What's in a scent!

Since childhood I've heard about perfume, aromatic essences and even the bible mentions myrrh and incense. We  knows that Paris is at the top of the perfumery industry, but what really are perfume and why do we love it so much? As a species we live by our olfactory sense and life without the ability to smell would be a much more boring place! All of this got me to thinking so I started doing some research and decided to compiled and share what I learned  with my readers.As a species we all use scent, perfumes and aromatherapy even if you don't realize it.

The majority of consumers purchase oils and perfumes from cosmetic counters or online. I have always been a do-it-yourself er so I decided to actually learn to make my own scent and the first thing I found is that there are some interesting ingredients required to produce those alluring scents we all love. This lead to the benefits of aromatherapy so I decided to include some information on that subject too. Aroma therapy's claim to fame has always been it's ability to uplift and soothe one's moods and some practitioners claim that their even have real healing qualities. Traditionally certain scents have been treasured like: lavender,  vanilla, cinnamon etc.. and  once I got my first whiff of lavender I found aromatic paradise. It's not surprising Lavender has a calming affect on people and it is often use in drug rehabilitation therapy to calm the negative withdrawal symptoms associated with kicking drugs/alcohol. It has a comforting effect on the clients who are struggling to achieve recover and benefit from the soothing effects of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy oils like Orange and ylang ylang are credited with easing anger. Cypress, rosemary, sweet basil, bergamot, geranium, sandalwood and grapefruit is believed to induce bravery, since we are all affected differently by different scents you will have to experiment. Citrus fruit is just naturally invigorating think about how you feel when you peel a fresh aromatic orange or how your mouth starts to water in anticipation of your first swallow of good lemonade. These citrus fruits are just naturally energizing, and the smell of cinnamon sends me for a whirl, nutmeg and mints like peppermint and spearmint have been used since antiquity. Citrus essential oils (oranges, lemons etc..) can make your skin sensitive to direct sunlight so avoid long exposure to sunlight. Angelica, bergamot, lemon and lime can make cause skin sensitivity to ultraviolet light thus you need to take special skin precautions when wearing them.

The majority of perfume ingredient come from plants and animal musk like: flowers, grasses, spices, fruit, wood, roots, resins, balsams, leaves, gums, and animal secretions—as well as resources like alcohol, petrochemicals, coal, and coal tars are used in the manufacture of perfumes. Some plants, such as lily of the valley, do not produce oils naturally. In fact, only about 2,000 of the 250,000 known flowering plant species contain these essential oils. I have learned that a lot of scents are artificially created in laboratories from synthetic chemicals to create and re-create rare smells of non-oily substances.

Myrrh and frankincense are beautiful scents which have been around for centuries. Ancient Egyptians burned incense called kyphi—made of henna, myrrh, cinnamon, and juniper and placed a cube of fat ingested with aromatic ingredients which would gradually melt and drip down over their body. Africans were reported to soaked aromatic wood, gum, and resins in water and oil and used the liquid as a fragrant body lotion even today in certain parts of Africa women undergo a smoking ceremony which uses a various aromatic ingredients and aromatic wood to smoke an intended bride prior to her wedding and the process produces wonderfully soft supple aromatic skins which can last for several days. The ancient Egyptians of Africa coated and embalmed their dead with aromatic herbs and oils to prepare them for mummification.

Scents to calm the troubled Diva Video!

Many in the US are not aware that Frankincense is a heavenly scent and in conjunction with bergamot can help relieve depression and grief. Some Fashionista may like rose, however it is one of my least personal favorites. I believe this is the result of inhaling copious power doses of rose perfumes/oils being worn by old ladies during my childhood which has left a lingering negative psychological impression on me.

A combination of black pepper and peppermint is said to boost cognition (Remember the proof is in the trying). I can't resist pheromones sensual allure of musk, jasmine, ylang ylang, neroli, patchouli are classic smells of romance! And for good reason they really stimulate the heck out of me!

