heart of ylang ylang, two lavenders and clove absolute, the base is, mysore sandalwood, peru balsam and dark patchouli. I have to go back and get out my notes and follow the recipe, I count out a hundred drops of lavender absolute, 33 drops of clove, 33 drops of cinnamon 33 drops of ginger. The sandalwood I add a full 20mls, too many drops to count! The patchouli is carefully measured, 30 drops only and so on...the base for the sensual perfume is almond oil infused with red sandalwood powder. When the bars were set they were a beautiful shade of rich orangey amber. I was amazed at the power of sandalwood to dye things, the muslin I used to strain the infusion was dyed a lovely shade of pink and my measuring jug is pink too. I must admit the massage bars do smell sexy, sort of hot and yummy, ya baby!
I am working on an idea for a perfume which is suitable for pregnant women. You see I was asked if I would make a lotion bar for pregnancy and stretch marks, so that raises the issue of safety and which oils and essences to avoid and which ones might be beneficial. I could just go the aromatherapy route but I think I will make a fragrance, seen as I love making perfume. I want to go for a light balsamic base and a fruity/floral middle and a refreshing citrusy top.
Some of the essences I have selected are: a base of labdanum, frankincense, myrrh, orange flower water absolute, maybe immortelle absolute, and for the heart I have chosen orange blossom absolute, neroli, davana or boronia, lavender absolute and blue chamomile, the top will be tangerine, sweet orange and mandarin. How these will work together I don't know, if I use the perfumery skills I have learned I might be able to make a good perfume. I have a concentrated infusing of st johns wort and horsetail, these herbs are very beneficial to the skin. The horsetail in particular is high in silica and will help the skin retain it's elasticity. The infussion has a very basey smell all on it's own so I will need to work from this, and build my perfume around it...challenging!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comparing Geraniums

First Whiff 1. Himalayan geranium: initial smell is sweet, light and floral. 2. Atlantic bourbon geranium (certified organic): initial smell is dry, floral and slightly bitter. 3, Anatolian bourbon geranium: initial smell, rounder and also dry. More floral than the Atlantic. After 2 minutes 1. Light and sweet but drying out slightly, not at all bitter. A sweet floral note. 2. Much dryer, becoming more leafy now and a green tinge coming through. 3. Also much dryer but becoming more fruity than leafy, more of a soft fruity floral. After 5 minutes 1. Is still light and now fruity floral, still more sweet than dry. 2. A distinct bitterness which is not present in the Himalayan geranium, a dry floral note. 3. No bitterness, the more fruity of the three. After 10 minutes 1. A definite citrus note coming in from nowhere, lifting this one up again, mmmmh I'm really enjoying the Himalayan geranium. 2. A softer herbal tea type note, less bitter and a little cloying compared to the Himalayan ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Working on a violet composition

There is something about violets. The little purple gems that to me represent spring. It is difficult to create a natural violet perfume composition because there is no actual violet flower absolute. There is a violet leaf absolute but it's green and dark and not a sweet delicate floral the way violets are. So...what to do? I am getting somewhere. First of all what is the profile of the perfume of violets? The notes of the flower are tender and sweet, with the complexity of the exotics like jasmine or ylang ylang. The perfume of a violet flower sort of draws you in in a beguiling way and before you know it it's imprinted on your memory never to be forgotten. As I say I am really getting somewhere. As usual getting the top notes stumped me. The question was how do I make something delicate and tender come out on top in a way that will lure a person in. Notes of carnation absolute, violet leaf and orris butter are key elements in the composition, using rose, jasmine and yla...
Post a Comment
Read more

Irises & Sweet Violets

I am having a rest day today, getting ready for blending the White Witch Mystery juice. One of my favourite materials being used in this blend, is that of orris root butter. Orris root is the root of the sweet flag, grown mainly in southern Europe: Iris germanica, Iris florentina, and Iris pallida. Once important in western herbal medicine, it is now used mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery. Orris root must generally be hung and aged for 5 years before it can be used for perfumery. Oil of Orris is known commercially as Orris Butter and is obtained by distilling powdered Orris root with steam, has an intense and extremely delicate odour of the fresh Violet and commands a high price. Orris has the power of strengthening the odour of other fragrant bodies and is used as a fixative in perfumery. The odorous constituent of oil of Orris is a liquid ketone named Irone, to which the violet-like odour is due. It is the presence of this principle in the rhizome that has long led ...
Post a Comment
Read more