Heaven scent
Making your own perfumes
Wouldn’t you love to wear a perfume which contains only natural ingredients, offers psychological and physiological benefits and is actually good for the skin.
Almost all commercially available fragrances, including men’s colognes or aftershaves, are a combination of alcohol, colour and synthetically produced fragrance. The ingredients you can smell are chemical ‘copy cats’, artificially manufactured to mimic the smell of natural ingredients.
If you are happy to wear these fragrances, that’s fine. There are some great ones on the market and if you really do your homework and are willing to pay, you may actually find one that is made with real and natural fragrance ingredients.
Some individuals – myself included – are allergic to most commercially available fragrances. The culprit could be either the alcohol, which is very unfriendly to the skin, or possibly the artificial fragrance ingredients. Problems such as red rashy skin reactions and eczema are the usual reactions for these individuals.
There is a great alternative to synthetic perfumes, which will give you the freedom to create different recipes or ‘blends’ – essential oils.
The use of essential oils is not new. The plants and resins that produce the oils, have been used for thousands of years by various cultures to perfume bodies and living areas, to fumigate the air, to help avoid infections and pestilence, to embalm the dead, and to treat ailments. They were even used to flavour food, though this ancient practice is one that must not be followed. Never ingest modern day essential oils!
In fact, until just a couple of decades or so ago, before chemicals were introduced to take over fragrancing perfumes and other products, essential oils were the main ingredient in perfumes and colognes, along with other precious but now no longer used ingredients such as musk and civet.
Educating oneself in the correct and safe use of the dozens of available essential oils can bring real pleasure and benefits. It is simply a matter of purchasing a couple of aromatherapy books and reading up on the different oils and how to dilute them in base oils. Take care you learn which ones are safe to use, as there are some that must be avoided in pregnancy, for certain medical conditions and by children.
You can make your own ‘mood perfume’ by blending three or more essential oils and diluting them in a base or ‘carrier’ oil such as almond, avocado, jojoba and wheatgerm etc.
Remember that essential oils are not actually oils as such. They are very concentrated extracts and must always be diluted in a base oil before applying to skin, or added to vodka or milk before putting in bath water. The base oil acts as a fixative and prevents the essential oils smell from evaporating and disappearing too quickly.
If all this talk of blending perfume seems like too much hard work, here’s another suggestion. Buy a bottle of almond oil and two or three essential oils that you like. You can try sweet orange or any of the citrus oils for cheering up a low or foul mood, chamomile to calm or aid sleep, geranium to balance emotions, patchouli or sandalwood for exotic smell and a grounding, calming effect, frankincense to deepen and slow down breathing, and rose, jasmine, or ylang ylang for beautiful floral fragrance and anti-depressant benefits.
Use just one or a combination of three of your chosen oils, adding two or three drops maximum to a palmful of almond oil, or add about twenty drops of essential oil to a 100mls approx of almond oil. Shake to mix, and hey presto!
You have a gorgeous smelling treatment oil that is not only one of the best anti-ageing skin treatments for face and body, it is also great therapy for the soul and general health.
Essential oils are great for fortifying mind and body. They really help in times of depression, apathy, lethargy, low immunity, restlessness, anxiety, or lack of will. They are amazing when used with base oils as skin care treatments. Your aromatherapy book will guide you as to which ones are best and safe for your particular needs.
Another great way to use essential oils is to buy an oil burner, available from health food shops, most essential oil suppliers or beauty therapists. You simply put water in the burner, add your chosen essential oil and light a tea light candle in the special space provided. Your room will smell gorgeous in minutes and the fragrance molecules that are released into the air are actually health enhancing and very cheering.
Buy your essential oils from reputable brands to avoid adulterated products. Some of the brands that are of trusted quality are:
Appivita – available from pharmacies
Tisserand – health food stores and therapists
Jurlique – from their shop in Limassol or from The Facewiz tel; 99548338
Florame – from Bio Excellia, 22376806 or The Facewiz
Aromatherapy Associates – UK or online
Venus Rose – organic rose oil producer, 25 521893. www.venus-rose.com
You can purchase custom-blended oils and gift boxes of oils from The Facewiz, Julique and It’s Oil For You. Call 99 548338 for details.