Fortunately the ingredients & components required to produce scent are available on-lnecheminstry.There is no single correct formula for making perfume, the basic formula is 15% to 30% of the total amount coming from essential oil; 80% to 90% of the remainder is perfumer's alcohol, which you may be able to find at perfume ingredient wholesalers, or pure grain alcohol such as Everclear or 100-proof vodka. (Perfumer’s alcohol is ethanol with an added ingredient to make it bitter and undrinkable.) Distilled or bottled spring water makes up the last 5% to 10% of the remainder. Believe it or not it's illegal to sell perfumes made from Everclear or vodka and the will jail you

Professional perfumers receive a lot of vital training but two of the basics essential you need to be aware when considering homemade scent is training your nose to recognize about 200 aromas  to and many professional professional are trained to recognize over  2,000 varieties of smells, but don't worry about this we are sticking to the ability. the aroma materials used in perfumer (hint: W omen's olfactory capabilities are normally superior to that of Men-What a surprise!:). The second hurdle involves developing your ability to create "matches" for classic perfumes and popular  designer fragrances.

When considering producing your own scent you may either go to a perfumery where you are allowed to mix and match scents until you arrive at a scent you love. Paris is famous for these kind of establishments and will even keep your recipe on files and ship it to anywhere in the world. If you want to start from scratch you must decide on which essential ingredients you will be using. Essential oils are oils that contain the scent essences of plants and flowers. Fragrance oils contain scents that may by synthetic blended with a carrier oil. Essential oil can be replaced with fragrance oil to create an inexpensive perfume, but the quality of the scent will probably be diminished.

You can also make your own essential oil or distilled scent using fresh flowers. Gather your favorite aromatic fresh flowers and crush or cut them into small pieces to release the volatile scent compounds. Then, soak the pieces in either distilled water or odorless carrier oil like almond,apricot jojoba oil etc.. When going basic and using water, use about 4 cups of flowers with about 2 cups of distilled water. If you are using oil, use about 4 cups of flowers with about 1 cup of oil. The water or oil must sit for at least 24 hours and some scents require longer depending on the potency that you are trying to achieve and the potency of the ingredient to begin with. You will have to experiment to get it just right. If you are allergic to plants/tree materials be aware of this if you break out or suffer from severe allergic common sense dictates that you don't use those ingredients.If you aren't sure whether of not you're allergic you may want to do a patch test on the inside of your arm once your perfume is complete (have your antihistamine and/or epinephrine injection ready just in care).

When you have gathered all of your flowers and oils now it's time to start mixing and blending (trail and error are part of a perfumers hallmark so don't get discouraged)  fragrance or essential oils to create that personal smell elusive smell you desire. Most scents fall under the description categories of citrus, woodsy, oriental, floral and spicy. but, when developing your aroma feel free to experiment. Musk oil and lavender have always been two of my favorite perfumes and I would probably experiment with them to create my one of a kind bouquet. Remember to record the ingredients and amounts used to create that perfect scent nothing worse than creating that one of a kind scent and not remembering how you achieved it! Trail and error are just par for the course I've learned when it comes to creating your own personal scent the the rewards and payoff are priceless.                                                       
                                  How to make your basic scent

Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin by mixing ¼ cup of straight vodka with 5 drops of an essential or fragrance oil of your choice. Depending on how strong you want the perfume, you can let the mixture stand for as few as 48 hours to as long as a month. The longer your perfume mixture stands, the stronger it will be. After your perfume has sat for the preferred time, add 2 tablespoons of the distilled water. If the perfume is too strong for you, you can add more water to get your desired scent strength. You may find that vodka-based perfumes require more water, and that the water may tend to separate; if this happens, simply shake the perfume each time you apply it. To stabilize the perfume and make the scent last longer, add a tablespoon of glycerin to your perfume mixture. Glycerin is a thick colorless liquid that is often used in soap making. It can be found anywhere soap-making supplies are found. When added to water and alcohol, glycerin remains in liquid form and helps the other ingredients dissolve faster and better.

