Make
Your Own Perfume
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In the human brain,
the same area that stores memories and emotions also processes
olfactory
sensations, or smells. It's little wonder, then, that some memories
bring
back recollections of a specific odor and that certain odors can evoke
a vivid memory.
Store-bought perfumes
are aromatic fast foods, crafted for appeal to a broad-based olfactory
constituency, whereas personal perfumes are like a home-cooked meal,
prepared
with all your favorite flavors.
"I have the firm
belief that people can access emotional healing and mental harmony by
using
a personalized perfume, one that contains all their favorite memories
with
favorable emotional content," writes Kendra Grace in her 'Aromatherapy
Pocketbook.'
When making personal
perfumes for clients, Grace has her "patient" respond to a couple dozen
different essential oils (lavender, lemon, jasmine, etc.), grading them
on their appeal. Then, taking those that are most pleasing, she blends
a personal perfume carefully balance between "base, middle and top
notes."
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Base notes (jasmine,
rose, etc) are the "fixers" of botanical perfumery, providing a steady
base upon which to create a blend. Middle notes (lemon, rosemary, etc)
are mild smells that help mediate the more flamboyant top notes
(lavender,
chamomile) that make the strongest aromatic presence.
Vegetable oil is
used as a carrier for the essential oils, which make up just 10 to 35
percent
of the finished perfume.
"Intuition is very
important in blending, and I believe intuition can be invoked if the
right
state of mind is exercised," Grace points out. "We all have the same
potential,
but this potential needs to be activated in order to function."
Make Your Own Organic Perfume
Creating a fragrance that is unique to your personality - and organic - is relatively easy. First, explore the range of essential oils,
from sandalwood and chamomile to lavender and jasmine to find a
fragrance that matches your needs. Don't be afraid to combine scents to
compose an original fragrance.
Once you have settled on a fragrance, create a mixture of approximately
85% organic vodka and 15% essential oil in a decorative glass jar.
Cover the jar and let the miture stand for several days.
Finally, pour in a tablespoon of filtered water for each ounce of
vodka, stir, and allow the completed formula to sit for a few more
days..
Resources
'Aromatherapy
Pocketbook' profiles 17 essential oils, from basil to ylang
ylang,
detailing their characteristics and therapeutic properties. Practical
applications
and recipes for use in cosmetics, medicine, emotional therapy and even
magic are included in the compact paperback volume. An excellent
reference,
as well as an interesting introduction to the art of aromatherapy, this
book will inspire those who are sensitive to the power of scent.
Consider The
Art of Aromatherapy an introduction into the world of
essential oils.
This attractive, easy-to-read reference contains many of the basics
you'll
need to start incorporating aromatherapy into your daily routine. After
a brief but informative introduction to the medicinal and therapeutic
uses
of plant essences, this little book gets down to business. Thirty of
the
most popular essential oils are presented, first with a brief
description
and place in history, then moving into the practical and medicinal
realm.
Just one whiff of the simple
aromatherapy recipes in Aromatherapy:
Recipes for Beauty, Health, and Well-Being can raise your spirit and
refocus
your energy. Recipes in this little booklet include Sleepytime Balm,
Exotic
Oil, Aging-Skin Lotion, Cucumber Toner, Velleda, Body Tonic, Nourishing
Oil.
In the first section of this
The
Good Herb, author Judith Benn Hurley profiles 45 herbs and
how to use
their nourishing and rejuvenating properties in the kitchen, the
garden,
and the medicine cabinet. In the second section, she shares remedies
from
herbal masters to beautify, fortify, and heal many common problems.
Also
includes growing tips and aromatherapy ideas.
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Aromatherapy
Pocketbook (Llewellyn, 1999) by Kendra Grace. Paperback, 228
pages.
The
Art of Aromatherapy:
A
Guide to Using Essential
Oils for Health and Relaxation
Aromatherapy:
Recipes
for Beauty, Health,
and Well-Being
Esential Oils
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