Zingiber officinale
Geranium or ginger, geranium or ginger. I've had such a hard time time deciding between the two. My head says go with geranium, since it's so incredibly useful in perfumery, but my heart says go with ginger. Ginger is useful in natural perfumery as well, but you can't use it to boost your rose scent.
The most important thing about ginger essential oil: buy fresh ginger oil. If it doesn't say fresh, it probably won't have that sparkling brightness you want. I think CO2s might be okay, but sample first to make sure it's nice enough.
Ginger pairs well with many essential oils. For bath and body products, start by thinking of how you eat it, and try combining it with chocolate or vanilla, plus any of the sweet spices. Add it to a chai fragrance. And it is wonderful paired with lemon or lime, and the combination produces a dazzling brightness. When working on a perfume, consider the above, but go beyond the food notes and use ginger as a top note for various fragrances. Ginger pairs nicely with florals, and you can use it to lighten up earthier scents, like patchouli. It could also work in any fresh or spicy fragrances, such as colognes and oriental perfumes.
In addition to the essential oil and CO2, ginger is also available as an absolute and oleoresin, though these are less common.
Other gingery notes:
Curcuma (Curcuma longa) Note: This might also be sold as turmeric oil, but curcuma should be distilled from the dried rhizome, per Arctander.
Fingerroot (Boesenbergia pandurata)
Galangal (Alpinia officinarum, Alpinia galanga, Kaempferia galanga)
Zedoaria (Curcuma zedoaria)
Previously:
Frankincense
Fragrance, beauty, and business.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
The ABCs of Essential Oils: Frankincense
F:
Frankincense (Boswellia)
If you talk to me about essential oils, you'll likely hear me say "that's one of my favorites" so many times it seems to lose meaning. But I really do love many of them, and it would be hard to limit the number of favorites that I have. That said, frankincense really is one of my favorites, and I would place it somewhere in my top ten (but please don't ask me what the other 9 are!).
I could write a lot about frankincense - not only does it have a long history, but it also is amazing for aromatherapy. I'll stick to a few bits of information, and include my thoughts on using it as a scent.
Frankincense starts as a resin, the tears from tree. It is formed in the bark of the various Boswellia species, and for production purposes, incisions are made in trees, and the exudate collected. This is also how we get myrrh, frankincense's buddy. The tears can be used as incense, or processed to form materials for perfumery or aromatherapy. In addition to the tears, I have the absolute, essential oil, and CO2.
 |
| Frankincense & myrrh tears. |
Like all essential oils, frankincense will vary based on the exact species, its origin, age, and extraction method. Boswellia carterii is the most commonly available, based on what I've seen. Most species of frankincense come from Africa and the Middle East, including Somalia, Oman, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The essential oil might be produced in the country of origin, or the resin can be shipped to another country. Boswellia serrata is from India, and it is usually the cheapest.
Frankincense by itself is beautiful, and to me it is the scent of sunshine. I find it bright and clean with a lot of depth. Arctander describes it as "...strongly diffusive, fresh-terpeney, almost green-lemon-like or reminiscent of green, unripe apples...A certain pepperiness is mellowed with a rich, sweet-woody, balsamic undertone." He continues to describe it as "more or less tenacious with an almost cistus-like, ambre-type, balsamic note," depending on its distillation circumstances. (FYI - cistus isn't a typo, it's the essential oil of rock rose, with labdanum as its absolute.) I agree with Arctander's assessment, with caveat that the scent will vary.
As a base note, frankincense is a great base note for citrusy fragrances, keeping it light and fresh. In oriental perfumes it's peppery notes will go nicely with the spices, while it's balsamic notes will add depth to the base notes. For products, use it on its own or blend it with a few other notes. Combining it with myrrh for the holidays is popular, but try blending it with a citrus note, lavender, cardamom, or an evergreen. If price is no object, try it with rose.
Additional species:
Boswellia neglecta
Boswellia frereana
Boswellia rivae
Boswellia sacra
Previously:
Friday, July 17, 2015
The ABCs of Essential Oils: Eucalyptus
E:
Eucalyptus
If you're brand new to essential oils, you might be most familiar with eucalyptus through a vapor rub used when you have a cough. Eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol are the active ingredients in VapoRub, giving it that medicinal odor. Eucalyptus is more of an aromatherapy essential oil than a perfumery one- who wants to smell like a medicine cabinet?