Store your perfume properly. The scent in perfumes can quickly break down in the presence of heat, light or oxygen, and homemade perfumes will not last as long or smell as strong as store-bought perfumes because they lack the many stabilizing ingredients used by professional perfumers. To keep your homemade perfume as fresh as possible, store your perfume in a small UV resistant glass or plastic container. You can buy a container with a sprayer at almost any local craft store. You might also be able to find vintage perfume bottles at thrift stores or flea markets. Keep the bottle in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Storing it in the refrigerator isn’t necessary for the perfume to last.

From using oils to storage requirements, you can now start making perfume. Now that you know the basics of perfume making.

I'm a sucker for beautiful perfume containers and cosmetic containers. So when deciding on a bottle for perfume this has to be taken into consideration. Perfume bottles were often as elaborate and exotic as the oils they contained. The earliest specimens date back to about 1000 B.C. In ancient Egypt, newly invented glass bottles were made largely to hold perfumes. The crafting of perfume bottles spread into Europe and reached its peak in Venice in the 18th century, when glass containers assumed the shape of small animals or had pastoral scenes painted on them. Today perfume bottles are designed by the manufacturer to reflect the character of the fragrance inside, whether light and flowery or dark and musky.

What you smell in your rose petals is an essential oil. These are volatile substances that are sensitive to heat and light. When you brought the petals into the house they were still giving off their essential oils but it soon dissipated. In the garden the plants continue producing essential oils and each day they give off more of this precious perfumed substance.

When you make perfume you are trying to catch that essential oil and prevent it from dissipating into the air until it is applied to your body. The heat of your body then makes the essential oil give off its perfume.Essential oils and fragrance oils can easily be found in craft stores, health food stores, and perfume ingredient wholesalers.You can easily perform a Web search for ingredient wholesale.

                     Creating Oils for Fragrance Video

First you need to extract the essential oil. That can be done by soaking the petals in alcohol. A bottle of vodka is the handiest and purest form of alcohol available to the do it yourself perfume maker.

Instead of putting the petals into pretty bowl soak them in vodka overnight in a glass bowl with a lid. Always use glassware when making perfume because it does not react with the essential oils. You must also protect your perfume from heat and light. So keep it cool and in the dark as much as possible.

Filter the finished product through muslin or a coffee filter and store it in a dark glass container. You can then use it to mix with other extracts or simply add it to a carrier oil such as almond oil.

Here are just a few of the most common primary ingredients used to create various perfumes:

Ambrette the oil obtained from ambrette seeds (from the hibiscus) has a musk-like odor. Commonly used as a substitute for true musk.

Amyris is a white-flowering bush or tree found in Haiti and South America. Often used as a less-expensive substitute for sandalwood.

Benzoin is a balsamic resin from the Styrax tree.

Bergamot possesses a  tangy oil expressed from the non-edible bergamot orange, grown primarily in Italy.

Calone is a chemical that adds a “sea breeze” or marine note to fragrances.

Cashmeran is a synthetic aldehyde with a spicy, ambery, musky, floral odor. Used to invoke the velvety smell or "feel" of cashmere.

Castoreum comes from a small mammal, the Castor beaver  secrets it and is used to impart a leathery aroma to a fragrance.

Citron comes from a  tree's fruit & used to create citrus fragrance notes.

Civet musk is made in the tail glands of the African Civet Cat's.s tail. Pure civet is said to have a strong, disagreeable odor, but in small quantities is often used to add depth and warmth to a fragrance.

Clary sage herb oil smells sweet to bittersweet, with nuances of amber, hay and tobacco.

Coumarin is a perfume compound that smells like vanilla. Usually derived from the tonka bean but also found in lavender, sweetgrass and other plants.

Frangipani is a  tropical flower, also known as West Indian jasmine.

Frankincense also called Olibanum has been around since biblical times and probably before recorded history. It's basically a  gum resin from a tree found in Arabia and Eastern Africa.

Guaiac Wood is a resinous South American tree whose oil is used in perfumery.

Hedione is a chemical that has a soft, radiant jasmine aroma.

