Friday, July 27, 2012

Oil Perfume magick

I gave myself permission to skip a few weeks to get other stuff done :) And here I am again!


There is something magickal about perfume. We all are hard-wired to love beautiful scents, and to dislike and avoid unpleasant scents. Scent is the sense that is most easily identifiable and can jettison you back to a memory quicker than any other sense (like your grandmother's perfume).

A study (from somewhere made by someone :P lol) showed that 98% of women are more confident in themselves when they wear perfume. We wear perfume for a multitude of reasons:
  • to feel sexy or beautiful to ourselves
  • to feel sexy or beautiful to others
  • to cover up odors
  • to give ourselves a little bit of indulgence
  • to perk up your energy with the scent
  • to relax with the scent
  • to lift your mood
Perfumes can come in a variety of types: spray, powder, incense, solid dab-on, aromatic bathing waters, or oils. Oil perfumes are my favorite! One reason for this is that they are so easy to make (just mix and go!) and yet you can make them as complex and experimental as you want.

Another reason is that oil perfumes are one of the earliest known forms of perfume, rivalled only by incense and possibly water-based perfumes. Ancient women, be they Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Roman, Greek, Persian or elsewhere would massage their bodies with oil perfumes, sometimes getting as creative as to rub a different scent on each body part. (Jasmine on their necks, Rose on their breasts, Patchouli on their thighs, etc) So, using oil perfumes makes me feel like I'm doing this ancient, ages-old ritual celebrating my femininity by adorning myself with oil perfumes. It's like being an ancient Egyptian Pharoahess! It's lovely to pamper yourself with the fruits of nature and give yourself the energy of a queen.

Most oil perfumes consist of essential oils mixed in a carrier oil, since pure essential oils can overwhelm or even damage your skin undiluted (with the exception of lavender, which is fine to use 'neat' or undiluted). Essential oils are distilled aromatic essences of plants that have been extracted through a variety of methods. There are synthetic oils out there created in a chemist's lab, but they are not nearly as healthy or natural-smelling as true essential oils. You can usually tell the difference by looking at the label:
  1. If it reads 'fragrance oil' or 'perfume oil' instead of essential oil, then it is probably not real.
  2. If it doesn't include the scientific, botanical name (for example, Callitris intratropica for Blue Cypress) then it might not be real.
  3. Some essential oils are cheaper, and some are more expensive. If all types of oil are priced the same, they're more than likely fake. Similarly, particular essential oils like jasmine and rose are extremely expensive. Aura Cacia's current price for 0.125fl oz of Rose Otto is currently going for $79.99, and the same amount of Rose Absolute for $43.50. If a price on a rare essential oil seems too good to be true, it is probably fake or at least pre-diluted. Reputable carriers will put a note on the label specifying that an oil is diluted.
Truthfully, experimenting with essential oil blends can be somewhat expensive, if you're buying 15 oils and seeing what kinds of combinations you can make. My advice is, determine your budget, then go to the website of a reputable essential oil seller, such as Aura Cacia (http://www.auracacia.com/), Ananda Apothecary (http://www.anandaapothecary.com/), Mountain Rose Herbs (http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/), etc and scroll through their sites, making a list of scents you'd like to try, and their prices. Don't forget to factor into your budget in the cost of diluting oils, such as sweet almond oil or jojoba oil, or a blend. Create an order of preference of what you'd like to try, and using that and your  judgement about their prices, perhaps buy 1-4 oils that you can test-blend small amounts.

Some usually more affordable oils include but certainly aren't limited to: Amyris, Basil, Benzoin, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Lemongrass, Lime, Marjoram, Niaouli, Oak Moss, Sweet Orange, Patchouli, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Spruce, and Tangerine.

Personally, I love a simple mixture of Patchouli and Vanilla (vanilla comes in an absolute form, or I have used vanilla extract before as well). Lime and Basil are always a fun, sparkly combination. I've been meaning to get some Benzoin and try mixing it with my sweet orange, but haven't gotten around to it.

So anyway, within your budgetary limitations, GO WILD!!! It won't take long until you'll find what oils resonate best with you, and find some perfect combinations for you!

Love and Shimmery Light,
<3 Sapphire Orchid <3