That said, there's more to fragrance creation than just making perfumes, and it's useful to know how to use all sorts of materials. If you decide to make something like soap, you'll start to realize you're limited partly on the chemistry of the product. Cold process soaps can alter your scent, and some scents might not be strong enough to be worth putting in them. Hot process involves flash points, since an oil with a low flash point might not survive the heat, meaning you wasted that oil (I actually got into anise when playing around with hot process). Liquid soap (the kind made with oils and potassium hydroxide) can also react in weird ways with different essential oils. Different scents can thicken it or thin it out, some can cloud it, and others might clump up weird. So if you're interested in essential oil blending for products, there's definitely a lot more going on than just figuring out what smells nice together.
I haven't used eucalyptus in soaps, but there are a lot of products you might want to use it, especially if you're feeling kind of sick. You don't want to smell like eucalyptus all day, so you could try it in a salt or sugar scrub, or perhaps put it in a shower fizzy tab so it releases the scent into the steam. Try mixing it with peppermint to make it fresher, or try some lemon for a sunnier scent. Use eucalyptus in your home made cleaning products for an aromatherapy boost.
Since I am mentioning the aromatherapeutic uses, I would like to note that it's advised not to use this oil for children under ten, including sniffing it out of the bottle or from an aromatherapy inhaler. Because there are many different eucalypti, some may be safer for children than others.
And if you really want it in your perfume? Try finding eucalyptus absolute from the stores below for a less medicinal fragrance.
Hermitage Oils
Aftelier
There are a lot of eucalypti out there, and if you can't stand the odor of one, you might want to try another. I've listed some below that I've seen before. There are many more, but this list includes some common ones plus a few that have a bit of a fragrant twist.
Eucalyptus globulus
Eucalyptus radiata
Eucalyptus smithii
Eucalyptus macarthurii - rosy, Arctander notes that it's a eucalyptus for perfumers
Eucalyptus dives - minty
Eucalyptus citriodora- citronella-like
Eucalptus staigeriana - lemony
Other eucalyptus notes:
Cajeput (Melaleuca cajupti or Melaleuca leucadendron)
Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia)
Previously:
Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise
Eucalyptus
If you're brand new to essential oils, you might be most familiar with eucalyptus through a vapor rub used when you have a cough. Eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol are the active ingredients in VapoRub, giving it that medicinal odor. Eucalyptus is more of an aromatherapy essential oil than a perfumery one- who wants to smell like a medicine cabinet?
That said, there's more to fragrance creation than just making perfumes, and it's useful to know how to use all sorts of materials. If you decide to make something like soap, you'll start to realize you're limited partly on the chemistry of the product. Cold process soaps can alter your scent, and some scents might not be strong enough to be worth putting in them. Hot process involves flash points, since an oil with a low flash point might not survive the heat, meaning you wasted that oil (I actually got into anise when playing around with hot process). Liquid soap (the kind made with oils and potassium hydroxide) can also react in weird ways with different essential oils. Different scents can thicken it or thin it out, some can cloud it, and others might clump up weird. So if you're interested in essential oil blending for products, there's definitely a lot more going on than just figuring out what smells nice together.
I haven't used eucalyptus in soaps, but there are a lot of products you might want to use it, especially if you're feeling kind of sick. You don't want to smell like eucalyptus all day, so you could try it in a salt or sugar scrub, or perhaps put it in a shower fizzy tab so it releases the scent into the steam. Try mixing it with peppermint to make it fresher, or try some lemon for a sunnier scent. Use eucalyptus in your home made cleaning products for an aromatherapy boost.
Since I am mentioning the aromatherapeutic uses, I would like to note that it's advised not to use this oil for children under ten, including sniffing it out of the bottle or from an aromatherapy inhaler. Because there are many different eucalypti, some may be safer for children than others.
And if you really want it in your perfume? Try finding eucalyptus absolute from the stores below for a less medicinal fragrance.
Hermitage Oils
Aftelier
There are a lot of eucalypti out there, and if you can't stand the odor of one, you might want to try another. I've listed some below that I've seen before. There are many more, but this list includes some common ones plus a few that have a bit of a fragrant twist.
Eucalyptus globulus
Eucalyptus radiata
Eucalyptus smithii
Eucalyptus macarthurii - rosy, Arctander notes that it's a eucalyptus for perfumers
Eucalyptus dives - minty
Eucalyptus citriodora- citronella-like
Eucalptus staigeriana - lemony
Other eucalyptus notes:
Cajeput (Melaleuca cajupti or Melaleuca leucadendron)
Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia)
Previously:
Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
The ABCs of Essential Oils: Davana
D:
Davana (Artemisia pallens)
Davana is an odd bird. There aren't many choices for the letter "D" though, so davana it will be. Douglas fir feels kind of like cheating, and deertongue is impossible to find (no deer were harmed, it comes from a plant). I'm not sure if I've sniffed dill essential oil (the seed or weed), but I worry it would remind me too much of pickles.