Heliotrope are flowers of the family heliotropium, which have a strong, sweet vanilla-like fragrance with undertones of almond.

Indole is a chemical compound which smells floral at low concentrations, fecal at high concentrations. Used widely in perfumery.

Iso E Super-An aroma chemical, described as a smooth, woody, amber note with a velvet-like sensation. Used to impart fullness to fragrances.

Jasmine wildly popular scent is used widely in perfumes.

Labdanum-An aromatic gum from from the rockrose bush. The sweet woody odor is said to mimic ambergris, and can also be used to impart a leather note.

Making homemade incense sticks

Monoi-Gardenia (tiare) petals macerated in coconut oil. Sometimes called Monoi de Tahiti.

Muguet-French for Lily of the Valley. One of the three most used florals in perfumery. Unlike jasmine and rose, usually synthetically reproduced.

Myrrh-A gum resin produced from a bush found in Arabia and Eastern Africa.

Narciussus-The white flowers of this tree are used extensively in French perfume production.

Neroli-A citrus oil distilled from the blossoms of either the sweet or bitter orange tree. The Italian term for neroli is zagara.

Oakmoss-Derived from a lichen that grows on oak trees. Prized for its aroma, which is heavy and oriental at first, becoming refined and earthy when dried, reminiscent of bark, seashore and foliage.

Opopanax-A herb that grows in the Middle East, North Africa and the Meditarranean, also known as sweet myrrh. The resin produces a scent similar to balsam or lavender.

Orris-Derived from the iris plant. Has a flowery, heavy and woody aroma.

Osmanthus-A flowering tree native to China, valued for its delicate fruity apricot aroma.

Oud (Oudh)-Refers to wood from the Agar tree, found mostly in Southeast Asia. The fragrant resin is treasured by perfumers.

Ozone-A modern, synthetic note meant to mimic the smell of fresh air right after a thunderstorm.

Patchouli-A bushy shrub originally from Malaysia and India. Has a musty-sweet, spicy aroma. Often used as a base note.

Rose-One of the main flower notes used in perfumery.

Rose de Mai-The traditional name given to Rose Absolute (rose essential oil) produced by solvent then alcohol extraction.

Sandalwood comes from the Indian sandal tree & used as a base note.

Tonka Bean-Derived from  a plant native to Brazil. Has an aroma of vanilla with strong hints of cinnamon, cloves and almonds. Used as a less-expensive alternative to vanilla.

Tuberose-A plant with highly-perfumed white flowers, resembling those of a lily.

Vanilla-Derived from the seed pod of the vanilla orchid. Highly fragrant, popular, and expensive to produce.

Vetiver-A grass with heavy, fibrous roots, which are used to distill an oil that smells of moist earth with woody, earthy, leather and smoky undertones. A highly important ingredient in masculine perfumes.

Ylang Ylang-An Asian evergreen tree with fragrant flowers. Used in expensive floral perfumes.

From what I have learned making your own homemade perfume is not impossible and can be easy of very complex. The blending of perfume is the complex part of the process. Perfume are blended from a mixture of essential oils. There are top notes and deep undertones in any perfume. They come from different oils. You have to learn what each one does.

Mixing a perfect perfume requires a trained sense of smell. You have to train your nose to work like the nose of top perfumer if you want to make the best perfume at home. As a novice you will need to learn what the different essential oils smell like. You can buy them at specialist retailers and at health food shops. Some are more expensive than others. But the basics are quite cheap because you only need small amounts. Just two or three drops will be enough. The only one you may use in larger quantities in lavender oil which is a favorite ingredients in some of the most popular scents.

                              Distilling  scents Video 

For the adventurous Fashionista who can look into the distilling your own perfume.

There are three different notes in perfumes: Top, Middle and Bottom. What this basically means is that Top notes, or head notes, are the scents that you notice first, and they do not last as long as the other two notes. They do, however, add to the scent significantly, so when making perfume they should be chosen carefully. Top note fragrances include oils such a sorchard, lavender,rose,  jasmine, bergamot etc. Middle notes also referred to as heart notes, add to your scent for a while once the top notes have dissipated, The most enduring aroma is contained within your base notes.Some fundamental  good middle notes scent include: ylang-ylang  lemongrass, geranium, neroli, orange blossom and various hybrids are even used and patented today. The possibilities are endless from what I have learned.

