Greetings and Salutations, Roxana here with another segment of Aromatic Journeys. Today we will travel to the Ol’factory realm. It is my intention to guide you into the world of fragrance beginning with a few fundamental principals.
Please note that my training is in Aromatherapy and Botanical Perfume, thus when I refer to scented materials they are from actual plant materials or essentials oils, absolutes or C02 extractions. I do not work with, nor advocate the use of synthetic aroma chemicals.
" The sense of smell is the sense of the imagination."
~ Jean Jacques Rousseau
Our sense of smell has been critical to the survival of human beings. With over ten million scent receptors in our noses we have the ability to identify quite a range of different aromas.
While in art school many of us were trained to “see” in new ways. In aromatic studies we learn to “smell” deeply into things and identify what we smell. Next time you go to the market see how many “smells” you can identify and place into appropriate categories.
Within the visual, musical and aromatic arts there exist a few parallel universes including much of the same vernacular. Furthermore those that study wines often refer to the Wine Aroma Wheel to help them understand the complexity found from one wine to another.
Understanding what we perceive in a scent helps us to classify a note or perfume into a specific odour family. The main odour families are: floral, fruity, citrus, vegetative, woody, herbaceous, camphorous and spicy. For example when we inhale the scent of a collection of fresh fruits the note we primarily experience is fruity. Other families include: animalic, balsamic, marine, fungal, minty, etc. Some essences, like the ones listed below can be placed in multiple families or have a primary note supported by a strong secondary note.
Basil: Spice / Herbaceous
Black Currant: Fruity
Celery: Spice
Cedar: Wood
Chamomile: Fruity / Herbaceous
Coriander: Spice / Herbaceous
Fennel: Herbaceous
Fir: Conifer / Fruity
Frankincense: Resinous
Geranium: Herbaceous / Floral
Ginger: Spice
Grapefruit: Citrus / Fruity
Jasmine: Floral
Labdanum: Animalic / Balsamic
Mushroom: Fungal/Vegetative
Orange: Citrus
Pepper: Spice
Rose: Floral
Saffron: Spice
Sage: Herbaceous
Sandalwood: Wood
Spearmint: Minty
Vanilla: Balsamic
Two fragrance families which have a history of working well in combination are: florals with citrus and woods with spice.
Last week we learned to create a Vanilla infused oil, vanilla is in both the balsamic and the gourmand scent family. It is a note that works harmoniously with most other notes.
By becoming more present to the aromas in our world we become more present in our lives. This helps to bring us into the present moment and gets us away from what I term the “monkey chatter” in our minds. Sometimes the mere act of taking a conscious deep breathe will relieve considerable stress.
Here are instructions on how to create a Layered Spice Oil given to me by my beautiful friend Aztechan. This is very similar to the Infused Oil base we learned to make last week, the main difference is that this makes a beautiful visual while it is infusing due to the different colors and textures.
LAYERED SPICE OIL by Aztechan Pettus
1. Layer dried, aromatic seeds, herbs and berries in a mason jar.
(Juniper berries, black peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, etc.)
2. Pour cold pressed virgin olive oil to cover
3. Bask in Sun and Moonlight for one month or simmer on stove top or crockpot
4. Strain through filter, such as muslin clothe
5. Add essential oils, if necessary
6. Add this mixture to sea salt or other product or use as an accord in a solid perfume.
Be sure to stop by next month when we will make a luxury bath product which incorporates an infused oil. ~Roxana
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2 comments:
Fascinating- I am definitely going to make this oil!
Thanks for the aromatic journey and oil recipes. I love what you said about how noticing aromas can help keep us in the present and quiet the monkey chatter in our minds. "Monkey chatter" is a great word for that noise.
Are you familiar with Diane Ackerman's book, A Natural History of the Senses? It's filled with interesting inforamtion about our senses. In the Smell chapter she writes, "For those of exquisite sensuality, there is nothing headier than the musky smell of a loved one moist with sweat. But natural body odors don't strike most of us as particularly enticing. In the Elizabethan Age, lovers exchanged 'love apples'--a woman would keep a peeled apple in her armpit until it was saturated with her sweat, and then give it to her sweetheart to inhale." I'd like to see the perfume companies try to package that!
~Ann Marie
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