Davana has a strong odor, described as fruity, herbal, wine-like, sweet. Arctander describes it as "...sharp, penetrating, bitter-green, foliage-like and powerfully herbaceous with a sweet-balsamic, tenacious undertone," in Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. It is usually steam distilled from the aerial parts of the plant (as opposed to the roots). It was a fairly new material at that time, and he doesn't write much about it.
Arctander recommends using it in a chypre or fougere, partly because those already have dark colors, so the a dark davana oil won't matter. It would be a nice modifier in a chypre, connecting the loamy oakmoss to the sparkling bergamot. I picture the green and sweet aspects blending well into a fougere scent as well.
Other forms of davana you might find include a CO2 extract or perhaps an attar. I have listed a few other artemisia varieties below- please look into safety issues when using any of these (including davana).
Owyhee/White Sagebrush- Artemisia ludoviciana
White wormwood- Artemisia alba
Wormwood- Artemisia absinthium
Sweet Wormwood/Sweet Annie- Artemisia annua
Tarragon/Estragon- Artemisia dracunculus
Previously:
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise
Davana (Artemisia pallens)
Davana is an odd bird. There aren't many choices for the letter "D" though, so davana it will be. Douglas fir feels kind of like cheating, and deertongue is impossible to find (no deer were harmed, it comes from a plant). I'm not sure if I've sniffed dill essential oil (the seed or weed), but I worry it would remind me too much of pickles.
Davana has a strong odor, described as fruity, herbal, wine-like, sweet. Arctander describes it as "...sharp, penetrating, bitter-green, foliage-like and powerfully herbaceous with a sweet-balsamic, tenacious undertone," in Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. It is usually steam distilled from the aerial parts of the plant (as opposed to the roots). It was a fairly new material at that time, and he doesn't write much about it.
Arctander recommends using it in a chypre or fougere, partly because those already have dark colors, so the a dark davana oil won't matter. It would be a nice modifier in a chypre, connecting the loamy oakmoss to the sparkling bergamot. I picture the green and sweet aspects blending well into a fougere scent as well.
Other forms of davana you might find include a CO2 extract or perhaps an attar. I have listed a few other artemisia varieties below- please look into safety issues when using any of these (including davana).
Owyhee/White Sagebrush- Artemisia ludoviciana
White wormwood- Artemisia alba
Wormwood- Artemisia absinthium
Sweet Wormwood/Sweet Annie- Artemisia annua
Tarragon/Estragon- Artemisia dracunculus
Previously:
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
The ABCs of Essential Oils: Coffee
C:
Coffee (Coffea arabica L.)
There are so many good essential oils that begin with C, it's hard to choose just one. Cinnamon, cardamom, and clove are wonderful spice notes. Cedarwood, be it Virginian, Atlas, or Himalayan, is a great addition to any perfumer's tool box. And then there are cocoa absolute, cypress, and clary sage (or would that be under S, for sage, clary?). I would recommend most of these to a beginning perfumer over coffee.
So why coffee?
Because it demonstrates the importance of sampling oils.
Chances are you know the scent of coffee, whether you like to drink it or not. And many people who don't like to drink it do like the scent. For me, coffee has many positive associations and memories. Getting my first coffee in high school (and by coffee I mean something with a bit of coffee and a lot of calories) and going to Starbucks somewhat regularly by the time I graduated. In college I spent some time volunteering at a late night coffee bar, where I learned to make a few drinks. On my honeymoon, my husband and I visited Seattle and tried coffee from as many places as we could. I eventually learned to drink my coffee black, and now I enjoy all its subtle nuances. And trying all the fussy coffee machines at my previous job, and learning which floors had better coffee.
The problem with coffee essential oil? It's often pretty lousy. Essential oils often don't smell exactly like plant, but the problem with coffee EO is that it smells kind of like coffee, just not coffee that you'd want to drink. Sometimes I'll see it sold as coffee oil, a fixed (or carrier) oil pressed from green or roasted coffee beans. Fortunately, coffee is also available as an absolute and CO2 extract, which gives you more options.
While I recommend sampling before buying large amounts of any essential oil, sometimes the difference in cost between a sample and an ounce is small, it seems worth it to buy the larger size. But with coffee, it is important to sample, because having a bottle of unusable essential oil is sad. Try purchasing samples of each type (essential oil, CO2, absolute) so you can compare how they smell. Buy the one you like best, or that best suits your needs.