The goal of the Base notes is staying power they usually include:oils like vanilla(a personal favorite)  cinnamon, and sandalwood.. You will usually notice their scent about 30 minutes after you have applied the perfume. When making a perfume that includes all three notes, add the base note oil first. Follow the base note oil with the middle note oil, and finish with the top note oil. A few exotic oils such as ylang ylang and neroli will add their distinctive note to your home made perfume. There are many recipes for perfumes online but if you want to do-it-yourself remember patience is a virtue.

Get a collection of essential oils and chemical aromas  to begin experimenting. You can of course make your own essential oil (I have included a video on this topic) and you can also extract your oils from plant materials that you may even be able to collect from your own back yard. When it comes to scent the sky is the limit. Keep in mind that poisonous plants should never be used and if you have allergies be especially cautious.

While fragrant liquids used for the body are often considered perfume, true perfumes are defined as extracts or essences and contain a percentage of oil distilled in alcohol. Water is also used. The first synthetic perfume was nitrobenzene, made from nitric acid and benzene. This synthetic mixture gave off an almond smell and was often used to scent soaps. In 1868, Englishman William Perkin synthesized coumarin from the South American tonka bean to create a fragrance that smelled like freshly sown hay. Ferdinand Tiemann of the University of Berlin created synthetic violet and vanilla. In the United States, Francis Despard Dodge created citronellol—an alcohol with rose-like odor—by experimenting with citronella, which is derived from citronella oil and has a lemon-like odor. In different variations, this synthetic compound gives off the scents of sweet pea, lily of the valley, narcissus, and hyacinth.

I love the smell of lavender so when I decided to writes about scent I had to mention it. Oil therapeutic grade lavender has been highly regarded as a scent and skin care product ingredient for centuries and continues to be used today. Lavender is very versatile and may be used to cleanse cuts &bruises and it possesses a pleasant heavenly aroma!

You will always start with essential ingredients. Plant ingredients are harvested worldwide. Scents from animals products are obtained by extracting fatty substances from the animal. There is absolutely you can learn everything there is to know about perfume manufacturing but I have done my best to introduce you to the possibilities.

Extraction oils are extracted from plant substances by several methods: steam distillation, solvent extraction, enfleurage, maceration, and expression.

In steam distillation, steam is passed through plant material held in a still, whereby the essential oil turns to gas. This gas is then passed through tubes, cooled, and liquefied. Oils can also be extracted by boiling plant substances like flower petals in water instead of steaming them.

Under solvent extraction, flowers are put into large rotating tanks or drums and benzene or a petroleum ether is poured over the flowers, extracting the essential oils. The flower parts dissolve in the solvents and leave a waxy material that contains the oil, which is then placed in ethyl alcohol. The oil dissolves in the alcohol and rises. Heat is used to evaporate the alcohol, which once fully burned off, leaves a higher concentration that contains the oil, which is then placed in ethyl alcohol. The oil dissolves in the alcohol and rises. Heat is used to evaporate the alcohol, which once fully burned off, leaves a higher concentration of the perfume oil on the bottom.

During enfleurage, flowers are spread on glass sheets coated with grease. The glass sheets are placed between wooden frames in tiers. Then the flowers are removed by hand and changed until the grease has absorbed their fragrance.

Maceration is similar to enfleurage except that warmed fats are used to soak up the flower smell. As in solvent extraction, the grease and fats are dissolved in alcohol to obtain the essential oils.

 Expression is an ancient means of extracting scent ingredients it involves, the fruit or plant is manually or mechanically pressed until all the oil is squeezed out.Blending requires a good sense of smells and professional noses are employed by the perfume industry.