What do you do with coffee? It's great in bath and body products, including lip balms. Add it to a soap or body scrub with some coffee grounds. It's easy to blend it with other foody scents, but experiment with other essential oils as well. Before mixing it in the bottle with something unusual, take a blotter with your coffee and one with the other scent and smell them together. Some oils are stronger than others, so build up the notes slowly. In perfumery you can use small amounts to modify the perfume without creating a coffee fragrance. A drop of coffee can dirty up a blend and add some interest to an otherwise bland floral.
And if you do end up with a bad coffee oil? Mix it with a few other essential oils and make a big batch of soap.
Previously:
Bergamot
Anise
Coffee (Coffea arabica L.)
There are so many good essential oils that begin with C, it's hard to choose just one. Cinnamon, cardamom, and clove are wonderful spice notes. Cedarwood, be it Virginian, Atlas, or Himalayan, is a great addition to any perfumer's tool box. And then there are cocoa absolute, cypress, and clary sage (or would that be under S, for sage, clary?). I would recommend most of these to a beginning perfumer over coffee.
So why coffee?
Because it demonstrates the importance of sampling oils.
Chances are you know the scent of coffee, whether you like to drink it or not. And many people who don't like to drink it do like the scent. For me, coffee has many positive associations and memories. Getting my first coffee in high school (and by coffee I mean something with a bit of coffee and a lot of calories) and going to Starbucks somewhat regularly by the time I graduated. In college I spent some time volunteering at a late night coffee bar, where I learned to make a few drinks. On my honeymoon, my husband and I visited Seattle and tried coffee from as many places as we could. I eventually learned to drink my coffee black, and now I enjoy all its subtle nuances. And trying all the fussy coffee machines at my previous job, and learning which floors had better coffee.
 |
| The day before my wedding I got coffee with my friends. Coffee=Happy Memories |
The problem with coffee essential oil? It's often pretty lousy. Essential oils often don't smell exactly like plant, but the problem with coffee EO is that it smells kind of like coffee, just not coffee that you'd want to drink. Sometimes I'll see it sold as coffee oil, a fixed (or carrier) oil pressed from green or roasted coffee beans. Fortunately, coffee is also available as an absolute and CO2 extract, which gives you more options.
While I recommend sampling before buying large amounts of any essential oil, sometimes the difference in cost between a sample and an ounce is small, it seems worth it to buy the larger size. But with coffee, it is important to sample, because having a bottle of unusable essential oil is sad. Try purchasing samples of each type (essential oil, CO2, absolute) so you can compare how they smell. Buy the one you like best, or that best suits your needs.
What do you do with coffee? It's great in bath and body products, including lip balms. Add it to a soap or body scrub with some coffee grounds. It's easy to blend it with other foody scents, but experiment with other essential oils as well. Before mixing it in the bottle with something unusual, take a blotter with your coffee and one with the other scent and smell them together. Some oils are stronger than others, so build up the notes slowly. In perfumery you can use small amounts to modify the perfume without creating a coffee fragrance. A drop of coffee can dirty up a blend and add some interest to an otherwise bland floral.
And if you do end up with a bad coffee oil? Mix it with a few other essential oils and make a big batch of soap.
Previously:
Bergamot
Anise
Monday, July 6, 2015
The ABCs of Essential Oils: Bergamot
B:
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
It's convenient how the Latin names for most citrus notes start Citrus. Think of them as a good place to start learning binomial nomenclature.
Bergamot is a very common perfumery ingredient, and it's a note in an absurd number of both male and female fragrances. That's because it goes with just about everything. Not sure what to put at the top? Bergamot to the rescue!
You might be familiar with the odor from Earl Grey tea. You won't find bergamot at the store to eat, but the essence of the peel is used as a flavor. The scent won't overpower your blends, and will add a nice citrus note. I find it has a light floral aspect to it. Arctander describes its top notes as sweet and fresh, with an oily-herbaceous and slightly balsamic body. This is an exciting oil, and it won't cost you hundreds of dollars.
Like many citrus oils, the essential oil is produced via cold pressing of the peel. I have found a steam-distilled bergamot at Stillpoint Aromatics, but I haven't tried it myself. I'm mostly curious as to whether the steam distillation removes the photo-sensitizing elements of bergamot oil, like it does for lemon and lime. While I said in the first post that I wouldn't write about safety, bergamot oil is strong photo-sensitizer, and should be used with caution in leave on products. If you would like to use it in a leave on product, either dilute heavily or look into bergaptene free or FCF (furanocoumarin free) oils.
Fresh bergamot oil should be green or greenish-yellow. Bergamot doesn't get better with age, so unless you know you need a lot, start with small bottles so you know that you have a fresh oil.
Other oils with a bergamot note:
Bergamot Mint (Mentha citrata)
Bee Balm/Monarda/Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa)
Previously:
Anise
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
It's convenient how the Latin names for most citrus notes start Citrus. Think of them as a good place to start learning binomial nomenclature.
Bergamot is a very common perfumery ingredient, and it's a note in an absurd number of both male and female fragrances. That's because it goes with just about everything. Not sure what to put at the top? Bergamot to the rescue!
You might be familiar with the odor from Earl Grey tea. You won't find bergamot at the store to eat, but the essence of the peel is used as a flavor. The scent won't overpower your blends, and will add a nice citrus note. I find it has a light floral aspect to it. Arctander describes its top notes as sweet and fresh, with an oily-herbaceous and slightly balsamic body. This is an exciting oil, and it won't cost you hundreds of dollars.
Like many citrus oils, the essential oil is produced via cold pressing of the peel. I have found a steam-distilled bergamot at Stillpoint Aromatics, but I haven't tried it myself. I'm mostly curious as to whether the steam distillation removes the photo-sensitizing elements of bergamot oil, like it does for lemon and lime. While I said in the first post that I wouldn't write about safety, bergamot oil is strong photo-sensitizer, and should be used with caution in leave on products. If you would like to use it in a leave on product, either dilute heavily or look into bergaptene free or FCF (furanocoumarin free) oils.
Fresh bergamot oil should be green or greenish-yellow. Bergamot doesn't get better with age, so unless you know you need a lot, start with small bottles so you know that you have a fresh oil.
Other oils with a bergamot note:
Bergamot Mint (Mentha citrata)
Bee Balm/Monarda/Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa)
Previously:
Anise
Friday, July 3, 2015
The ABCs of Essential Oils: Anise
I love scrolling through alphabetical lists of essential oils, and have often thought of featuring an essential oil for each letter. This series will include one oil for each letter, and will primarily include information on the scent and aromatic uses of the oil. Please note that I am not an aromatherapist, and don't intend to write about any health benefits or safety precautions. If you are interested in those issues, I recommend reading Robert Tisserand's and Rodney Young's book Essential Oil Safety, 2nd edition.
A:
Anise, including aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) and star anise (Illicium verum)
The main constituent of star anise and aniseed (anise seed) is anethole, which gives them their characteristic "black licorice" odor. Interestingly enough, licorice does not smell like anise in its natural state, but it is flavored with anise.
Anise is great for soap- it's inexpensive for an essential oil, and it has high odor intensity, making it a cost effective choice. A high flash point means that it works well in hot process, too. Some use aniseed to make a "fisherman's soap," because it's supposed to hide the human odor so you catch more fish. I cannot personally vouch for that, but it'd be nice if washing with aniseed soap before scuba diving or snorkeling meant that you could get closer to the fishies. Not that I've been scuba diving or snorkeling either.
In Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Arctander primarily writes about both types of anise in terms of flavor, though he notes anise seed oil is good at masking noxious odors. I like blending anise with lavender, and it also blends well with a variety of citrus oils. I also like it blended with cocoa absolute for a gourmand scent. Small amounts in an amber or fougere fragrances. If you want to try it in a perfume blend, start with just one drop (a good practice with any EO, really).
Other EOs with an anise note:
Aniseed Myrtle (Backhousia anisata)
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulage)
Basil, Methyl Chavicol chemotype (Ocimum basilicum ct methyl chavicol)
 |
| Star anise in potpourri. |
Anise is great for soap- it's inexpensive for an essential oil, and it has high odor intensity, making it a cost effective choice. A high flash point means that it works well in hot process, too. Some use aniseed to make a "fisherman's soap," because it's supposed to hide the human odor so you catch more fish. I cannot personally vouch for that, but it'd be nice if washing with aniseed soap before scuba diving or snorkeling meant that you could get closer to the fishies. Not that I've been scuba diving or snorkeling either.
In Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Arctander primarily writes about both types of anise in terms of flavor, though he notes anise seed oil is good at masking noxious odors. I like blending anise with lavender, and it also blends well with a variety of citrus oils. I also like it blended with cocoa absolute for a gourmand scent. Small amounts in an amber or fougere fragrances. If you want to try it in a perfume blend, start with just one drop (a good practice with any EO, really).
Other EOs with an anise note:
Aniseed Myrtle (Backhousia anisata)
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulage)
Basil, Methyl Chavicol chemotype (Ocimum basilicum ct methyl chavicol)
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