Once you have created your scent you'll need to mixed with alcohol. The amount of alcohol in a scent varies & is an exact science with creating some designer scents. Most full perfumes are made of about 10-20% perfume oils dissolved in alcohol and a trace of water. Colognes contain approximately 3-5% oil diluted in 80-90% alcohol, with water making up about 10%. Toilet water has the least amount—2% oil in 60-80% alcohol and 20% water.

Aging perfume is often done for several months to many years afterwards is put to the nose test again to ensure that the correct scent has been achieved.
Quality Control

Because perfumes depend heavily on harvests of plant substances and the availability of animal products, perfumery can often turn risky. Thousands of flowers are needed to obtain just one pound of essential oils, and if the season's crop is destroyed by disease or adverse weather, perfumeries could be in jeopardy. In addition, consistency is hard to maintain in natural oils. The same species of plant raised in several different areas with slightly different growing conditions may not yield oils with exactly the same scent.

No matter how lovely they may smell many essential oils are fatal when ingested, so make sure to keep them out of the reach of young children and your pets. Essential oils are potent that why a little bit last so long as a perfume scent and can harm and/or irritate eyes intimate body parts so be careful. In fact essential oils are so concentrated until they can dissolve rubber so rubber stoppers on your dark essential storage bottles is not recommended.

Synthetic perfumes have allowed perfumers more freedom and stability in their craft, even though natural ingredients are considered more desirable high priced perfumes. The use of synthetic perfumes and oils eliminates the need to extract oils from animals and removes the risk of a bad plant harvest. Perfumes are being manufactured frequently with synthetic chemicals rather than natural oils. That's why making your own ensures you have an all natural ingredients, however synthetic have resulted in less expensive products.
Aromatherapy for the Fashionista a novice introduction!
In ancient times our species learned how to harness the power of aromatherapy and the practiced live on in our modern time.Today with our hectic schedules are so busy we don't consider the simple benefits of scent and how simple it is to benefit from one's nose. Fundamentals of aromatherapy doesn't take a rocket scientist and thousands of practitioners make a fortune working with these essential scents. As with any new activity common sense and caution must be strictly adhered to. They are so many way in which these oils are used one of my preferred usage is as a toiletry and as an essential addition to my bath. Essential oils which are high in potency like garlic,wintergreen, fennel, hyssop, sage require less amounts  while milder oils such as rose, lavender and chamomile are used in higher quantities.

A natural asset of essential oils are that they combine with your personal body chemistry to produce unique varying aromas.Don't overdose on essential oil by exceeding the recommended doses usually ten drops of essential oils per mixture, for weaker scent use less oil. The so-called "Old Wives & Root Doctors healers"  have long been skilled in the proper use of these oils for centuries and they have always been widely used for medicinal purposes. Some people believe that subtle energy boost can be achieved by utilizing these oil scents, and we all know that they are natural aphrodisiacs known attracting potential lovers and their revitalizing and harmonizing effect are legendary.

Perfume are used as both cosmetics and for their healing qualities. When your body scents are harmonious & together so are you. Our  sense of smell is a right brain activity, believed to be responsible for ours emotions, memory, and creativity. This is why in the US aromatherapy has become so trendy.  The theory behind aromatherapy states that using essential oils helps bolster the immune system when inhaled or applied topically. Smelling sweet smells also affects one's mood and can be used as a form of psychotherapy, again this knowledge doesn't require a rocket scientist even animals use scents to attract potential mates or repel potential rivals.

Research is always being explored and the use of sexual pheromones(natural scents/oils produced by the body naturally to attract sexual attention) and synthesize pheromones in perfume is a multi billion dollar industry. Amazing male Bull, musk rats, rams, and even insects have always produced potent oils and human kind has even harvested these oils for use since millennium.  Humans, like other mammals, release pheromones to attract the opposite sex. Ancient people have always known that scent sells and wealthy Roman women were even reported to buy the sweet from their favorite gladiators and use it as aphrodisiacs and perfume ingredients. Clearly the nose knows and now you do too.

Copyright 8/11/2011 by Tiease D. Deutsch